Paul D. Miller, better known as DJ Spooky, is the thinking man’s DJ. He is a renaissance man in the truest sense of the word. First and foremost, Miller describes himself as a writer and artist. Music is just one of the many projects that orbits Miller’s world, yet it has catapulted him into the limelight and made him an international success. As DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid, Miller has built up an impressive body of work, releasing several albums and singles since 1996 and remixing artists as varied as Bob Marley, Meat Beat Manifesto, Cibo Matto, Korn, Metallica, DJ Krush, Hooverphonic and Sublime. He has recorded with musicians as diverse as Kool Keith, Killa Priest from Wu-Tang Clan, and Yoko Ono. Where many DJs opt to lock into a certain genre or style, Spooky has resisted this easy path, instead consistently morphing throughout his career. He is all genres, yet free from genre. DJ Spooky is and will always be the definition of art and creativity.

Spooky’s latest experiment in sound comes in the form of In Fine Style: 50,000 Volts of Trojan Records. Miller was given access to the vaults of Jamaican label Trojan Records and the result is a 34-track excursion into some of reggae’s finest moments past and present. “The whole idea with the Trojan records project was to link together some sounds that have been separate,” says Miller of the album. “I knew the A&R of Trojan for a while, and we'd spoken about the connected roots of everything from hip-hop to Indian style "Bhangra" to Brazilian Baile music - you can trace it all back to reggae. I wanted to put together a CD that showed some of the roots of Roots music.” The project is a way for Spooky to share some of the vintage sounds he grew up listening to during his many summer trips to Jamaica. The album features cuts from legends such as Lee Perry, John Holt, Desmond Dekker, Sly & Robbie, Peter Tosh and Barrington Levy.

The very definition of a global DJ, Spooky has traveled around the world and continues to do so. The spirit of travel was ingrained in him from a young age and the desire to see and learn is a part of what has allowed him to remain in the industry for so long. “I've been a global DJ for the last decade, and I've listened to music from a lot of countries as I move,” says Miller of his globetrotting lifestyle. “I don't want to ever be a studio DJ. I want to be out in the world, hearing sounds, and checking out flavas from all over. That's what has kept me alive over the years. Plus listening to different sounds makes your mind have to continuously refresh. It's mental dental floss.”

Africa has become a source of inspiration as of late. “I just got back from Angola, and I can tell you this - as much as there is turmoil on the continent, there are some amazing minds at work, and I really was touched by how much people are making their cultures evolve in the face of an incredibly harsh world. Probably after 2006, I'll be spending a lot more time on the continent for different projects.”

Miller suggests looking beyond the borders and confines of the United States for true inspiration and creativity. He says, “The 21st

century is wilder than anyone could have predicted, and the sounds of the global underground - Brazil, India, Russia, China, all of Africa - have become the staple of the way people imagine life, culture, and art in this digital media era. That's a sign of progress. American pop culture is so boring right now. Everything is formulas. Why would anyone want to make a career out of that kind of thing?”

Much of the success of Paul D. Miller has been his ability to work outside of the DJ Spooky persona he created. As a writer he has written for publications such as The Village Voice, The Source, Artforum, Raygun and Paper Magazine. Miller’s first collection of essays, Rhythm Science, was published in April 2004 to much critical acclaim, turning up on several best of 2004 lists. Currently he is completing work on his second book, an anthology of writings on sound art and multimedia titled Sound Unbound. He also acts as co-publisher of A Gathering of Tribes, a periodical dedicated to the works of multicultural writers.

In the world

of media art, Miller has likewise blazed a unique path. His work has appeared in a variety of venues and contexts including the Whitney Biennial; The Venice Biennial for Architecture; the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, Germany; Kunsthalle, Vienna; and the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. The 2004 show Path is Prologue continues to tour globally.
Linking these various avenues of creativity has been key in Spooky’s longevity. “I don’t really think of anything as separate. Everything is connected,” he says of his apparently divergent careers. “Art is music is writing is text is art.”

For artists searching for their place in the world and looking for ways to get their name out, DJ Spooky offers this advice: “Everything is about creativity - life should be fun. People recognize creativity in other people, and that's been my guiding light. People also really hate on you when you're creative. My motto for creativity for up and coming talent is this: it's like pulling bricks from a wall, believe in yourself and you will never fall.”

Related Links:

http://www.djspooky.com

http://www.tamarlevine.com

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