Winner of the Red Bull Thre3Style finals in Cincinnati, Ohio in the States, DJ April Reign is an ambassador of the beat. Having been a DJ for over ten years, with a love of every genre able to get the dancefloor moving, April is so much more than just a spinner on the one's and two's.
As a hip-hop producer, her project with emcee, Mahogany, appropriately entitled Mahogany Reign, has been compared as the female version of "Guru and Premiere" (Gangstarr) and her beat production is definitely top ranking. Running through her veins is a passion for Elementz, a Cincinnati based education project that aims her "to inspire and engage inner city youth through innovative hip hop arts programs, leadership development and community building." Being the official DJ instructor for this renowned project, its no wonder that her skills were more than enough to win over the judges and move on to become a finalist in the Red Bull Thre3Style USA finals in October.
How did you get into DJing and music production?
Back in like 1996 "the golden age of hip-hop" my favourite producers were the likes of DJ Premiere , Pete Rock and all those guys and they all started as DJs. I wanted to be a producer so I figured I needed to be a DJ first. It makes sense cause if you're DJing then you know what the crowd likes to hear so you know what will work as a producer.
I was attending Central State University in Wilbeforece which is kind of like in the middle of Ohio, and not far from major cities like Chicago, Detroit and New York so the people attending the university and going to the parties were diverse. Because the crowds who came together had different roots I started to play a mix of styles like duke from Chicago, go-go from DC, reggae and obviously hip-hop.
So I learnt to feel the crowd and blend the genres together, doing things like scratching or dropping in opening phrases for different style tracks so I wasn’t just trainwrecking the mix.
Do you think that female DJs are discriminated against in the DJing / music industry? Is it harder to be a female DJ?
I guess being a female DJ can be a blessing or a curse. We’re a rarity, there is not a lot of us so you can exploit that. But you want to be recognised for your skill, you dont want people to say “oh she won or she got play that gig cause she's a girl”. Sometimes I get a bit disrespected so I have to work harder to prove myself.
In my experience when it comes to the courses at Elementz most people, girls and boys, gravitate to the vocal booth. They all want to be an emcee. And those DJs that I do tutor are for the most part male.
How did you get involved with Red Bull Thre3Style?
Aaron Lutze (Red Bull Field Marketing Manager for Southern Ohio) came down to see if Red Bull Thre3Style could partnership with Elementz in some way, possibly do some kind of show for the kids. He needed one more DJ to participate so the suggested me. I sent him a mix CD and that was that, I was in.
What mixes and combinations of tracks that you played in your set in Cincinnati do you think the judges liked?
I incorporated all sorts of showmanship like body tricks, which set me apart from the other participants I think. I really used my set as a platform to speak and stand up to the competition. I played everything: hip-hop, classic rock, house, funk, some dub, old-school, all sorts. I have been DJing for a long time, always at some party, always on the pulse, but I’ve also been less a part of the game than I used to be. So I have one foot out which allows be to be a little more creative.
What are you expecting from the U.S. Red Bull Thre3Style final?
I reckon I gotta focus my skills, put on a show for everyone, that's the key I think. And also know why I’m doing this. When I look back on it, I really participated to represent Elementz, to be an example to the kids so that I could show them what they can be capable of. So they can have a sense of pride because someone out of their campus has risen up to win a competition like Red Bull Thre3Style.
Comments
Add a comment