Taking turntables to task

The versatile Kid Koala brings humour to DJ culture

Ace turntablist Kid Koala (aka Eric San) calls his just-released second album, Some Of My Best Friends Are DJs. In turn, his fellow DJs should be proud to call him a friend, as he has given their craft a whole new artistic credibility.
His original talents as a scratcher and mixer were recognized early by his peers. Eric moved from his native Vancouver to Montreal to study in the early '90s, and he soon began djing in clubs. An inventive mix tape, Scratchcratchratchatch, caught the ear of Coldcut's Jon More in 1995, and that led to Kid Koala signing with prestigious English electronica label Ninja Tune.
Eric refined his craft through remixing and touring alongside the likes of DJ Food, DJ Vadim and Coldcut, and he then joined Money Mark's band and opened for the Beastie Boys on a world tour.
His 2000 solo debut, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, was a real breakthrough, garnering rave reviews and impressive international sales for a record rooted in DJ culture. The always original and clever Some Of My Best Friends Are DJs is sure to bolster that reputation.
It features snippets of funk, ska, jazz and hiphop, all interspersed with voice-over samples on topics ranging from the habits of koala bears to the behaviour of people on elevators.
"I don't actually do albums, in my opinion," Eric told Tandem recently. "They are like audio episodes of The Simpsons or even The Muppet Show, where you have the musical number, followed by some skits, then another musical number."
An often surreal sense of humour characterizes his work (Monty Python is another influence). "Humour is an important part of what I do. Whether what I do is important is another story!" he laughs.
Beneath the frivolity, San is dedicated to his instrument, the turntable, and serious about finding new means of expression with it. "We are working with a technological instrument, but it is very analog and acoustic. You have to practice as hard as on any other instrument. The challenge is to put something together where people can sense your spirit behind it. I know that what I do does not necessarily fit into the pop music realm at all."
The fact that Kid Koala's music has a real sense of humanity and soul is what sets him apart from most DJs. That ability has made him the choice of opening act for such major artists as Bjork (for whom Kid Koala opened in Toronto last month) and Radiohead.
He does feel a real sense of kinship with his turntable peers, as reflected in his choice of album title. "When you are dealing with DJ music, you are dealing with music of the shy. Every DJ I have met, whether they are a house or drum 'n bass or hiphop or wedding DJ, at some point they decided to give up their social life for an extended period of time and lock themselves up in their room with a bunch of spinning plates. For me, that was years in my bedroom, practicing, trying to learn this stuff. I am still very young on this instrument. I have stuff that I know will take me 20 years to be able to do justice to."
To balance the solitary life of the DJ, Kid Koala frequently tours as a member of such topnotch groups as Deltron 3030, Lovage and Montreal funk band Bullfrog. He is also a highly talented comic book artist. He illustrated a 32-page book that came with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, then took an ambitious step forward early this year with a 350-page illustrated book, Nufonia Must Fall (published by ECW Press).
"That doesn't make me an author, though," he says modestly. "I am just always throwing myself into situations where I am like the perennial novice. That is where I find I learn a lot." Nufonia came with a CD of original piano-based compositions, further proof of Eric's musical versatility.
"When I did the soundtrack to that book, it was like those old silent movies with no dialogue but piano accompaniment. This was like a paperback version of that. I knew that a kind of breaks and scratching record wouldn't fit."
Some Of My Best Friends Are DJs is now out on Ninja Tune/Outside. Kid Koala opens for Radiohead at SkyDome, October 15.

Publication Date: 2003-10-12
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=3235