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22 December 2023
ONE OF MY FAVORITE DJS IS ALSO ONE OF MY FAVORITE LABEL HEADS, PROMOTERS, AND ALL-AROUND PEOPLE. THE WORLD KNOWS HIM AS WHY B, AND IF THERE’S A GOOD TIME TO BE HAD IN MILWAUKEE, CHANCES ARE HE HAS A HAND IN IT. VINNIE BAGGADONUTS SAT DOWN WITH THE BLENDMASTER FOR A SESSION ON PASSION, SELFLESSNESS, AND SELECTIVE HEARING.
Vinnie Baggadonuts: I only really have one question for you, and the rest is gonna have to be all conversation.
Both: (laugh)
Why B: That’s fine. I’m down for some conversation. (into recorder) Testing... alright, it’s June 23rd, we’re in Why B’s living room, and I’m about to interview Vinnie about how far behind they are on the next issue of tastes like chicken. Go out and buy it! Oh, wait--
VB: Yeah, this is your time, man. (laughs) So, let’s start. How do you introduce yourself? Like, if I didn’t know anything about you.
WB: Well, a DJ, obviously. I’m a promoter, most of the time. I recently started a record label so, technically, I guess I’m an executive producer. “Label boss” is the term I like.
Both: (laugh)
WB: A couple years ago, I used to joke with people that I was a “promotivator”. All the promoting I do, I feel it’s mostly for the people that are around me; booking my friends, trying to put my friends\' music out. Trying to get the word out about these people is one side of it, but there’s this other side that\'s like, “I want to get the word out about you, but I also want you excited to be doing what you do.” If I do a live set with an MC--like, I’ve done some stuff with Lunaversol from Def Harmonic-- and if we’re gonna do a set together, I want her to be excited about doing the show. So, “promotivator” has always kind of been my joke title.
VB: Does it work?
WB: Seems like it. Right now, I’m trying to get myself more gigs outside of Milwaukee. I’ve been playing Milwaukee for five or six years, and I love it here, but I’m like everybody else. At some point, I want a little more. I want to see what my other options are. I’m still always just trying to maintain a level of fun. And not to be cheesy about it, but if I’m not having a good time, at least a good portion of the time--
VB: Then why are you doing it?
WB: Yeah. Why am I doing it? It’s not all fun. You gotta practice; make phone calls; spend hours driving around, hanging up posters. It’s probably not much different than you guys trying to get people interested in your magazine. But, if I’m not having a good time, I might as well put on a shirt and tie, work a full-time job, have my insurance and my little 401(k)...
Both: (laugh)
WB: ...which my parents probably think I’m severely lacking right now.
VB: Do your parents think you’re a fool for not going after that?
WB: My mom made the comment to me the other day that she feels that it’s up to everybody else to screw up their own life.
VB: (laughs)
WB: Not that I’m screwing mine up now. The point was, you make decisions now and, five or ten years down the line, you have to live with the consequences of those decisions. But I also feel that someone who makes music or wants to be an artist shouldn’t mind having a job on the side. Ten years down the line, you may realize, “Hey, I’m never going to be this famous, paid guy.” But you shouldn’t be sad. If you had a good time and did your thing, you shouldn’t be sad at all. My parents are generally overall supportive. Like anyone’s parents, I’m sure they would prefer I were doing something that had an obvious future. Being a DJ, producer, or starting a record label is most likely not going to be my future, but I can’t really worry about that right now. My mom and dad are hype, you know? They see my name in the paper and think it’s cool.
Both: (laugh)
VB: You don’t think your future is going to be owning a record label and being a DJ?
WB: It’s not that I don’t think it’s going to be my future. It’s just that everybody making music nowadays-- or painting, or doing anything-- has to realize how many people are out there in a similar position in every city in America. Then you take it a step beyond, to every city in every country. There’s some guy in every single city who thinks, “Someday, I’m going to be the greatest.” Well, only one dude can be the greatest. How many DJs in the world really make a living strictly playing records? How many producers in the world make a living strictly producing and releasing their own tracks? It might mean you have to go and work for someone else’s label. It might mean you have to be a studio engineer during the day, so you can go home and make your own music at night. As long as people keep that in mind, they’ll be fine in the long run.
VB: It doesn’t seem like being the best is your goal. It’s more like you strive to put out some good shit and give people a good time. Consequently, they remember you because of that.
WB: I think the problem with saying you want to be the best at something is that you have to have a specific goal. I really like DJing. I really like what I’ve done so far to get a record label started. I really like booking and promoting shows. If I wanted to be the best at any one of those, I’d have to put the other two to the side and focus on just that one.
VB: Yeah.
WB: I have a lot of interests. Overall, I want to be having a good time. I want to be showing other people a good time. And, for the most part, if anyone comes to one of my events and they go home saying, “I had a blast tonight,” then I accomplished my goal.
VB: I’m of the same opinion, that you have to be multi-faceted to be happy. Being the best is okay, but if you think about the best in any craft, they’re doing a bunch of different things.
WB: Right.
VB: Is there anything you haven’t done yet, but you know you want to do?
WB: Put out a lot more records. (laughs) There’s part of me that, at some point, wouldn’t mind owning some sort of venue here in Milwaukee.
VB: How much love do you have for Milwaukee?
WB: I don’t know if it’s a situation of me having a lot of love for this town. It’s just that this is the city where I grew up. Except for a few years I spent in Madison, this is where I’ve always been. All my family is here. I’ve been with my girlfriend for five years, and all of her family is here. Together, the two of us can’t see ourselves being way happier living somewhere else. At the same time, like I said earlier, I want to get more gigs out of town. Part of that is just an excuse for me to get to go to some other places. It doesn’t have to be anywhere exciting. Just to go to some different cities, play a show or two, go to some different record stores, eat at different restaurants, see different museums.
VB: But at the same time, you grew up here, so you can’t see a reason to leave.
WB: Not for a living. And obviously, I have history here; a lot of roots, a lot of friends who I think are really good at what they do. They don’t necessarily want to leave Milwaukee, but there aren’t a whole lot of opportunities just being in Milwaukee. I think that’s partially because people haven’t figured out all that we have going on here. It’s like Rhymesayers and their extended family in Minneapolis. Five, six years ago, people probably weren’t saying, “Oh, Minneapolis has a great hip-hop scene,” or, “Cincinnati has a great hip-hop scene.” Scribble Jam gets this big national recognition, Dibbs gets some, a few other dudes from Cincy get some... and that helps bring attention to their city, and their city kind of made them what they are. It’s like all the groups in town here: The Rusty P’s, Def Harmonic, Jason Todd... all those people are what they are because of the experiences they’ve had here. I think it’s at a point now where, all across the globe, people know that good music can come out of anywhere. And I think that’s part of what I like about Milwaukee. The rest of the world maybe doesn’t know what’s going on here, but I think in the next three to five years people will start to get a clue.
VB: That’s something I noticed real fast once I moved here. In all the years I’d come to visit, I never knew it existed, but I’m glad I found it. And it’s at a point now where it’s so close to bubbling over the surface. Soon, people will say, “Oh, hell yeah! Milwaukee!”
WB: Right. And I think part of that is people in Milwaukee are slowly getting their music out farther. They’re getting more of their artwork or design work recognized elsewhere. And I think that, eventually, people will look at Milwaukee and realize, “There’s some good shit going on there.”
VB: Well, you’ve been DJing for five years?
WB: Yeah. I started buying and playing records in late ‘97, and kind of lucked into my first DJ gig in ‘98. I played for 500 people. I have yet to play for a bigger crowd.
VB: How’d you get into it?
WB: I was living with a kid who was running a small production company. His company and another company threw what was basically a rave party. They were looking for someone to play hip-hop, and I was playing records a lot with my friend Shane, who was DJing under the name Selt One. I had done some house parties and basement things, but had never played a bar or a club at that point. So, we figured if we were gonna do this, we were gonna do it right. We spent a month building and practicing a multi-turntable set that, if I could go back and listen to it now, probably wouldn’t be the most technically smooth or exciting thing. We both just had a good sense of what music people wanted to hear, and what two dudes could do with a number of turntables just to keep the action going. I heard from some people after the fact that we put on as good a set as anyone else in the lineup that night. We played with Danny the Wildchild, Derrick May from Detroit, a couple Milwaukee guys, and one or two West Coast house DJs.
VB: So it was all house music?
WB: Yeah, it was mostly dance music. I think we were one of two hip-hop acts. But like I said, we got a lot of positive feedback, and that just pushed me to keep it going.
VB: I’ve listened to all your mixes up on the Phunkshinz site, in order, and by the time you get to your latest one [Earathane Vol. 2], you realize how much you’ve progressed.
WB: You think so?
VB: Oh, God! The transitions... I’ll listen to old stuff and be like, “That’s Why B?” Nowadays, your blends are so smooth.
WB: Thanks. Over the years, one of the things that has kept people around me into what I’m doing is track selection. I definitely want to play some songs that I know people are going to get down to. But at the same time, I’m the person who, every two or three songs, wants to throw in a song I’m hoping most of the crowd hasn’t heard before. That, I think, is why people have been into the tapes and CDs that I’ve done-- just for the sheer fact that I’ve introduced them to groups they’ve never heard of, or a track that they might not hear otherwise because it’s not on someone’s album. Obviously, if you do something enough, you naturally get better. You don’t sit down and say, “I want my mixtapes to get better,” or “I want my scratching to get better.” If you love being a DJ, that’s just naturally going to happen. And I’m glad you noticed. Not to turn into a giggly little school girl--
Both: (laugh)
WB: --but that was cool that you mentioned that.
VB: Well, I remember the first time I heard you, at Hella-Wheeled III. I was painting, and kept having to turn around and watch you guys, because, first of all, it was songs I’d want to hear when I’m out.
WB: Yeah. You’re not going to go out and hear those tracks in your typical commercial club.
VB: Yeah, those “dress to impress” type of clubs. There were other times, too, where I’d hear your transitions, and think, “Jesus, that sounded perfect.” It might sound lame, but I’m really picky about that shit when I listen to it. I feel like anybody could play two records back to back.
WB: Yeah.
VB: But to really love it-- and make it something that will make people say, “Oh, shit!”-- that’s something else.
WB: Yeah. I have other friends around me who are DJs who grew up on hip-hop and probably have the same style of DJing. But I’ve always thought that the reason I DJ the way I do is because my first exposure to DJing was through house music. When I was living in Madison I was going to raves and basement parties, and there were a lot of guys playing house and drum \'n\' bass. Not knowing anything about DJing at that time, it amazed me that, before I even realized what was going on, they’d gone from playing one song to a second song. The fact that they could make each record lead into the next so smoothly. When I started playing hip-hop, I spent a year just practicing blending records.
VB: Did you grow up listening to hip-hop?
WB: Yeah, yeah. I grew up listening to hip-hop all through high school-- skateboarding, listening to hip-hop, watching skate videos. I’d see the Hieroglyphics crew on a video, or hear Gang Starr. I had friends who would give me tapes of all different kinds of stuff-- Pharcyde, Cypress Hill, stuff people might consider kinda old school. I had this hip-hop background, but had never seen hip-hop DJs play those dance music styles, and I think that had a lot to do with why I play the way I do. I like a nice, long, solid blend, which, in hip-hop, is hard, because of the song structure. And I appreciate that in other people.
VB: Like who around here?
WB: Well, I play a lot of shows with Kid Cut Up, so I’d have to put him out there as someone I definitely am feeling. We might not be into the same songs, but he’s another person who’s a firm believer in, “If you can’t blend records well, no matter what else you can do, you should probably stay home for a few months and work on it.”
Both: (laugh)
WB: And that’s not to dis anybody, but you need to have those basics down. So, yeah, Kid Cut Up, I’m really into him; J-Slim, T-Nek, Baseck, and Red Shift-- who plays more abstract breakbeats. They can all blend really solidly and scratch really well, too. Jason Todd, who is one of the guys on my label, is a great producer, great MC, plays a bunch of instruments, and is also a super-hot DJ, too. One F from Wobblyhead, and Bts. Wrkng, who’s associated with Wobblyhead. Obviously, I think that my personal favorites are guys who play hip-hop or hip-hop-related styles. But I also know a lot of the house and drum \'n\' bass DJs in town, and respect what they do. We’re here if anybody wants to book us!
Both: (laugh)
VB: So, when did you decide to start the label, Selective Hearing Committee?
WB: It really came about over drinks at the bar. I was sitting there with Jason Todd and Kid Millions from Minus After. Malcolm, who did a lot of production on their record, was tending bar. I’m having drinks with them, and they were discussing putting out a 7\" of two Minus After tracks. They’d done Wheeled a bunch of times, so I had a connection with them because of that. Over vodka, I put it out there that, “Hey, I have a little bit of money in the bank. Could I put some cash into this so we can do a 12\"?” So, Jason jokingly said, “Why B’s trying to start a record label.” I laughed, thought about it for a second, and said, “Sure. Why not?” A couple months later, we had record packaging designed and a full EP off to get pressed. Of course, I had no idea at the time what the process really involved. From that first idea of making the record and starting the label, to actually having the vinyl available through distributors in the United States, was a five or six month process. Now we’re working on our second, third, and possibly fourth releases!
Both: (laugh)
WB: To anybody out there thinking of starting a record label, good luck. (laughs) It’s a good time, but just to get one piece of vinyl out is such an involved process. Especially when you don’t already have an established staff. Luckily, I have a great designer friend in Chicago who kind of signed on as our temporary long-term art director. He put together all the packaging, and a web designer named Michael Del Gaudio built a site for us. The master plan was to just put this one record out, but you definitely want to put it out under a name. So we needed a label name, a logo, a website, business cards-- all the business-related things. And I really believe you need to have them if you want to get your record out to people.
VB: Yeah. Why do it half-assed? You need to do everything you can to make it look real.
WB: Yeah.
VB: So, you put records out, run a label, book shows, and DJ. Is there a point in your day where you’re like, “Fuck, man! I just need to get away!”
Both: (laugh)
WB: It’s kind of funny. I definitely go through phases where I won’t answer my phone for whatever reason. I think that anyone in any walk of life gets to a point sometimes where you need things to just be quiet. But I think because I live in Milwaukee, and the general cost of living here is fairly reasonable, I’m not so concerned with everything I do making me money. That helps out a lot. I can throw a show that, to me, is the best time ever. Hundreds of people can show up and have a blast. But, we’re able to charge a minimal cover because I can get good, cheap sound rental. People in town are down to play for whatever money they can make at the end of the night, and that takes a lot of the stress away, too.
VB: Hell yeah.
WB: I’ve been jokingly referring to our record label as an art project. And, right now, it is. To pretend that we’re gonna build the label up in the next couple of years to a point where it’s going to support me and all the artists on it, that’s ridiculous. You have to put out so many releases every month, and they all have to do well. Probably the more I do this, the more I’m going to want to get something back out of it. But for now, I’m just happy with putting out some good product and showing people a good time. I don’t feel like I’m too busy, if that’s what you’re asking. And I don’t get freaked out, because it’s not so much a concern of mine, the end result. I’m not looking at my bottom line. Granted, there are shows where I’ve spent more than I’ve made. Every mix CD I’ve done, I’ve given away exponentially more than I’ve sold, (laughs) but that’s also how you build a name for yourself.
VB: Do people ever come up to you and say, “Dude, that show totally made my day. Thank you,” which then makes you realize that\'s why you do this shit?
WB: Yeah. The more I’m around, the more those little instances happen. I get emails now from guys in Japan who happen across the Minus After record in Tokyo, and they really like it. Granted, that’s just one guy who picked up our record, but that’ll get me going through another week. I met a kid at a show in Madison a couple months ago. He was from Madison originally, but went and lived in Portland or Seattle for awhile, and was now back living in Madison. He came up to me after a set and said, “You don’t know me, but I’m friends with this guy that you know in Milwaukee. A couple years ago he mailed me one of your mixtapes. I liked the tracks so much that I went out and tried to find as many of the albums that you used as I could. And once I bought them all, I went out and got turntables. So, I guess I’m saying I became a DJ because of you and your mixtape.”
VB: Holy shit!
WB: That means as much to me as any gig I might get, or any money I might make. And I’m the same way. I have mixtapes from my influences, but have never had the opportunity to tell those people something like that.
VB: So, what’s coming up now? 2004 is on its way out.
WB: Is that true?!? I’m running out of time!
Both: (laugh)
WB: Well, we did the Minus After record. That was the first release for the label. We just finalized tracks for a 12\" by Jason Todd, who did a lot of stuff on Minus After, and is also a part of Def Harmonic-- three songs that he wrote, produced, rhymes and sings on. It’s not straight hip-hop. I’ve been referring to it as future funk. So, Jason’s 12\" should be out before the end of this year. We have two songs that the guys from Minus After have written and recorded since the EP came out, and that’s gonna be a 12\". I would be really happy if, in our first year as a label, we could get three pieces out. But if we can get two out and they’re quality, then that’s fine. There’s also this kid named Dion who came more out of the rave scene. He’s making some breakbeat/electronic stuff that Jason’s writing lyrics for, so that’s something else that will hopefully be another 12\".
VB: What about a Why B record?
WB: I am not trying my hand at production. I think part of it is maybe because I have other things going on that I enjoy doing. Also, over the last few years, I’ve come to the realization that I have a lot of people around me who are really good at making music, but there aren’t too many people willing to step up to the headaches of trying to get that music out there. Lately, part of me is getting this impression that maybe that’s my role. Plus, I like to DJ, and am more into that live, spontaneous thing.
VB: What about mixtapes? Do you like putting them out there?
WB: Oh, dude, I love putting mixtapes together-- mix CDs, now.
Both: (laugh)
WB: I still use the term “mixtape”, even though most of them are on CD. I love thinking about them, shopping for tracks, sitting in my room and recording that one blend 30 times until I get the one I want. I manually blend everything.
VB: Alright. You want to do the obligatory shout-outs?
WB: Just make sure everyone checks out Selective Hearing Committee-- selectivehearing.biz is the website. You can download an eight-minute promo mix of our first record. If you’re ever in Milwaukee, we’re at B-Side every Friday-- 235 South 2nd Street-- Kid Cut Up and I playing all sorts of hip-hop. Besides that, I gotta give a shout-out to my three dogs-- one of whom’s actually a cat. We’re still trying to talk to him about it. Give a shout-out to my family, too, who I already talked about, for just generally thinking that what I do is kind of cool. And thanks to my girlfriend, Andrea.
VB: Right on.
Vinnie Baggadonuts: I only really have one question for you, and the rest is gonna have to be all conversation.
Both: (laugh)
Why B: That’s fine. I’m down for some conversation. (into recorder) Testing... alright, it’s June 23rd, we’re in Why B’s living room, and I’m about to interview Vinnie about how far behind they are on the next issue of tastes like chicken. Go out and buy it! Oh, wait--
VB: Yeah, this is your time, man. (laughs) So, let’s start. How do you introduce yourself? Like, if I didn’t know anything about you.
WB: Well, a DJ, obviously. I’m a promoter, most of the time. I recently started a record label so, technically, I guess I’m an executive producer. “Label boss” is the term I like.
Both: (laugh)
WB: A couple years ago, I used to joke with people that I was a “promotivator”. All the promoting I do, I feel it’s mostly for the people that are around me; booking my friends, trying to put my friends\' music out. Trying to get the word out about these people is one side of it, but there’s this other side that\'s like, “I want to get the word out about you, but I also want you excited to be doing what you do.” If I do a live set with an MC--like, I’ve done some stuff with Lunaversol from Def Harmonic-- and if we’re gonna do a set together, I want her to be excited about doing the show. So, “promotivator” has always kind of been my joke title.
VB: Does it work?
WB: Seems like it. Right now, I’m trying to get myself more gigs outside of Milwaukee. I’ve been playing Milwaukee for five or six years, and I love it here, but I’m like everybody else. At some point, I want a little more. I want to see what my other options are. I’m still always just trying to maintain a level of fun. And not to be cheesy about it, but if I’m not having a good time, at least a good portion of the time--
VB: Then why are you doing it?
WB: Yeah. Why am I doing it? It’s not all fun. You gotta practice; make phone calls; spend hours driving around, hanging up posters. It’s probably not much different than you guys trying to get people interested in your magazine. But, if I’m not having a good time, I might as well put on a shirt and tie, work a full-time job, have my insurance and my little 401(k)...
Both: (laugh)
WB: ...which my parents probably think I’m severely lacking right now.
VB: Do your parents think you’re a fool for not going after that?
WB: My mom made the comment to me the other day that she feels that it’s up to everybody else to screw up their own life.
VB: (laughs)
WB: Not that I’m screwing mine up now. The point was, you make decisions now and, five or ten years down the line, you have to live with the consequences of those decisions. But I also feel that someone who makes music or wants to be an artist shouldn’t mind having a job on the side. Ten years down the line, you may realize, “Hey, I’m never going to be this famous, paid guy.” But you shouldn’t be sad. If you had a good time and did your thing, you shouldn’t be sad at all. My parents are generally overall supportive. Like anyone’s parents, I’m sure they would prefer I were doing something that had an obvious future. Being a DJ, producer, or starting a record label is most likely not going to be my future, but I can’t really worry about that right now. My mom and dad are hype, you know? They see my name in the paper and think it’s cool.
Both: (laugh)
VB: You don’t think your future is going to be owning a record label and being a DJ?
WB: It’s not that I don’t think it’s going to be my future. It’s just that everybody making music nowadays-- or painting, or doing anything-- has to realize how many people are out there in a similar position in every city in America. Then you take it a step beyond, to every city in every country. There’s some guy in every single city who thinks, “Someday, I’m going to be the greatest.” Well, only one dude can be the greatest. How many DJs in the world really make a living strictly playing records? How many producers in the world make a living strictly producing and releasing their own tracks? It might mean you have to go and work for someone else’s label. It might mean you have to be a studio engineer during the day, so you can go home and make your own music at night. As long as people keep that in mind, they’ll be fine in the long run.
VB: It doesn’t seem like being the best is your goal. It’s more like you strive to put out some good shit and give people a good time. Consequently, they remember you because of that.
WB: I think the problem with saying you want to be the best at something is that you have to have a specific goal. I really like DJing. I really like what I’ve done so far to get a record label started. I really like booking and promoting shows. If I wanted to be the best at any one of those, I’d have to put the other two to the side and focus on just that one.
VB: Yeah.
WB: I have a lot of interests. Overall, I want to be having a good time. I want to be showing other people a good time. And, for the most part, if anyone comes to one of my events and they go home saying, “I had a blast tonight,” then I accomplished my goal.
VB: I’m of the same opinion, that you have to be multi-faceted to be happy. Being the best is okay, but if you think about the best in any craft, they’re doing a bunch of different things.
WB: Right.
VB: Is there anything you haven’t done yet, but you know you want to do?
WB: Put out a lot more records. (laughs) There’s part of me that, at some point, wouldn’t mind owning some sort of venue here in Milwaukee.
VB: How much love do you have for Milwaukee?
WB: I don’t know if it’s a situation of me having a lot of love for this town. It’s just that this is the city where I grew up. Except for a few years I spent in Madison, this is where I’ve always been. All my family is here. I’ve been with my girlfriend for five years, and all of her family is here. Together, the two of us can’t see ourselves being way happier living somewhere else. At the same time, like I said earlier, I want to get more gigs out of town. Part of that is just an excuse for me to get to go to some other places. It doesn’t have to be anywhere exciting. Just to go to some different cities, play a show or two, go to some different record stores, eat at different restaurants, see different museums.
VB: But at the same time, you grew up here, so you can’t see a reason to leave.
WB: Not for a living. And obviously, I have history here; a lot of roots, a lot of friends who I think are really good at what they do. They don’t necessarily want to leave Milwaukee, but there aren’t a whole lot of opportunities just being in Milwaukee. I think that’s partially because people haven’t figured out all that we have going on here. It’s like Rhymesayers and their extended family in Minneapolis. Five, six years ago, people probably weren’t saying, “Oh, Minneapolis has a great hip-hop scene,” or, “Cincinnati has a great hip-hop scene.” Scribble Jam gets this big national recognition, Dibbs gets some, a few other dudes from Cincy get some... and that helps bring attention to their city, and their city kind of made them what they are. It’s like all the groups in town here: The Rusty P’s, Def Harmonic, Jason Todd... all those people are what they are because of the experiences they’ve had here. I think it’s at a point now where, all across the globe, people know that good music can come out of anywhere. And I think that’s part of what I like about Milwaukee. The rest of the world maybe doesn’t know what’s going on here, but I think in the next three to five years people will start to get a clue.
VB: That’s something I noticed real fast once I moved here. In all the years I’d come to visit, I never knew it existed, but I’m glad I found it. And it’s at a point now where it’s so close to bubbling over the surface. Soon, people will say, “Oh, hell yeah! Milwaukee!”
WB: Right. And I think part of that is people in Milwaukee are slowly getting their music out farther. They’re getting more of their artwork or design work recognized elsewhere. And I think that, eventually, people will look at Milwaukee and realize, “There’s some good shit going on there.”
VB: Well, you’ve been DJing for five years?
WB: Yeah. I started buying and playing records in late ‘97, and kind of lucked into my first DJ gig in ‘98. I played for 500 people. I have yet to play for a bigger crowd.
VB: How’d you get into it?
WB: I was living with a kid who was running a small production company. His company and another company threw what was basically a rave party. They were looking for someone to play hip-hop, and I was playing records a lot with my friend Shane, who was DJing under the name Selt One. I had done some house parties and basement things, but had never played a bar or a club at that point. So, we figured if we were gonna do this, we were gonna do it right. We spent a month building and practicing a multi-turntable set that, if I could go back and listen to it now, probably wouldn’t be the most technically smooth or exciting thing. We both just had a good sense of what music people wanted to hear, and what two dudes could do with a number of turntables just to keep the action going. I heard from some people after the fact that we put on as good a set as anyone else in the lineup that night. We played with Danny the Wildchild, Derrick May from Detroit, a couple Milwaukee guys, and one or two West Coast house DJs.
VB: So it was all house music?
WB: Yeah, it was mostly dance music. I think we were one of two hip-hop acts. But like I said, we got a lot of positive feedback, and that just pushed me to keep it going.
VB: I’ve listened to all your mixes up on the Phunkshinz site, in order, and by the time you get to your latest one [Earathane Vol. 2], you realize how much you’ve progressed.
WB: You think so?
VB: Oh, God! The transitions... I’ll listen to old stuff and be like, “That’s Why B?” Nowadays, your blends are so smooth.
WB: Thanks. Over the years, one of the things that has kept people around me into what I’m doing is track selection. I definitely want to play some songs that I know people are going to get down to. But at the same time, I’m the person who, every two or three songs, wants to throw in a song I’m hoping most of the crowd hasn’t heard before. That, I think, is why people have been into the tapes and CDs that I’ve done-- just for the sheer fact that I’ve introduced them to groups they’ve never heard of, or a track that they might not hear otherwise because it’s not on someone’s album. Obviously, if you do something enough, you naturally get better. You don’t sit down and say, “I want my mixtapes to get better,” or “I want my scratching to get better.” If you love being a DJ, that’s just naturally going to happen. And I’m glad you noticed. Not to turn into a giggly little school girl--
Both: (laugh)
WB: --but that was cool that you mentioned that.
VB: Well, I remember the first time I heard you, at Hella-Wheeled III. I was painting, and kept having to turn around and watch you guys, because, first of all, it was songs I’d want to hear when I’m out.
WB: Yeah. You’re not going to go out and hear those tracks in your typical commercial club.
VB: Yeah, those “dress to impress” type of clubs. There were other times, too, where I’d hear your transitions, and think, “Jesus, that sounded perfect.” It might sound lame, but I’m really picky about that shit when I listen to it. I feel like anybody could play two records back to back.
WB: Yeah.
VB: But to really love it-- and make it something that will make people say, “Oh, shit!”-- that’s something else.
WB: Yeah. I have other friends around me who are DJs who grew up on hip-hop and probably have the same style of DJing. But I’ve always thought that the reason I DJ the way I do is because my first exposure to DJing was through house music. When I was living in Madison I was going to raves and basement parties, and there were a lot of guys playing house and drum \'n\' bass. Not knowing anything about DJing at that time, it amazed me that, before I even realized what was going on, they’d gone from playing one song to a second song. The fact that they could make each record lead into the next so smoothly. When I started playing hip-hop, I spent a year just practicing blending records.
VB: Did you grow up listening to hip-hop?
WB: Yeah, yeah. I grew up listening to hip-hop all through high school-- skateboarding, listening to hip-hop, watching skate videos. I’d see the Hieroglyphics crew on a video, or hear Gang Starr. I had friends who would give me tapes of all different kinds of stuff-- Pharcyde, Cypress Hill, stuff people might consider kinda old school. I had this hip-hop background, but had never seen hip-hop DJs play those dance music styles, and I think that had a lot to do with why I play the way I do. I like a nice, long, solid blend, which, in hip-hop, is hard, because of the song structure. And I appreciate that in other people.
VB: Like who around here?
WB: Well, I play a lot of shows with Kid Cut Up, so I’d have to put him out there as someone I definitely am feeling. We might not be into the same songs, but he’s another person who’s a firm believer in, “If you can’t blend records well, no matter what else you can do, you should probably stay home for a few months and work on it.”
Both: (laugh)
WB: And that’s not to dis anybody, but you need to have those basics down. So, yeah, Kid Cut Up, I’m really into him; J-Slim, T-Nek, Baseck, and Red Shift-- who plays more abstract breakbeats. They can all blend really solidly and scratch really well, too. Jason Todd, who is one of the guys on my label, is a great producer, great MC, plays a bunch of instruments, and is also a super-hot DJ, too. One F from Wobblyhead, and Bts. Wrkng, who’s associated with Wobblyhead. Obviously, I think that my personal favorites are guys who play hip-hop or hip-hop-related styles. But I also know a lot of the house and drum \'n\' bass DJs in town, and respect what they do. We’re here if anybody wants to book us!
Both: (laugh)
VB: So, when did you decide to start the label, Selective Hearing Committee?
WB: It really came about over drinks at the bar. I was sitting there with Jason Todd and Kid Millions from Minus After. Malcolm, who did a lot of production on their record, was tending bar. I’m having drinks with them, and they were discussing putting out a 7\" of two Minus After tracks. They’d done Wheeled a bunch of times, so I had a connection with them because of that. Over vodka, I put it out there that, “Hey, I have a little bit of money in the bank. Could I put some cash into this so we can do a 12\"?” So, Jason jokingly said, “Why B’s trying to start a record label.” I laughed, thought about it for a second, and said, “Sure. Why not?” A couple months later, we had record packaging designed and a full EP off to get pressed. Of course, I had no idea at the time what the process really involved. From that first idea of making the record and starting the label, to actually having the vinyl available through distributors in the United States, was a five or six month process. Now we’re working on our second, third, and possibly fourth releases!
Both: (laugh)
WB: To anybody out there thinking of starting a record label, good luck. (laughs) It’s a good time, but just to get one piece of vinyl out is such an involved process. Especially when you don’t already have an established staff. Luckily, I have a great designer friend in Chicago who kind of signed on as our temporary long-term art director. He put together all the packaging, and a web designer named Michael Del Gaudio built a site for us. The master plan was to just put this one record out, but you definitely want to put it out under a name. So we needed a label name, a logo, a website, business cards-- all the business-related things. And I really believe you need to have them if you want to get your record out to people.
VB: Yeah. Why do it half-assed? You need to do everything you can to make it look real.
WB: Yeah.
VB: So, you put records out, run a label, book shows, and DJ. Is there a point in your day where you’re like, “Fuck, man! I just need to get away!”
Both: (laugh)
WB: It’s kind of funny. I definitely go through phases where I won’t answer my phone for whatever reason. I think that anyone in any walk of life gets to a point sometimes where you need things to just be quiet. But I think because I live in Milwaukee, and the general cost of living here is fairly reasonable, I’m not so concerned with everything I do making me money. That helps out a lot. I can throw a show that, to me, is the best time ever. Hundreds of people can show up and have a blast. But, we’re able to charge a minimal cover because I can get good, cheap sound rental. People in town are down to play for whatever money they can make at the end of the night, and that takes a lot of the stress away, too.
VB: Hell yeah.
WB: I’ve been jokingly referring to our record label as an art project. And, right now, it is. To pretend that we’re gonna build the label up in the next couple of years to a point where it’s going to support me and all the artists on it, that’s ridiculous. You have to put out so many releases every month, and they all have to do well. Probably the more I do this, the more I’m going to want to get something back out of it. But for now, I’m just happy with putting out some good product and showing people a good time. I don’t feel like I’m too busy, if that’s what you’re asking. And I don’t get freaked out, because it’s not so much a concern of mine, the end result. I’m not looking at my bottom line. Granted, there are shows where I’ve spent more than I’ve made. Every mix CD I’ve done, I’ve given away exponentially more than I’ve sold, (laughs) but that’s also how you build a name for yourself.
VB: Do people ever come up to you and say, “Dude, that show totally made my day. Thank you,” which then makes you realize that\'s why you do this shit?
WB: Yeah. The more I’m around, the more those little instances happen. I get emails now from guys in Japan who happen across the Minus After record in Tokyo, and they really like it. Granted, that’s just one guy who picked up our record, but that’ll get me going through another week. I met a kid at a show in Madison a couple months ago. He was from Madison originally, but went and lived in Portland or Seattle for awhile, and was now back living in Madison. He came up to me after a set and said, “You don’t know me, but I’m friends with this guy that you know in Milwaukee. A couple years ago he mailed me one of your mixtapes. I liked the tracks so much that I went out and tried to find as many of the albums that you used as I could. And once I bought them all, I went out and got turntables. So, I guess I’m saying I became a DJ because of you and your mixtape.”
VB: Holy shit!
WB: That means as much to me as any gig I might get, or any money I might make. And I’m the same way. I have mixtapes from my influences, but have never had the opportunity to tell those people something like that.
VB: So, what’s coming up now? 2004 is on its way out.
WB: Is that true?!? I’m running out of time!
Both: (laugh)
WB: Well, we did the Minus After record. That was the first release for the label. We just finalized tracks for a 12\" by Jason Todd, who did a lot of stuff on Minus After, and is also a part of Def Harmonic-- three songs that he wrote, produced, rhymes and sings on. It’s not straight hip-hop. I’ve been referring to it as future funk. So, Jason’s 12\" should be out before the end of this year. We have two songs that the guys from Minus After have written and recorded since the EP came out, and that’s gonna be a 12\". I would be really happy if, in our first year as a label, we could get three pieces out. But if we can get two out and they’re quality, then that’s fine. There’s also this kid named Dion who came more out of the rave scene. He’s making some breakbeat/electronic stuff that Jason’s writing lyrics for, so that’s something else that will hopefully be another 12\".
VB: What about a Why B record?
WB: I am not trying my hand at production. I think part of it is maybe because I have other things going on that I enjoy doing. Also, over the last few years, I’ve come to the realization that I have a lot of people around me who are really good at making music, but there aren’t too many people willing to step up to the headaches of trying to get that music out there. Lately, part of me is getting this impression that maybe that’s my role. Plus, I like to DJ, and am more into that live, spontaneous thing.
VB: What about mixtapes? Do you like putting them out there?
WB: Oh, dude, I love putting mixtapes together-- mix CDs, now.
Both: (laugh)
WB: I still use the term “mixtape”, even though most of them are on CD. I love thinking about them, shopping for tracks, sitting in my room and recording that one blend 30 times until I get the one I want. I manually blend everything.
VB: Alright. You want to do the obligatory shout-outs?
WB: Just make sure everyone checks out Selective Hearing Committee-- selectivehearing.biz is the website. You can download an eight-minute promo mix of our first record. If you’re ever in Milwaukee, we’re at B-Side every Friday-- 235 South 2nd Street-- Kid Cut Up and I playing all sorts of hip-hop. Besides that, I gotta give a shout-out to my three dogs-- one of whom’s actually a cat. We’re still trying to talk to him about it. Give a shout-out to my family, too, who I already talked about, for just generally thinking that what I do is kind of cool. And thanks to my girlfriend, Andrea.
VB: Right on.
artid
2514
Old Image
6_11_untapped.jpg
issue
vol 6 - issue 11 (jul 2004)
section
untapped