Hollywood's
Premier DJ: DJ Graham Funke Interview
Winter 2007
Photo
Above: Graham
Funke
(Right) with partner DJ StoneRokk
[Editor's Note:
DJ Graham Funke may be the biggest DJ in Hollywood, California.
From playing a baby shower for Christina Aguilera and spinning
records for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton
to being interviewed by E! Entertainment television and making
mix CD's for Sting. He performs at the biggest clubs in Los Angeles,
such as Opera and Area. He also has a residency
at Ghost
Bar,
Playboy
Club,
and 40
Deuce
in Las Vegas. He is known for playing an eclectic mix of hip
hop, rock, pop, and more.]
Disc Jockey 101: You are considered to be the top
DJ in Hollywood/Los Angeles. Is this because you have residencies
at the city's top clubs? If so, what is it about your performance
at these clubs that stands out?
Graham Funke: For the most part, many of the talented
Hollywood DJs of late have been hand-picked to work the venues
in Las Vegas' burgeoning nightlife industry. I was romanced to
Sin City in 2004, leaving behind a legacy of LA hot spots (Nacional,
Downtown Standard, 40 Deuce, etc.), and my presence in LA currently
consists mostly of grand openings, high-profile events, and an
exclusive soiree or two. There are still a couple of quality
DJs around and some beautiful clubs, and I LOVE playing to a
hometown crowd, but I already did my time on the LA grind.
Disc Jockey 101: In addition to LA, you have several residencies
in Las Vegas (such as Ghost Bar, Playboy Club, and Tao Beach).
What is the difference between playing to a Las Vegas crowd versus
an LA crowd? Is there anything unique/different about performing
in Las Vegas?
Graham Funke: In Las Vegas, the visitors are
expecting a show, from the minute they step off the plane to
the second their drunken head touches the pillow; I gear my performances
accordingly. In LA, the nightclub patrons are usually out every
night of the week and have heard the same sets time and again.
I feel it's a treat for both them and myself when I perform in
LA, given the variety aspect. The same could be said for any
of the handful of DJs who were lured to Las Vegas from LA.
Disc Jockey 101: Did you ever consider following in the
footsteps of your Oscar-winning father Alex Funke (a world-class
Hollywood cinematographer)? Why did you become a DJ?
Graham Funke: My father and I share certain aspects in
our respective industries: We both work endless hours to attain
a goal, which combines science and philosophy. But I was never
inspired to jump behind a camera. The big bucks might be there
too, but I like free champagne and fast women, as well.
Disc Jockey 101: Are there any DJ's that inspired you?
How did you acquire your skills?
Graham Funke: The one thing these new jocks forgot to
do was spend some time in the bedroom. All of the DJs who are
headlining today spent hours upon hours honing their skills at
home, and then unleashing their prowess upon the crowds when
the time was right. This process has been lost as the tools of
the DJ become more and more accessible. No more digging for records,
no more perfecting your craft. So any DJ who has hit a swap meet
at the crack of dawn or lugged a coffin or loves Main Source's
"Breaking Atoms" inspires me.
Disc Jockey 101: Who are some of the celebrities that
you've performed for? Are there any celebrity experiences that
stand out?
Graham Funke: The list is endless, which is inevitable
working in LA, and each night adds another notch. That said,
Quentin Tarantino was definitely cutting a rug at the party I
worked last night. The freshest overbite in the business!
Disc Jockey 101: What was it like to DJ for presidential
candidate Hillary Clinton?
Graham Funke: Pretty boring actually; it was a fundraiser.
But I hope to work for the Clintons again. My man DJ Ross One
worked a party they attended in Paris last summer and the photographs
suggest that the Clintons like to have a good time. Gotta catch
them when they aren't asking for campaign money, I suppose.
Disc Jockey 101: You are the first DJ to be sent overseas
to entertain American troops. How do you program sets for military
personnel and how do they respond?
Graham Funke: I went overseas expecting to work my usual
cross-genre format. A real all-American set. What I found instead
was that most of the troops stationed were from the [U.S.] South
and only wanted to hear T.I., which was hot at the time. But
hey, the Dude abides. I look forward to my next military tour.
Very rewarding.
Disc Jockey 101: Has the mashup scene peaked, or is it
getting bigger? Why or why not?
Graham Funke: I avoid mash-up as much as possible. For
starters, most of them are produced poorly and are completely
out of key. In addition, why would you want to cram two great
songs into one, thus making your job longer and depriving your
listeners of one less joyous outburst? I play great songs from
multiple genres and create a cohesion in doing so. You could
say I mash-up an entire night...
Disc Jockey 101: Have you produced any original tracks,
or do you have plans to produce original music?
Graham Funke: What, you never heard "Why-Oh-Why"
from the Citibank commercial? That's me, baby. Strumming a ukulele
and singing along.
Disc Jockey 101: What advice do you have for new DJ's?
Graham Funke: Study the construction of music. Learn the
art of mixing. Discover the gems from each musical genre. Pay
attention to your crowd. And ackrite.
Graham
Funke Website
Graham
Funke MySpace Page
Industry News
* The DJ and Turntablism
classes at Scottsdale Community College launched a MySpace page
to better inform current and prospective students. See SCC
DJ Classes.
* Full Tilt Remix is a relatively new music subscription
service for professional club, mobile, and radio mix-show DJ's.
Full Tilt Remix currently serves over 200 commercial and satellite
radio stations.
* DJMag.com discovered
that several DJ's participating in its top-100 poll were cheating.
After an intensive investigation, the magazine booted out those
DJ's with consecutive IP addresses. According to the magazine,
"the biggest DJs at the center of our investigation were
US stars Christopher Lawrence and DJ Dan. Both shared the same
marketing manager." Chinese DJ "Tiesmi" admitted
paying approximately US $532.00 to a software engineer for 100,000
votes. For more, see Top
100 DJs - Named, Shamed, and Disqualified.
* An article in The
Guardian Unlimited entitled "The superstar DJ is alive
and well - in China" shows that -- due to China's economic
boom -- superstar DJ's are performing in China. With regards
to the continued popularity of superstar DJ's in the West, Bill
Brewster, the co-author of dance music history Last Night
a DJ Saved My Life, is quoted as stating "in a parochial
sense it's over." For more, see The
superstar DJ is alive and well - in China.
-
Quarterly Tip
