Mash-up Pioneer Prodigy DJ Sizzahandz Gets Real With The Buzz

Every once in a while, we encounter greatness in our lives. We come face-to-face with an anomaly and in this case, The Buzz unexpectedly ran headlong into one of the greatest Mash-up artists in the history of the genre. My mother always told me to never be afraid to ask questions and in this case, when Fetty Be asked DJ Sizzahandz if he would be so kind as to complete our DJ Survey....he said yes!!!!! Can you imagine that? I crawled way out on a limb and I didn't crash and burn, but rather landed an awesome opportunity to hear "the voice" of the infamous DJ Sizzahandz! How fly!

Despite the fame that surrounds this great DJ, he does not put himself above others and being grounded is also reflected in how he does business. He certainly didn't compromise his magnetic personality though, but was very decent in our email exchanges. Giddy with the knowledge that I had just landed a "marlin-sized" DJ's survey for The Buzz, I began to investigate the colorful history of this industry giant. Looking for an angle for my review, what struck me most vividly in what I was reading about Sizza, was that this man was actually BORN to do what he does. At an early age he was a breakdancer and he loved listening to music. By the age of 13, he had received his first set of dj equipment and was using it with brilliance. Wikipedia states that, "A child prodigy is an individual who masters one or more skills or arts at an early age...it is someone who, usually around the age of twelve, displays expert proficiency or a profound grasp of the fundamentals in a field usually undertaken only by adults." Sizzahandz confirms this truth in his own statement claiming that, “I can recall hearing the radio in the car, or at home and certain songs would come on that would just freeze me there listening to them in the zone. Whether it was a continuous disco bassline, a looping rock guitar, or any type of groove, when it was catchy it would catch me. As I got older, that would happen more and more as I listened to music until I realized that was all I wanted to do all the time.” (http://www.sfstation.com/guests-crooklyn-clan-e9902) The man is the music, and the music is the man. As an avid dancer and club-goer I can appreciate this level of connection with music. I too have felt this link since I was very young. It becomes part of the soul and a day can't go by without connecting with the rhythms, the sound, and the vibration. DJ Sizzahandz or Ed, as his birth certificate reflects, is an artist who in my mind is comparable to the famous painter Henri Matisse. Both of these men developed the exceptional ability through the "cutting process" to redefine space, shape, sound and time. The lyrics, the sound loops, and the bassline could all be redefined by Sizza into a new song, just as paper and gouache were the media of expression for Matisse to produce his famous pochoir (stencil) prints. These artists reconfigure the flow of music or paper and it is truly magic. In the end, color-infused creations were made by Matisse and it's safe to say that the Mash-up music of Sizzahandz gives no less! With his innate ability to cut and remix all forms of music since the mid 80's, DJ Sizzahandz falls into the category of a pioneer and one of the major developers of current mainstream club music. His name has been linked with: DJ Riz (his Crooklyn Clan partner), Fatman Scoop, Sean Paul, Funkmaster Flex, Armand Van Helden, Tim Westwood, DJ Kool, Eyvetter Michelle, Evidence, DJ Ace, Boogie D, Diddy, DJ AM, Stik E & The Hoods, Jay-Z, MTV, VH1 and of course the beautiful Playboy Playmate Courtney Culkin (his lovely girlfriend)....to name just a few amazing connections! In 1994 Sizzahandz joined up with long time friend DJ Riz and they formed what is now known as the famous Crooklyn Clan. Sizza had also founded The Vault and with that, kicked off the greatest ,"House of DJ's" ever known. The Vault was developed with the intention of being a source to "help support and improve the performances of DJ's. The Crooklyn Clan and it's affiliates are DJ's...who play in nightclubs all around the globe... The remixes contained in the Vault are never before released personal mixes created by an elite group of dj's/producers/remixers with the intention to extend the life of a song, keep the original artists hot, and bring music of yesterday to the ears of today." (http://www.crooklynclan.net/) In an interview done while the group was on tour in Taipei in April 05', DJ Riz claimed that The Clan was "just following on from all of the other artists who have played such a big role in each generation since the whole thing started, like Grandmaster Flash, Biggie, and Tupac." "In my judgement," DJ Sizzahandz also noted, "What happened was that there was this progression, artists following on the back of each other, sampling the older records. As scary as it is to the true rappers, we have to give thanks to the Puff Daddys 'n' all because they popularized the sound and put it everywhere for everyone, from four to 40." With those sentiments, Sizzahandz and Riz put The Crooklyn Clan and The Vault "on the map". They were then featured in Fatman Scoop's hit single "Be Faithful".

"It is the most popular song by the rap artist Scoop and it is his signature song. It features the recurring Crooklyn Clan and also includes many samples from artists including Jay-Z and Faith Evans. The single went to #1 in the United Kingdom and Ireland and made the Top 5 in Australia. It is still a favorite among many of club-goers. The Crooklyn Clan then appeared on the follow up song It Takes Scoop. This song broke the Top 40 in Australia, Britain and Ireland. This success lead the DJ's into the production of the hit song, "Turn Around", which featured Fatman Scoop & Afroman. It featured samples from the 1999 dance hit Turn Around by Phats & Small." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crooklyn_Clan")

From that moment on, DJ Sizzahandz has not looked back and has continued to successfully develop and redefine himself as a DJ/Hip-Hop Remix Master. He has been a mentor to many artists in the DJ community. The work continues too with a new site that Sizzahandz and Riz are developing just for DJ's called, Crack4DJ's!! Keep your eye on it, as it is bound to explode just like The Vault. Through the effective use of The Vault, he has co-created an Umbrella with DJ Riz, where DJ's of all levels of experience, style, genre preference and geographical location can unite for a common purpose - to creatively inspire one another and ultimately keep the audience rockin', dancin' and tearin' the down the House!!!!!! DJ Sizzahandz... you've truly mixed up the ULTIMATE mix and it's called a whole genre - MASH MUSIC BABY!!!

Please take the time to read the following biographical information about DJ Sizzahandz. There is just SO much that could be written about this Mash-up artist icon. His history is rich and that is why we are so fortunate at Fetty Be's Buzz to have been privileged by the sharing of his personal experiences and insights through his survey responses.

The following has been sited from the source: http://www.dirtystayout.com/

DJ SIZZAHANDZ BIO

Handle: DJ SizzaHandz
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Hobbies: Pool & Poker Favorite Nightclub: Palladium
Message to fans: Check out The Vault at http://www.crooklynclan.net/

INFO:
Sizzahandz was born and raised in Canarsie Brooklyn. He enjoyed listening to music and breakdancing in the early years of his life and always knew that music would be in his future. He got his first set of dj equipment at the age of 13 and started practicing everyday. With every penny he had he would purchase records. His first record ever purchased was the still popular “Set It Off” by Strafe.

DJ’ING AND NIGHTCLUBS : "In 1990, Siz started playing hip hop, house and classics in a local nightclub in Brooklyn called Le Parc Nightclub (a.k.a. The Bamboo Lounge as seen in the movie “Goodfellas”). From that point, he did various small clubs and bars throughout Brooklyn and Staten Island. In 1993 he met DJ Charlie Casanova who was the resident main floor dj at NYC’s Palladium nightclub. Casanova appreciated his taste for music, and eventually allowed Siz to open for him. It’s fair to say that Charlie Casanova gave Siz his first chance to play in a major venue. Siz has played music in many venues through the years for all different types of crowds." He has played in so many venues both in the States and abroad, that the list could feasibly take up this entire article! He has many residences and so your best bet would be to check out his websites to see his current schedule, if you are looking to catch him live!!PRODUCTION: In 1994 Sizzahandz began producing underground hip hop as a pastime and linked up with longtime friend, and dj icon to many already, DJ Riz. It’s fair to say that Riz was then, and is still to this day one of the best party DJ’s in NYC, and probably on gods green earth. With Sizzahandz’ knowledge of production, and Riz’s knowledge of what’s hot and what’s not, they began to produce action-packed sample/party records under the alias “Crooklyn Clan”, and released a single on Nervous records called, “The Brooklyn Slumlords meet The Crooklyn Clan”. From there, the Clan moved on to AV8 records and released their second ep entitled “Coffee Breakz”, which included the popular club anthem, “Is New York In The House”. Two cuts featured on Coffee Breaks went on to get licensed many times across the world, as well as being used by the NY Knicks. The release of Coffee Breakz is what put the Crooklyn Clan on the map and into high gear. The Clan is responsible for many top club party tracks. Some include; “Chooze One” ( “All my real live niggaz Throw ya handz up”), and the ever popular “Be Faithful” (the remix of “Love Like This” by Faith Evans featuring Fatman Scoop).As a producer, Sizzahandz has done music for, and with; Armand Van Helden (Sampleslaya LP), Funkmaster Flex (cuts on 3 major label albums), Sean Paul (The remix of “Get Busy” feat. Fatman Scoop), Stik E & The Hoods (Niggaz in tha front where you at say WHAT!), Eyvette Michelle (reggae remixes of “Dj Keep Playing” and “I’m Not Feeling You”), DJ Kool (various songs with Kool including the remix of “It Takes Two” with Fatman Scoop), Evidence (Epic UK) DJ Ace, Boogie D, and many more.. He also produced 2 tracks for the movie “Save The Last Dance” released in 2001. . In October of 2003, Siz made his mark worldwide by hitting the Top Of The Pops charts in the UK in the #1 slot with the single “Be Faithful”. The single held the top 5 for 5 weeks in a row and is now the first platinum single for the Clan. The video for the song is in heavy rotation on MTV and VH1 in Europe, and has lead to a 2 album major recording contract with Def Jam UK.
TODAY: Sizzahandz and Riz are in the studio producing various projects all of the time! When are they not busy???! You can find Sizza playing the hottest hip hop, reggae, rock, classics, 80’s, funk, and soul at various nightclubs throughout NYC and abroad. Keep an eye on the The Vault, as well as the new site http://www.crack4djs.com/ that is being specifically designed and tailored to help DJ's better develop their creativity!

In the meantime....let's get real with......SIZZAHANDZ!!!!!!

Fetty Be's Buzz DJ SURVEY

1. What inspired you to pick your DJ your name?

Well I was more of a scratch dj back in the early 90's so when the movie Edward Scissorhands came out this rapper I was makin beats for said to me "Being that your name is Ed, you should change your name to DJ Scissorhands cuz you got the ill cuts" blah blah blah.. I was like hmmm not a bad idea, but switched up the spelling to Sizzahandz and it was a go!

2. What kind of music do you like to spin?

A better question for me would be what kind of music do I NOT like to spin, LOL.. I play it all, you would have to come hear me to understand...

3. What and who are some of your major influences (artists, djs, etc.)?

My partner Riz has always been a great influence on me with music. We have bounced off eachothers minds since the early 90's and have been poundin out hits since we got together so i'm gonna say him.
4. Biggest reward about being a DJ?

I'm gonna keep it real, MONEY. Don't get me wrong, I love to move the crowd and get people hyped, but at this point if I didnt get paid what made me happy, I would just stick to being a producer and businessman.

5. Biggest pet peeve about being a DJ?

Dirty hoes touching me without permission in the dj booth, and bouncers that let them in thinkin im a horny dj that likes groupies. I can't stand groupies, KEEP AWAY. Oh, and people that ask me to play a song 10 minutes after I just played it. Pay attention idiots!

6. What is the best party you have ever spun at?

Impossible question to answer. I've played far too many to answer that question.

7. If you could mix at a club or party anywhere, where would it be and with whom?

Again, a tough question to answer. I've played in so many venues around the world that when gigs come in they are just days to fill my calendar at this point. If they booked me in the White House to dj for the president there's a chance I might show up late.

8. In what cities have you spun? Are you a resident DJ at any clubs right now?

I've spun in many countries and cities around the world. To find out where I will be you can check www.myspace.com/sizzahandz

9. What is the hottest club you have ever been to, either as a DJ or a patron?

Impossible LOL

10. Do you plan out your sets or do you play to the crowd's reactions?

I have some stuff that I do more than once, but for the most part I like to flow with the crowd. If i'm goin somewhere they are not, i'm off that tip before they even get upset. That's part of being a dj, knowing when to fold em!

11. If you could design a club, name three important aspects of it's layout.

For 2007 and beyond, decor (obviously), layout (bar, dancefloor, vip, dj booth, and bottle service table placement), and LOCATION (put a great club in a shit location, it's now a SHIT club, feel me?)

12. Techno/Trance or Mash-up/Hip Hop

Mash-up Hip Hop

13. East Coast or West Coast?

East side til the day I die!

14. MAC or PC?

PC (all you Mac users with frozen Serato's at 2am, BLOW ME HAHAHAHAHAHA)

15. Top favorite 3 tracks of all time.

(here comes the cheap plug) You tell me your favorite tracks of all time by checking out the hottest tracks you can find at http://www.crooklynclan.net/ !!!

Gotta love the VAULT people!

MWAH!

Dj Sizzahandz

http://www.crooklynclan.net/
www.myspace.com/sizzahandz

Comments

[xxxuestwwgr]

hi
i hope i enjoy my stay here


pls be nice to me

thanks!