A Quick Chat With DJ Craze

San Diego is in for one HELL of a night on August 23rd at Spin as we celebrate 9 YEARS of SD Union! To commemorate the milestone, we are bringing out the G.O.A.T., the one and only DJ Craze for an exclusive all drum & bass set. United By Bass Editor Emily sat down with the legendary DJ ahead of his first-ever all drum and bass performance in San Diego to discuss how the three-time DMC champion of the world prepares for a dnb set, how to succeed as a DJ, and what drum & bass artists get him excited.

When people talk about your career, they tend to think of your DMC championships and, most recently, Slow Roast Records. But you have had a long-standing love for drum & bass. How did you first get into DnB?

Yeah, I’ve been into Drum & Bass since the late 90s. I first got into it when I played a gig in Munich back in 97′, that’s the first time I heard DnB in a club and I’ve been hooked ever since. The DJs playing that night were Hype & Shy FX so you can see why I got into it.

How do you approach your drum & bass sets compared to the other styles you’re known for?

I approach my DnB sets like I do all my sets. I prep things I know will work and I try to sneak in a lot of things that I like, things that separate from all the other dnb DJs. For example, I’ll definitely sneak in some of my hip hop roots whether it be an acapella or a dope lil intermission. I’ll add some flavaful scratching (not too much) And I’ll do a lot of trick mixing.

Time to name drop! What current DnB artists have your attention and why do they excite you?

Signal, Current Value, Urbandawn, Audio, TC. There are just too many great producers in DnB. The quality coming out right now is amazing!

…I miss Dillinja though

You’re playing at the SD Union 9 Year Anniversary party on Friday, August 2d3r. What can attendees expect from your set, especially if they’ve never seen a Craze dnb performance?

I’m bringing the heat to SD Union’s 9th anniversary. My DnB sets are pretty fire if I do say so myself. Expect a lot of energy and dope mixing!

I want to thank DJ Craze for taking the time out of his busy schedule to answer my questions.

We guarantee you are not going to want to miss out on this incredible night and we want to see all of you on the dancefloor. Catch DJ Craze alongside hometown heroes Garva, Rebellion, DJ Ronnie, and Burncam with mic support from MC Ridda and Subliminal this Friday, August 23rd at Spin Nightclub.

Secure your spot in Spin Nightclub today to save cash at the door this Friday!

Emily Widuch

Editor @ UBB