Beatzbase

Beatzbase interview with Jaguar Skills

1. I guess my first question has to be: why Jaguar Skills as a name?
You have to watch the film “Ninja Terminator” to find what you’re looking for.

2. Congratulations on your Toolroom Knights compilation – I really
enjoyed it. How would you describe the album, it seemed to me to be a very eclectic selection?
It’s a bit like a brick to the face, wrapped up in some Jaguar fur, wrapped up in another brick. I’ve taken a load of tunes and mutated them. Glad you liked the experiment.

3. How do you go about compiling your legendary mixes/mash-ups?
Depends. If they have a theme running though it, I try and get as many tunes relating to that theme as possible, and go on from there. But if it’s a freestyle thing, I just go with a vibe and see where it takes me.

I don’t normally know where they’re gonna lead to. It’s not super-planned or anything. All I try to do is make the mixes a cohesive and enjoyable thing. That’s all really.

4. How do you find or select the samples you use (which seem to be from movies)?
Yeah, weird movies mostly. The worst B-Movies have the best dialog. I’ve got a massive collection of lame movies.

5. What’s the top 3 tracks you’re listening to at the moment?
I listen to so much stuff, I really can’t answer that question. Humm? Three Roy Ayers tracks.

6. Are we likely to see any more Jaguar Skills releases?
Yeah man, there’s a bunch of things in the pipeline. So real cool things.

7. Which do you prefer, working in the studio on your mixes or DJing live? And what’s your experiences of playing live?
You cannot beat DJing live. The buzz, the crowd, the nerves, the mask, the heat, the vibes. Playing live in clubs, pretty much, dictates what tunes I put in my mixes for the radio.

8. Any tips for the next big thing in dance music?
Nope. I dunno? House-Step? Baseline Folk? Nu-Lunchen Beat? I have absolutely no idea. I hope it’s gonna be sample based 90′s Hip-Hop….but it probably won’t.

9. Finally, if your life was to be made into a movie, which actor would you like to play you and who would you have direct the movie?
This dude called Sho Kosugi could play me and I would want it directed by Sam Firstenburg. I would request that it would have hardly any budget too. A super-ninja style B-Movie. And it would have to be dubbed!