“For mainstream pop-music gigs this is simple... just play a lot of Jay-Z, Kanye, Beyonce, Lil' Wayne and T-Pain. It's like dropping food on the floor for a dog.”

~ DJ Phillee Blunt

By Catzie Vilayphonh  |  Send to Friend

If you're familiar will the Illvibe Collective or dare I say it, Philly's Asian Club scene, then you already know who DJ Phillee Blunt is. But aside from being a knowledgeable hip hop head and crowd-pleasing entertainer, Phil is a down-to-earth homie. No ego, no super-ridiculous requests, just tell him when and where to setup and he'll show you a good time. For years I've watched Phil spin at various events and learned first-hand what being a DJ is all about from the initial gig requests to the technical difficulties to breaking equipment down at the very end. It's not as pretty as it looks, but if you love what you do like he does, there's really not much to complain about. Plus, during down time, if there's any, Phil makes the funniest comments which makes it so worth being there for.

That's why Phillee Blunt is also my favorite DJ. Check out our convo below and find out why.

 

Catz: Why do Filipino boys love to DJ? And not just Filipino boys in general, it's Filipino boys from Jersey, right?

Phillee Blunt: Here's my theory: Of all the Asian-American sub-cultures, the Filipino-Americans were the ones that gravitated the most towards hip-hop culture. I think it has a lot to do with our culture's heavy Spanish-Latin influence. The music, fashion and personality of hip-hop culture is very comfortable for us because we're the most "western" of all the cultures in the "East." So, naturally, the children of Filipino-American families assimilate to this American-born hip-hop culture that was created in the Latino-American and African-American communities. As far as why do we all DJ? Here's what I think ... we know we can't rap (well at least most of us, there are a few Filipinos that are very dope MC's), so to avoid embarrassing ourselves we chose to play roles that wouldn't require speaking ... DJing and B-Boy'in'/B-Girl'in' were perfect. It also helps that many Filipino "boys" were into video games as kids -- not just into them, but more like hardcore enthusiasts -- and this developed our superior hand-eye coordination, which is all based on precise timing. DJ skills also require the same precise timing with your hands, so it just came natural to us. It was a like a new video game, only it wasn't nerdy.

Catz: Besides being ethnically predisposed to DJing, how did you get your start?

PB:  When I was in the 6th grade, I saw a few episodes of "Yo! MTV Raps" that showcased DJs. I can't remember who was in this particular show, but they explained some of the things they do. That's where my interest in scratching records started. Then, in 7th grade, I went to my older cousin's High School graduation party in Staten Island. Her friends were all Filipino dudes around her age, and they had all this DJ equipment there. I had never seen this type of thing in person, so I was in awe. Turntables, records, mixing, scratching -- hip-hop, Reggae, House tracks -- it was crazy to me. I bothered the hell outta those dudes, but I was so eager to learn everything. Two months later, I begged my mom to buy me a mixer and it was on then.

Catz: Illvibe has made quite a name for itself in Philly. How did you and Statik, Panek, Skipmode and Lil Dave figure being a DJ collective would play out in the future?

PB: We all realized that we wanted to achieve similar goals as DJs, so we decided that it would be more beneficial to work as a team. We all wanted to play good music, for people that truly appreciate it. When your interests are aligned together, you can achieve great things. It just made sense because we were all friends to begin with. Music is what brought us together. We didn't hold auditions or comb talent pools for the most marketable prospects. We're friends before all else, and it shows in what we do.

Catz: Now that you've played in Philly, Jersey and New York, which city do you enjoy most and why?

PB: I'll always love Philly in a unique way, even though I didn't grow up there. I moved to Philly for college and stayed for four more years after that. That transitional period from student to adulthood was the best time of my life, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I grew up in North Jersey, just outside of NYC, and I live there now, so I'm in New York quite often. It's a lot of fun, but not more so than Philly, just different. Jersey is just a good place to relax, but I would always rather be in Philly.

Catz: Do people ever ask you about your DJ name, Phillee Blunt?

PB: Yes. Most of the time they say "Oh so you must smoke a lot of weed huh?" Ironically, I never do. It's just a play on words, using my first and last name together: Phil Lee, and I'm a hip-hop dude, so it just fit.

Catz: What is something that most people don't know about being a DJ? I know there are different kinds, which one are you?

PB: That's a great point. There are different kinds. It's just like being any other type of musician: You can play the guitar, but you specifically play rock, folk, pop, soul, R&B etc. You can be a hip-hop DJ, or techno, or house, or rock etc. It seems that most people's idea of a DJ is a person that will play music for money. Therefore, the only type of DJ that exists is the one who plays what they're told to play. This is not true. If you allow a DJ to do their job and create the vibe, you will be amazed at how much better of a time you will have. However, the biggest misconception is that DJing is not work, it's just getting paid to party and drink for free. There are a few DJs that agree, but for most of us, we spend hours preparing music for each gig, we're constantly increasing our libraries to be as diverse and current as possible. When we're at the gig, we stand behind the turntables (or whatever you're using) for the whole night. That could be up to six hours. If you don't feel like doing it anymore after an hour, you can't just walk away and hang out at the bar or go dance for 20 minutes. You have to stay in that booth and keep the people dancing, singing, drinking, having a good time. As the DJ, you are responsible for everyone in that party having fun. And when it comes to requests, that's a whole other can of worms.

Catz: For some gigs you may be required to play things you normally don't listen to or even enjoy, how do you keep up to date on "other people's" new music and stay prepared?

PB: For mainstream pop-music gigs this is simple: just go to any pop radio station's website and see what the top 10, 20, 30 songs are. Also, listen to the radio for a day or two, you'll hear everything you need. And just play a lot of Jay-Z, Kanye, Beyonce, Lil' Wayne and T-Pain. It's like dropping food on the floor for a dog.

But, for gigs that require you to step outside your normal boundaries, for eclectic crowds or highly specialized crowds, you have to prepare wisely. The first thing is to ask your fellow DJs for advice. Since Illvibe is a group, we often ask each other for help. You can also contact a DJ that specializes in certain styles of music for more advice. The biggest help is to know who you're DJing for. Find out as much as you can before you say "yes" to that gig. Then, get on the internet to do research, call your friends, and the most important thing, listen to the music before you go and play it at a party. Yes, it takes forever, but that's just part of the job.

Catz: You must get some random requests? What is your most memorable moment?

PB: I was setting up to DJ at a small bar/nightclub outside of Philly. Every Thursday, it was a typical college night, lots of hip-hop, reggae, pop, mainstream, yadda yadda.. This group of older ladies were there and one of them came up to me while I'm doing my thing, and said "Would you happen to have any Barry Manilow?" The random requests are just as normal to get as the regular ones, but they certainly make you wonder what is going on in some people's heads.

Catz: Does it piss you off if when you're playing something you think is good and someone else asks you to play in a completely new direction?

PB:  I don't want to say it pisses me off. Everyone has a right to like different music. But as a DJ you can't help but feel a little pressured because you're supposed to cater to the people, so if you have 80 percent of the people dancing, then someone comes outta nowhere and asks for something totally different, it throws you off. You don't want to alienate people, but you can't concentrate on just 2 or 3 people either.

Catz: Being a DJ also means having unsteady income because it all depends on how hard you hustle. You recently became a Mac Genius which must be awesome because you also play your sets on a Mac, but what does that mean for your DJing career?

PB: I'll have to put my DJ career on the back burner, but it's a wonderful situation, to be honest. I won't have to take every single gig just to make ends meet. I can work the day job and be selective about the gigs I do on the weekends or weeknights. I'd rather do one or two gigs a month that I really enjoy, then seven to ten gigs a month, and only enjoy three of them. Plus, being a DJ doesn't come with medical, dental, 401 K and "time-and-a-half" for overtime.

Catz: Are you only required to answer Mac questions when you're "at work"? Because I always run into problems when I'm at home during hours that Tech Support isn't available...

PB: "Hi, you've reached Phil, I'm not able to answer your call right now but leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks."

 

Check out Phillee Blunt and the rest of Ill Vibe Collective this Friday as they celebrate Halloween Night at Bodyrock with Special Guest Cosmo Baker. For more info go here.