Fishr Pryce Proves His Cultural Awareness & Savvy On and Beyond the Decks!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
DJ FISHR PRYCE
Our next feature DJ is yet another seasoned artist and member of both the Instinct DJ crew, as well as, a founding member of the Los Hip Hop Guys. His moniker or handle is Fishr Pryce and after having had an opportunity to interact with this artist over time via Twitter, Facebook, MySpace etc., we’ve come to learn that he shares a great deal in common with what his namesake embodies.
As noted in Fishr’s biography and Buzz exclusive DJ Survey, “I was making a lot of practice tapes when I first started, and when I finally made one that was decent I wanted to name it. So playing around I wrote DJ Fisher Price's My 1st Mixtape, as a play on all the my 1st toys.I showed it to my friend and the joke stuck.” (cited from: DJ Fishr Pryce, Buzz Exclusive DJ Survey) Yet, despite a strong and healthy sense of humor that Fishr Pryce possesses, he is extremely serious about his practice. His quotes often to refer to his work not being child’s play. His focus has remained steadfast from the very beginning and resilient. Not unlike the well-made Fisher Price toys. Children are tough on toys and as a result, the toys designed by this toy company are well made, tested, tried and true.
They go thru rigorous testing so that they are safe for the little people who interact with them. Are club goers, club owners, recording artists, labels etc. hard on DJs? See where we are going with this? Fishr Pryce has more than put in his time in the industry and as an artist his professional timeline reflects an individual who has explored other creative outlets such as dance and visual artistic expression via the graffiti medium. Despite his tough guy exterior…again like the durable toys….Fishr Pryce is an artist who is insightful, reflective and deeply moved by music. In fact, Fishr Pryce majored in creative writing in college. He is a character that is drawn to understanding and appreciating all sorts of artistic mediums. His blog “Fresher Pryce” is a testimony to this claim, as it covers all aspects of culture including music, art, fashion, tech, political satire etc. Fishr is a mass consumer of culture and truly has his ear to the ground in terms of global events and happenings.
Fishr and Lif in Philly
He is constantly reflecting upon how these human expressions shape and influence mainstream perceptions. In terms of his musical preferences, Fishr’s fascination with the Hip-Hop culture was born out of listening to the Blues, RnB and soul-filled tracks that his father would play when he was a child. He was surrounded and immersed in street-inspired culture and music from a very young age. Those days were influential in molding and inspiring the internal creative waters that constitute all that IS Fishr Pryce. As a result, he was drawn to Hip-Hop and rightly so. It has been a very natural progression for society to learn, appreciate, absorb and consume Hip-Hop.
The youth of the past twenty plus years have embraced it, and defined it as a new genre in it’s own right within the music industry.This genre is a product of Blues, RnB, Reggae & Soul music. Blues often tells a story, a dialogue, which might explain why the man is drawn to this type of music. Fishr’s interior resonates with stories by the way. Just follow his blog ( http://fresherthan.com/fishr/) and you will come to perceive a man who is deeply moved by the world and the people that he interacts with. His memory is sharp as noted in his Bio, “One thing Fishr did have going for him was a sharp memory. He remembered all the songs he heard.” This was one of the reasons that convinced him that the DJ profession was a good fit for his personality and natural abilities. As a “student of Hip Hip” and Rap, Fishr Pryce was literally part of the birth of a cultural phenomenon and was an active participant in helping to create and define the massive Hip-Hop movement of the early 2000’s.
As part of that industry swing, “scratching” became an vital part of Pryce’s professional and personal evolution in his career. He possessed a fascination for DJ’s who have pushed the envelope within the industry, in terms of scratching and the art of turntablism, “…any DJ trying to push the norm and doing more than playing a glorified Juke Box.“ (cited from Fishr Pryce’s Buzz Exclusive DJ Survey) Z-Trip, DJ P, Grandmaster Flash, Jazzy Jeff, Q-Bert, Dibbs, Marvel, NVS, Hex to name a just a few pioneers who have developed technologies, defined technics, and mastered the art of treating the decks like an instrument have all played a role in shaping the artist that Fishr has become. Yet Fishr’s fascination with the whole scene, can’t be pigeon-holed into just the art of DJing. His interest in how media, art and life intersect, merge and produce cultural impressions in society, is prominent throughout his whole career and life.One of his artistic endeavors included working with one of his closest colleagues and friends DJ NVS, to eventually create the Los Hip Hop Guys.
LOS HIP HOP GUYS!!!
They describe themselves in this way, “"Fishr Pryce and NVS are basically the Daft Punk of Hip Hop; just with out the mask, the tours, the crazy live show, and the 100Gs a show." - Someone real smart, but no Jesus.” ( cited from: http://www.myspace.com/loshiphopguys) Here again you can see the humor that constantly surfaces with Fishr Pryce in all of his interactions and mannerisms. He has a whitty, cynical sense of humor at times, that exists because Fishr questions norms and doesn’t take anything at face-value. It may be because of the humor that the Los Hip Hop Guys were formed. NVS found the comic relief and sanity that came with working closely with Pryce. In addition, Fishr’s comedy and humor are/were stress relievers for himself and all of those who surround him. He shoots straight too in his introspections.
There is no question about that, but like the Fisher Price toy metaphor, he knows when to perform to the height of his abilities, depending on the audience and is dependable.However, there is a hardy exterior to Pryce’s persona that is partly for effect and partly because that is how he has become a survivor in this sometimes dog eat dog industry. Fisher Price toys rarely break….they endure. Fishr practices this endurance and as a result now holds a residency in Dallas after his global touring. He still delights in keeping his passion for Hip-Hop alive, yet he also knows that in order to survive in this industry one must constantly keep evolving just as culture itself does. When asked what kind of music he likes to spin in our Buzz survey, Pryce responded with, “Anything that can keep the party going.I like to stay true to my Hip-Hop roots, but that can't keep every party dancing. Secretly, I'm hoping Polka Trance will breakthrough in 2010!” Who knows….he just might be onto to something!! He’s the seeker of all that’s “fresherthan” that’s for certain!!!
Regardless of the current trends though, Fishr Pryce still DOES hustle his soul vibe. In order to train-up the youth of today and the future generations of DJs, he is now successfully reworking Hip-Hop in order to help influence and preserve a genre that he worked so hard to help perpetuate in it’s infancy. These Generation Y artists will be future Jazzy Jeff, Qbert, DJ Z-Trip, DJ P, Mr. Dibbs and Instinct DJ prodigies!! His own nephew is a self-proclaimed DJ, D-Town and he is following in his uncle’s footsteps. Fishr blogged about D-Town’s first mixtape creation process and through this act alone, demonstrated his belief and commitment to helping maintain the future of his professional community. Yes, a Fisher Price toy is tough and can take the knocks that come it’s way…However, it’s also a source of great enjoyment, inspiration and even solace. Fishr Pryce emulates these exact qualities within his professional and life practices. In addition to these reputable qualities, Fishr Pryce also gives back to the community more than he takes via his reflections, philanthropy and support that he regularly shows for his industry colleagues and collectives.
DJ Hex, DJ Marvel, DJ NVS, DJ Fishr Pryce (SOME of the Instinct DJ Crew)
Please be sure to read more about Fishr Price in his official biography , as well as hit him up on his various social network websites and his blog. You can find his mixtapes on his personal blog and in our Buzz Mixtape Gallery!! Pryce’s individuals traxs can be found on his blog site http://www.fresherpryce.com , as well as on other Instinct DJ’s sites !!! Fetty Be has mad props and luv for Fishr Pryce’s fettylicious groooooove!!!
FISHR PRYCE BIO
‘This ain’t no children’s game.’
Mess with a cat in the jungle and you may get scratched. But if the cat has 2 turntables and a mixer you just might like it. Enter Texas born Party Rocker, DJ Fishr Pryce. With a mission statement like “I have pride, I have power, I’m a bad ass mutha who don’t take no crap from nobody,” you get the sense that when it comes to his craft Fishr plays no games. Fishr is a student of hip-hop.
His knowledge of the musical side of hip hop stretches as far back as the mid and late 80’s. He was a sponge, absorbing everything he heard. It was clear, this would be a part of his life for a long time to come. Hip-hop culture is infectious, inviting everyone who experiences it to participate in some way. When Fishr decided he wanted in, he was only following the natural order of things. The question was, how? He’s admittedly not that stellar an artist, so graff (graffiti) writing was out of the question. Breaking is definitely an art. It may even be loosely on par with a martial art in the discipline required to be a top notch dancer. Without the proper coordination and natural skill, you probably won’t excel at it. Fishr tried for mulled dancing over for a bit and came to the conclusion that it wasn’t the best fit. Rapping? Much the same story. One thing Fishr did have going for him was a sharp memory. He remembered all the songs he heard. He noticed the samples started popping up in the soul and R&B music his dad listened to. It compelled him. He began to understand more about the hip hop records he loved.
Jazzy Jeff
It wasn’t until he saw DJ greats like Jazzy Jeff and Qbert in action. He wanted to be like them. Their control over those instruments astonished him. With that he began DJing seriously. The next thing was to pick an official moniker for himself. When the Dallas representative made his first practice mixtape he jokingly called it “DJ Fisher Price’s My 1st Mixtape”. The name stuck and years later his accomplishments are proof that he was born for this. Besides being the official DJ for rapper iCON the Mic King, Fishr is a founding member of reputable DJ outfit, Los Hip Hop Guys. He’s also a part of the Instinct crew, who are constantly grindin’ out heaters! 
He’s played with and opened for a who’s who of talent from Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif, DJ P, Dos Noun to C Rayz Walz, Z-Trip, Qwel, Mr. Dibbs, of course iCON and many others. It doesn’t stop there for DJ Fishr Pryce. The future will see more touring, more mixtapes, podcasts regularly available at djmarvel.podmatic.com as well as a brand new website (www.instinctdjs.com) that will keep everyone up to speed with the latest developments in DJ Fishr Pryce’s play for world domination: “I’ve got to go through life knowing that I did all I could to make my dream of making it a reality. Whether it happens or not I want to know I did what I could”. You heard the man.
FISHR PRYCE BUZZ EXCLUSIVE DJ SURVEY
1. What inspired you to pick your DJ your name?
I was making a lot of practice tapes when I first started, and when I
finally made one that was decent I wanted to name it, so playing around I
wrote DJ Fisher Price's my 1st mixtape as a play on all the my 1st toys. I
showed it to my friend and the joke stuck.
2. What kind of music do you like to spin?
Anything that can keep the party going. I like to stay true to my hip
hop roots, but that can't keep every party dancing. Secretly I'm hoping Polka Trance will breakthrough in 2010!!
3. What and who are some of your major influences (artists, djs, etc.)?
DJ Z-Trip, DJ P, Mr. Dibbs, any DJ trying to push the norm and do more than playing glorified Juke Box
4. Biggest reward about being a DJ?
The girls and the drugs... just playing. The traveling, and knowing thatyou have a crowd in your hands and you can take them wherever you want.
5. Biggest pet peeve about being a DJ?
People not willing to give something not on the radio a chance. People asking for shitty songs and not making 300000000 a night
6. What is the best party you have ever spun at?
Me and my Boy NVS spun at the Dallas Art Museum a yr or 2 back, and hadthat place in a frenzy. There were maybe 150-200 people there, and you would
have never thought it was a Museum. We had dudes in suits popping and
locking, it was wild.
7. If you could mix at a club or party anywhere, where would it be and with whom?
I'd want to Play anywhere that is willing to have me
8. In what cities have you spun? Are you a resident DJ at any clubs right now?
Little Rock etc... I've also played a week around London. I am a resident DJ at Kenichi a sushi spot in Dallas
9. What is the hottest club you have ever been to, either as a DJ or a patron?
Studio 54 was the craziest club I've seen as a Patron. As a DJ this spot Foufounes Electronique
was something in Montreal,Canada.
10. Do you plan out your sets or do you play to the crowd's reactions?
little, but for the most part its go with the crowd.
LHHG, Z Trip, and Craze
11. If you could design a club, name three important aspects of it's layout.
DJ Booth - has to be placed in a dope area and have the best equipment.
Bar - has to be the best part of the club VIP area - gotta keep the special
people feeling special….and chicks who almost get naked!!
Pic by KiddRae
12. Techno/Trance or Mash-up/Hip Hop
Hip Hop/ with more live blends. A lot of people ruined Mash-ups. (WHAT NO POLKA TRANCE? hehehe Fetty Be)
13. East Coast or West Coast?
Both
14. MAC or PC?
Mac or a speak and spell with Serato 0.2
15. Top favorite 3 tracks of all time.
Michael Jackson - Sunset Driver
DJ Shadow - Midnight in a Perfect World
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
Twitter: @fishr
Make sure to hit up our good friend and colleague, FISSSSSSSSHR…FISHR PRYYYYYYYCEEE!!
Keeping a tab the cultural beat with all that’s FRESSSSSHER!
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