The dictionary defines the word "shifty" in three ways: 1. Having, displaying, or suggestive of deceitful character; evasive or untrustworthy. 2. Distinguished by frequent changes in direction. 3. Able to accomplish what is needed; resourceful. World renowned DJ Shiftee fits perfectly into the latter two definitions. If you're unfamiliar with the New York City DJ, you wouldn't be remiss by going by a description of someone who's constantly changing directions while accomplishing what is needed. But getting into the details, you'll find that Shiftee's resume runs like a laundry list of things to do for a DJ who aims for the history books:
- 2009 DMC World Champion
- 2007 DMC Supremacy Champion
- Inductee to the DMC Hall of Fame
- Owner of his own label-HOT MOM USA
- Producer placed in the Top 10 on Beatport's genre chart
- DJ program director at Dubspot
- Native Instruments wizard/ambassador
- Member of the Lo-Livez DJ crew
- Adjunct professor at Tische School of Arts (NYU)
- Nominated 7x for America's Best DJ
- Overall show stopper
Oh, and directly unrelated, aside from teaching you how to DJ and dougie, he can probably tutor you in theoretical math since he's a Math graduate from Harvard. So already, we've established enough grounds for the second definition of "shifty" to apply (2. Distinguished by frequent changes in direction.). The third definition (3. Able to accomplish what is needed; resourceful.) started to apply when he was 14.
As with many DJs, Shiftee was put onto the DJ game through Hip-Hop. From the mainstream via MTV to more underground backpack styles, he started hearing and becoming fascinated by scratches on albums like Soundbombing and Sway & King Tech’s This Or That, courtesy of DJ Revolution. Then, when he had enough money saved up, namely from his Bar Mitzvah, Shiftee went straight to the Technics because, as he puts it: "I killed my Torah portion." From there, he started his library of records with getting two copies of Fatlip's What’s Up Fatlip, Handsome Boy Modeling School, and Masta Ace's Ghetto Like. As for learning the basics of turntablism, a Sam Ash employee was kind enough to teach him beatmatching and then it was off to hunt down VHS tapes of every DJ battle and instructional video he could find. While most other kids his age were probably stepping up to the plate for little league baseball, Shiftee stepped up to the booth eventually for his first DJ battle at a car show in Queens, NY:
"It went very poorly, I don’t remember my set at all. I do recall dissing Precision, who I didn’t know yet, at the battle and then losing badly."
To work on his game, he sought out Cutfucious of the Lo-Livez crew. After stalking him on AIM (AOL Instant Messenger), he ran into Cutfucious at the car battle he lost. His persistent efforts earned him visits to Cutfucious' house in Queens, a 90 minute bus ride from his home in Scarsdale, NY. Equipped with his minidisc player and homework for the three hour round trip, Shiftee would go onto learn the necessary foundation he needed to become the astute DJ he is today, like opening up his tastes to not only include backpack Rap so that the crowd can enjoy themselves more.
Fast forward to college, Shiftee had claimed the title for the US DMC Battle for Supremacy while wading knee deep in math above most of our heads. He went on to dominate the DMC's but then moved on from competitive DJing to producing and teaching. But he still finds time to keep up with the future generations of DMC talent. And he likes what he sees: "I like how people are incorporating new technology into their routines, keeps things fresh so long as they are trying out new ideas." Shiftee kept it fresh, himself, by taking on the challenge of original production and making his foray into EDM.
Already sampling Herb Alpert and producing experimental jazz music with his drummer friend, Mike, in high school, Shiftee caught the Dubstep bug when Rusko's "Pro Nails" remix burned up the internet. Since then, he's shifted his focus from bedroom turntablism to composing the perfect set for the dancefloor:
"For DJ sets, I’m always trying to top myself and push myself. Routines are more of an internal struggle, looking at what I’ve done before, and trying to advance it. Parties are about the people and the environments that you’re in, so the energy of a particular night will inspire the set. For production, I’m often trying to capture certain kinds of attitudes, but also just experiment and get better every day. I approach music with a lot of discipline, so I’m always just trying to get my hours in."
His passion for creating out of the box Dance music has led him to starting a label with a name that could be problematic for young kids searching on a computer with a parental block: HOT MOM USA. His goal? MOMS + MUSIC + AMERICA. Also: "We want to highlight unique personalities in different musical scenes, and more simply, just work with people we think are really cool and special." And even with a fresh perspective on DJing and a label to run, Shiftee shares his knowledge and drive with the Shiftee's of tomorrow by staying involved with Dubspot and taking on teaching positions at universities. It's been a blessing for him and his students. As a result of answering questions and preparing lessons, he's analyzed his techniques and habits closely and improved his own skills.
When he's not wearing any of the aforementioned hats, Shiftee is sometimes seen performing in a larger group like Mostly Robot or E.A.S.Y. And you can expect another new group from him and his girl sooner than later. As for a dream team group, he would join forces with Kanye or Danny Brown and they would call themselves Shiftee & The Jaywalkers. We can already see the cover art for their first album, mimicking The Beatles' Abbey Road cover, with them walking in a single file line, illegally across an intersection.
One thing that's stayed constant throughout Shiftee's career is his affinity for technology. He's far from your DJ prototype from 40 years ago who strictly sticks to two turntables, a mic, and a mixer. You'll find him tweaking and twisting knobs on the latest piece of hardware to incorporate new sounds and tricks into his sets. Hence, his endorsement from Native Instruments has made him one happy camper. And yet, his favorite piece of technology so far has remained the turntable. Currently he's really into using his Maschine while DJing and the Kontrol S61 keyboard for production. When asked what piece of technology he'd like to be invented, he replied, "small screens with Traktor built in that have USB inputs for music AND a MIDI controller that consists of a single giant button." We hope you read that right, corporate.
As for the future of DJing, we're going to have to agree with Shiftee all the way:
"DJing, live performance, and production are all blending more and more. As a result, DJs often have to develop more skills than just mixing or just scratching. People need to be dope at pad drumming, dope at production, and figure out how to incorporate all this into a seamless set. The final frontier is obviously digital vibrating eggs that control sound waves & light beams and turn into an omelette when your set is over."
Last Call
1. What is your favorite movie of all time?Annie Hall
2. As a young DJ, who was the one DJ you looked up to?Craze
3. As a DJ, what's your biggest pet peeve?DJ booths that block the audience’s view of the equipment with a wall or LED screen or whatever.
4. What is your current DJ set up at home?2 Technics + Kontrol Z2 mixer + Maschine to DJ. KRK Rockits + Komplete Kontrol S61 Keyboard to produce.
5. What's your favorite record of all time?E.A.S.Y.’s Greatest Hits double album, coming out in 2020
Keep up with DJ Shiftee on his Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram. His upcoming shows are as follows:
- 6/30 - DéjàVous - Victoria, BC, Canada
- 7/3 - Tempt - Murfreesboro, TN
- 7/4 - TBA - East Coast
- 7/10 - Lupo's - Providence, RI
Bryan Hahn is optimistic about the future of DJing if those digital vibrating eggs go into production. He's on Twitter: @notupstate.