40
Words Colin Steven
Photography Sequoia Emmanuelle
WANDERING STAR
You no doubt know DJ Suv from his time in Full Cycle and Reprazent but Suv has been doing his
own thing off the beaten track for a few years now. We visited him at his home in Spain recently to
find out what’s he’s been up to and what he’s got in store for us…
Give us a brief summary of the journey you’ve been you know there’s more out there. I’ve never re- the economy of the country. I was never in this to
on to get where you are today… ally been settled in one place, I’ve always been on make money and luckily it’s managed to support
I started out in music with a band called Fresh4 the move and I always will. The world is a smaller me and it’s managed to get me to where I am. I
in 1989, we were hip hop DJs into scratching and place now with the internet and as long as I have make music because it’s my passion and if money
stuff and then we started getting into producing my studio I can be anywhere. I do find the quality comes I treat it like a bonus.
and Smith & Mighty helped us a lot by letting us of life much better here.
use their second studio. We even got to number Most of your gigs are worldwide, you don’t seem to
six in the national UK charts with a cover version Tell us about your philosophy about making music… play the uk anymore which is strange…
of Rose Royce’s ‘Wishing On A Star’. Krust was I’ve always been into innovation, breaking new Yes, I know! UK promoters, please get in touch
also in Fresh4 along with his brother Flynn from ground, opening new doors, using new sounds on myspace.com/suvmusic! No one really ap-
Flynn & Flora. that haven’t been used before, breaking the rules. preciates you from where you come from and I
I don’t see rules as a barrier, I think that the only don’t know why. I get appreciated more when I
When Fresh4 ended I carried on making music way we progress is to have more producers taking go far, like Hong Kong, Japan, Australia or New
with Krust. By that time we had met Die through risks, don’t just go for the top ten smasher that’s Zealand. Another problem is that the promot-
Flynn and we were skateboarding together. Die going to last a short time on the scene, go for a ers aren’t taking risks, they just want to get the
was the best skateboarder in Bristol and was our tune that stays around for a lifetime. I’m more same big names because it’s business. Before it
teacher and in return we taught him how to DJ. for change, real progression and moving forward. was about free raves and the music, that’s what’s
I then met Roni Size when I went to his brother’s I’m into new paths and connecting new people. changed. My sets are very varied, I play up and
reggae studio to play some basslines. We all started I’m playing in the remotest places - I was the first down, left and right, every set I play is fresh and
hanging out together and before we knew it we drum & bass DJ to play in Mexico, I did a vocal new to me.
were Full Cycle. The history of Full Cycle is well competition ten years ago in Chile and the win-
known. We’re all now doing our own individual ner, Maria Lavine, worked with me in the stu- Tell us more about some of the musicians around
projects and labels and it’s been a great roller- dio and featured on ‘Drum & Bass Fiesta’ with the world you’ve worked with…
coaster ride and I’m proud to have all that history Patife. I did a similar competition in Romania While I was in Santiago, Chile doing the compe-
behind me. and the winner of that MC Tina is now the main tition I mentioned earlier I was also looking for
MC in Romania. I feel proud that something is musicians and artists to work with and I met this
Tell us more about where you are now… being generated. group called Huaika and we did some work on my
I moved to Spain three years ago and I live about ‘Follow The Sun’ album. Now it’s ten years later
one hour south of Seville on the coast. It’s a new The most important thing to me is building lo- and the Chilean government had heard of me
culture and I always adapt wherever I am. Spain cal scenes around the world like how we did back and they paid my flight to go back over and work
is my home now and I even feel Spanish but if I in the day in Bristol. Drum & bass is something with them again. So I went back in November
moved to anywhere I’d feel the same. My girl- that we built for ourselves. We created our own last year and brought all the sounds back and I’m
friend, who is from Spain, was studying in Bristol, market, music and scene. A lot of the big DJs out in the middle of making an album with them.
that’s where I met her, and once she finished her there getting paid big money need to remem- They’re not a drum & bass band but because of
course we decided to move to Spain. Our genera- ber where they came from and sometimes help who I am there will be drum & bass influences in
tion is able to travel more easily as flights have be- out the people that can’t afford to pay their fee. the album. I don’t have rules or barriers so why
come cheaper and once you see a bit of the world When I do my gigs I try and judge my price on not make an album with a Chilean, indigenous,
www.kmag.co.uk
K40-41_Suv.indd 40 29/4/09 12:58:43
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