He said I’d fit here like a hand in a glove,” says hip-hop spinner DJ Neil Armstrong. The ‘he’ being referred to is desi joke slinger Russell Peters. “I asked him what to pack when travelling to India and he said pack a ‘dhol’,” laughs Armstrong, who is in India for a multi-city tour across Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata over the next three days. The ‘maker of fine gourmet mixed tapes,’ as he likes to describe himself, is best known as R&B star Jay Z’s DJ.
Until 2009, the Grammy-winning artiste wouldn’t even tour without Armstrong. He’s also spun for the likes of Rihanna, Kanye West and old-skool rappers like Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J and even Wyclef Jean. In India, to play as part of Vh1’s Hip Hop Hustle, Armstrong will play a mixed tape of some of his best-known collaborations with the popular artistes he’s scratched for.
“I know Punjabi hip-hop is big in India. I have seen a lot of desi artistes in NYC and sure I can do some bhangra,” he says, listing Jay Sean, Punjabi MC and Russell Peters as some of his Indian buddies. But Armstrong is more than just a back-up console artiste to some of the biggest names in hip-hop. The cut-and-scratch DJ has also released two award-winning albums, Original and 2Original.
“I grew up playing and making a lot of mixed tapes. I like soul as much as I dig rap. I have mixed everything from Run DMC to James Brown,” says Armstrong, who’s packed in Method Man, Hall & Oates and others on his albums. Armstrong was also a member of the critically acclaimed Grammy-nominated jazz band, Russell Gunn and Ethnomusicology. “I would like to explore more new music. India should inspire me, hopefully,” he says.
{{/usCountry}}“I grew up playing and making a lot of mixed tapes. I like soul as much as I dig rap. I have mixed everything from Run DMC to James Brown,” says Armstrong, who’s packed in Method Man, Hall & Oates and others on his albums. Armstrong was also a member of the critically acclaimed Grammy-nominated jazz band, Russell Gunn and Ethnomusicology. “I would like to explore more new music. India should inspire me, hopefully,” he says.
{{/usCountry}}Catch DJ Neil Armstrong perform live tonight as part of Tuborg Vh1 Hip Hop Hustle, at Blue Frog, 10 pm onwards.
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