DJ Godfather from Detroit is in charge of A 5 Mag Mix, 5 Magazine’s signature mix and interview series.

“I see a lot of guys doing the same exact thing they were 15 years ago,” DJ Godfather tells 5 Magazine’s Rees Urban, “and there is a whole new generation listening to this music. You have to incorporate ghetto tracks with the new stuff to stay relevant…”

One of the founding fathers of the genre now known as Ghetto Tech, DJ Godfather is riding high on the release of his This Is Detroit EP from Dirty Knock Records.

Godfather provided exclusive mix – recorded live at 3Fifty Terrace in Detroit – for our A 5 Mag Mix series, following mixes from Mr. Mendel, Naeem & Gusto, Parris Mitchell, Zernell and Kool Vibe.

Rees Urban’s interview with DJ Godfather follows the mix, and the tracklisting (all 49 tracks!) follows the interview.

 

 

I brought you to Chicago for your 1st time for a gig in ’97/’98(?). What was memorable for you coming here for your 1st time? What do you remember about the show?

Yes you did. I remember your road rage LOL! Had a lot of fun. It was more of an underground party.

 

You do a collaboration project called Don Dada with Zebo from here in Chicago, how did that project come about & what does it entail?

We actually just go by DJ Godfather and DJ Zebo now. It was too hard to get together and bang out a bunch of tracks like we wanted, with both of us being so busy. So now we just play together under our regular names.

 

You’re known for your turntablism style of DJing. Do you keep up with new techniques & work on advanced scratches, juggling and the like?

I try, but it’s hard to get time to practice. When I’m in the studio, I would rather make a track then practice now.

 

You have many accolades over the years including rankings in well-known music magazines Top 100 DJs as well as sponsorships by Serato & Native Instruments among others, have won many DJ battles in addition to seeing every corner of the world. What achievement musically has been the most meaningful and which has been most rewarding (if not one in the same)?

Probably being one of the guys credited for starting and introducing a whole genre of music to the world. Not too many people can say they did that.

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Your labels Databass & Twilight 76 have been something of cult-like status for the Ghetto Tech & Electro communities over the years but are currently dormant. What’s happening with that? Why?

Just like any kind of music, the game changed. Plus a lot of the artists that were making this music are not doing it anymore. My new label is called Dirty Knock. I’m still doing ghetto tech but now releasing twerk and trap music under my label too. I’ll always have ghetto tech in my heart but you have to keep up with the times. But we have some ideas for some new Databass releases coming soon…

 

Your newest offering is This Is Detroit on Dirty Knock. Tell us about that.

With the first few releases being twerk tracks, I wanted to release another ghetto tech EP because people thought I was done with the music, but I will never stop making it. I wanted to do a whole EP that has strictly Detroit roots and influences in it.

 

You’re style has changed a bit the past few years incorporating everything from Trap to Footwork to House in your sets these days, does that make it much harder to put your sets together with the amount of tricks you incorporate?

It’s actually easier and keeps things fresh to me. I see a lot of guys doing the same exact thing they were 15 years ago and there is a whole new generation listening to this music. You have to incorporate ghetto tracks with the new stuff to stay relevant.

 

Tell us about this new mix!

It’s live from my rooftop club in Detroit called 3Fifty Terrace. A stripper actually bumped the table twice so if you hear something fucked up, that’s it!

 

Essentials: This is Detroit is out now on Traxsource, Beatport and other shops from Dirty Knock Records. Follow DJ Godfather on Facebook, SoundCloud and Twitter; follow Dirty Knock Records on Facebook, SoundCloud and Twitter.

[toggle title=”DJ Godfather: A 5 Mag Mix Vol 6 Tracklisting” state=”closed”]
01. DJ Godfather Feat. Good Money – “Hell No” (Dirty Knock)
02. DJ Godfather – “Let’s Jit” (Dirty Knock)
03. DJ Godfather – “Drop My Beat” (Databass)
04. Le Car – “Aluminum Rectangles” (Craft)
05. DJ Godfather – “Bang, Bang” (Twilight 76)
06. DJ X-Change – “Jaws” (Databass)
07. DJ Rashad – “Girls Bust Down” (Juke Trax)
08. DJ Godfather – “On The Floor” (Databass)
09. Mister Ries – “Get Freaky” (Databass)
10. Jonny Megabyte – “Get To Werk” (Databass)
11. DJ Godfather – “Let Em’ Buck” (Databass)
12. DJ Chi Boogie – “Aye Yo Yo” (Juke Trax)
13. DJ Surgeon – “Killa Killa” (Databass)
14. DJ Godfather – “Bounce N Break Yo Back” (Databass)
15. UFO – “It’s A Trap” (China Black)
16. DJ Godfather – “Ass So Fat” (Databass)
17. DJ Chi Boogie – “Throw Your Hands Up” (Juke Trax)
18. DJ Slugo – “Godzilla (DJ Godfather Remix)” (Databass)
19. DJ Spin – “If U Ain’t Jukin'” (Juke Trax)
20. DJ Omega – “Disco 78′” (Databass)
21. Kaptain Cadillac – “Bounce And Bang” (Booty Call)
22. DJ Godfather – “Make The M.F.” (Booty Call)
23. DJ Assault – “Bangin’ The Beat” (Jefferson Avenue)
24. Typhonic – “Take It Off” (Databass)
25. DJ Clent – “My Girl Got A Girlfriend” (Subterranean Playhouse)
26. DJ Rashad – “Let’s Go” (Juke Trax)
27. DJ Nasty – “Track 8”
28. DJ Deeon – “Drop, Pop, Shake It” (Booty Call)
29. DJ Godfather Feat. Six Foe – “Whatcha Got” (Dirty Knock)
30. DJ Slugo – “Like It’s Hot” (Databass)
31. Aaron Carl – “No” (Intuit Solar)
32. Erik Travis – “Return Of Voices” (Databass)
33. DJ Chi Boogie – “Hoez 2 The Flo” (Juke Trax)
34. DJ Godfather – “Databass L.I.V.E.” (Databass)
35. DJ Deeon – “Titties N Ass” (Databass)
36. DJ Greedy – “In Yo Mouf” (Juke Trax)
37. Starski N Clutch – “Belle Isle Players” (Databass)
38. DJ Puncho – “Get Down Low” (Dance Mania)
39. DJ Godfather – “No Ass No Pass” (Databass)
40. DJ Godfather – “Lil Mama” (Ghettotonez)
41. N Ter – “Space Funk” (Space Funk)
42. DJ Godfather – “What Down” (Juke Trax)
43. B Calloway – “Jit Beats” (Local 3000)
44. Disco D – “Where My Dogs At?” (Contaminated Muzik)
45. Aaron Carl – “Ctrl-End” (Afrosyntrix)
46. DJ Knowledge – “We In The Club” (Databass)
47. Typhonic – “Zilla” (Booty Call)
48. DJ Godfather – “U Know What’s Up” (Databass)
49. DJ Godfather Feat. Oktored – “Where The Hoes In This House” (Dirty Knock)
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