DJ Woody

Last updated

DJ Woody
OriginBritish
Genres Turntablism, hip hop, trip hop, breakbeat
Occupation(s)DJ, turntablist, producer
Instrument(s)Turntables
Website djwoody.tv

DJ Woody (born 1977) is a prolific DJ and turntablist born in Burnley, Lancashire UK.

Contents

Career

He started DJing in 1992 but made his name through the DJ competition circuit when, in 2001, he was the first European DJ to win the ITF (International Turntablist Federation) World championship title in San Francisco. A year later he won the Vestax World title.

He is known for his innovative and musical approach to turntablism and is responsible for the invention of various scratches and techniques including his famous signature "Woodpecker Scratch". [1]

He helped Vestax, the turntable and mixer manufacturer, in the design of its Controller One [2] turntable, the first ever turntable to play full musical scales.

In 2002, he toured the United States with Stones Throw Records' artists Lootpack (Madlib, Wildchild & DJ Romes), Declaime, J Sands (Lone Catalist) and P Trix (US DMC Champion) and DJ Dopey (World Disco Mix Club Champion).

The following year he joined the "Russian Percussion" touring outfit with the producer DJ Vadim and the vocalists Blu Rum 13 and Yarah Bravo. This touring outfit later formed hip hop collective One Self, whose LP, Children of Possibility, was released in 2005 on Ninja Tune Records. The group was described by The Times as "best newcomers of 2005"[ citation needed ] and won Channel 4's Slashmusic Showcase. [3]

Mixes released in this period were the UK hip hop retrospective "Bangers & Mash" [4] and a crate-digging collaboration with Sean Canty (Demdike Stare) A Country Practice. [5] Both received widespread acclaim in the music press.[ citation needed ]

Between 2007 and 2009, DJ Woody was the tour DJ for the Latin Grammy winner Mala Rodriguez.[ citation needed ]

In 2010, Woody launched his ground breaking audio-visual DJ show Turntables in Technicolor. Drawing on his former career as a graphic designer, he also designed and animated all the material used in the show. Notable performances of this set were at the 2010 World DMC Finals in London and 2011 US DMC finals in New York, a support slot for The Happy Mondays and a bespoke performance for the BBC's hit children's TV show The Slammer .[ citation needed ]

In 2011, Woody's video remix featuring the Hollywood star Anne Hathaway was discussed, blogged and tweeted worldwide by the likes of BBC Newbeat, [6] Scott Mills, Tommy Lee (Mötley Crüe), NME and Glamour Magazine. Hathaway passed comment on the video at the premier of London One Day .[ citation needed ]

In 2012, he released a mixtape with the UK rapper Dr Syntax, [7] and a DJ mix for Tokyo Dawn Records. The latter was "Mix of the Week" on both MTV [8] and Okayplayer [9] websites.

In 2012, his themed video DJ set "DJ Woody's Big Phat 90s" was described as "mind-blowing" by the veteran DJ and writer Billy Jam in his feature for Amoeba Records. [10] In 2013, he started touring his audio-visual hip hop retrospective "Hip Hop is 40".

In 2015, Woody took audio-visual-turntablism to the theatre, premiering Blake Remixed at the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe and touring UK theatres. In this collaboration with the beatboxer and rapper Testament, he created a live soundtrack via the turntables while controlling interactive 3D projection-mapped characters, enabling the DJ turntables to become part of the storytelling.[ citation needed ]

In 2016, his production came to the fore. In the form of "BocaWoody", a new collaborative project with Bristol's Boca45, they released a 6 track EP and vinyl 7" in May. In October, he released his first solo LP, The Point Of Contact. The album has the musicians Christian Madden (keyboard player for Liam Gallagher), Carl Sharrocks (drummer for 808 State), Nick Blacka (Gogo Penguin) and Matthew Halsall). The live act, in which Woody usedthe turntables as a lead instrument, included drums (Sharrocks) and keyboards (Madden) and debuted at the DMC World Finals at the 02 Kentish Town Forum in London.[ citation needed ]

In May 2017, the full-length album from BocaWoody, Carousel, was released. Described as "Super feel-good funky hip hop exuburance!" by Cold Cut's Jon Moore, the single "Jump" featuring BluRum13 made the BBC Radio 6 music "Recommends" playlist.[ citation needed ]

In 2018 and 2019, Woody was the support act for Hacienda Classical for arena tours with Peter Hook, Mike Pickering, Graham Park and the Manchester Camerata Orchestra. These concluded each year with performances at the Royal Albert Hall.[ citation needed ]

Awards

Appearances

Releases

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ninja Tune</span> English record label

Ninja Tune is an English independent record label based in London with a satellite office in Los Angeles. It was founded by Matt Black and Jonathan More and managed by Peter Quicke and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turntablism</span> Art of manipulating sound using turntables

Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating new music, sound effects, mixes and other creative sounds and beats, typically by using two or more turntables and a cross fader-equipped DJ mixer. The mixer is plugged into a PA system and/or broadcasting equipment so that a wider audience can hear the turntablist's music. Turntablists typically manipulate records on a turntable by moving the record with their hand to cue the stylus to exact points on a record, and by touching or moving the platter or record to stop, slow down, speed up or, spin the record backwards, or moving the turntable platter back and forth, all while using a DJ mixer's crossfader control and the mixer's gain and equalization controls to adjust the sound and level of each turntable. Turntablists typically use two or more turntables and headphones to cue up desired start points on different records.

Killa Kela is a British beatboxer and rapper from West Sussex. He is considered to have been the first beatboxer from the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ Qbert</span> American DJ

Richard Quitevis known by his stage name DJ Qbert or Qbert, is an American turntablist and composer who has heavily influenced the History of DJing. He was awarded America's Best DJ in 2010, was DMC USA Champion 1991 (solo) and achieved titles as DMC World Champion in 1992 and 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ Yoda</span> British turntablist (b. 1977)

Duncan Beiny, better known as DJ Yoda, is a hip hop DJ who uses samples to create an animated musical style. He is known for several awards and media industry achievements.

The Invisibl Skratch Piklz are an American group of turntablists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scratch Perverts</span> UK musical group

The Scratch Perverts are a collective of turntablist DJs from London, formed in 1996 by Tony Vegas, Prime Cuts and DJ Renegade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mix Master Mike</span> Musical artist

Michael Schwartz, better known by his stage name Mix Master Mike, is an American turntablist best known for his work with Beastie Boys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ Craze</span> Nicaraguan DJ and record producer

DJ Craze is a Nicaraguan American DJ and record producer who plays hip hop, Miami bass, trap, breaks, dubstep, drum and bass, and practices turntablism. He was, until 2020, the only solo DJ in history to win the DMC World DJ Championships trophy three times consecutively (1998–2000).

Kentaro Okamoto, better known as DJ Kentaro, is a musician and DJ from Japan. He won third place in the Technics category of the DMC World DJ Final in 2001 and won it in 2002 at the age of 20. In doing so, he became one of the first persons of Asian descent to win the DMC World DJ Final, receiving the highest score in DMC history in the process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skalpel</span> Polish nu jazz DJ/musician duo

Skalpel are Polish nu jazz DJs, musicians and record producers, Marcin Cichy and Igor Pudło, from Wrocław, Poland. Their musical style is a distinctive blend of hip hop beats, laced with samples lifted from the rich seam of Polish jazz records of the 1960s and 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vestax</span>

Vestax Corporation was a Japanese musical instrument, turntable and audio equipment firm founded by Hidesato Shiino in 1977. The company started by designing and manufacturing electronic guitars. In the 1980s, Vestax produced multitrack recorders and later moved to making DJ mixers, professional turntables, CD players and signal processors. Debt troubles led to the company's bankruptcy at the end of 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ Vadim</span> Russian-English DJ and record producer

Vadim Alexandrovich Peare, known professionally as DJ Vadim, is a Russian-English DJ and record producer. Born in Saint Petersburg and raised in London, Peare is additionally a promoter, record collector, radio presenter, occasional painter and writer, whose music combines hip hop, soul, reggae and electronica. He previously ran Jazz Fudge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A-Trak</span> Musical artist

Alain Macklovitch, known by his stage name A-Trak, is a Canadian DJ, record producer, and record executive. He came to prominence in the late 2000s as an international club DJ and remix artist, known for incorporating highly technical turntable skills and scratching into his genre-spanning work. He is also president of the record label Fool's Gold, which was founded in 2007, and is credited for developing the careers of artists such as Kid Cudi, Danny Brown, and Flosstradamus. Among other collaborative projects, he is part of the DJ duo Duck Sauce with Armand Van Helden and was nominated for a Grammy in 2012 for their song "Barbra Streisand".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ Lord</span> American DJ and turntablist

DJ Lord, is an American DJ and turntablist. In 1999, DJ Lord joined the hip hop group Public Enemy on its 40th World Tour replacing Terminator X. Soon after, DJ Lord had his own performance segment within the Public Enemy show. While hip hop has been at the foundation of his career, he also works in the drum and bass arena. His career and the art of turntablism is documented in the DVD, DJ Lord - The Turntablist Chronicles, released in 2004.

Kim Sæther, better known as DJ Noize is a Copenhagen-based Danish hip-hop-DJ. His company, Noizeworks places all his activities under one moniker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BluRum13</span> American rapper

BluRum13, born James Sobers, is an American underground rapper, emcee, actor and producer who also uses the pseudonym Killa Platypus. Originally from New York City, he spent most of his formative years in Washington, D.C., and is the great nephew of knighted cricketer Sir Garfield Sobers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ Rhettmatic</span> American disc jockey (born 1969)

DJ Rhettmatic is a producer, disc jockey and member and part creator of Southern California's first turntable band, the Beat Junkies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D.J. Mek</span> Musical artist

Pete Mescall, professionally known by his stage name DJ Mek or Pete Mescalero, is an Irish award-winning hip hop DJ/turntablist and producer. He has won 5 Irish national Disco Mix Club championships and remixed/produced artists like Ian Brown, The Frames, Zig and Zag and Jon Carter's Monkey Mafia. In 1989, he became the first DJ from the Republic of Ireland to enter the U.K. DMC Championships, and went on to win 5 Irish national titles. He was briefly banned from entering the championships but that decision was later overturned. His group ScaryEire were the first Irish rap act to be signed to a major label. He retired from competitive mixing competitions in 2000 but returned in 2021 to place 5th in the DMC World Foundation Finals

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ Tactics</span> Musical artist

Dmitry Vinokurov, also known as DJ Tactics — DJ, sound producer, and cultural figure from Russia, Moscow. His career has started in the late 1998 as a DJ and sound producer. His scene name comes from the parallel to the ways of using different tactics in approaching particular styles and genres, it sends a message of diversity that can be applied to mixing, recording and scratching. His style is described by Rolling Stone magazine as “Addicted to phat beats and making the crowd head nod over the beats”. His main styles are Hip-Hop, Electronic, Funk/Soul and Turntablism.

References

  1. "The most comprehensive scratch tutorial ever". The Ever.
  2. "Woody on the Controller One". DJWorks. 19 June 2007. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  3. "Channel 4 Slashmusic". Ninja Tune. Archived from the original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  4. "Dj Woody Bangers 'n' Mash : a UK Hip Hop Retrospective". Boomkat. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015.
  5. "A COUNTRY PRACTICE - DJ WOODY & SEAN VINYLMENT WOODWURKS". DMC World Magazine. 20 March 2017. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  6. "Anne Hathaway 'paparazzi rap' remixed by UK hip hop DJ". BBC Newsbeat.
  7. "Still At Large (mixed by DJ Woody), by Dr Syntax". Archived from the original on 7 December 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  8. Aguiar, Steven (30 November 2012). "DJ Woody Mixes 21st Century Funk on 'The Boogie'". MTV . Archived from the original on 22 February 2016.
  9. "Mixtape Mondays: DJ Woody, Moovmnt x Jesse Boykins III, Full Crate & FS Green". Okayplayer.
  10. "DJ Woody's Excellent New Video Mix Shows His Love of '90's Hip-Hop & Pop Culture". Amoeba Music. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2013.