Tough Customer // Wire

Black Spade

There was a point in the not-too-distant past when being a DJ required a certain rarefied skill set. It wasn’t something that just anybody could do. In the beginning, the amount of technique involved - not to mention the cost of a pair of 1200s - kept all but the most dedicated aspiring DJs away. Then techno came along and showed how easy beat matching could be, which got a lot of people thinking, “Hey, I could do that!” Still, you needed a pretty impressive record collection if you wanted to be anything other than a wedding DJ, and spending all your free time hunting down rare white labels wasn’t something that everybody had the time and inclination to do.

Yet, by the mid-90s, a lot more people were taking a run at it. Record labels realized what was going on and started re-issuing hard to find albums and singles on readily available 200 gram vinyl. Every club, bar, restaurant and shoe store got their own set of turntables. When the iPod epidemic broke out around the turn of the century, it appeared that we had finally reached the DJ singularity. These days, you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a DJ - especially in New York or San Francisco.

The thing is, a lot of these so-called DJs suck. A lot of them rely on compilations of 80s novelty songs. Others are oblivious to the nightclub or dance floor full of people they’re supposed to be entertaining. This particular breed of bad DJ will play a Beatles slow jam right up against something from the new Lil’ Wayne album just to prove how eclectic they are. And god help you if you get stuck listening to some stoner/hippie/hesher DJ who is trying to blow your mind with epic rock jams from the late 60s. Your ears will be ringing from scratchy MC5 records all night long.

An exception to this rule, however, is hip hop DJs. I’m not talking about the DJs all up in da club, rocking the daytime playlist from Wild 94.9. I’m talking about the group of heads that work as a self-regulating body, making sure everybody in their group wears fresh kicks and plays only certifiable quality hip hop. Every time I get to thinking that nothing good is going on hip hop-wise, all I need to do is check out the dudes from Beat Sauce on KUSF or Fat Beats on EVR or anybody from the Urban Umpires crew. When I can’t find anything that rates a second listen, these guys will have dug up hours of hot new beats and rhymes. I’ll be standing next to the DJ booth with a pen and paper going, “Who’s this? What’s this one called? Where are these guys from?”

At least now I can return the favor. Attention all hip hop junkies: you need to get on Black Spade right now. Hailing from St. Louis, the producer/MC/clothing designer (?!) makes music that demonstrates a refined technique and listening habits that go well beyond the standard rap portfolio. Lyrically Black Spade is somewhere between Common and Pharoah Monch. Musically he’s all over the map. The beats hit hard, but they’re topped with little bits of sonic weirdness that make you stop and listen. You might not get it at first, but any DJ worth his salt will seek this out on his next trip to the record shop.