Scratch: You have named yourself as “The Most Versatile DJ”. What aspects of the DJ culture are you involved in that allows you to make that claim?

NVS STYLES: I am well-experienced in all aspects of the DJ culture from battles, clubs, corporate events, and will be stepping into mix CD productions soon. I started out as a turntablist DJ, competing in battles & later became a member of the Techmasters, which was the 1st turntablist crew in Miami. My first battle was against Craze in 1995 when I was 17 and soon after we started the crew with me, Craze and Infamous. I did that for a while, but I always wanted to be more than just a battle DJ. I'm also not the type of DJ that likes to put myself in a category like mix tape DJ, battle DJ, club DJ, etc. I'd rather be known to do it all & be respected in any format I do. I will always have a bigger love for scratching and anything turntablist-related but there's an art form in mixing, music selection, and reading the crowd. (There's some DJ's that are only good at doing one or the other and not that they’re whack for it, but to each their own) I love the art form, so anything turntable related I need to do it and do it at my best ability. I even got into reggae selection a few years ago and been an official DJ of the CR Fest in Miami which is now called ICM. So to sum it up....I consider myself the most versatile DJ not only for music selection(hip hop or open format) but for being a turntablist & a DJ equally.
 
Scratch: How would you describe the Miami DJ scene in all the areas of expertise you have?
 
NVS STYLES: I'll list them in order from what most DJ's here do.... clubs, mix CD's, radio, battle, then performance. And even with DJ showcase performances, it’s only the Scratch DJ Academy DJ's like me, Immortal, or I-Dee doing them. Two years ago I did a 4 turntable performance @ the American Airlines Arena, where I choreographed a 10 minute show. You don't see much of that in Miami so I'm glad I can display the DJ art form to others. I don't see the battle scene in Miami as I saw it when I was younger working with Craze and Infamous. Back then, there were more frequent battles and more obvious battle DJ's. Nowadays it’s heavy on the clubs especially with the CD player and Serato. So basically any DJ can spin a club using a laptop, but it takes an experienced DJ to know how to play.

Scratch: Many people are jumping onto the latest in DJ'ing technology. You mentioned the importance of experience over these technologies. What kind of experience are you talking about?
 
NVS STYLES: Understanding what songs to play for which crowd, but also knowing at what time to play certain songs. With a laptop anyone now can have a huge library of music but experience determines how you DJ. Now because of Serato, having a music collection isn't something to brag about anymore cause anyone can download music now. BUT, now because of Serato the skills come into play more then before because the skills of a DJ (mixing, scratching, creative mixing) is what sets a DJ apart from another DJ having the same music selection in their laptop. So I'm happy skills are the focus now due to this new technology. I just don't appreciate CD DJ'ing, its just not the same as a turntable. Ill always rock turntables.

Scratch: In August, you visited New York to appear on BET’s Rap City. What was the experience like going on a nationally-televised television show and did you prepare a performance set for the show?
 
NVS STYLES: I don't feel that fear of TV like some do, I guess because of my two years experience being on MUN2 as a frequent guest DJ on "The Roof".
That show was international but I prefer BET of course. Being on Rap City as a guest DJ was more conversation surrounding my career than showing what I do and that's OK. I already did my thing and won the Spring Bling DJ Battle on TV so that showed the viewers what I can do.
Big shout to Just Blaze who was one of the judges who gave it to me.
Promotion is more important for me right now. Getting my name out and letting people know who I am and what I do. Big shout out to Mixrevolution.com for sponsoring me to go to Rap City. I was rocking their shirt on the show to return the love.

Scratch: Sounds like a great experience. Obviously, DJ’ing has opened you up to some incredible opportunities; what was the most significant one for you?
 
NVS Styles: The one that means the most to me is the reason I wanted to be a DJ when I started and that's to scratch on a major artist’s record. What made it even better was having someone like Lil Jon hire me (shout to Big Teach on that link!). I got to show crazy love to Jon for not even telling me how to scratch on the song, he just let me do me and what you hear on Too Short's "Burn Rubber" is me practicing not knowing Jon was recording me.
It was like the first or second take and I tend to do my best scratch recordings like that. And to top it off... not only was Lil jon there but Too Short was also. So I'm doing what I do and I got both these giants in the game complementing me and making me feel like I finally made it. I got to that point in my Hip-Hop career. Kinda like a stamp of approval.

This month we will be examining the different parts of a needle and how they function together to produce sound from the tiny groove of a record to the floor-shaking systems in clubs across the globe.

1 - Stylus
The diamond-tip of the stylus rests in the groove of the record and picks up the signal embedded on the record. The signal is sent through a tube into the cartridge. Different types of styli will have varying levels of tracking and sound quality.

2 - Cartridge
There’s a whole lot going on in this small package amongst the magnets, poles, and copper wires. To break it down simply, this is where the vibrations from the stylus are translated into an electronic signal so the sounds on the record can be amplified. It also separates the signal into a right and left channel.

3 - Leads Connections
Most audio equipment has a red and white wire that corresponds to what comes out on the left and right speakers. Needles get the same treatment. The other two are ground wires and without them there would be some nasty feedback in the sound. They connect from the back of the cartridge to the bottom of the headshell.

4 - Headshell
For anyone who has put together their own needle, there is no doubt that you had one heck of a time attaching your cartridge to the headshell. It holds the cartridge in place and attaches to the tonearm of the turntable. The placement and angle at which you position the cartridge on the headshell has a huge effect on how well your needle will stay in the groove of a record.

5 - Handle
“Why would we point out a handle?”, you may ask. There is a proper way to drop the needle onto the record so that you don’t damage the needle, record, or turntable. It also gives you accuracy in where you drop the needle on the record.

6 - Weight
Many turntablist DJ’s like to add a little extra weight on top of the headshell to keep the needle stuck in the groove.

7 - Contacts
Think of these as the audio out wires on your home stereo system. It lives on the back of the headshell and is the actual connection from the entire needle to the turntable.