Exclusive Interview with DJ Hedspin

Siam2nite had the opportunity to have an exclusive interview with DJ Hedspin, shortly before his performance at Insanity Nightclub on 26th September.

Where are you answering these questions?

I'm in my hotel room in Bangkok after a week of madness in Tokyo for the Redbull Thre3style World Championships.

You are a Turntablist, DJ & Producer from Vancouver (Canada) and the 2011 World Champion of the Red Bull Thre3style competition. What can you tell us about your background and cornerstones of your development as a DJ that led to winning this prestigious title?

I started buying records in 1989 because a lot of 12”s had remixes and different versions of songs you wouldn’t really hear on the radio. In 1994 Dj Q-Bert and Shortkut did a showcase in Vancouver and that's the moment I knew I wanted to pursue djing. Growing up in Vancouver and djing in places like Whistler, we were forced to play all different styles of music because of the diverse crowds that would show up at the clubs. You had to play for tourists and locals from all different parts of the world. When the Redbull Thre3style competition started in Vancouver this was the perfect type of battle for me because it was based on party rocking and playing all different types of genres of music was nothing new to me.

Besides your winning set at Red Bull Th3style, what other videos, mix-sets, tracks and/or remixes would you recommend as an introduction for someone that is not familiar with you yet?

You can access my Soundcloud and Youtube links at my website

How does your current schedule look like, where and what kind of events do you play and what are you currently working and focusing on?

Right now I just got to Thailand after being in Tokyo for a week for The Redbull Thre3style World Finals. Ive been djing all types of different gigs from doing Strictly Thre3style showcases to University Campus gigs, to festivals, to clubs. In October I’ll be djing a bunch in the US (New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Orlando) and in November I’m doing a European Tour.

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

Best gig: winning a World Title in my hometown in front of a sold out Commodore Ballroom with Dj Premier, Pete Rock, Young Guru, Shortkut, Numark, Z-Trip, Dopey, Skratch Bastid, Kilo-Cee & my crew The Eh Team Djs standing behind me, all complete with the first/last time I ever dove off a stage count? (Shout out to the Fortune homies for being the first to catch me).

Worst Gig: You can’t win 'em all and not all the parties you dj at are going to be crazy all the time. That’s just the reality of it no matter how big of a DJ you are. I choose to remain silent and not put anyone / anyplace on blast.

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

Vancouver has lots of out of town guest djs, producers and live acts constantly rolling through our city so I would have to say Vancouver is fairly educated and in tune with both mainstream and underground music of all genres. There is something for everyone here and you just have to look for it. The Georgia Straight newspaper is a good place to start. Vancouver is a big city but not too big meaning that on a good night out you can hit up at least 4-5 different venues / parties in one night. We have a very strong talent pool of local djs as well as many djs/producers who are now starting to be recognized all over the world.

On September 26 – shortly after attending the Red Bull Thre3Style World Championships 2015 in Tokyo, Japan - you will perform live in Bangkok at Insanity Nightclub. Have you ever visited Thailand before? What can the Bangkok crowd expect of your performance?

This is my second time in Thailand. Whenever I do a show I try to do 3 things: Play at least one song no one has ever heard of, do at least one thing people will remember, and inspire other djs.