Not every DJ is a big enough deal to get a Stanton needle named after him. JODY MACGREGOR talks to the one who is: CRAZE.

Craze has the distinction of being the only solo DJ to win the world DMC Championship three times in a row, 1998–2000. After that he retired from competing, but he returns for the occasional showcase of his incredible technical skills and his inspiring sense of showmanship. Even while beat juggling like a pro, dancing his fingers back and forth on the crossfader so fast you can barely see them, he engages the audience with personality and body tricks. He scratches behind his back, under his legs and even with his whole torso, slowly rotating while pressed up against the decks. The sense of fun he brings to these sets, without sacrificing any of his legendary ability, is what sets Craze apart from a lot of his competitors.

“Showmanship is very important if you’re a performer in any music genre,” he says. “You need to make the people feel your vibe. You could be the dopest technical DJ but without showmanship it goes to waste.”

It all started when Craze was a teenager. Born in Nicaragua, but raised in Miami, he was exposed to the booty-shaking sound of Miami bass along with his brother, also a DJ. His first ever gig was at a house party. “My brother was a lil too wasted to spin so I just took over. I was about 14 or 15 at the time.”

As a turntablist in the 90s, Craze was strongly influenced by hip hop, a genre he eventually moved away from towards his current, more drum-and-bass sound. “Hip hop clubs were changing around that time. I couldn’t do my thing without people telling me to shut up and just play the damn song,” he explains. “I was getting tired of that because around that time the ‘bling’ era kicked in and nobody gave a f@#k about the ‘hip hop culture’ anymore. So instead of me wasting my talent on them I started doing shows at raves and they would usually stick me in the DnB rooms. At first I wasn’t really feeling the vibe but then the music just hooked me. I was amazed at how the people were just there for the music and the DJ.”

Although he describes his current work as an all-over-the-place mix that includes hip hop, he still feels dissatisfied with the current state of the field. “The only thing I would change about hip hop would be its ignorance. The music being put out today is horrible … it’s almost comedy. When I play top 40 clubs I just laugh my ass off the whole way [through] because I just can’t believe how dumb it’s gotten.”

Dumb is one thing Craze’s sets aren’t. The complicated structures he works with take planning and forethought. “There’s some improvisation in my sets but some of my mixes are signature mixes that I’ve done before and they always smash it. As for my routines, they’re all planned out. They’re too intricate to freestyle.”

You can catch Craze at this year’s Parklife festival, September 29 in the City Botanic Gardens. His last album was Bass Sessions and he’s online at myspace.com/crazearoni. Parklife tickets are on sale now through www.ticketmaster.com.au / 136 100.

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