DoF Friday Funk with: Kevin Beacham aka DJ Nikoless

Ed. note: Friday Funk has been hijacked! Every week we'll have a quick chat with a new ambassador of the rich and savory Twin Cities music scene, then hand over the keys to the Funky Bus for 3 spins.

First up? The DoF is proud to welcome the host of Minnesota Public Radio's Redefinition Radio and product manager for Rhymesayers Records (homebase for Atmosphere, Brother Ali, Toki Wright, Eyedea and Abilities, a newly-signed Evidence and more for you readers outside of MPLS), Kevin Beacham.

You can also catch him around town as DJ Nikoless, the fearless 45-spinner of funk, soul and hip-hop.

As host of Redefinition Radio, Beacham brings an historian's appreciation of hip-hop to the air waves, pulling would-be classic cuts out of the cracks of the mainstream consciousness and giving them their time to shine... if only for a few minutes.

Each cut is typically bound to the ones played before and after with a chosen theme for that particular show (ie greatest DJs, best lyricists, sample origins etc etc).

Needless to say, when hip-hop finally gets the Ken Burns treatment, he'd probably be smart to talk to Beacham.

Listen live every Saturday at 11pm (CST) or check out past shows HERE .

Ed. note: Interview conducted over email. Everything has been left as is from the original exchange. No editing done because, well, we're keepin' it REAL (lazy)!

DoF: First, a little word association: Autotune... go!

KB: The longest running, most annoying music trend of all time!

DoF: You're a DJ (I know, BIG stretch). You have only one chance to get everybody on the floor. What do you play?

KB: I don't really think about DJing in that way, but I figure you are always safe with any MJ or Prince hit, but since I like to be a lil odd ball I'll go with The Jackson FIve "I Want You Back", that's worked very effectively for me over the last year or so.

DoF: You're a DJ. The club owner needs you to clear the room immediately because Prince just paid to have the place all to himself. What do you play?

KB: Ha, hopefully i never have this problem or maybe i'll just throw on an instrumental to a soul classic and sing it myself..ha. I don't know, I guess it depends on the type of place I'm playing at. Everytime I think I have a good idea, my thought goes two seconds further and sees people on the out skirts feeling it cause it's their thing and the dance floor just changes crowds...ha. I guess I'll go an alternate route and rather than throw on something they might hate, I'll pick something that is beautiful but most people can't dance to, so maybe some "Billy Holiday" or "Sarah Vaughn" type thing...you are hurting my brain with the questions already.... :O)

DoF: Ice-T playing a cop on TV: Sell-out maneuver, or cannily ironic career move?

KB: I wouldn't call it a sell out move, I suppose that's because the irony is so great that I wouldn't want it any other way.

DoF: Obviously, hip-hop owes a large debt to funk/soul. Would it be safe to call hip-hop the natural evolution of funk?

KB: I think that's one way to look at it. The Roots of Hip Hop definitely rely heavily on Funk. Like Hip Hop, Funk also built its sound by meshing different genres, so they are alike in that as well. I do think Hip Hop's origins couldn't be explained with just Funk though, so though it may be a huge part, it's not limited to just that.

DoF: What three tracks would you like to see scratched off of samplers' lists forever?

KB: Honestly, I don't feel that way about any sample. I much rather scratch some producers off and prevent them from ever making records...ha. I like it when a creative producer takes a "used" sample and does something clever with it. To me that can be as satisfying as flipping an unheard sample...if done properly.

DoF: What's the preferred setting (at home, on the road, at a show etc.) and medium (iPod, vinyl, live etc.) for you to listen to a new piece of music? In other words, how do you like to experience music?

KB: Definitely driving in the car is how I hear most my music and it's been my preferred way for the longest. That's why I love road trips.

DoF: You can push a magic button, and the career of one figure in hip-hop will never have happened. Whose life, times, and body of work gets forever stripped from the public's consciousness?

KB: That's a tricky one. The problem is, the originator is generally never the problem, it's the imitators and they are like lil roaches so they are hard to single out. Can we just delete whoever popularized "auto tune", that is if we are blaming "hip hop" for that...

DoF: Hip-hop is rapidly approaching middle age. How well do think it's aging? Is it in the midst of a midlife crisis with a Camaro and a 20-yr old girlfriend, or is it pulling a George Clooney and just getting better with age?

KB: I think Hip Hop has had "a mid-life crisis" since birth...ha. I think it's doing fine. I suppose it's right about where it should be in life. It's not the "Dream" but it's a pretty accurate reflection of reality, if you are into that sort of thing....

DoF: In your estimation, what's the most irritating aspect of hip-hop-culture? How about the facet you wish was more widely-revered?

KB: The thing I get annoyed by the most in Hip Hop is all the complaining. Seriously, people have complaints about everything! Most of the people from my generation act like Hip Hop has been ruined and they miss the "Old Days" with Treacherous 3, Furious, BDP, Rakim, Etc... so they give up on it and just listen to whatever is hot on the radio...Really???? That's the best they can find to listen to?...not to mention that generally goes against the so called problem they have in the first place. Then you have the generation about 10 years younger than me who are like the so-called "Hip Hop Purists" who like to criticize everything for not being Hip Hop enough or what is Hip Hop or not and every time they use a point of reference for what was "real" in Hip Hop it's from the late 80s or early 90s when Hip Hop was already infiltrated with corruption many years before that. Then you have the new generation who don't respect the past at all and just talk reckless and disrespectful about just about anything. Of course, I'm generalizing, but I think that's the attitude from the majority from those three "groups". I could go on forever about that, I pretty much just did I suppose...ha. As for what I wish was more revered you can look right back at those same things and have all them "act right". Basically, I wish people stopped trying to put Hip Hop in their own personal box and define that way. Just take it for what is and appreciate it as a whole. You don't have to love everything but appreciate where it came from and that it is a part of the Culture. It is my goal to never become "upset" with Hip Hop. The things that I don't like, I simply avoid them. You don't have to be subject to any of it. If the songs on the radio annoy you...turn it off. If you hate how Hip Hop is represented on TV, turn it off. If you think Hip Hop shows are too "White" then go (if you are "Black" of course...ha). I mean that's just some of the regular complaints I see/hear that people claim show that Hip Hop Is "Dead" but all of them can be fixed and/or avoided. and if you love Hip Hop then why would you let those things ruin it for you?

DoF: How about the Twin Cities hip-hop scene in particular? In your opinion, what are some of the good and/or unique aspects as compared to other cities? The bad?

KB: One of the things that initially attracted me to the MPLS scene is that it was very embracing. I worried when I moved here it would be like starting all over, but it wasn't even close to that. When I got here I was getting more money, gigs and all that then I did in my 10 years on the Chicago scene. However, now that I've been here for awhile I've started to see some of those some negative aspects of the Chicago scene here as well. I've grown to know in my experience that the scenes everywhere are all pretty similar. Particularly now when regional individuality is a dying art overall. We will eventually all be one people....in the end, not sure if that is a bad thing or not. However, the road to there is a bit "distracting". :)

DoF: Getting back to Autotune, Mary J. Blige is currently in a cell phone commercial (puke) featuring a new song in which she supplants her vivacious chords with fucking Autotune. Is this the R&B equivalent of Jessica Alba getting an unnecessary ass job and using it to promote a designer sweatpants line?

KB: That is a great comparison...that makes absolutely no sense. I mean is it really the "understanding" that no matter your degree of singing skill that "auto tune" will make it a "better", or more popular, song??? I thought auto tune was to mask that fact that you "couldn't" sing.... Honestly, if I hear "auto tune", I immediately "turn off", "delete", and/or "block out" the source....

KB: OK, three records that I want to spotlight...these types of questions always make my head explode...ha. I just love so much music I never know how to narrow down or which direction to go. Anyway, I decide to go with 3 fairly standard records that I love, that always work well for the dance floor but I don't hear other people play. They are all great balances of Soul, Funk with a touch of Disco.

1)Rose Royce-You're A Winner ('80): Rose Royce is easily one of my all time favorite groups. My parents used to listen to them a lot when I was a kid and it stuck. Norman Whitfield produced the bulk of their work and I think he is one of the greatest Soul Producers/Song Writers of all time. This cut is actually from one of their later albums. By now disco was in full stride and it created a nice vibe of Soul, Funk, and a lil dash of disco.

2)Roy Ayers-Love Will Brings Us Back Together ('79): Just about everyone is familiar with the man himself. His 70s Catalog is a sampling gold mine. Every X-mas as a kid my parents always had a record or two under the tree from "Santa" to the family. One year it was his "Fever" album where this song comes from. It has a lot of great change ups and breakdowns that keep it interesting. This song has been a great one that always gets a "few" people on the floor which I prefer rather than trying to start off too strong with something high caliber and then risk losing them by not maintaining the same level non-stop....bring em out slowly is my favorite process.

3)Johnny Guitar Watson-Telephone Bill ('80): Man, I love Johnny Guitar Watson. He is just one smooth dude. His voice is amazing, his instrumentation is generally great and he is mega-nice on the guitar....hence the name. I remember my parents going to one of his concerts when I was about 10 and me staying at home, in my PJs (probably Snoopy) playing his records imagining what it was like. He gets a lot of attention in Hip Hop from sampling but usually from the same 2-3 songs. However, he has an extensive catalog of great material that I never hear anyone playing. I didn't know what to pick for sure. I decided to go with "Telephone Bill" to rep for my Hip Hop roots because Mr Watson is killing it with the flow on this one. This is a great representation of his style on all levels; he is the ultimate player on the "rap" vocal, the chorus shows his great singing and it comes to a close with a nice "bluesy" guitar solo.

KB: Aight, that's about it. Thanks to D.O.F for peeking into my brain. Thanx to everyone who checks my DJ Sets and Mix CDs/Downloads. I just dropped a "Comedy" Mix CD called "Bits & Beats" for Stand Up! Records and have a few more projects in the works.

Peace-
Kevin Beacham (a.k.a DJ Nikoless)
www.myspace.com/djnikoless/Facebook: Kevin Beacham

Kevin's Bits & Beats Mix CD will be available for free download here at The Diary shortly. Check back for your copy!