Well-established as a legendary DJ, turntablist and producer, Cut Chemist is heading our way for the Let Them Eat Cake festival early next year alongside a stacked lineup including Alex Niggeman, Dusky, Mano Le Tough and plenty more.
With the New Year rapidly approaching, we thought we’d get in early and provide a bit of insight into what shaped the former Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli member into the record-spinning behemoth he is today.
The record that sent him on his first crate-digging mission and his first brushes with world music, to cuts from icons like Leonard Cohen and The Beatles that have deeply inspired him, here are the songs that have most influenced Cut Chemist.
Cut Chemist and DJ Shadow putting on one of the best DJ sets you’ll ever see
‘Lesson 3’ – Double Dee and Steinski
“This song created me. It’s a cut ‘n paste mix of older records, and was the first time I heard break beats from soul and rock records. When I heard this song, it changed my life and sent me on a mission to dig for old records.”
‘Straight Out The Jungle’ – The Jungle Brothers
“This was the record that became a template for the way I would make my Jurassic 5 productions. Funky, DJ-made, and conscious, it was music that made you dance and think at the same time. It was raw and natural sounding.”
‘Drunk Trumpet’ – Kid Koala
“Kid Koala was the first DJ I ever saw and heard that made the audience have fun like they were attending a variety show. It wasn’t just the music, but the way it was presented that caught my attention. ‘Drunk Trumpet’ is a song that captures that fun live energy. I’ve definitely taken a page from his book with my own songs like ‘Spat’ where I use scratching to convey an argument between two turntables talking on a telephone.”
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‘Brothers Gonna Work It Out’ – Public Enemy
“The Bomb Squad goes down as one of my favourite production teams, and I think the intro to ‘Fear Of A Black Planet’ going into ‘Brothers Gonna Work It Out’ is their masterpiece moment. It’s so loose and punk-rock feeling, but hip hop sounding. I’ve always tried to capture that urgency in my own music – ‘My 1st Big Break’ and ‘Outro (Revisited)’ are good examples of that in my own work.”
‘Park Bench People’ – Freestyle Fellowship
“It was this song that taught me that I don’t have to be bound by my own genre. Here was one of my favourite rappers singing a Gil Scot Heron-esque jazz ballad. A total WTF moment that stays with me throughout my life, I’ll never forget the first time hearing that song.”
‘O Superman’ – Laurie Anderson
“I heard this song when I was nine years old and it scared the shit out of me. Im not sure why; I think it was because it was so minimal and her voice was robotic in an apocalyptic way, yet it was soothing. I think what I take from this song is the idea of riding two opposite feelings side by side in my work, as this was utopian and dystopian at the same time.”
‘Yegela Tezeta’ – Mulatu Astatke
“This song is so funky and is so serious in mood – again, two different emotions colliding in the same song. I have such a love for music from around the world, and this one is at the top of my list. I had the pleasure of opening up for Mulatu in 2008 when he played in Los Angeles – the set I did was released later as a mix called Sound Of The Police – a one turntable and loop pedal routine that focuses on African and Latin inspired music from around the globe.”
‘Dove’ – Cymande
“This was the first song that opened me up to world music. The band was formed in England but the members hailed from many different parts of the globe, and it’s very noticeable. This song sounds exactly like the title, like a dove flying through the air. It’s instrumental, but doesn’t fall short from lack of words – there’s plenty being said or suggested with the music. It’s very spiritual. definitely use this song as inspiration when I do long instrumental pieces.”
‘The Stranger Song’ – Leonard Cohen
“I’m a sucker for great poetry. I have to admit, I heard this one only within the last ten years when I saw the Robert Altman film McCabe and Mrs Miller. It opens with this song and it’s just incredible. I rate Bob Dylan highly, but I have to say this may be my favourite song of that genre. I believe this song has effected who I choose to work with vocally. I’ve been lucky to work with some great poets – it makes it so much easier to make good music.”
‘Here Comes The Sun’ – The Beatles
“Because one always has to strive for greatness… If I can even come light years close to this music, words, harmony and arrangement, I’ll die a happy man.”
