![]() Where are you from, and where are you based? When did you first get interested / involved in music? Where does your nickname, Roger “The Hippie” come from? Earning him the nickname, Roger “The Hippie”. His adventures taking in solstices at Stonehenge (he was at 1985`s Battle Of The Beanfield ), the beginnings of Glastonbury, Greenham Common anti-nuclear protests, and the Peace Convoy. It`s important to point out that Roger has, on and off, lived on a bus since 1982, and he’s a “traveller”, a veteran of the free-festival scene. ![]() When I sent a draft of this interview to respected White Isle guru, Phil Mison, he said, “Mate, that’s real balearic inner circle stuff.” ![]() Roger, honestly, has so many stories to tell, and with no current investment in the dance music industry, he’s down to earth, candid, and apparently ego-free. There`s also an argument to be made that Roger`s sets were instrumental in a general slowing of balearic BPMs – to 96 – in around 1990. Given a remit of absolutely anything goes – as long as it contrasted with what was happening on the packed and pumping downstairs dance floor - Roger`s “far out” selections, however, as you will see, gradually worked their way in to a canon of tracks that are now accepted as classics. Not chill-out, but mid-tempo`d, and with a psychedelic, rocky-edge. Not playing acid and house to the main room at Heaven, but providing an alternative score, upstairs, and in the mezzanine Star Bar. Paul, that pre-dates the pair’s famous 1987 Ibiza trip, Roger became the resident DJ at Spectrum and then Land Of Oz. Through a friendship with Paul Oakenfold and Ian St. Mix by DJ Ea.Roger Beard is one of the folks who helped shape “balearic”, in London, back in the late `80s, whose story, for whatever reason rarely, if not never, gets told. Juicy The Emissary "Timber!" (Instrumental Album).50 Cent "Get Rich or Die Tryin" (2/6/03).J Dilla "Next" Feature in Vibe Magazine (June/July.Prodigy "Rewind: The Tape Deck 2010-2019" (Mixtape.Beat Factory "Rap Essentials" (Elements, Winter 1996).DJ Matman "Jay Dee The MC" (Mixtape, 2016).Ghostface "Supreme Clientele" (20th Ann. ![]() 2Pac "All Eyez On Me" (February 13, 1996).Dirty Harry "Dirty Luv" (Mixtape, 1996).Mach-Hommy "Saturday Night Lights, Vol.1-2" (EP St.Benny The Butcher & J Dilla "Butcherin' Donuts" (M.EL Maryacho "That's Soul 2" (Beat Tape).Thorough "King Articulate" (Album Stream).Audio Two "The Untold Story of Audio Two" (Teaser).Phoniks "Time Goes By" (Instrumental Album).Take It Personal Podcast "Ras Kass Episode".Real Bad Man "On High Alert, Vol.1" (EP Stream).Elcamino x 38 Spesh "Martyrs Prayer" (Album Stream).Royce Da 5'9 "The Allegory" (Album Stream).DJ Smooth Denali "Follow The Leader" (Mixtape).UFO Fev & Statik Selektah "Fresh Air" (Album Stream).Planet Asia x 38 Spesh "Trust The Chain" (Album St.Guru "Gang Starr Mix Freestyles" (2005).'Cause people fall off every day." He pauses, "And I ain't the one." - Next, Vibe Magazine (June/July, 1996). "I'm steppin' back and lookin' at everything," he says evenly. But while getting such props can make living up to your rep difficult, Jay Dee doesn't think so. Plans include securing a deal for his Motor City crew, Slum Village (for which he produces and rhymes) as well as imminent collaborations with De La Soul, Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s Lil Kim, Common, and Pete Rock. Today, Jay Dee is charting the trajectory of his rising career. He has reached quite an esteemed place - especially for a self-described nerd who once aspired to be an Air Force pilot. "We had a brotherhood from when we picked up," Jay Dee explains in an easy midwestern drawl. Fittingly, Jay Dee, Q-Tip, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad recently formed a production alliance called the Ummah (Arabic for "brotherhood"), and they share track duties on Tribe's forthcoming Beats, Rhymes and Life. With a strong ear for vibrant jazz melodies, Jay Dee's work slips snugly into the low-end-y creative slot vacated in the wake of Tribe's 1993 Midnight Marauders. Then he created some of the best moments on Busta Rhymes's recent The Coming. He was, like, 'Yo, who did these beats?' After that, shit just took off." Q-Tip hooked Jay Dee up with the Pharcyde, and Jay ended up producing the hit singles "Runnin'" and "Drop" for Labcabincalifornia. "I had a group that John Salley was managing - so I gave Tip a tape, and the same day he called back. "I met Tip backstage at Lollapalooza in '94," says the humble Detroit native.
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