Let’s break the ice. Let us know who you are, where you are from, and when did you fall in love with Skratching?
My name is Vince aka Bamboo!, I’m 23, and I hail from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I fell in love with skratching in middle school after hearing my dad play Herbie Hancock’s Rockit in the car on the way home from class.
Who or what are your influences? When did you first hear or see someone scratching?
My dad is my biggest musical influence. He is not a musician, but has a great taste in funk, jazz, and early R&B. I grew up listening to a lot of Al Jarreau, Herbie Hancock, and George Benson during car rides.
My biggest DJ influences are definitely Craze and A-Trak. Their routines are timeless and always mind-blowing. Not to mention they can thoroughly rock a party. I also admire how they are always pushing the envelope when it comes to new music genres and DJ technology.
Is there a turntablist scene in Pittsburgh?
Yes! It’s nowhere close to the huge scenes out in NY or SF, but we make it work here. Only a handful of cats that take the Tablist route in Pittsburgh, but I do believe we have some of the best party-rockers in the nation.
How does your background in classical music influence your DJ style? The music you spin or sample?
From super fast cuts to long drawn out jazzy chops, I try to emulate my knowledge in instrumentation into my skratching. Knowing time signatures, tempos, and keys also help a ton when I’m mixing records. I’m also a sucker for sampling orchestra hits and guitar riffs.
Out of the instruments you know how to play, which is your favorite? Why?
The acoustic guitar is my favorite instrument (besides the turntable of course). There is just something about the resonance that the strings let off when you strum that I find very peaceful.
You’ve finished in the top 5 in several DJ battles…who has been your toughest opponent? What has been the biggest challenge(s)?
My toughest opponent is always myself. Sometimes I get too critical of my routines and over think them. Over the past few battles I’ve learned that when all else fails, a clean simple set is better than a sloppy complicated one.
You’ve recently stepped into the club scene as a DJ, has it been tough transitioning from battle to club mode?
The toughest challenge about being a battle/club DJ is staying relevant in both. While I’m practicing cuts, I could be digging for new club bangers or vice versa. I like to integrate both aspects in all of my DJing. Whether is laying funky cuts over a club set or juggling the new hot tune in a battle, I try my best to combine both angles of DJing.
What’s one thing you can tell someone about Skratching that you wish you knew when you first started?
Take your time! I definitely burned myself out after the first few months of skratching. I would stay up for 3 days straight trying to get an autobahn or boomerang down. It also wasn’t a good look on my grades either, considering I skipped a ton of classes. But that’s a story for another time. Haha
What equipment/software do you use? Do you have a favorite piece of gear?
I recently made the switch from Serato to Traktor with the Z2. I love it. The 4 deck control completely changed the way I look at playing sets and transitioning. My favorite piece of gear right now is definitely the Z2, all buttons/knobs are placed out very thoughtfully; nothing feels too crammed. I also use an APC20 to fire off samples in the remix decks.
What was the last song you listened to?
No Time by Action Bronson
Do you have a favorite record you love to use for Skratching?
I love all the SkratchySeal/ThudRumble joints, you can never go wrong with them. I also dig hella Rectangle breaks and Scratch Science records. As far as instrumentals to cut over D-Styles – Heavy Petting breaks is by far my favorite.
What style(s) of music do you enjoy spinning?
I love to spin golden era hip hop, rap, breaks, disco, EDM, and funk. It also depends what kind of crowd is in front of me. I enjoy whatever they dance to.
What styles of music (or specific artists) are popular in the PA club scene right now?
Hip-hop has always been popular here in Pittsburgh, especially with the rise of all the artists out of here. There is also a solid amount of great EDM producers here. Talent is plentiful around town, and we all work together. It’s family
Do you have any skratch tapes or other work we can check out? Where can we get it?
#ToSkratchAPredator is my very first skratch tape. With all the great response, I may start a monthly skratchtape release. I also have a routine that I recently filmed a visual to, I plan on releasing it in the next few weeks. Keep posted!
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/deejay-bamboo
Mixcloud: http://www.mixcloud.com/DJ_Bamboo/
Where can we connect with you online?
Any last thoughts? Shout outs?
I hope to keep learning and growing not only with skratching, but with music and life in general. I only started DJing a 4 years ago out of my college dorm and haven’t stopped trying to progress since. Thanks to everyone that inspires me to do better everyday.
Respect to all DJs who came before us and paved the way for us to be able to do this. Being able to express myself though music and skratching is truly a blessing.
Can’t forget all my Pittsburgh homies: Bonics, Nugget, Petey C, Pete Butta, Red, McFly, Solo Dolo, Hank D, Mars Jackson, RB, FaderPirates, Timebomb Crew… the list goes on forever. If you’re reading this, add your name to that list. Haha. Much love!
And word to the homie Doc Jeezy for pushing me to take turntablism to another level.
Big shouts to skratchtapes.com! I look forward to doing more work with you guys in the future!
Last but not least: Thank you Mom, Dad, and Rilyn. You guys are my heroes
