Diplo: My Studio
Urb Magazine
In:Studio
When we asked Philly homeboy Diplo (of DJ duo Hollertronix fame) to take us on a tour of his studio, we had no idea he'd be so thorough about it. See what it really takes to keep a modern studio crunk.
Bootleg Cable
My bol got the satellite cheap; the tricky part is getting the access cards and keeping them current. They keep getting reset so you can't flip through boxing fights and porno 'cause they catch that with the quickness and zap you. We set it to BET and Animal Planet the most. Homeboy from Comcast drilled the holes and ran it up the four flights like a champ.
Manute Bol 76ers Actual Game Shoe
I copped this at a flea market. I just got it because it was a solo shoe like size 15 and just weird. When I took it home I realized it had the Bol stencil and then checked the colors on some Google image search and it was legit! I am not sure how it ended up in this parking lot in NJ, but I got to look up at it every day and think about Manute and how he went nearly broke holding down Sudan for years.
Jack Daniels
When the Manute show just isn't shining inspiration down on me, I cop a little sip of this because the heat's not on or there isn't a girl over. But sometimes it just gives me a bit of that magical energy to work with. I can work with wiskey sours a little too, but this good and less time consuming (when my vibe's right), straight up.
Weight Bench
This came with the crib and I use it a bit. The weights are lopsided and sometimes concrete falls on my face, but it still feels good to get in. It's like I'm in D Block or something. Actually, I watch so much "MTV Jams!" that I got to get to the bench because I want to get my eagle on with those video girls and I just feel like it's necessary.
Yamaha DD9 Drum Machine
This one is pretty bad. It came with drumsticks, but I use my fingers since it looks real stupid to hit with drumsticks. It's got a function where I can change the hits to numbers and animals. That's my favorite.
Radio Shack Mixers
These are cool because they run on 9-volt batteries and you can hook two up and it's like having a seven-channel mixer. I can really go into my backyard or on a mountain and just tear it up with these babies. I'm working more with them when the terror alert is like yellow since it helps to practice for when there is a real nuclear fallout jump off and no more power but 9-volts and gerbils on wheels.
Berries
These grow in the backyard where my weight bench is and they come like 50 a day. Most people are scared to eat them right away, but I just don't have the motivation to take them to the sink. Plus, washing berries just isn't that hood. In the summer when it's hot, I've been known to pass out in the backyard with some of these in my hand and the birds just hop all over me and it's crazy peaceful. Then I go inside and just make some "tear the club up" shit.
Accordion
This one is great. It took me a long time to get it to work and not just leak air like a granny Hover vacuum, but with a little tape I got the whole range on this one. A mic and some guitar distortion would usually knock it out. This one is super hot.
Boss Dr.Rhythm SP-202.
I do most beats on here and use the SP 1200 as a way to prop up the sampler. That's about all it's good for. Together these are pretty good. But I can take the Dr.Rhythm around outside since it runs on six AA batteries. Great with Radio Shack mixers for when you just gotta pack up on some John Walker type shit, but still want to be in the grind.
