Scratchin146; the surface

DJ Wicked likes to give the turntables a little twist of his own

If we go into the details of when and why, then DJ Wicked would stand attention in the ranks of veterans. 8220;When I started there weren8217;t any CD players or turntables and amazing consoles8230;there was a cassette and tape recorder,8221; Vicky Arora rewinds to the early nineties, the time of hip hop and psychedelia. 8220;I had cousins bringing in UK-US Top of the charts from abroad and we used to mix them on the this basic cassette player8230;those were the days,8221; he tells us. Music was of course a huge factor in joining the ranks, the biggest kick was girls. 8220;That8217;s right. I still remember how they went crazy over Akbar Sami8217;s concert in Delhi. I knew instantly that this is what I want to do.8221; He was 19, and he was re-christened DJ Wicked. 8220;Because people think I8217;m wicked,8221; he twists the turntables to his own and is already out with his debut album, 8216;Energy Electro 038; Minimal House8217;. 8220;House, hip hop, retro, Bollywood, Punjabi pop 8211; give me anything and I8217;ll make the floor dance,8221; DJ Wicked is also member of Buzz Funk, a dhol fusion band which also has inspiration and mentor Sumit Sethi and rapper Paras Sunda. 8220;Dhol is the backbone of music. You check out any group, and they8217;ll have the quintessential beat in their music.8221; Akon, 50 Cents, Nelly Furtado8230;the Punjabi mix has not eluded any of them. That8217;s true, but aren8217;t these just remixes, where8217;s the originality? 8220;I know there8217;s this whole debate about DJs not being original, that they just lift and play. But that8217;s not true. There was a time when DJs were not considered artists, but now, they are respected as composers, arrangers, producers and musicians. It8217;s because technology has changed, the clubbing scene has changed and we8217;ve started experimenting. Picking a song or a tune and adding beats to it is basic. Picking a track and changing the entire mood, the melody and rhythm is what we call composing, and DJs are doing that,8221; Wicked defends his clan and adds why aren8217;t singers who copy songs attacked? 8220;When I change a track, it becomes my composition, I8217;ve worked on it so that it sounds different and suits the ambience I8217;m working in.8221;

All set to release his second album, which will have five original and five remixes, Wicked says he8217;d rather concentrate on work and stay away from the 8216;War of the DJs8217;. 8220;There8217;s no competition for me,8221; he plays on.