Skitz Full Interview
What's your earliest memory of music?
Sitting round a huge table listening to Hare Krishna by George Harrison while we all ate together. There would be all the kids on one end and the adults on another. Either that or my Granny singing me to sleep with Scottish folk songs.
What did your school reports used to say?
The recurring theme was ‘has potential/could do better/easily distracted/needs to focus a bit more’. Saying that, they weren’t bad, but they weren’t amazing either. I was never the cleverest kid in the class and my attention span was short unless the subject really grabbed me.
What kicked everything off for you, DJing and producing?
Well I bought two £25 decks in Exeter, musta been about 1985 and I had a mixer with no cross fader, just a balance knob that I’d have to twist from left to right. The decks had no bottoms and you had to build your own wooden stands for them to sit on. I had three tape decks hooked up to each other and loads of cassette tapes filled with sound FX and bits of vocal and I used to meticulously line them up and do pause button mix tapes with bits of Cutmaster DC, Fat Boys and early rap tunes.
Where did the name Skitz come from?
Ha ha! Well, I used to be a writer first and foremost. I was at school and used to go out bombing at night… Everyone used to say I had two lives and was a bit Skitz. So the name stuck… I was also a little crazy, so it worked for me.
I know a little bit about the Bury Crew, TaskForce and Skinny's side of things from
chatting to Farma, what was it like for you starting out?
Well I came a different route from them, I reckon. First of all, I was from the country so Hip Hop
wasn’t all around me. Put it this way, I was the only kid walking down Barnstaple High Street with
a Deerstalker hat and Gazelles! I used to travel up to London and Bristol and went to early jams
like Freestyle 85 and Fresh 86, The Moon Club, Tropics and the big jams underneath Temple
Meads Station. By this time Hip Hop was my life and by the time I went to America in ‘87, I was
totally enveloped in the scene. Early UK acts shaped my progress and passion, people like
Demon Boyz, London Posse and Sindicut. Really, I was a fan first and foremost and I just
hung out on the scene for years with graffers and DJs, soaking up the vibes. I lived in Brighton
for a bit and shared a flat with Mau Mau who I’d been to college with in the Shire (Devon). Me
and him would paint a bit, smoke a whole heap, party hard and go skating down the sea front
after a couple of bucket bongs. I worked in a record shop and would just dig all day for breaks.
I used to also hang with She One who went on to design my Countryman cover.
By the time I hit London it was 89/90 and Hip Hop had taken the country by storm. People
talk about the golden era and the early 90’s was it for me… Nuff gigs, shows, parties,
warehouse jams, girls and record shops. I had been doing clubs and big parties in Brighton
and this carried on when I got to London. The first job I got was doing the back room for
Manasseh at the Gardening Club in Covent Garden. Even back then I always mixed up the
Hip Hop with Reggae. From there everything slowly took off. In the background, I’d always
been working on my production, messing with samplers and beats. I’d done some housey
bits with a mate and produced a soul singer from Brixton. But obviously it was the lucky
break of linking Roots that kick started my career properly. He was going out with my
flatmate and she played him a beat and that was it.
How did you learn and progress?
Practise, watching others and always knowing what I wanted to hear.
How do you feel about the recent rise in power of groups like the British
Defence League (BDL) and British National Party (BNP)?
It drives me nuts to be honest. Racism is about the only thing that really pisses
me off! When I lived in Brighton, we used to go and stand up against the NF
marches which always ended up in a ruck down some side alley with a load of
skinheads. Recently, me and Rodney P did a load of gigs with Love Music Hate
Racism, so I’ve always tried to do my bit and stand up against these narrow-minded
fools. The thing that I love about England and what makes it different to so many
countries is the fact that most people don’t see colour and here you’ll get a crew
which incorporates Black, White and Asian kids. When you go to America it feels
so detached, like you’re in a Black area, then a Hispanic area, then a White area.
England’s more of a melting pot and I think that also helps our individual creativity
and style and is realised in our diverse and ever-evolving music scene.
Alongside Roots Manuva and Rodney P, you're one of the true pioneers of
UK hip hop, who did you look up to and respect when you started out?
In the Hip Hop game it was people like Imperial Mixers and DJ Cheese, Red Alert
and DJ Milo to name a few. Smith and Mighty and The Wild Bunch from Bristol.
Mike Allens capital rap show had a big impact on me, as did Westwood. Fab 5
Freddy and his Clash connection, Futura 2000 and The Chrome Angelz.
GrandWizzard Theodore, Sugarhill Records, Funky 4 + 1, Grandmaster Flash.
Too many really… I could go on and on.
Do you feel you have a duty to bring through new talent, people like Buggsy?
No not really but I think its important to always bring the youngsters through
and shine a light on emerging talent. It keeps it exciting for me to work with
brand new artists that have different influences and have come to where they
are at via a different route. It keeps things fresh for me and inspirational as well.
There’s so much talent in this country its ridiculous but saying that I’ve seen a lot
of artists with amazing talent not utilize it and fall by the wayside. When you get
a moment you have to grab and throttle the fuck out of it.
Which artists do you respect at the moment?
So many. Off the top of my head Massive Attack, DJ Die, KRS One, RZA, Engine-Earz,
Benny Page, Jay Electronica, Rodney P, Nas, Vybz Cartel. Basically anyone who stays
true to what they believe in and is passionate about the music they make.
You're known as Big Daddy Skitz, one of the front-runners of the scene, but
now you're a real dad, how has that changed your life?
I’ve been a dad for a long time now. My first son was born in 96 and it totally changed my life.
He’s 16 now and my other son is 3. You have to focus and try and be more responsible and be
there whenever they need you. Kids give you a renewed energy and vibe and unconditional love
like nothing else. They do eat up your time though, so when you get time to yourself you tend
to utilise it better and not waste it. Its one of the reasons this 2nd album took so long!!
Do you want your kids to grow up doing the same thing as you, or will you encourage
them to do something different?
It’s a cliché but I just want them to follow their dreams and be happy.
The club scene has developed and changed over the years, what are the biggest
changes you've seen and how do you feel about them?
Obviously the music has moved so quickly. Genres come and evolve and create hybrid
sounds. Hip Hops gone from the main room to the back room and back to the main room.
UK Raps been championed, exalted, then shot down and dismissed. Old School has been
celebrated and laughed at. I used to love going to old warehouse raves where you’d get a
funk track played back to back with a rap tune and a house tune. Places like the Pullit
building in Camden where you’d get Shaka in one room, Soul II Soul in another and Rampage
next door. To be honest things are going back that way with line-ups including Dubstep,
Reggae, D&B and Hip Hop, DJs just playing good music and I rate that. Obviously no smoking’s
a big change, and clubs have got bigger and more corporate. There always seemed to be loads
more little house parties and grimey little late night dives back in the day.
Drugs have always played a part in underground music scenes, how do you
feel about 'new' drugs like Ketamine and Mephedrone?
I’m a man that likes to party hard and these two ain’t on my list.
Can you imagine a world without music?
They would be no world without music. As long as there’s people on earth there will
be singing and drumming.
You've had Countryman, Homegrown and a whole heap of other mixtapes and albums,
what's next for you now?
Sticksmans out May 31st. Featuring a whole host of MCs like Rodney P, Kardinal Offishall,
Masta Ace, Darrison, Taskforce, Hunta, Buggsy, Dynamite MC, Skibbadee, Brotherman, Iron
Braydz, Harry Shotta, Ti2bs, Wordsworth, Buggsy and more. It comes with a free remix
album featuring the likes of Benny Page, Scratch Perverts, Engine-Earz, Nappa and Life
from Phi-Life Cypher and more. Its pure blood, sweat and tears! I’ve been through ups and
downs and it’s taken a while to put it all together but I’m happy with the finished product.
People say the 2nd album is the hard one and I did feel a little pressure after Countryman
but hand on my heart I can say I think its better. I think it’s a consistent album and the Skitz
sound has moved forward as far as production’s concerned. Saying that it probably would have
never got done if I didn’t have The Sea and Engine-Earz backing me up on the co-production.
The whole climate has changed, so its gonna be interesting to see the response it gets. At the
end of the day I’m happy with it. Obviously I’m gonna be on road promoting the album and
singles, doing shows and trying to eat and pay bills off of it for a while…
You've worked with loads of artists and each of them brings something different
to the table, different energies and talents, who was your favourite and who
would you most like the opportunity to work with?
Everyone has their strengths and individual flare. I love L Dot Mans diction, Iron Braydz
humbleness, Rodney P’s voice, Deadly Hunta’s stage presence and Harry Shotta’s flow.
So many artists I’d like to work with - Capleton, Everlast, Slick Rick, Kathy Matthea.
Do you think there's a higher power connecting us all? You must have seen
artists come and go, and friends fall by the wayside, do you feel as though
you've been steered through the madness?
As Ghandi once said ‘there is a mysterious indefinable power that pervades everything’.
I don’t know if we make our own luck or certain people are just lucky but I do know
that good people I know have fallen and life ain’t fair. Sometimes karma creeps up on
wankers but sometimes not. Most of the time I feel blessed but occasionally damned.
I try and treat people how I’d wanna be treated, roll with the punches and keep my fingers
crossed. The bad times make you stronger, most definitely.
If you could hit the reset button, what would you change? Would you do
something completely different, like work in the city?
No regrets man.
How happy are you on a scale of 1-10 with your life and where you are now?
(10=pretty stoked)
7 – Pretty happy most of the time. Still got bastards that are chasing me, people
that bring me down and bullshit bailiffs, bankers and the usual withheld number
brigade giving me headaches. All I want is a simple life with my family around me
and a little bit of money to treat myself now and again. That ain’t askin’ too much is it?
Finally, what Star Wars character would you be?
Jango Fett – If you don’t know… Get to know!
Questions by Roland Henry. Answers by Big Daddy Skitz.
Free Track 'Rainy Day Science' Ft Task Forace from the 'Sticksman' album
in Issue 4 of Weapon of Choice magazine. Download the magazine and track here
Look out for the new album, Sticksman, on the 31st May on Dragondrop.
Pre-orders online now, keep ‘em skinned for tour dates and more!
http://www.myspace.com/daddyskitz
The Sticksman Launch Party 15th June Thekla, Bristol BS1 4RB with:
Skitz
Rodney P
Rob Smith (Smith and Mighty)
Dj Die (Clear Skyz)
Engine-Earz Experiment
Benny Page
Harry Shotta
Deadly Hunta
Buggsy
K.Ners
The Sea
Kelz
Dj First Aid
D Gritty
Live graffitil!!
£6 ADVANCE!!! £8 on the door!!!
Tickets available NOW from the Weapon of Choice Gallery & The Bristol Ticket shop
http://www.bristolticketshop.co.uk/
