The Bag Messenger BlogBag Design and Urban Living

THE BAG MESSENGER: Where are you from?

DJ YNOT: Originally from Orlando Florida but spent my formative years in Beaverton Oregon.

THE BAG MESSENGER: How did you first get involved with DJing? 

DJ YNOT: As a young kid some of my first tapes where DJ Magic Mike and I used to record the "thunderstorm" mix show in Orlando during the 90s when commercial radio djs weren't handcuffed and programed.  Wish i still had those tapes, the djs used to really get down and dirty back then.  Eventually I came to realize scratching the snare drum on Parliments "Give up the Funk" was the funniest thing ever.  I started going to a lot of Hip Hop shows at the time in Portland, always arriving early listing to the opening dj set the tone for the night.  This lead to my buying my first belt drive set up from the back of the source.

THE BAG MESSENGER: We're you always collecting records? What kinds of things are you looking for these days?

DJ YNOT: I can't say I was always into records per say maxi singles where my format of choice coming up.  Used to get 3 for $10 and would ware them out.  That and mixtapes where my format for getting my fix. I'm looking for anything I can get my grubby fingers on, lately been into the Braun label LPs and dancehall covers of pop songs like"Toms Diner", "Don't be Cruel" and "Blame it on the Rain".  

THE BAG MESSENGER: Any interesting digging stories?  

DJ YNOT: I got nothing except for this dude Mario we met at the Flea Market outside of Orlando.  He was a character, a real 40 something  New Yorican scumbag trying get a few dollars to pay his phone bill. We get back to his house and it was packed full of early 90s promo rap records.  Everything was $3, nothing crazy but some solid gap fillers.  While where sifting through the joints Mario drops some questionable racist one liners like "the brothers in Brooklyn love that rekid..." Or "Oh yeah the Japs come and spend a lot of Money with me..."  This may of made us uncomfortable but things got really real later on. It was an extremely hot day and in between tokes of his pipe Mario decides to dip into his bedroom slip into something more comfortable and by something I mean nothing.  Needless to say we had to cut our losses at that point.  

THE BAG MESSENGER: How often do you travel? Where are some of your favorite places to go?

DJ YNOT: Not as often as I'd like, I defiantly try and make runs to Tallahassee, Maimi, and Tampa whenever my schedule allows.  My folks in the respected areas always come through with a fun party or record spot. My favorite places to go are in the Great Northwest anywhere between Seattle and Portland.  There's low humidity and the people seem to be more friendly.  I haven't been to a better place then the Pacific NW on a nice summer day. The Blackberries, the salmon, and the trees are all on point.

THE BAG MESSENGER: Has Serato changed the way you get down?    

DJ YNOT: I've been running doubles like there's no tomorrow.  Having instant doubles of everything makes djing more fun in lot of ways.  It's nice to know I can rip a song into Sir Otto and spend an hour cutting back and forth without wearing out your joints till they get cue burn.  I love records but don't miss dropping wads of dough on flavor of the weak 12s, shitty pressings, and getting doubles of the new Primo production only to get home and realize they are warped.  Sir Otto allows you to move through records a lit quicker, sometimes you got to let them songs breath though.

THE BAG MESSENGER: What do you listen to for fun? How has becoming a DJ affected the way you listen to music?

DJ YNOT: After a few years of djing you get worn out on some "classics", certain songs that get played out (pun inteded) don't perk up my ears anymore.   So for fun I might light a dumb bell L and listen to some records out of my collection, nothing gets me open like a solid soul record or some of that raw funk.  Some of the current labels putting out new or re-released music I'm feeling are Melting Pot Music, Finders Keeps, and Light n the Attic. There's a ton of music on the internet and such but I'm still overwhelmed by my modest small record collection.  There's always something I forgot about or simply haven't gotten to check yet.  It's kind of crazy I continue to go out and get new records when I haven't yet listened to everything I have. 

THE BAG MESSENGER: Favorite crowds to play for?

DJ YNOT: As much fun as it is to play for people that get it, I have equal amounts of fun playing for the crown that wants to the humpty hump.  I defiantly respect nerding out with the true heads and all that but the folks that want to cut a rug are as equally as fun.  After doing this for a while I think i forgot not everyone is a dj nerd like myself.  While it's great when the crowd is receptive to something different it's equally refreshing to see people get excited over the same classics they've been hearing for years.  The ritualistic value of playing for either of these crowds makes my day.   

Y-Not with the  North To South Messenger Bag

THE BAG MESSENGER: What's the key to packing for the road?

DJ YNOT: One thing I've learned is to always check you're batteries for electronics before ya leave.

THE BAG MESSENGER: Every DJ has a horror story or two....what is the worst thing to happen at a gig?

DJ YNOT: I've got a few that come to mind. One revolves around a rap show I tried to help throw a couple of years back...The horror story started more after the show when after to many drinks proceeded to hang with the crew and get even more faded. Long story short I found myself outside of an ihop at 5 am with my record bag, laptop, needles etc in some groupies car who dipped with my equipment in her trunk.  I didn't remember her name or number and had to make some calls to figure out which hotel they where at.  To top it all off I had a 7am flight the same morning.  Needless to say the Mc was busy doing his thing thing with young tender when I show'd up.  Poor bastard wasn't happy I interrupted his thing thing by beating on his door.  Dude got hella westcoast on me for a second but it was hard not to take em serious with a towel draped around his waist.

THE BAG MESSENGER: What are you working on now? What can we be looking for in the future?

DJ YNOT: I'm currently trying to get this new college radio show Blap radio off the ground I co host alongside my good friend Chrono.  We're on in the early am hours and try work on keeping a loose format with our selections.  I plan on continuing my Lazy Afternoon mixtape series which is some laid back goodness.  I've also gotta an EP titled in the works I plan to release on slept on indy rap label Domination recordings. Oh and I'm always working on getting my cuts up, yes I still enjoy the scratch. Look for mixes to pop up online via thisisthesouf.com, upcoming mixtapes, and hopefully folks can look forward to me getting down in a smoke filled bar soon. 

Y-not gettin loose 2

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Check out Y-NOT at his blog This Is The Souf

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