Friday Feature 10.15.10 DJ Pratt

BIO

DJ PRATT first hit the scene in 1997, but the love of DJing started long before that. Many years prior, he became intrigued by watching his cousin work the “wheels of steel”. There was something engaging about witnessing his favorite songs being played on a rotating platter and then hearing an interesting sound come from the turntables that he would later learn was called the “transform” scratch. The classic Transformers cartoon, from which the scratch was named, was already a favorite of young J Pratt and the love for the DJ artform just grew from there. He tried for many years to convince his parents to buy him “one of those DJ starter kits”…to no avail.

Fast-forward to 1997 and he finally saved up to get his own set of Technique 1200s. He quickly discovered that he had a natural knack for the turntables and less than a year later saw the release of his debut mixtape, “The Experience,” with his DJ partner, Nikoless. The next few years found him releasing more mixtapes, DJing for local Chicago crew B-Movie Fiendz (until the group called it quits), rocking some parties, DJing on Time Travel radio, joining the Vinyl Addicts, and lending his scratching talents to some demos and releases.

In 2001, he took a long hiatus from the turntables, but eventually found that walking away from that “rotating platter” wasn’t as easy as he thought… Eventually (and recently) he was drawn back in. His natural ability and passion allowed him to pick up right where left off. He first returned to the scene in 2010 by providing the cuts for PNS & Zavala’s split instrumental project, “Canciones Modernas” (Fieldwerk Records). He immediately followed that with some tour dates with Dark Time Sunshine, a new mix (“In My Honest Opinion”), and some guest mixes on WRLR 98.3 LP-FM RadioActive.

With no signs of slowing down, letting up or anymore breaks from the turntables in sight, DJ Pratt is back in full effect with a variety of mix concepts and projects in the works


Playlist:

1) Anti Pop Consortium - Ping Pong
2) DTS - Return Of The Agenda ft. JFK aka Ninjaface
3) Blade - Will Survive
4) LootPack - Cliches
5) Greenhouse - Next Generation
6) Freeway & Jake One - One Thing ft Raekwon
7) Large Professor - Get Off The Bullshit
8) Fierce - Crab
9) Tony Da Skitzo - Who U Talkin 2
10) Latryx - Say That
11) Blahzay Blahzay - Sendin Dem Back
12) Natural Elements - Bust Mine
13) Ill Bill - Gangsta Rap
14) Grav - C'mon
15) Mass Hysteria - Eat Em Up Mike
16) Neak - City Of Wind
17) Slug - River(Opus Remix)
18) Push Button Objects - 360 Degrees
19) JFK - Beautiful Thing
20) Pale Soul - Altered Species
21) Mr. Voodoo - Lyrical Tatics
22) Cage - Got Wet ft Tame One
23) Juggaknots - Troublesman
24) Dumbfoundead - Bosses ft Alpha Mc & Open Mike Eagle
25) Skech185 - The Truth


Link to mix