Bringing the Beat

When he isn't on tour with Jay Z, or rocking the stage at Glastonbury, DJ Neil Armstrong works on bringing hip-hop to the masses. He's currently doing it in India

It's hard to come up with questions interesting enough for DJ Neil Armstrong. The primary reason for this is his relationship with arguably the world's greatest contemporary rapper. When you share a stage with Jay Z you are, more often than not, exposed to more questions and answers than your regular DJ down at the local pub.



Still, for what it's worth, I ask Armstrong -- currently in India on a three-city tour-- what drives him to spin tunes for people he presumably knows little about. "The importance of a DJ is his connection and how he reads the crowd," he replies.

"Music tastes change constantly. I have never been to India; it's my first visit, so I don't know what to expect. In this case I really have to just read the crowd, look at what other DJs are doing and do a bit of research beforehand. Have I ever stepped into a club in a foreign country knowing what the audience expects? Probably not. I have had the opportunity to play pretty much on every continent except Antarctica. The cool thing about music though, is that it is almost like a universal language. Even if people don't speak the same language, they can always rock to the beat."

This shouldn't be too hard for him, considering he's rocked a number of rather glamorous stages, sharing space with everyone from Rihanna and Kanye West to Neil Young, Coldplay and Linkin Park. It's still his work with Jay-Z that intrigues me though. The rapper has turned to bhangra in the past, by collaborating with Punjabi MCs. I ask Armstrong if he has ever incorporated Indian music into his sets. "I am one of those people who sources music from a lot of places," he says.



"I don't think I have used any Indian music off-hand. But there have been some Indian influences in hip-hop. Most hip-hop is about taking a sample and turning it into a beat. The Punjabi MCs song was influenced by an American, who was influenced by what the Indians did to it. There is a song called React by Erick Sermon, which uses an Indian sample. Timbaland sampled a Bollywood song for Big Pimpin.' I haven't had a chance to incorporate Indian music. I have been exposed to bhangra though, and have actually DJed at a couple of Indian weddings."

Keeping in mind the way people listen to music has changed dramatically, I ask Armstrong if this makes things easier for himu00a0-- in the sense that audiences are more aware of other genres -- or harder, considering he has to do more to surprise them. "You kind of hit the nail on the head," he replies. "It is a double sided thing because people listen to more music. I don't know how it is in India but, back in New York, when I grew up, if you went to a hip-hop party, the only thing you played was hip-hop with possibly some R&B and reggae. As time went on, around 2002, the musical landscape changed. I don't know if it was because of things like iTunes, where you can mix your music up. When you went to a club, you played Bon Jovi and also a hip-hop song, and then some Guns 'n' Roses. Now, the vast music tastes of an audience make it harder and easier at the same time."

He isn't very forthcoming when asked about Indian musicians he would consider collaborating with, primarily because he admits to not knowing any of them. Before he heads to his turntable though, I ask him to pick the most exciting tune he's heard recently. "I avoid listening to music on my off-time," he says, "but when I do, I pick older stuff like a track by Stevie Wonder called Another Star, off his album Songs In The Key of Life. As for new stuff, a guy called Frank Ocean seems to be making a lot of noise in America.' Considering where the recommendation is coming from, I intend to check him out.

DJ Neil Armstrong performed at Tuborg VH1 Hip Hop Hustle, Blue Frog, Mumbai on June 2. He performs at Venom in Kolkata on June 3, and F Bar in Delhi on June 4.