REAL TALK: Kalani vs. Kalani

(original interview for the Honolulu Weekly 12-24-08 issue)

KALANI: What about music in general excites you?
PACKO: I’m continuously excited about the places that all music takes me. Each piece is a different journey with multiple pathways. After all is said and done, I never feel complete. I think it’s because I’m always wanting more. Not that it leaves me hanging high and dry, but the fact that it’s my musical note-worthy nicotine, my melodious medical marijuana, say, my anti-drug in the absence of love. Music’s a drug that I can never get sick of.

KALANI: What about deejaying excites you?
PACKO: Deejaying typically brings out the inner child of me. I’m infatuated with the invention of the turntable itself, but to use it as my paintbrush, it’s a great experience. It’s like audible finger painting. Controlling the sound, is like a scientist with a time machine; being lucid in a dream; a quarterback on a football team; or a kid with unlimited jellybeans. Deejaying is as a drug addiction is to crack fiends. It gives me the opportunity to set my own rules of my game and have fun with it. Being meticulous on the type of music that I would play, I often try to find a way to make the music my friend. Stubborn, in a sense. It’s probably my good ol’ Taurean attitude in defense. But, listen to what I listen to, and hopefully you can understand what I meant.

KALANI: What about scratching excites you?
PACKO: What’s so appealing to me about scratching is the ability to take something totally unorthodox, like the sound of a drill, clanging pipes, a car crash, a laser, or any word or syllable, and make music out it. Either as an accompaniment, hook, or verse, scratching can be an integral part of music. It can be treated like any other sound that a typical instrument can make. It is unique in its own behavior. Plus, it’s fun to tweek out on the turntable during the wee morning hours, for hours.

KALANI: What about hip hop culture excites you?
PACKO: As the old adage goes, Hip Hop is a way of life. It’s not just about the music, but the people you surround yourself with, the way you dress, the style you choose to equip yourself with. I can’t exactly say that I live “Hip Hop,” I just listen to a lot of it. To every individual, their concept and grasp of the word in itself has its own meaning. I choose to have it as a part of my way of life. I’m sure that over the years of its existence, it got over-saturated with new styles, different methods, contrary characteristics, and offbeat approaches that altered the traditional appearance of “Hip Hop” as a culture. Hip Hop has come a long way, and it’s scary, yet exciting to see what’s next. In order to know where it’s going, you must know where it came from. Hence, myself often digging deeper and reaching farther and farther back to understand the movement, and why it even began the way it did, back in the beginning. Hip Hop is eternally moving forward, and backwards, at once. Either move out the way, or stay in the groove. Needless to say, there’s always room to improve. Which is another reason why Hip Hop appeals to me: The artists are constantly trying to outdo each other to be the best. Which is dope, because we all rise together, especially in Hawaii.

KALANI: Tying all those aforementioned concepts together, how does it all excite you?
PACKO: Like a bumper sticker once told me, ‘Do what you love, and love what you do.’ That just about sums it all up for me. I love music, and I want people to hear my take on it. Whether through words or records. I guess traffic isn’t always so bad, so, big ups to driving in traffic.

KALANI: How did you connect with SIQ Records and the Spacifics?
PACKO: Both parties actually had separate occasions of connection. The team at SIQ Records came up together. We all knew somebody who knew somebody. The reason that I linked with SIQ Records, is because of what they are doing. I wouldn’t get down with something I was a hypocrite to. I know they all got good heads and they have great intentions. It takes a great amount of time and patience to even start a record label to begin with. So, with Hip Hop, Hawaii, and a legitimate record label, all under one roof, that’s a pretty big task, if you ask me. I’m glad that I knew some good folks who finally up and did it, which gives me the privilege to be a part of that movement.

As far as linking with the Spacifics, they had everything and all elements in place, although what was missing was a key sound to any Hip Hop act: scratching. It’s a simple equation: Live Hip Hop + MCs + DJ = the Spacifics. As they searched for someone who could cater with the cuts, I just so happened to be available at that moment. And, that moment was our biggest show, Rock The Bells at the Blaisdell Arena in September of 2007. That’s when I came aboard. We still do shows until this day. Putting in work every week at every practice session possible.

KALANI: What’s your take on the current crop of turntablists and true hip hop deejays in Hawaii?
PACKO: I believe everyone is out on their own grind. In my view, I don’t see as much of a hype as there once was. There’s no real DJ battles any more such as the DMC and ITF stopovers. Nowadays, it’s up to us as the “turntablists” to keep our head high, and continue doing what we’re doing to keep the art alive. It’s truly survival of the fittest. Shapeshifting through existence, it’s time to sift through the trends, sort out the split ends, quit pretending, and ascend through the barriers of this Turntablistic Deejay funny business. In actuality, most DJs are just that, a DJ. I hate to hate, but “DJ” is such a loosely used term. Sure, self-hatred is a bad thing. I’m a DJ myself, but truthfully, I just enjoy scratching. I got into the mixing aspect just to experiment with the incorporation of scratching into a more pleasurable and alluring audio/visual experience. So far it’s worked out to my liking. I would just like to see more scratch sessions/BBQs/get-togethers/etc., just to shoot the shit and catch up on the ‘tablist times. Hawaii’s got the talent, but the motivation is not 100%, just yet.

KALANI: What are some of your most memorable deejay moments?
PACKO: There’s a few. My biggest moment was the chance to finally Q&A with DJ Qbert. In my own home, to say the least. The whole reason I got into Deejaying, is because of the Invisibl Skratch Piklz, which Qbert was a member of back in the 90′s. My main, numero uno goal was to have a question and answer scratch session with him, or even all of the ‘Piklz. To the uneducated, Question and Answering is like it says, DJs cut in turns over a beat for 8 bars, 16 bars, 32 bars, what have you. On a separate occasion, I had the privilege to cut alongside DJ D-Styles. I’ve met Yogafrog, Mixmaster Mike, and Shortkut. All of that had a big effect on me. Knowing that I’ve once connected with them gives me unfathomed confidence. Having that under my belt, I felt like all I ever wanted as a DJ has been accomplished. That made me have to set even higher goals. That is my next challenge, to find out what’s next for me.
Another big moment, was playing at the Blaisdell for the Rock The Bells show back in 2007 with the Spacifics. It was a blessing to just be on the same bill as Wu-Tang Clan, and Bone Thugs.
Any chance I get to create a memorable experience in the DJ community, I proceed. Ain’t no half-steppin goin’ on here.
And, finally, to have met everyone I did through the deejaying world, is such a wonderful thing. As I surround myself with what I enjoy most, the attraction gets stronger and more faithful, and unbelievably believable. Every moment, good and bad, is remembered.

KALANI: How do you “live” hip hop?
PACKO: By living out my passion for life: Being a DJ. Spreading the idea of selfishly good music to good people. I say selfish, because it’s what I think is good.

KALANI: How have you grown as a dj from say a year ago?
PACKO: My main improvement stems from working with the Spacifics on a consistent basis. I’ve learned new techniques on incorporating a sharper sound of the scratch into a live Hip Hop set. As usual, there’s always ways to improve with the mixing, scratching, and production capabilities. I’m getting my feet wet on the production side of things, trying to work with different people on a regular basis. I’ve also got heavier into the mixtape game, which was intentionally a bigger project than it turned out to be. I overworked and underpaid myself with this one, sleepless nights and days, thinking, criticizing, unsatisfying myself with every click. But as any artist in general, the greatest skill they possess, is when to say “Stop.” I could go on and on, and never have something to show for it, but that’s absurdity without hope. I say cease one degree, and continue on a different slope.

KALANI: Deejays don’t put mixtapes just to put them out, what were your goals and intentions with “Mosquito Diesel”?
PACKO: Mosquitoes are insects that are universally known to transmit diseases and sip on some good blood. I’m just a human who enjoys good music. I sip on the music, and transmit bass kicks and dope bits. I feel the need to infect through positivity, with high hopefuls of creating an epidemic unheard of before. I want my phonographic craft to plague the people, with a contagious chorus of sorts. I want to cause an uproar in this downpour of soggy symmetry in music. The metaphors and analogies are endless, really. The main intention here is to spread good music and inflame heads with a vinyl virus. I feel the need to infect people with what pacifies me from time to time. Through the sodden society of today’s main stream of music, it’s becoming harder to find a true classic, a gem, a diamond with perfect reflectivity. I’m trusting that my display of affection with a well thought out compilation will create some sort of a ‘time-honored, vintage piece’ for each selection on this collective.
Furthermore, there’s a handful of DJs that have been dropping product. I expect it’s my turn to show what I got boiling under ground, this time ’round. I’ve been releasing mixtapes every now and then, but I decided to lay low for a bit, and drop fire on the public when the rain poured its hardest. Heartless as it may seem, it’s the complete opposite. Nothing but heart in this one.
I’m proud to say the least, but always peaking behind the next door that opens.

KALANI: Is there a difference between a mixtape and a glitchtape?
PACKO: No difference at all. The hackneyed thought of labeling it as a mixtape just bored me to death. It’s a glitch-inspired mix, with heavy scratching and blending. It could have been called ‘the skratchtape’, ‘the blendtape’, ‘the gimmicktape,’ it wouldn’t matter, it is what it is. Glitch (IDM) music had a big influence on me in recent accounts so I thought that it was only appropriate. Plus it’s the closest relative that rhymes with “mix”.

KALANI: Where can people purchase the cd?
PACKO: -Prototype (Pearl City)
-Exclusive Hawaii (Kapiolani Ave.)
-Stylus (University Ave.)
-DIG Lifestyles (Victoria Ward Center)
-Kicks/HI (Ward/Makaloa St.)
-Higher Ground Coffee & Music Café (Wahiawa)
-Or shoot me an eMail, and I would be glad to mail a copy – djpacko@gmail.com
-Also at any events that I’m at, I will have copies. For wholesale price, that is. With a signature if needed.

KALANI: Where can people hear you the next few weeks?
PACKO: Every Friday @ Metro Park Ala Moana. Spinning live from 4-8pm.
-DJ Swamp Show @ The Loft on Friday January 9th, 2009

December 27, 2008 | Categories: Interviews | Tags: DJ, DJ Packo, Hawaii, Hip Hop, Honolulu Weekly, Kalani, Mosquito Diesel, Scratch | Leave A Comment »