Mr Lob – Q&A
Mr Lob – Q&AThanks for getting involved with 45Day. Can you tell us about your mix?
Firstly, what a great concept and thank you so much for inviting me to be part of this. My mix is a reflection of a bar set that I would play on a Friday night. I always like to tell a story when I play and this story is about joining the dots between funk, soul, hip hop and edits while keeping it super funky, accessible and without playing hit after hit. It’s about me trying to find space with my limited turntable skills to make it flow and groove, to get your head nodding and foot tapping and for you to know there’s a real DJ and collector in the house and you’re going to have one funky night if you join the ride and stay for the glide!
Why do you love 45s so much?
They were the first format of music that I accessed as a child. My mum would play them and as a teenager they were all I could afford as albums were too expensive and there wasn’t CDs yet. They are also short, loud and for the artist and label the best that they had on offer and could showcase, they were either the bomb or bombed. I love the labels, sleeves, sounds and compactness of the format.
My love for them was reinvigorated with the explosion of the new funk scene especially in Melbourne where I live in the early 2000s when The Bamboos started putting out killer raw funk on 45 and alongside the modest collection of funk and soul 45s I already had I could start building a set with them and play all 45s sets at my night ‘The Get Down’.
You run our favourite Facebook group The Forty Five Kings. Why did you start the group and what does it promote?
I started the group as I wanted to bring together all the people I had connected with across social media and through DJing, that love the 45 format. This included people I admire as collectors and DJs like Marc Hype and my ‘Black Caesar DJs’ partner Obliveus and DJs and radio hosts I admire like Shan Frenzie, Jimmy Mac, The Soul Purpose DJs and Jazz Heads like Toni Rese, as well as my brothers and sisters in the Waxnerds, to those in the Soul, Funk, Hip Hop, Reggae and Turntablist scenes that just love the 45 format.
Many of the other pages I was on were focussed on one style like Soul or Hip Hop 45s and like my sets I wanted to join the dots and make those connections between people. Shit I love it all and I want to hear what people have in their collection and how they put them together regardless of genre or turntable abilities. Good music is good music!
I also wanted to support the scene that I have been making a living from, the DJs, collectors, records stores, labels, producers, radio show hosts and those turning out accessories like SydDefJam Adaptors, Dr Diggns, Dusty Donuts and so many others.
I have also built a decent following on Mixcloud and as a DJ and wanted to share this and help use my platforms and recognition in the 45 community to support others who like me just love the format.
Can you tell us about the 45s scene over in Australia and any issues you have regarding sourcing vinyl.
It’s a small scene and broken often in cliques and musical styles/genres but it’s a passionate one and supported widely by DJs who play vinyl here. There are great local stores and labels like Northside Records who have helped birth and sustain this scene alongside community radio stations like PBSFM and 3RRR and so many killer DJs with a real passion for the format. My Black Caesar DJs partner Obliveus and I have been throwing down multiple genre 45 sets together for nearly 15 years and whenever we can we push and support the format. There’s also the Soul A Go Go parties that are a purist Funk n Soul event that have run for many years and soul DJs like Vince Peach and Miss Goldie that have played for 30 years here and are still dope. A big shout out to pioneers like John Idem, Manchild, Mohair Slim and Pierre Baroni in Melbourne and the new 45 kids on the block pushing the format like Ghostnotes and Tom Showtime who are both dope DJs and been around DJing for a long while, that have a deep love of the format.
Let’s also not forget Lance Ferguson the main man behind The Bamboos, Cookin On 3 Burners and Kylie Auldist for almost singlehandedly birthing the local new funk scene. Legends all of them.
In regards to accessing 45s, with a low $ here, 10% import tax and outrageous postage prices from the USA and parts of Europe, purchasing 45s has become a very expensive hobby and collectors and DJs here have seen prices double and triple in the past 2 years. For me it has caused me to purchase more locally, although the wait is longer and you miss good stuff. I also look more to what I already have and second hand purchases. I think labels and sellers need to be more reasonable when setting both 45 prices and postage prices and keep them as close to the real costs as possible. I refuse to buy from the USA now as it’s just too expensive and discogs has been a real disrupter to prices in some ways.
Over the years you have released almost over 500 mixes including over 50 radio shows. How do you keep it fresh and interesting for your listeners and yourself.
It’s a good question. Firstly I think quality and consistency are super important. Music is always on in my house, it informs my day and my mood. The other thing is that I am not a one trick pony, I dig Afrobeat, Latin, Boogaloo, Funk, Soul, Hip Hop, Reggae and Jazz and all their sub genres, so I try to come with mixes across all those formats. I also put together different series of mixes on my Mixcloud page that focus on different moods, styles, genres and feel. Some people only listen to my 45s sets, others just dig my instrumental jazzy hip hop sets that are super downtempo. Always keep it interesting, also for yourself.
I also have an insatiable appetite for music and a vast vinyl and digital collection and it’s like I’m on a mission from Buddha to share it all.
Thanks for your time and if you want to check my steez, get on this: