May the Force Be With You

DJ Yoda interview

There are two Yodas. One is a short green dude, and part of the rebel alliance. The other is a world famous DJ known for his decks-terity and humourous, irreverent mixing between hip hop classics, ’80s pop, and TV soundtracks. Recently, he’s moved away from the hip hop, spinning a more party-centric blend of B-More, ghetto house, electro and eclectic beats. DJ Yoda plays during the incomparable Snowbombing, which takes place between 31st March-6th April in Mayrhofen, Austria, and mixes the next edition in the Fabric Live series, due in April. We grabbed the man in question to talk changing times, soundtrack faves and his little green counterpart…

So you’re playing Snowbombing this year – are you looking forward to it?

“I’ve done it a couple of times before, and it’s just a classic one isn’t it? It’s really grown to become one of these standard annual fixtures, to become something like Ibiza. It’s nothing like any of the other festivals because of the location. I also associate it with Jagermeister now!”

Is there anyone playing that you’re looking forward to seeing yourself?

“Cuban Brothers, of course! Annie Mac, I’ve been playing out a lot with Annie at the moment, we’re both musically in a very similar place. Craze and Clever should be amazing. Those are the main ones.”

You’re known primarily as a hip hop DJ, but I saw you at Get Loaded last year and you were really mixing it up with electro, B-More, and all sorts. Have you moved in a new direction?

“I’ve totally gone in that direction, and so have a lot of hip hop DJs, mainly because hip hop has got so uninspiring recently. The good music is outside of that. One in a hundred tracks will be worth playing hip hop wise. And I’ve gone a lot more uptempo, and a lot more varied, and that Baltimore stuff fits in with what I was doing anyway because it’s taking stuff that people know but chopping it up and sticking a beat behind it, making it into a genre of its own. And I’m playing a lot of dancehall, a lot of Brazilian stuff, and trying to keep a hip hop attitude to it. The Cool Kids are good, everything they do is exciting, and I still like the stuff that Kanye does. But it’s few and far between hip hop wise.”

You’re named after the vertically challenged green mystic from the Star Wars films. What do you think of the all action fighting Yoda in the modern Star Wars films – inspired or just plain wrong?

“Plain wrong, not feeling it! I was excited about it, but the reason I’m called Yoda is really nostalgia related, growing up as a kid, collecting Star Wars figures, and the newer films tarnished that a little bit.”

What’s next for Yoda?

“This first thing to come out this year will be the Fabric mix, then after that I’ve got the next ‘How to Cut and Paste’ which is the Country and Western edition! Then I’ll be sorting out another artist album, and in between I’ll be touring with my AV show, scratching DVDs.”

What’s your favourite TV theme?

“I’d have to go for Twin Peaks, classic programme, classic theme, and I still listen to it now.”