A Conversation With Multi-talented DJ Supe

Twist Online : Please introduce yourself to the readers and how and when did you first get into music?
DJ Supe : My name is DJ Supe. I first started deejaying officially in 1994. My first gig was the same day OJ Simpson was running from the police on the freeway lol. I had been rapping all throughout high school with my friends at different events on campus and at clubs we were not old enough to legally be in. I got in to making my own mixtapes in the late 80s and early 90s by recording my favorite music on a cassette deck off the radio. I learned how to hold the pause button and then release it right in tempo with the beat so the songs would mix together in a seamless transition. I would then wait until my mom and dad went to work and pop in the cassette tape in their big stereo sound system. I would sit on the porch and leave the door open so people walking by would hear the music. Sometimes they would stop and hang out for a minute while the music played. I liked watching them react when the beat would switch.

Twist Online : Who or what inspired you as an artist growing up?
DJ Supe : “Rappin’ Duke” by Shawn Brown was the first rap song being played regularly on the radio that I can remember in my hometown Sacramento. Back then I knew it was gimmicky and we made fun of it, but behind clothes doors I wrote my own raps that had the same flow. Then one of the most thuggish of bullies in my neighborhood (and my friend) came by my house while I was blasting music out of the front door told me to pop in Eric B Rakim’s first tape “Paid in Full” or he would beat my a$$. I would have popped it in anyway without the threat, but when I did I was floored! His lyrics inspired me to want to rap even more and be a part of music in anyway that I could. I liked to listen to The Wake Up Show on KMEL. Even though I lived in Sacramento, that popular San Francisco radio station would bleed over into the Sacramento market. They had live call-ins with rappers battling each other and DJs cutting and scratching in ways I had never heard before. I was so enthralled going in to high school I decided to take the Radio and TV Production class to give me entertainment experience. Initially I was going to help the rest of the class run television productions but during the tour I saw a pair of turntables and a mixer and stopped dead in my tracks. The rest was history.

Twist Online : Tell us about your recent release “Bonnie & Clyde”?
DJ Supe : I give props where props are due. I was listening to “For a Real 1” by Joe Moses, Ty Dolla $ign, and Tyga. I was inspired by the baseline and so I decided to slow it down, smooth it out and added my own breakdown to retain the Hip-Hop elements that will always run through my veins. Every person that heard it wanted to rock over it. One day a young lady named TanJanae heard it and lightweight begged me to write something to it. I could see her energy and desire so I let her do her thing. What she came back with was a winner. I was so intrigue by her delivery we recorded it right away. She is a great writer and performer. The concept was fitting for the title due to the lyrics describing loyalty of a woman to her man. I could not have asked for a better fit.

Twist Online : You also run DJ Supe Radio. Is it a 24/7 radio? what kind of music is on aired on your radio?
DJ Supe : That is brand new and experimental at this point. It is 24/7 and is a cornucopia of everything that inspires me…Soul, Hip-Hop, Throwbacks and independent artists. I am developing a system for independent artists to get airtime which in turn will pay them performance royalties. The only criteria is they get their music registered with performance royalty organizations and have some type of direction with their project.

Twist Online : You have been lifeline of so many concerts and clubs as DJ, across the Europe and US. You must be loving this?
DJ Supe : ABSOLUTELY! I used to DJ for Norwegian Cruise Lines and got to see many parts of the world. Went to Japan a couple of times with a friend I met when I owned a record store. He would come to the USA and buy records from my store to take back home and sell. Eventually I had to go there and see things for myself. I played at his stores and at a club he was promoting with his partner. Best experience DJing so far! Currently, I still spin a couple times a week so that gives me the relevancy in a competitive field.

Twist Online : What’s your favorite music genre? any particular reason?
DJ Supe : I love Hard Bop Jazz. Artists like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Wes Montgomery, and Sonny Rollins. It was interesting how those artists came up with their chord progressions. I could listen to that all day because every song had multiple songs within each piece by todays repetitive standards.

Twist Online : Do you love spending a lot of time in your studio?
DJ Supe : Yes I do. The time spent in the studio facilitates all sorts of creations. I have my beat production area, DJ area, and recording booth. I also set up my green screen and camera for photography or video scenes when I am working on branding for artists I produce.

Twist Online : Singing, composing, producing, radio, DJ. How do you manage all that? Our readers would love to know the secret.
DJ Supe : I do a little bit every day. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. There are no shortcuts, It is a labor of love. I really don’t feel like I am working. When I make something, it is like being satisfied from eating a hearty meal. Biggest difference is I can go back and experience my creation over and over again.

Twist Online : What will you rate as your best achievement as an artist till date?
DJ Supe : Learning to play the piano was an eye opener. It created a foundation that opened up my creativity. I always knew my way around the keys but to be able to create progressions and run up and down the scale is so invigorating!

Twist Online : Are you on working on any new project? When it will be released?
DJ Supe : I am working on my EP entitled “Weirdo”. Planning on a Halloween release. “Bonnie & Clyde” is the lead off single.

Twist Online : Are you on Social Media? Your fans would love to follow you.
DJ Supe : Fans can find me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, or Soundcloud @DJSupe or go to my website at www.djsupe.net