fresh
noise
We
interview local DJ Bryn Tilly, who recently left his DJ name, Sift,
out in the cold ...
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
WHY DO DJS HAVE ALIASES?
When
I first began djing regularly it was co-hosting a popular Friday night
party show on Active 89FM in Wellington, New Zealand, back in 1994.
The show was called Heavy Traffick. We were the funk pushers. Our
inspiration came from George Clinton and his P-Funk posse, so we gave
ourselves silly dj aliases. I was Sanctimonious Magic and my partner-in-crime
called himself Phat Freddy's Kat. Later in the game we were joined
by two other buddies Thumpasorus Bootay and Da Hookah.
When I left Wellington and arrived in Sydney in December 1997 I spent
a year djing on the party circuit under a variety of different alaises.
I was starting afresh. Leaving the small town magic behind. But I
couldn't decide on a new dj moniker. They all sounded too pretentious
or too cheesy. Upon landing my first residency at a small Bondi bar
I finally settled on a Kiwi slang word; "sift" (v. - to
sift, adj. - sifty). Basically a street/party term meaning to schmooze,
flirt, drift surreptitiously, and of course, to filter through and
collect the good stuff. I dj-ed under the alias Sift for five years,
until I made the decision at the beginning of this year to drop the
alias and start using my real name: Bryn Tilly (although simply Bryn
is fine, the only other Bryn I know of is that famous Welsh opera
singer).
The whole alias thang is about creating a facade, or more precisely
a canvas on which a name can become associated with a style. You can
remove yourself from the humdrum of normality by escaping into the
persona that drives your groove vehicle. It's like a uniform, or cap.
Or gloves. You put 'em on, and the funkateer takes over. However,
contary to this notion, is letting your real name speak loud and proud.
And there are an equal number of djs who use their real name instead
of hiding behind a pseudonym.
WHAT
GOLDEN RULES ARE THERE TO DJING?
Only a few, I feel. One; know your music. That is, understand precisely
how a track starts, when the bass kicks in, when the vocals (if any)
come in, where the breakdowns are, that kind of thing. Two; be dynamic
and versatile. There is nothing more exciting on the dancefloor than
a delicious counterbeat, a breakbeat coming in over a four to the
floor, or a new bassline sliding in, or layering the vocal of a well-known
song over an underground groove, keeping things fresh and funky. But
that also means don't be indulgent or cluttered. Let the music breathe.
And don't stay stuck in one groove for too long. Three; respect the
crowd, but don't pander. As a professional dj you have to be able
to tailor your sound sometimes to fit certain moods, cater for specific
tastes, that sort of thing. But maintain your credibility. If someone
requests something totally incongruous then give them a quizzical,
slightly disdainful look as if to say "Are you clueless, or simply
an idiot?". But if someone requests a decent disco track during
a garage set, then perhaps accommodate them, or at least acknowledge
their sensibility. At the end of the day djing is mostly about selection.
Putting together a fluid set of tracks that compliment each other.
Beatmixing and turntablism is the icing on the cake. Of course, sometimes
its the icing that tastes best!
WHERE DO YOUR MUSICAL TASTES AND INFLUENCES LIE?
The first record I bought was Michael Jackson's Off The Wall album
in 1979. I was eleven years old, and the disco sound had captivated
me. At the time I also owned Solid Gold Hits Vol. 23, which my mama
had partially paid for, and that had songs like Le Freak, Shake Your
Groove Thang, YMCA, and Love Don't Live Here Anymore. During the 80s
I was seduced by the New Romantic movement. I fell in love with the
synthesizer and all things electronically rhythmic and melodic. That
particular love continues to this day.
During my time at university I emersed myself in hiphop. The native
tongue trio; De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, Tribe Called Quest, as well
as Public Enemy, Schoolly D, LL Cool J, early Ice Cube and DEL. This
was before hiphop went too gangsta, self-conscious and ultimately
boring. At the same time I discovered all this other 70s funk, disco
and soul. All the stuff the hiphop was sampling. Especially the crazy
P-Funk sound. Which of course led to the radio show Heavy Traffick.
I started clubbing at eighteen or so. Dancing to acid-house and hip-house
(think S-Express and Twin Hype), and by the mid-90s when the house
music sound moved deeper, more sophisticated, I realised that my love
of original disco was transmuting into a passion for house music.
My tastes, and what I play at home, are actually quite diverse. As
a professional dj everything I play has a funky, jazzy, soulful edge.
From triphoppy, nu-jazz vibes to classic, get down disco to moody,
tribal house. If its deep, dirty, sophisticated or sexy, I'm there.
WHAT
DO YOU THINK OF THE LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL SCENE?
Dance music, like fashion, feeds on itself. It can be both wholly
original and blatantly derivative. And the club and bar scenes can
be accommodating and prejudiced. Its a fickle, fascinating creature
indeed. The djs that interest me the most are the versatile ones.
Djs who can play an old school funk set, as well as a smooth deep
house set. There are exceptions of course. I don't buy techno, but
I admire the pure minimal djs like Jeff Mills or Richie Hawtin.
On the local scene the djs I find interesting and admire for their
passionate stance, selection skills, and/or technical dexterity would
include Illya, Toby Neal, John Devecchis, Jools, Spesh, Tony Vass,
Clive Smith, Rich Nicol, Nick Law & Jon Hardy (especially for
their Stateside nights at the old Underground Cafe), Simon Caldwell
& Ken Cloud (the Mad Racket parties), just to name a few. And
internationally? I've been stuck on the US west coast scene for a
few years now, ever since I first heard Music And Wine on the Naked
Music label. There's that suede, cocktail house sound, but there's
also that driving, tough as leather element in stuff by Chris Lum,
Jay-J, Andy Caldwell. Labels like Doubledown, Tango, Siesta, Om. And
then there's the magic of Kaskade somewhere in the middle.
I've been a huge fan of the UK labels Drop Music and Paperecordings,
I really dig the Spanish Iberican tribal house sound, labels like
Stereo Productions and Weekend, and alternately the lush nu-jazz out
of central Europe, the Stereo Deluxe label for example. That stuff
is really beautiful. Y'know, there are new labels and artists every
week, its hard to keep up sometimes!
In my hometown of Wellington the dj scene is very supportive of the
differing styles. Here I find it rather segregated. Drum'n'bass is
pretty much underground. Hiphop and r&b is absurdly elite and
glam-gangsta. And there's this commercial fromage that permeates a
lot of clubs and bars. The intolerance of some crowds really pisses
me off. People not prepared to listen to stuff they don't know. The
savvy crowds can be an elusive lot.
SO
WHERE DO YOU PLAY? WHERE DO YOU GO TO HEAR GOOD MUSIC?
Depends on your tastes really. Your rhythmic sensibilities. There
is definitely a shortage of cool, happenin' clubs and bars. That is,
places with consistently good music and a groovy unpretentious crowd.
You gotta dig deep, keep your ears peeled, and that can be lil' frustrating.
Trial and error. There are venues with low-fi design, but great music
and people, and there are plush, chic establishments, but mediocre
music and no real atmosphere. Sydney's a great city, but the nightlife
could be sooo much better.
I've played the clubs, but presently I just play bars. Too many djs
in this town, and not enough clubs to house us all. So it gets a little
dog eat dog. On Friday nights I play at Martin Place Bar from 6pm
til 1am. A mixture of retro classics, funky house, and party choons.
On Saturdays you can find me at The Watershed on Darling Harbour from
around 10pm til 3am, spinning predominantly house and garage with
a few party faves thrown in for good measure. And Sundays I do a late
set at Iguana Bar in Kings Cross, midnight til 4am, laying down mostly
house, sometimes deep, sometimes upfront, depending on my mood. I
do guest spots as well, anywhere from the CBD to Tonic.
Contact Bryn via
bryntilly@yahoo.com
