Interview with DJ Whoquestion
Who is DJ Whoquestion? Where does the alias come from?
DJ Whoquestion is Andrew Ridker, an 18 year old from Boston, MA. I love Fruity Pebbles, Lou Reed, and sleeping in on Sundays. In seventh grade, when I purchased turntables and a mixer with my Bar Mitzvah money, I thought DJ Who was probably the coolest name ever (I also had to protect my fragile 13 year old self from myspace predators, and DJ Who seemed pretty mysterious.) But after I googled it and realized just how generic that was, I threw on the “question” part, which was partially a tip of the cap to ?uestlove, the drummer for the Roots.
How long have you been mashing and how did you start?
I’ve been mashing for three or so years now. In seventh and eighth grade, I started messing with turntables and sampling and beatmaking. I worked with Queens rapper Marvin Gardens as well as Boston rapper C-Menniz, producing beats. Then a few years ago, I started putting songs together, my first being Johnny Cash and Bubba Sparxx in “The Booty Line.” It grew from there, and I wanted to create music to dance to. So I started combining multiple songs together in a fast paced, dance-friendly way and playing it at friends’ houses and parties. Eventually you hear your own song come on from someone else’s ipod at a party and you’re like “whoa, that’s pretty cool…”
Software? Hardware?
I use Audacity, a free program to do all my mashing. Keepin’ it simple. Ableton and stuff like that is scary and complicated. I fear change. I also use Samplisizer to create original drums. I use my turntables too but they’ve been out of commission for a few months.
How long does it take you to make a track?
I make a lot of tracks that never really come to completion. But when I start with an idea and get on a roll, it takes about an hour to put a track together on a good day. But that’s lucky. On Audacity, you have to manually adjust tempos and speeds and all that yourself, and there’s no bpm or anything, it’s pretty sparse. So that takes a while.
What inspires your song choice?
I pick a combination of songs I like, Top 40 stuff, and familiar tunes from the 1950′s to present. Recently I put Fort Minor, Flo Rida, Black Eyed Peas (Top 40 hits), T. Rex, Vaselines, Talking Heads (personal favorites), the O’Jays and Buddy Holly (oldies but goodies) all together in a song. My goal is to make the kind of dance music I’d like to hear when I’m out.
Favorite song you’ve made?
My favorite song I’ve made is probably the intro track “Intro (I Love Rap Music)” from my album Big Big Trouble. The London Boy’s choir sings the “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” intro by the Rolling Stones while Chris Rock talks about loving hip hop, and then the beat drops with Lil Wayne over the Stones and Michael Franti. It’s a celebration of all things hip hop, something a little multi-generational. Meaning my middle aged history teacher thought it was “hip.”
Do you listen to other mashup artists, or do you just like to make the stuff?
I listen to Girl Talk (his live shows truly are an experience.) From time to time I also listen to E-603 and Super Mash Bros. I think mashups are a really cool phenomenon and are fantastic to dance to–put I’m not one of those “mashups are actually high art” types. I think they are art, and I think they require a great deal of creativity, but the true artists are the ones who created the original songs. I can’t play any instruments (god knows I’ve tried)–but I’m a music appreciator and that’s where the DJing came from. But I don’t pretend I’m anywhere near as good as the Beatles just because I can sample them in a cool way.
What are you doing in your free time?
In my free time, besides putting the music together, I act in straight plays and write, which is my true passion. I hope to be a writer and that consumes a lot of my time when I’m not mashing. Concerts, too. I think a good concert can inspire great mashes.
What can we look forward to in the future from DJWQ?
I’m working on another dancey album, like my previous Hot Plate and Big Big Trouble records. But I want to do another themed album, like my A DJ Whoquestion Christmas album (mashes for the holidays) or A Fight at the Opera (classical music vs. hip hop acapellas.) I also have some original tracks I produced dropping soon with Canadian rapper The Product. Become a fan on facebook and get all the newest songs free.
Favorite pizza topping, candy, and color?
Pepperoni, Reese’s, blue.
Any other comments?
This might sound strange coming from someone who takes other peoples songs and rearranges them, but for all aspiring DJs and musicians, I’d say be original. Find what’s missing from music and do it yourself. Quick plug: search “DJ Whoquestion” on facebook and click “Become a Fan”–you’ll receive free songs upon their completion and occasional updates on shows and other stuff. Thanks for listening!
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