Exclusive Interview with DJ Ambideckstriks

Siam2nite had the opportunity to have an exclusive interview with DJ Ambideckstriks, shortly before his performance at the after party of Meeting of Styles Thailand 2015 at Infinity Club Chiang Mai on 19th April.

You are a DJ and Turntablist from Chicago (USA). In 2014 you reached the #4 place at the DMC Teams World Finals in London as part of the “Chicago Turntablist Authority” crew, you won the DMC Cincinnati Regional DJ Battle twice (2014 & 2015) and you just recently won the Scratch Battle at the Winter Music Conference in Miami, Florida. How did you get in touch with DJing and music production in the first place?

I was interested in DJing through hip hop and house music from Chicago. I went to a lot of parties and shows and always enjoyed live music. My grandmother bought me my first set of turntables at age 16 and have been making music ever since.

Your music is mix of Hip Hop, House, Latin and Funk. How would you describe your own sound in just a few words?

Not mainstream, more underground or independent. Real music, feel good music that has soul.

What videos or mix-sets would you recommend to someone that is not familiar with you yet?

Anyone can watch my performances as a turntablist on the DMC 2014 DVDs or the 2014 World Finals DVDs. Or you can search Dj Ambideckstriks on Youtube, and watch a recent performance at Skratchpad Houston. For mixes, there is a new one sound cloud called “Still Houz” on my Dj Ambideckstriks page.

What’s next on your agenda? What are you currently working and focusing on?

Focusing on creating a new routine for the US DMC Finals in NYC in August, hoping to become the US DMC Champ and head to the world finals. Also going to be performing at a few different festivals this summer and coming up with new mixes for them. In a few weeks I will be Djing in Germany at Mai Jam with a Chicago MC Resolute.

What were the best and the worst gigs you ever played and what was the funniest thing ever occurred during any of your performances?

The best gigs I have gotten to play are festivals when I have been traveling. I love playing in front of new crowds and seeing new places at the same time. In Chicago the best gig I ever played was opening for Wu-Tang and the thousands of people at the sold out venue.

The worst gigs are at some parties when people are not there to have a good time. I don’t want to play in a hostile environment; everyone should just be having a good time. The funniest thing was probably playing an event in Chicago and a friend of mine was drinking a little too much and knocked down the speakers and turntables while I was playing…. That completely stopped the party until everything was set back up.

What can you tell us about clubbing and nightlife in Chicago? Do you have any nightlife related suggestions for first-time visitors?

There is almost everything in Chicago, depending on your style. I like the smaller venues; Smart Bar always has good house music and Subterranean. The wicker park area is fun for the early twenties crowd. Avoid any of the clubs downtown unless you want to pay a ton of money for overpriced drinks and bad music.

On 19th April you will perform live at the after party of Meeting of Styles Thailand 2015 at Infinity Club Chiang Mai. Have you visited Thailand before? What can we expect of your upcoming performance?

I have never visited Thailand before and am extremely excited. I can’t wait to check out this beautiful country and couldn’t be happier to be apart of Meeting of Styles Thailand. The same as everywhere I go… I would love to put on a good performance. Being a turntablist, I always love to put on a show. Show people an element of Djing that they may not have ever seen. I also love to make people dance so hopefully we can accomplish both of those things.