When I met DJ Destroyer I wasn’t entirely aware of the power in his name. I started understanding as I became a regular at Strictly Social, a weekly event put on by DJ Destroyer and Nu-Soul Magazine owner Norman Mayers. Strictly Social has become one of the few havens in Los Angeles for underground and local talent with a friendly crowd. Destroyer keeps up the energy by DJing between sets of performers to the end of the night. I lost count of how many times I have asked him, “What is this!?” as he was mixing records. He doesn’t run out of surprises. Whether it is a J Dilla track that hadn’t been released yet, some forgotten RBX banger, to House and Soul music I had never heard before, he would always bring something fresh to my ears. Whenever I saw a flier with “DJ Destroyer” on it, I knew it would be a good party. In a time where many DJs stick to what’s popular and safe, he shatters the monotony with the new and unexpected. With such a knack for getting a positive reaction out of a dance floor, I figured DJ Destroyer chose his moniker because he destroyed DJs. Hardly anyone could compete with someone that could bring a party into a groove so quickly such as NCS’ “Endless Summer” mix. However, Destroyer reminded me that every form of destruction is important because it paves the way for something new. This is not about competition. It is about creation.
Merc80: DJ Destroyer, you’re well-known on the L.A. scene. How did you get so reputable?
DJ Destroyer: Strictly Social is a night we’ve been doing for about 5 years. I started it originally in Hollywood in 2001 and I revamped it in 2006. I’m also in a crew called Umoja Hi-Fi Soundsystem, a forward thinking DJ collective. We’ve been going on since the early 90s.
The idea originally for Strictly Social was a place with forward-thinking Soul music across the board, whether it’s House, Hip Hop, World music. Basically encompassing Soul in all it’s different genres and formats. I started that at The Room in Hollywood. It stopped and I revamped it once I met Norman at Nu-Soul Magazine, and we started collaborating bringing local live talent as well as worldwide talent. Then we moved to Little Temple. From there it just got bigger.
Were you born and raised in L.A.?
I was actually born in Nottingham, England but I’ve been living in L.A. since 1980. So I’m pretty much a Los Angeles native. That’s what the natives tell me. (laughs) But I went to school here and I grew up in L.A. I finished my high school in England. That’s when I started really getting into the art-form of DJing. I used to take the train down to London and go to parties. I was 16 years old. I just started meeting DJs with record shops and that’s really how I started. I wanted to be a DJ before that, but I really wanted to do it after meeting those folks.
What’s the DJ culture like in London versus L.A.?
There’s some similarities. In London there’s a very big Soul music scene out there. The kind of music played on the radio out there is a lot better than it is out here, on mainstream radio. There’s always been, in the UK, an appreciation of Black music period, especially Black American music. So that was part of my upbringing. There used to be a term for guys out there called Soul Boys. The Northern Soul. Stuff from Stax and Motown. I came up in that kind of realm.
What are your favorite records to play, for parties or in general?
“Can’t Stop the Prophet (Remix)” by Pete Rock.
Run DMC’s self-titled first album, that was the pinnacle for me as far as wanting to be a DJ.
Mr. Fingers, “Can You Feel It”. He’s also also known as Larry Heard.
Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, one of my favorite records of all time.
Burning Spear, Marcus Garvey.
Black Sabbath, We Sold Our Soul for Rock n Roll.
Those are my favorites off the top of my head.
The never-ending debate: Serato or Vinyl?
Vinyl always. Vinyl is final, everyday. I use Serato and love it! Don’t get me wrong. But to me, vinyl will be forever. It’s something you can hold, it’s tangible. MP3s, you can’t hold them. There’s no real long term value for ‘em. But saying that, I love technology and I’m forward-thinking with it and I like to use it.
DJ Destroyer. Is that like “Conan the Destroyer” or you Destroy DJs?
No it’s not a battle thing. Destroyer is a concept, that for me is destroying the bonds of musical oppression. So there’s no walls put up. I destroy all boundaries. And whatever you conceive to be what it is, I’m gonna break that down and give you something different and give you some fresh, something original.
Twitter – @DJDestroyer
Podomatic - http://destroyer.podOmatic.com
