Name, Location, What You Do:
GRIMEZ, Cincinnati Ohio. I produce music with my house/session band. I bring in select musicians in & we record all analog instrumental avant-garde, soul,dub,funk,rock,trip hop music. These musicians range from guys with master degrees in Jazz to self taught prodigy’s. That being said, there is so much territory of sounds & arrangements that I want to explore with these guys that it’s infinite in the possibilities.

Influences:
Influences are so vast! I grew up listening to classic rock from my dad, ( which he always had a 1966 set of blue sparkle Ludwigs in our apartment living room) but then Run DMC, LL Cool J, Mantronix, Pretty Tony, Jam Pony Express changed everything for me in the early – mid 80’s. Late 80’s Eric B & Rakim, Jungle Brothers, Tribe Called Quest, Big Daddy Kane. 90’s it was BOB Marley, Augustus Pablo, DUB, Portishead & East Coast Hip hop ( NAS, Gang Star, Black Moon) . etc… I started DJing back in 88 so I’ve been an avid record collector since, so digging for samples & those artists have always inspired me. I’ve always wanted to make the original music, that we would try to sample. I thought that sound was un-achievable in modern times. In the 90’s I was the DJ/producer for a group “MOOD”, we were signed to TVT/ Blunt records in NYC so we were in NYC all the time. Hi-Tek was with us & thats how Talib Kweli meet Tek. Me & Tek were the producers of that MOOD record titled DOOM. Hi-tek is another big influence for me, even though I’ve know him for years & have had studios with him, he has an incredible ear, successful in music & was always advanced on the MPC. I made beats on the MPC for a long time, & always on the hunt for samples, but now, I’m trying make that original music organically as did Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes, Paul Rothchild, Sly & Robbie, King Tubby Etc….

Favorite Records at the Moment:
I would say Chronixx (Chronology) or Julian Marley ( Boom Draw ) I know that’s from 2009 but I’m all over the place. I listen to so much.

Best Digging Story:
There is so many, since you would come up on stuff here & there. I do remember being in NYC at Colony records in Manhattan, I realize that it’s not the best digging spot since you will pay top dollar, but the manager took me downstairs & there was a few original Japanese science fiction records that were so obscure that I had to buy them. They were top dollar but the covers were so ill, I didn’t think twice. Also, they had an original Planet of the Apes soundtrack.

Favorite Mix and Why. Any Genre, Any DJ.
I grew up in south Florida, there were these DJ’s called JAM PONY EXPRESS, & they put out mix tapes constantly. If you would go to the Oakland Park flea market in the 80’s, there was a store/booth called Kotam stereo & they would literally have catalogs of mixtapes to purchase from. The mixtapes were numbered & at the beginning of the mix tape there would be a “pause mix” intro from different records as an intro, to let you know Jam Pony was about to kill it, Then Slick Vic or Loc Cool Jock would “mic regulate” over the song to make the song say what they wanted, basically cutting the music out, every bar or so, so they could finish the words to their liking, on top of that there would be scratching, echo’s & shit, these dudes were innovating some whole new shit. Almost like what Lil’ Jon was doing 10 years ago.

LP, 12”, or 7” format?
Lp & 12″

Junk Food You Can’t Live Without:
Pizza, Beer

Most Memorable Gig Played:
Probably Switzerland/ Munich or Boulder CO. with MOOD. Europe is a great time.

Record That Never Leaves Your Record Box:
I really don’t DJ out anymore, In Cincinnati these stupid basic chicks want to request top 40 bullshit, & I don’t feel like playing it. So I just make my own music these days, & listen to music in the car/home.

Shout Outs, Last Remarks, and Gig Info:
Thanks to my wife for putting up with me always spending $$$$$$$$$$ on studio gear & dedicating so much time to this passion.

Dig Deeper!