DJ Vadim - Biography
Hardest working man in show business? Trouper? Tireless? However you want to put it, be sure of one thing, when DJ Vadim first heard the phrase "Don’t sleep” he obviously took it literally.
The beginning
Over the last decade few people can have put so much time and energy into the culture they love. Founder of Jazz Fudge in early 1995, A&R, producer, DJ, promoter, record collector, radio presenter, occasional painter, writer, and in-house producer/dj and cohort of Latin Grammy nominees, Spanish hip hop super group 7 Notas 7 Colorez, Vadim has certainly been keeping himself busy. And that’s before we even mention his DJing itself which has seen him perform in virtually every country in Europe(east and west), all over North America, Australia, New Zealand. Japan, Israel, Turkey, South America and South East Asia in just the last year. He has also performed with the likes of DJ Krush, The Roots, Pharcyde, Public Enemy, Beat Junkies, Dilated Peoples, Kraftwerk, supported Super Furry Animals, Morcheeba and Paul Weller as well as at events like Glastonbury and the Moscow Street Ball festival (to over 60,000 people!). To describe the man as an internationalist almost seems to sell him short.
In 1992, the Russian ex-pat bought a sampler and started working on the music that would become Abstract hallucinating Gases and Headz ain't ready. Later in the year he signed to Ninja Tune which culminated in his debut LP USSR Repertoire. From these early recordings came a remix LP USSR Reconstruction featuring DJ krush, Kid Koala, Mark B, Silent Poets, various 12” both for Ninja Tune and Jazz Fudge, a mix tape and CD with DJ Primecuts ( world ITF champ 99 and Scratch Pervert). In 1999 came the abstract funk collaboration LP of The Isolationist produced by vadim, scratched by DJ Primecuts and vocalised by anti pop consortium. Relentless international tours followed with Swollen Members/Company Flow/ Jazz Fudge....and the purchase of yet more dusty vinyl's to tha already burdening collection.
Time for some Russian Percussion
This all culminated in the very successful last LP USSR: Life from the other side (Ninja Tune 1999). The LP featured Co Flow, Scratch perverts,Iriscience(from dilated peoples), Blade amongst others and caused quite a storm in USA with the track ‘your revolution’ featuring Sarah Jones. This song was banned by the FCC (USA radio regulators) for explicit and provocative lyrics, despite Jones actually satirising the attitudes and words of the mainstream rap and r&b that could be heard pumping out of the radio every day.
To promote that LP, Vadim put together a live group - The Russian Percussion - consisting of Mr thing(turntables), killer kela(beat box), Blu rum 13(mc), John Ellis(Keyboards) and himself. The response to the group was amazing and they performed together in over 600 shows in about 45 countries including most of Europe and North America.
Feeling tired yet? Hang on in there. 2001 saw even more dj’g, production and actually presenting, for the very first time.... The BBC commissioned 3 radio shows including the very successful Sony award nominated programme ‘around the world in 8 relays’. Tours followed with Sarah Jones, Killa Kela, as support and collaborator for Super furry Animals and Spanish and South American tours with 7 notas 7 Colorez which resulted in the group being nominated by the Latin grammies for best Latin Hip Hop group.
The Art of listening is born
"…Listening” has all of the angular abstractions of Vadim’s earlier work, but here it is combined with a new depth of musicality, a love of bass and an interest in music and words from around the world. So, alongside UK MCs like Taskforce and Phi Life Cipher and the cream of US underground wordspitters like Slug, Gift of Gab, Moshun Man and Vakill can be found Polish jazz legend Urzula Dudziak (a favoured sample source for A Tribe Called Quest back in the day), Gruff from Super Furry Animals, Brazilian Swedish mistress of poetic innovation Yarah Bravo, Ade Soma and the Revd Clevie Brown. Tablas and djembe drums mix with Japanese flutes, Brazilian guitars, spoken word, obscure scratched sound bites and a definite UK street sound incorporating hints of jungle bass and drums, all build the whole into something unusual and special
It makes for a heady mixture, a record which Vadim describes as "a very grown up but cheeky and extremely musical album.” Urban but experimental, fresh and different, this record goes beyond not only what he has done before, but beyond much of today’s hip hop. With its global view of music, it’s new emphasis on soul, its concrete feel for the aesthetic of the sample, "The Art Of Listening” is funny, serious, unique.
The super group ONE SELF
All of this transports us to 2005 and vadim hasn’t been idle!
Something new has been brewing in East London and it isn't grime or the smell of Indian curry. Cosmopolitan, diverse, colourful, loud and definitely not middle of the road, perhaps an ideal setting for this debut international hip hop crew. After circumnavigating the globe more times than NASA collectively these artists individually are not new to this game but what better place is there to meet and fuse 3 continents together to create an album soaked in the richness of each of their backgrounds and musical upbringing. Oneself is born. However this is not what you might of expected. This is something a little different, more progressive, united, cohesive and perhaps is a re birth.
One Self are - Dj Vadim, Yarah Bravo and Blu rum 13
The Sound Catcher
can one man be any more productive? well the 4 weetabix a day powerhouse has much more to come. Already cemented are productions for UK spitter’s Dark Circle, Foreign Beggars, Aspect’s, kela as well as hot new Parisian super crew Bunzen, Up coming Latin lyrical reggae giant Paco Mendoza..... Music for Absolute Vodka, NOKIA. New’s of a 7 notas 7 colorez reunion, a new DJ Vadim LP - Sound Catcher and countless other production’s, remixes dropping somewhere soon. Can it all be good? One thing for sure whether it’s Flamenco hip hop, Arabian space funk, Lettuce propelled rockets, new Vad reggae alias Junior Rankin or instro funk shiznittz Blixton Rodriguez, quality is guaranteed. hip hop but also so much more
‘Some men see things as they are and ask why others dream of things that never were and ask why not’
Bernard Shaw
Discography:
DJ Vadim Abstract hallucinating Gases EP (Jazz Fudge April 1995)
DJ Vadim Headz aint ready EP(Jazz Fudge June 95)
Little Aida Confessions EP (Jazz Fudge February 96)
DJ Vadim Non lateral hypothesis 12”(Ninja Tune February 96)
DJ Vadim Aural Prostitution 12”(Ninja Tune August 96) feat Lewis
Parker/Delirious/Mark B remix/ Acyde/ sli poetry
DJ Vadim Heterogeneous/ nocturnal thought tracks for v/a comp
Organised Sound (Jazz Fudge September 96)
DJ Vadim USSR Repertoire LP (Ninja Tune September 96)
Andre Gurov Revelations of wrath EP (Jazz Fudge February 97) feat
Jupiter and JAE
DJ Vadim Conquest of the irrational 12” (Ninja Tune May 97) feat
Jupiter
The Bug Taping the conversation LP (Wordsound May 97)
DJ Vadim presents Sculpture and Broken Sound LP (P-vine Japan) 97
Andre Gurov A new rap language EP (Jazz Fudge September 97) feat
Jupiter and JAm
DJ Vadim USSR reconstruction remix LP (Ninja Tune Feb. 98)
DJ Vadim and DJ Primecuts Architects of the Great mix tape (Jazz
Fudge Feb98). As featured on Feb. 98 issue DJ magazine front cover CD
The Isolationist Hydrogen Slush 12” (Jazz Fudge October 98) ISO is
DJ Vadim/ DJ Primecuts/ Anti Pop Consortium
The Isolationist The Isolationist LP (Jazz Fudge March 99)
DJ Vadim Friction 12” (Ninja Tune April 99) feat Iriscience/Task
Force/DJ Primecuts and Mr Thing
DJ Vadim Its obvious 12” (Ninja tune August 99) feat Blu rum 13,
Swollen members, Mark B remix
DJ Vadim USSR; Life from the other side LP (Ninja Tune September
99) feat Co-Flow/ Blu Rum/ Swollen members/ Iriscience/ Sarah Jones/
Moshun man and from UK The Task Force/ Blade/ Jupiter and JAE/ Acyde,
Supa T/ Profound/ Skinny Man/ Killer Kela/ Toastie Taylor, Scratch
Perverts, and from Spain - Mucho muchacho / Delta on the artwork
DJ Vadim USSR; instrumental to life LP (Ninja Tune November 99)
DJ Vadim Your Revolution/the higher standard 12” feat Sarah Jones with remixes by Kela and
DJ Nappa and The Higher Standard feat Mr Lif, Esoteric, Virtuoso with
a remix by Mark B Ninja Tune September 2000
DJ Vadim - leaches/up to jah 7” (Ninja Tune May 2002) feat Demolition man
DJ Vadim combustible/ghetto rebels/ dimelo es el verbo 12” (Ninja Tune June 2002) feat gift of the gab, phi life cypher(UK 12” ONLY), mucho mu(US 12” ONLY)
DJ Vadim - its on/up to jah 12” (Ninja Tune August 2002) feat Vakill, demolition man
DJ Vadim - USSR: The art of listening LP (Ninja Tune September 2002) feat moshun man, gift of the gab, juice and vakil, yarah bravo slug, demolition man, task force, skinny man, kela, phi life cypher, mucho mu, coke, promoe, sarah jones, steve coleman, revd clevie brown, ula dudziak, mr thing, plus one, ade soma, ttc, john ellis, chandru, david balilti + .... Darco on the artwork
DJ Vadim - USSR: The Art of instrumentals LP (Ninja Tune November 2002)
DJ Vadim - Bang 2k EP (Ninja Tune December 2002) feat skinny man/ curse/ out da ville
DJ Vadim - eddie brikkel/ cum shots 12” (Ninja Tune may 2003) feat Slug, yarah bravo
DJ Vadim - Till suns in your eyes/ headline news 12” LP (Ninja Tune September 2003) feat motion man/ adad and dj woody
DJ Vadim - The forgotten women/ stereo pictures mix CD (MK2 october 2003)
DJ Vadim - Lettuce propelled rockets mix cd feat dj woody (JFM january 2005)
A DEXTRICIOUS JOURNEY THRO MUSIC FROM GREEK ROCK TO MALAYSIAN EASY LISTENING, BULGARIAN JAZZ TO SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY BLUES, 4 NEW VADIM BOOM BAP TRACKS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED.
Junior Rankin - explode 12” feat Demolition man (JFM 2005)
Blixton Rodriguez - august showers EP (2005) The Russian percussion band get funky!
ONE SELF - Be your own w/ amp fiddler rmx 12” (Ninja Tune april 05)
ONE SELF - Be your own - amp fiddler remix 2 / instrumentals - ltd edition (Ninja Tune april 05)
ONE SELF - the blue bird/ fear the labour 12” (Ninja Tune may 2005)
ONE SELF - children of possibility LP (Ninja Tune june 2005) new super group with Yarah Bravo and original Russian percussion front man Blu rum 13. Lp features, soulful keys of john ellis, little green, demolition man and world ITF scratch gimp - DJ woody....Artwork by Inocuo
ONESELF - Children of Possibilities instrumental’s LP (Ninja tune Aug. 2005)
ONESELF - paranoid/ over expose/ come along 12” (Ninja Tune september 2005)
ONE SELF - ORGANICALLY GROWN EP (NOV 2006) - 6 track mini LP
DJ Vadim - like the wind/ boom sumting 12” (BBE march 07)
DJ Vadim - Sound catcher LP/ CD (BBE april 07) ft zion I, deuce eclipse, skinny man, kela, kathrin de boer, demolition man, emo, sena, big red, diane, abstract rude.....
DJ Vadim - live in Brooklyn mix cd (mothergrain may 07) - 78 minute mix into soul, disco, latin, afro beat....live in brooklyn baby!!!
DJ Vadim - got to rock/ black is the night 12” (BBE october 07) with griffi/arrone jerome remixes
DJ Vadim - Talk to Me/ like the wind 12” (BBE april 2008) with afrobad/ waxos/ j boogie remixes
Other productions
Coppe - Rotary / Burton . Japanese singer produced 2 tracks (Mango sweet rice/PIAS/Sony Japan) 98
7 Notas 7 Colorez - 77 LP. Spanish hip-hop group Produced 4 tracks for 77 LP
(La Madre -September 99)
7 Notas 7 Colorez - La mami international LP - 5 tracks produced for the LP(so dens spain - 2001)
Blu rum 13 - vaguely familiar LP (jazz fudge UK) - produced 7 tracks for the LP (2001)
DJ Vadim and Sarah Jones - Remember me. Around the world in 8 relays recorded track for the BBC World Service 2001
(2002)
Total Chaos - produced 2 tracks for german hip hop group 2002
2004
Bunzen - production for the ex members of sain super crew group from Paris. 2004
TTC - production for a collaborative LP 2004
Yarah Bravo - production for debut lp 2005
Task force - production for a collaborative LP 2005
Monte smith - US slam poet winner collaborative project 2004
Absolut Vadim - production for absolut tracks 2004
killa kela - watch me. new track from the ‘elocution LP (bmg 2005)
tote king - 2 tracks from the forthcoming spanish LP (2005)
smokey mo - production for one of Russia’s finest mc’s (2005)
Dark Circle - production for new DC indie release(2005)
mr invisible - production for LP( 2007)
Bunzen - production for LP(2007)
7 NOTAS 7 COLOREZ - production for LP (2007)
taiko denyo - production for LP(2007)
Remixes
DJ Food - B Boy (Ninja Tune) 96
DJ Krush meiso feat CL Smooth (Mo wax) 96
Faultline PLH (creation) 97
Sugizo Lucifer/ beauty (Polygram Japan) 97
The Cure Gone (4AD) 97
Low Laugh (Caroline/Virgin USA) 97
The Herbaliser 40 winks (Ninja) 97 The Freakniks Lost (Scenario records) 97
Ruff neck Piano repaired piano evolution within (Soup Japan) 97
Spectre Hidden Gods (Word Sound USA) 97
DJ Cam Innervisions (Columbia) 97
Surfers of Romantic positive self dimension (Music Mine - Japan) 98
Gus Gus - Why (4AD) 98
Cowboy bebop- Fe (RCA Victor Japan) 99 music for a Japanese cartoon!
Supersol sleep walker (chocolate industries USA) 99
Stephano Torrossi walking in the dark (Right Tempo Italy) 99
Silent Poets feat The Anomalies Prisons (Toys Factory) 2000
Aspects - intriguing (Hombre) 2001
Virtuoso - the mission (rebel aliance USA) 2001
Juice - electromagnetic color (chocolate industries USA) 2001
99 posse - aguila(Bmg Italy) 2001
kela - crop circles (Jazz Fudge) 2001
rubin steiner - guirarlandia (Bmg france) Aug. 2002
OMR - door (Bmg france) jan 2004
Ojos de brujo - (PIAS spain) jan 2004
Bunzen - rage de fury (bun rec.) 2004
Gangstarr - season of the witch - (EMI Germany/ gambitt clothing) 2004
Paul weller - wild wood - 2004
alice russel - bird in the hand - (tru thoughts/uk) 2005
foreign beggerz - black hole prophecies - (dented/uk) 2005
black ink - caravan - 2005
Bauchklang - Brakin news (klein rec) 2005
DRW - the future (elephant rec) 2005
Fat freddies Drop (kartel )2006
Sofa surfers - river blues(18th street music 2006)
Belleruche - northern girls(tru thoughts 2007)
silent knight - hypocrites - rawkus 2007
wax tailor - we be ft ursula rucker - PIAS 2008
aarone jerome - way of life - ft baijka - BBE 2008
pimps of joytime - bonita - 2008
beatspoke - dig deeper - 2008
monica blaire - nobody else - 2008
Writing for brain damage - biggest polish graff magazine
Radio projects:
Bloc rocking beats - BBC radio 1 - may 2001
3x 15 minute programme presented by DJ Vadim
‘around the world in 8 relays’ bbc world service - Nov. 2001
8 x 15 mintue programme presented by DJ vadim
hip hop outernational - bbc world service december 2001
one 30 minute programme presented by DJ Vadim
