Puff Daddy may have redefined what a remix should be in recent Hip-Hop history but that doesn’t mean today’s musicians can’t push those boundaries. One man who is doing all of that and more is Amerigo Gazaway. The Nashville DJ, producer, crate digger, and lover of all things soulful caught the attention of not just bloggers and their readers, but also angry label executives, with projects like Bizarre Tribe: A Quest to The Pharcyde, Fela Soul, and Yasiin Gaye Sides 1 & 2. His most recent project is a tribute to James Brown, titled The Big Payback Vol. 3.
We were able to discuss his creative process, record labels hating on him, and some of his favorite remixes. – The Source
How do you go about finding those original samples that artists use in their music?
Every project is different. With Bizarre Tribe I think I was just DJing in my bedroom one day and I played the “Electric Relaxation” instrumental and the “Runnin” acapella on top, and thought that sounded crazy. Then I also remembered back in the day when I used to DJ I also did a mix with “Passin Me By” and “Bonita Applebum.” And I had completely forgotten about that joint. The combination of those two epiphanies led to the creation of a whole album, Bizarre Tribe. It’s different every time. Sometimes it’s a little more thought out ahead of time. I always keep a notebook with each project like I’ll dedicate a whole notebook. There’s a lot of research that goes into it. A lot of times it’s when I’m digging through records, in my collection or a record store. Just seeing the names or the album covers, visually, something will trigger. Like with Yasiin Gaye, that was triggered by “Modern Marvel” by Mos Def, the track he did on The New Danger album. It was kind of a tribute to Marvin Gaye. I was listening to that one night and thought it would be so dope if it was a whole album.
Check out the full interview below:
