Beatmixed

DJ Zebra is without a doubt one of the premier bootleg producers of our time. From his Anarchy in the UK (Sex Pistols) remix to his hip-hop indie rock hybrid bootleg Processed Ring (Kasabian / De La Soul), Zebra is consistently able to deliver the goods. I first had the opportunity to meet Zebra in April 2005 when he was DJing at San Francisco’s Bootie. I’m sure most Bootie regulars would agree with me when I say that no other DJ since then has rocked the place quite like Zebra. Needless to say, I was quite honored when Zebra agreed to participate in this Beatmixed interview.

Name? Age? Location? Occupation?

My name is Antoine a.k.a. DJ ZEBRA, 34 years old. I live in Paris, France. I’m a DJ – Musician – Producer. I produce and present a daily radio mix for OÜI FM (Paris) along with a weekly chronicle about mash-ups on FRANCE INTER (the national radio). I also spin a lot in Europe as a rock DJ, and I do official remixes, too.

How did you get into producing mash-ups?

I’ve worked with samplers since 1993, and I played bass and machines with a famous French band called BILLY ZE KICK. We released a full album with only samples, so I kept on working this way for a long time. I loved the works of DJ Shadow and Fatboy Slim. And when I heard the first mash-ups a few years ago, I thought it was funny to do music this way. And it was not very difficult for me, technically.

What was the first mash-up you remember hearing?

Missy Elliott vs. Metallica, in 2000. I don’t remember who did it. Then, I got the 2 Many DJs CD “As Heard on Radio Soulwax 2″ in 2002. At this time, I started playing rock stuff in my DJ sets (I was more into funk, reggae and afro-cuban stuff before). I also understood that mash-ups were the best way to play all kinds of musical styles in a club, and also to make people dance on rock songs.

What was the first boot you produced? What’s your latest? Do you have a favorite that you’ve produced? Do you have any that you’d rather not remember?

As I said, I’ve made music with samples for many years, and I produced bootlegs before people were calling them that. I mashed The Stooges and Marvin Gaye in 1999. But the first bootleg I did for the clubs is my Sex Pistols remix of “Anarchy in the UK” in 2002. My latest is Noir Desir (a famous French rock band) vs. Aretha Franklin. By the time this interview is published, I will probably have 3 or 4 new boots since I continually produce them for my radio show. My favorite is “Are You Gonna Be My Motherfucker” (Prince vs. Jet). And I don’t remember those I’d rather not remember …

What audio tools do you use to produce a mash-up?

I’ve worked with Logic Audio, Soundforge and ACID for the past 5 years.

Have you noticed any advance or evolution in mash-up production over the past few years? Has the bar been raised?

Yes, it’s more than an evolution — a revolution! 3 or 4 years ago, the bootlegs were made for dancefloors. Now, I hear more musical boots, made only for music, and there are beautiful songs. I think that 2004 was a really good year because all the great bootleggers produced a lot. But I don’t think this is over, because a lot of good musicians have started trying to do mash-ups, and I hope this will be good. About my own boots, the bar has not been raised, bacause I’m getting better and better.

Have you ever received any feedback from an artist that you’ve booted? Have you ever received an offer to publish any of them legitimately?

Yes, very often, because I make lots of bootlegs with French songs, so I have to ask them if they can give me the vocal parts, or if they like it. And most of the time, they do! About international bands, I’ve had good feedback from Franz Ferdinand, Von Bondies and Grand National. Currently, I’m working on a compilation of my French bootlegs. Every artist is OK, and all that’s left is to agree upon financial arrangements.

Have you ever been asked to remove a bootleg from your web site? Has the Société Civile des Producteurs Phonographiques ever hassled you or your ISP? Is this something you fear?

Yes, once. And it was not because of an mp3, but a stream of the Arno vs. White Stripes bootleg in 2003. It’s funny, because the record company of Arno made 200 vinyls of this boot, while somebody from the same label sent me an e-mail telling me I will go to jail if I don’t remove this bootleg from my website. Since then, I haven’t had any problems, and everyone knows I’m doing this because of the exposure I’ve received in the French media. So I’m not afraid at all! If my website close one day, I will still have the radio stations and clubs to play my bootlegs!

What’s your take on re-appropriating the works of others into a bootleg, presumably without the artists’ permission? Do you feel you face a moral and/or ethical dilemma as a mash-up producer?

I think that pop music reached its edge. There can’t be more creativity and freedom in this format, every band or artist recycles the past. But the mash-up style does it a different way, and for me it’s the freshest, the more inventive and the only new musical movement of these years. So it’s good for pop music to be mashed-up, because bootleggers always love music, and this is the best way to bring back some passion in musical production. And it can’t be done if we do it legally: the musical business is too heavy to follow us. I think that I face a moral dilemma, of course, but it’s better like that!

Have you found any resistance to getting mash-ups played on the radio?

Not at all. Much less resistance than in clubs.

On your radio show, you presumably have to log all tracks played for radio royalty reporting. Do you log the individual mash-up artists, or do you log the mash-up itself?

I log the original songs, because the artists have to be credited. But tell the bootleggers names on air!

Do you have any formal music training?

Yes. I’ve play guitar since I was 9, and I can play bass, drums and keyboards too. I also read music.

Do you have any musical goals?

I always want to learn. I try to know what’s happening in musical creation, and to listen to new styles. Then, the crossover motivates me. I want to hear and to produce what I’ve never heard before. So I keep on rolling…

Where does inspiration come from for you?

This come from my musical culture. My big record collection and my musical ear are my source of ideas. Sometimes, it comes in clubs when I mix 2 records, and it fits well, so I make a full mash-up at home. And sometimes, I sing a song on another, and I know it can be mashed well. I don’t care if I can’t find the instrumental or vocal parts, I just try, and sometimes it works. I can spend 3 hours on a bootleg if the idea is very clear, and if I know how to compose it before starting. And I can finish another 2 months after, if it’s really difficult. In that case, I try lots of versions.

What advice would you give someone wanting to learn more about and/or get into producing mash-ups?

I get a lot of e-mails asking me this. They always want to know the magic secret! I tell them that it’s not an audio tool question, the best bootleggers know music much more than computers. But at the beginning, it’s better to start doing simple mash-ups, with instrumental and vocal parts, in a hip hop or dance music style. The next step is to compose a real song, as good as possible, so you have to learn music!

Are there any fellow bootleggers whose work you admire? Who? Why?

Go Home Productions, Loo & Placido, Party Ben’s Sixxmixx, and Earworm are my favorites, because they care about the quality of their work. I always go to their website to see what’s new. But I like Ultra396, Team 9, Dunproofin, Alex H, Jimmi James, Tim G, Cheekyboy, Aggro 1, Drixxxé, Lenlow, DJ BC, DJ Prince, McSleazy, Soundhog, ccc, and so many more because they composed great bootlegs.

Any special projects on the horizon that you can fill us in on?

Spinning, producing… I’m getting famous in France now, but I would like to travel the world. And as Mark Vidler, working with artists I admire. This can happen, because bootlegs are good “visit” cards.