Born and raised in the Bay Area, ScottyFox has been a consumate provider of hip-hop beats and damn good music. You’ll often hear Scotty’s sets on 106 KMEL (a San Francisco based radio station) with Big Von. The Mixcrate crew followed him out during one of his nights at the SF Cellar, and a quick impromptu interview.

MC: How did you start out djing?

ScottyFox: I had always been fascinated with DJing since i was young. I had been listening to hiphop since 1983, and DJs like Jam Master Jay, Grandmaster DST and Cut Creator were very intriguing to me. Seeing DST scratch on the Grammys with Herbie Hancock in 84 caused me to immediately ruin my grandparents turntable trying to emulate him! A few years later I saw Michael Erickson DJing live at a 49ers Superbowl party, and I thought “wow..a white guy can do it, too!” Once I hit high school in ‘88 I started collecting vinyl 12″s, mostly hiphop stuff, but also some freestyle / electro joints like Robocop by the Sleeze Boys (my first 12″ actually). A close friend of mine, Sunil Kapadia, aka Prince K of PercussionSF fame, got his first set of turntables in 89, and the day after the big SF earthquake, October 18, 1989 I went to his house, and touched my first set of turntables. They werent even Technics! I finally got my first 1200 that Christmas, and my second for my birthday, and from there it was practice, practice, practice…the rest is history.

MC: When did you realize you wanted to do this for a living?

ScottyFox:I never thought I’d do this for a living, mainly because I never made a ton of money at it at first. For the first few years with Rhythm In Motion, my orginal DJ crew, all our money went to equipment, and any money I made usually went to records. I worked at a record store for about 5 years, but even then I spent most of that money on records. It wasnt until 2001, after 5 years of DJing on the radio for free at KYLD, I was hired as a full-time daily mixer on KMEL. Then I started making good money at it, and looked at DJing as a career choice. Actually, I should say radio as a career choice. I dont really envision myself DJing in clubs past forty five years old.

MC: What musical artists, or genres have influenced your style?

ScottyFox: I grew up with hiphop. Run DMC, LL Cool J, Egyptian Lover, Grandmaster Flash… all those formed the core of my musical tastes. Jam Master Jay was an early hero, and on the local level Cameron Paul and Michael Erickson on the radio. I even used Scott La Rock as my first DJ name in 89, after the Boogie Down Productions DJ. After he passed away, I had to change it. Once I reached high school, my musical tastes started to shift and grow. HipHop was always first, but I started branching out, and once I reached college, I had a full on love affair with many wide musical styles. Ive been playing the open-format style of DJing for years now, before it became cool. I was mashing up rock and hiphop songs in the 90s, just because it sounded cool, and reflected who I was and my music choices. I think I most identify with the Beastie Boys because they have constantly re-invented themselves and their sound, and have always led the way.

MC: When you’re at a gig, what do you look for when you’re spinning?

ScottyFox: At gigs, I am always watching. Even before I spin I am watching. I watch the mood of people. Females mostly, but not cuz Im just a guy, but because the basic fact is: guys will dance to anything if they think it will impress a girl. Girls will only dance to what they like. So I really only watch the women, and check their reactions to records.

MC: Name one essential value, trait, skill or characteristic every good dj should posess and why?

ScottyFox: All DJs should have music knowledge. Period. You have to know what you are playing, and why. It will help you “tell the story” better during the night, help your energy flow. You have to also have guts to take that extra step. Dont be afraid to push the boundaries, but know when you’ve gone too far, and always have a backup plan ready in case you stumble. I see a lot of DJs just playing basically the same stuff they hear on the radio, without delving deeper into music, finding a few hidden gems or classics that will set you apart, and ignite your dancefloor.

MC. Do you ever get nervous at gigs?

ScottyFox: I get nervous at weddings still. Ive done so many over the years, only ever really had one bad experience, back in 93 (sorry all-country music wedding people..thats not the music you told me before the event). I just would never want to ruin a bride’s special day with bad music. Fortunately, I never have. But i still get nervous.

MC: Besides music, what other hobbies do you enjoy?

ScottyFox: I read a lot, historical fiction, military fiction, biographies, and comic books. Yep, Im a geek. Movie geek, sci-fi geek, tech geek etc… I also study martial arts, and I’ve been on a serious work-out kick for the last few months, dropping a lot of this late-night-after-gigs-Dennys weight.

MC: Where can most people find you spinning on the weekend?

ScottyFox: For the last couple years Ive been resident at a very successful 80s night every Friday at The Cellar in SF. All 80s, all night, and I must say its fantastic. Theres a hiphop room in the back too, so you have your choice, and the people are great. I also float on various spot parties, private events etc.. I try to keep myself moving around, so I dont get bored with one crowd easily. Also, you can find me on 106.1 KMEL FM daily from 5pm-9pm Monday-Friday.

MC: What’s your favorite (mobile dj, career) story, or memory you’d like to share?

ScottyFox: My favorite times as a mobile DJ have to come from the Rhythm In Motion days. I mean, we were all a group of long-time friends, and we became DJs. We had no idea what we were doing, so noone could tell us we COULDN’T DO IT. We would have crazy, creative setups for even the simplest events, our music was phenomenal, and we had a great time. If I had to start telling stories, I think we’d be here all day. Just want to send much love to my RIM brothers, the real foundations of my DJ career : Sunil, Vic, Tony, Ryan, Mike, Dominic, Andrew, Genghis, -as well as the second third and fourth generations of RIM still rolling today. Also, other influences such as Jazzy Jim, Chris The Rebel, SPINTRONIX, Rick Lee, Majestichris, and DJ Pleez. I still have fun DJing, but the early years were still the best.

MC: What’s in rotation on you personal mp3 player right now?

ScottyFox: My ipod is wild. You’d never be able to keep up. I was listening to Elton John today, followed by Green Day, then the lastest Raekwon album, some classic early 80s yacht-rock, The Rolling Stones, U2…it goes on and on… my shuffle game is crazy.

Featured Mixcrate mixes:
90’s Ruled! Mix – 106KMEL set
1994 Rhythm in Motion Demo mix

Tags: Dj Spotlight, ScottyFox