Chicago's Hakim Murphy On The Decks! NWS Cast #019

While house music often by many is thought of as being something created by one intention only - to make people dance - it isn't that superficial with chicago DJ and producer Hakim Murphy. Art, emotions and well reflected aesthetics seems to be fundamental for his productions. Hakim is running two labels, Machining Dreams and Synapsis Records which both have gained respect among DJ's worldwide.  With an early mentor found in Fast Eddie (a pioneer in acid house and hip house, you might remember from the acid classic from '88 entitled "Acid Thunder") his way as a DJ was paved. Tired of hearing the same tunes weekend after weekend at the clubs he started to make a difference buying and playing new records.
As a DJ he definately stands out with a well composed and thought of mix which is rough but still packed with soul. We had a chat with Hakim and since he loves promoting records he made a thorough tracklist for you as well. Check it out after the interview and mix.

Q: Why and when did you decide to become a music producer and DJ?

A: I decided to become a dj first and this was because I was a dancer. I got fed up with the music at the parties I was frequenting due to the fact that people were playing the same tunes over and over. I felt there was no reason for the djs to be playing the same few tunes in each of their sets. So I started to go the record store and buy some vinyls. At the time I was into all this Dance Mania stuff, and then I bought one table and then Fast Eddie whom I'd been dancing for sold me another deck and that's how I started playing records.

Production came a little later, because I was hanging around Fast Eddie and he was making tunes, and lots of people I knew were making music. So I got an mpc2000 and started working on tracks. After a few years of being casual about making tunes do to college, I finally decided to get serious, work on my craft and decided to go to school for music. I fell in love with the whole art form and realized I could work out my frustrations through djing and making beats. It's like one of those things, once you discover it, it's like how was I living life without these activities before.


Q: You seem to be very aware of your craft and the moods and aestetics within. Can you sum up what it is exactly you want with what you do? 

A: With my music and sets, I want to portray myself, what I am feeling so people may subliminally understand me just through the music. I think I would like people to know me through this tonal communication of feelings. Each tune or set is just a moment in time in which you can see my mood for the moment it was recorded. So it's a historical document of my feelings that sometimes grooves, sometimes very minimal, but always very rhythmic.


Q: When it comes to music history the city of Chicago is central. Where do you see yourself in that history?

I see myself as a contributor to the history here. I try and collaborate with my Chicago peeps as much as possible. I feel I will have some small place in this history with the two record labels, two blogs, writing reviews, and releasing music. I think my body of work will speak for itself. I am interested in pushing Chicago and its sound forward. Only looking back for reference and homage, so we'll see where I fit in this whole history, but even if I am forgotten about years from now; I know that I stayed true to myself and did the type of music that I wanted to do.

 

Q: Your mix for NWS shows a pounding insisting groove with beautiful harmonies from rough basses and leads. What did you intend with the mix and where was it recorded? 

A: I went to New York to play with DJ Spider and Dakini9 the weekend of January 20th. So I had an idea, I called Spider and I was like I should record a podcast for NWS at your lab in the Bronx. He was down, so we did it, but I only had time for one take because we were making music prior and had to get ready to go to the gig. In essence it was a warm up for the gig, because I wanted to practice a little before I left to play; I had to keep the wheels greased. The mix itself is some of the stuff I was going to play later that night, and I brought mostly my own tunes and lots of Chicago and Detroit music. I figured if I am going to play in NYC, no need to bring any of that underground East Coast American or European produced tunes from my collection. I figured I should play acid and jack tracks for the people. Because there is nothing worse to me than a foreign or American dj from another city that comes to Chicago and play lots of Chicago music. Everyone here has heard that hundreds maybe thousands of times. So this set reflects my Chicago sounding set for the NYC heads.

The podcast tempo is a bit slower than what I played that night, the first record is a Theo Parrish cut from Spider's collection and I thought it would set off the mix right. So I was in slow-motion mode to start and plus it's harder to keep a beat with the slower tempo as it was a great warmup for later that night.


Q: Passionate Vinyl DJ's are a main focus on the NWS Cast. Why do you play vinyl? 

A: I play vinyl because I love it so. I remember the first time I got one of my tunes on vinyl I was so excited, then I remember the first four track EP that came, I was even more excited. I am always making tunes intending them to be on vinyl at some point. Now I have two many tunes in reserve and cannot possible get them all out on vinyl because I am trying to create a good music collective with my labels.

With that being said, I love the feel of playing on 1200's and picking out my vinyl pieces before I go play, it still feels good to blend some records together and each time I look at artwork on a vinyl, I can remember the feeling that a particular record gave me. Cds and files are cool, but I have no such connection like that... So I am going to play and make vinyl until it is no longer possible.


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TRACKLIST:
[00:00] Theo Parrish - Dirt Rhodes - Sound Signature - SS015
[04:55] Tevo Howard - 60660 - Beautiful Granville Records - BGR6
[07:48] Specter - Pipe Bomb - Sound Signature - SS042
[11:44] Leron Carson - China Trax - Sound Signature - SS012
[14:47] T.O.M. Project - Renaissance - Sound Signature - SSTOM1
[19:28] Chicago Skyway - London Streets (Hakim Murphy Remix) - Uruzi - Uruzi 017
[23:30] DJ Rush - 10 Inch Club Kid - Dance Mania - DM 095
[26:00] Hakim Murphy - Essential - Machining Dreams - mdreams005
[30:00] Saturn V - [Kontrol] Your Mind - Relief Records - RR2031
[34:40] Mauser - Controll - Generator Records - GEN030
[37:15] Chip E. - It's House - House Records - CHP001
[39:45] Hakim Murphy - Wiggles - Metamorphic Recordings - MET022
[42:11] Armando - Don't Take It (Thomos Edit) - Let's Pet Puppies - LPP 003
[44:34] Hakim Murphy - Alkame - Machining Dreams - mdreams001
[48:00] Hakim Murphy - Work in - Plan B Recordings - pbr023
[50:48] Hakim Murphy - The Artificial Tsunami - Machining Dreams - medreams001