DJ POGO - Turntablist & Musical Maestro Introducing DJ POGOŞ It was two decades ago, after hearing turntable pioneers such as the Supreme team, Jazzy Jay and Grandmaster Theodore on the Wheels of Steel that POGO decided to invest in two decks and ultimately his future. His enviable talent for mixing and scratching break-beats soon earned him a slot behind the decks of London s two most popular and credible Hip Hop jams - Club 85 and Freestyle 85. Having started his progression up the ladder in London, POGO then teamed up with his life-long friend and DJ, called Cutmaster Swift (now a multiple DMC championship title holder) to conquer the international circuit. The duo s dazzling set at the now defunct US New Music Seminar championships in 1988 earned them a place in the quarterfinals and the much-desired respect of Hip Hop s American pioneers. Since then, POGO has been busy carving out a rock solid niche for himself, adding numerous turntable trophies to his accolades, including the 1997 DMC crown. Now one of the UK s most prolific Hip Hop DJs and an icon within the UK s urban music scene, DJ POGO is an inspiration to Hip Hop followers across the globe. The former UK mixing champion has gone on to become an internationally acclaimed turntable superstar as well as a successful music producer and remixer, club promoter and music teacher. ACCOLADES | TITLES Individually, POGO has gained the following accolades for his impressive scratching skills: 1997 DMC UK Mixing Championships Ô 1st place 1997 DMC World Championships Ô 3rd place ITF European Championships Ô 2nd place POGO then went on to form THA EN4CERS DJ collective, teaming up with DJ Bizzness and Cutmaster Swift. This winning combination earned them the 1998 DMC TEAM CHAMPIONS title. INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS Eager to share his talent with other budding DJs, 1997 saw POGO launch SupaSkillz, an educational workshop for children to develop their music skills. While POGO teaches kids the art of turntablism, he also employs a select team of tutors to teach children more traditional forms of music making, including vocal training for budding singers and tuition to play musical instruments. When he s not busy travelling around the world teaching kids, POGO is often busy travelling around the world on tour with music artists such as COURTNEY PINE and BEVERLY KNIGHT. He has also brought the decks to life on stage as part of JONZI D s much acclaimed ŠLYRICAL FEATA show. MUSIC PRODUCTION AND REMIXING In another of his guises, POGO has either co-produced or remixed tracks for a range of best-selling artists. Having begun with long-term projects for the likes of MC MELLO and MONIE LOVE, POGO has gone on to work with acclaimed Rap lyricists such as DE LA SOUL, KRS-1 and MISSY ELLIOT as well as the more soulful CARLEEN ANDERSON, R&B singer BEVERLY KNIGHT and Jazz legend COURTNEY PINE , proving that POGO can turn his hand to numerous music styles with successful results. It s therefore unsurprising that his LP compilations DJ POGO PRESENTS THE BREAKS, Volumes 1 & 2 (released on Harmless Records) and DJ POGO PRESENTS THE BEST OF PULP FUSION (released on Strutt Records) have been hugely popular on the club scene and have earned a place in the record collection of almost music connoisseur as well as the expected B-Boys. POGO s next LP will be an album he has compiled as part of THA EN4CERS and is due out at the end of 2005 PROMOTIONS | DJ POGO presents It was playing for a Jazz crowd while on tour with Courtney Pine that brought POGO to the realization that many people who love Jazz also love Hip Hop. This inspired him to start the LYRICAL LOUNGE at London s landmark JAZZ CAF» (later moving to The SCARLA and CARGO) where freestyle rap, poetry and live music meet, successfully traversing the esoteric sensibilities of jazz and the Šno holds barred approach that governs Hip Hop, linking the old and the new. In December 2003, POGO teamed up with three other British turntablists to form THE ASSOCIATES Hip Hop collective and launch THE GET DOWN , at BAR RUMBA in the heart of London s West End. Alongside DJ 279 (arguably the UK s greatest radio Rap show host), DJ SKULLY (former Battle for Supremacy Mixing Champion) and DJ KAYPAR (the only female DJ to ever win the title in the Vestax Juice DJ Championship), POGO has revolutionized Friday nights in London. With a music policy encompassing everyone from The Sugar Hill Gang to 50 Cent, Bar Rumba is packed with revellers week after week and has fast become the Friday night Mecca for British urban music fans. |
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||