Interview with Bazooka Joe, DJ behind Truck Jewels mixcd series. This kids mixes used to fly off the shelves at Sandbox. He’s still doing his thing. Look out for him next time you go to a Dres show. Link
I bought some of your tapes from Bobbitos during a trip to NYC in maybe 99′ or 2001? How widely were the tapes distributed and how many tapes did you press up ?
At it’s peak I was pressing up 500-1000 each time one dropped, it seems pretty small, but I did everything myself, so that was enough for me to handle. I had some help later from places like Landspeed & Sandbox. Bobbito & Fat Beats were some of the first in NY to show me love, and I liked to keep them in niche stores like those because I knew the true heads were shopping there. At one point, I had stores in Chicago, LA, Miami, Arizona, Canada & Philly. I also let them sell for a little while and by the time it was time for a store to re-up, I had a new one ready, so it kept them kind of limited and exclusive since I didn’t keep re-pressing the same ones.
Being a cat out of NYC you gotta agree it’s a real shame stores like Beatstreet have shut down. What other spots do you hit up?
Yeah Beat Street on Fordham Rd, was my spot, I did go to the one in BK too. Back in the day it was LBM records in Parkchester, SOS in Castle Hill, then in Philly it was Armand’s. Bobbito’s Footwork & Fat Beats were always good for the indie shit, and occasional test press if you went in there on the right day, especially Footwork in Philly, I was getting record advice from DJ Rich Medina, who put me on to records and groups I still play today, and he knew his shit. That’s gonna really be missed, going to that record store and getting put on to shit you had no idea existed, that won’t happen with your computer. It is a shame, but I embrace technology, the fact that I don’t have to lug crates around is a bonus and an advantage any DJ from the 80’s or 90’s would have done if it were possible. In any business you can’t blame technology, it is what it is, you have to be ahead of the curve and foresee the industry and make the necessary adjustments. I still collect records, but I can digitize them and store them away now without beating them up, I feel bad for the stores, but not for the labels, they’ve been screwing artists for years, it’s about time the industry felt some heat. Now we don’t have to spend money on records that are only hot for a month. The downside will be DJ’s in the future claiming to be this & that and not know the feeling of shopping for records, and finding that crazy shit in a record bin.
