Mixmaster of the Month:
DJ Come of Age (COA)
About
DJ COA:
The plight of the independent musician has been well documented. Faced with a driving passion to present his craft, stymied by lack of funding and ample resources, many never reach the coveted pinnacle of acclaimed recognition. Dreams deferred, these artisans are left in self doubt and devoid of fulfillment. In a most unorthodox fashion, one man has singlehandedly given the "Unheralded" center stage. DJ Come of Age is a pioneer,a phenom whose vision became a concept all its own. In simple terms, find music which is beautiful and promote it as one.
Without boundaries and strained classification he allies himself with stellar, soulful artists from the world over. As a collective of musicians, producers, DJs, poets, and models, the promotion of their works is shared by all. "Our love for the music is impetus enough. It's something we live and breathe. In the same way we collect and cherish, we long to share and be heard. The energy once used to "compete" with others is now used to constructively establish ourselves. It's much easier and beneficial to uplift one another than waste time being negative and vain. The key for us was to target outlets willing to give us an ear. The foundation was already established with each respective fan base so it was easy to grow from there."
A
few questions for DJ COA:
1.
Tell us about some DJs you admire.
There are quite a few other DJs I respect and admire. Whenever possible, I try to give them props during the guest feature on my podcast. Some, like Jazzy Jeff, are extremely skillful in the craft. As a fan of the artform, I admire the beat jugglers, mixers, and turntablists a lot. A lot of the motivation and inspiration comes from watching and listening to other guys do their thing.
The list of my favorites, whew, can be rather lengthy. I'd have to say at the top of my list would be LTJ Bukem, DJ Purple, DJ Nerstylist, J-Boogie, Mark Farina, Masters At Work, Dirty Harry, and Oscar McMillan. Aside from their style, they also have savvy business acumen which is necessary to survive in this arena.
2. Who are some of your favorite artists?
I'm absolutely in love with Choklate (Kajmere Sound). She is truly exceptional and her voice is so rich and calming. I love the whole indie movement though. Always with my ear to the street for new beats, melody, and talent. In the soul scene, much respect goes to Fertile Ground, Eric Roberson, Wayna, Stico Von Drake, AKA Soulo, Marcel Penn. I could literally represent for days.
Again, there's so much wonderful talent and I'm just blessed to be a part of it all. Being in Germany I've been fortunate to get in touch with a plethora of artists coming out of Europe. I had the pleasure of meeting Tedjee a few weeks ago. Hailing from Paris, he comes from the same camp as Les Nubians. I guess you can say my appreciation for good music knows no borders (smile).
Listen to the DJ Come of Age podcast now. The show is also available on iTunes.
Mixmaster Archive:
Floyd da Locsmif