Jetpilot Music Reviews

We’ve a guest submission from Rhiannon Davies who interviewed DJ new-comer Mr Trinn from Wellington, NZ:

Resident DJ for Curve and Spice Hammer, Mr Trinn (also known as JD Dekrout), has enrolled in the DJ school at Whitireia Polytechnic.

The 20-year old Canadian import is the co-founder of the LAPD DJ company with DJ Hissue.

He first heard about the DJ school from DJ Ross D and DJ Shann in 2004, and was encouraged to enrol by its illumni of 2006, DJs Jacqs, Rollout and Tech Head, who are now members of the Nuts N Bolts DJ company and have played and major dance parties such as The Rinse Cycle and Dirty Disco, which featured the world-famous Eamon Fevah. He auditioned for DJ Raw, the course founder, and was accepted in to the DJ school this year.

Having formerly studied media studies and composition at Victoria as well as three years experience in drumming and piano, he found his calling on the decks and has never looked back.

“If you’re learning something and it’s not really the instrument for you, then it’s like there’s something missing. I firmly believe that you don’t choose the instrument, the instrument chooses you.”

After only three weeks of classes, he has noticed a definite improvement in his playing and his technical skill.

“The constant practise is good. I get concentrated amounts of time doing something that I love – being able to study to be a DJ is fantastic and it definitely needs more academic recognition though. Turntables are just another instrument similar to guitar and piano, so why should it be segregated? People can go to university and study guitar, why not turntables as well?”

For Mr. Trinn, the essential element of being a DJ is a love of all types of music:

“A true DJ should be into all kinds of music instead of specialising. DJing spans all musical genres.”

Then why is it that most of the House music that’s out now seems to be based on late 80s and early 90s rock tracks? Total Eclipse of the Heart, as a case in point.

“It’s tricky for DJs. You’re trying to find your niche as a DJ while trying to please the crowds as well by playing something that they all know and love. However you can’t overuse tracks because it gets tired. I can’t count how many different versions of Silence (By Delerium) there are, and it’s just tired now. But if you take the remix of Call On Me (Originally Valerie by Steve Winwood and remixed by Eric Prydz) which completely reinvented the song. DJing should not be about innovation but reinvention. Musicians will take another musician and try to be better than them. DJs try to be better period.”

So is Mr. Trinn going to be big? If the scratching I heard this morning is anything to go by, the answer is y-y-yeah.