Westword Music Showcase 2006

What artists have had the biggest impact on you? Tori Amos, Nine Inch Nails, early-'80s punk.

Myspace: godsend or the devil? I think it's a good way for bands to market to a wide audience and get around the system of corporate radio. Time will tell how effective it is in the long run.

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More About

• Apple iPod
• Koko Taylor
• Flobots
• Digital Music Players
• Audio and Video Devices

Do you have an iPod?Nope, no iPods.

DEVOTCHKA
NOMINATED IN AVANT-GARDE/ECLECTIC

DJ IDIOM
NOMINATED IN DJ: HIP-HOP CLUB/TURNTABLISM

Website: www.djidiom.com

Native or transplant?Silicon implants.

Releases/discography:Thus far, I've only made mixtapes/cds. So, legally, and as far as most musicians are concerned, I haven't released anything.

Describe your music in a sentence:Basically, it's someone else's music stolen and then played with other stolen music, with my personal signature on every last detail.

Do you think you can make it out of Denver?Yes. The sooner the better.

What's your idea of "making it"?That's more of a day-to-day thing for me. I suppose waking up every day satisfied with who you are and what you are doing. I think that if making it becomes an ideal or goal and you believe someday it will all change and your life will suddenly become a fairy tale, you're going to be very disappointed and not find beauty in what you're doing on a day-to-day level.

What local artist(s) are you most excited about?CACHEFLOWE!!!; The Yummies; An-ism; Drop Logik; Scaffolding; Ivy; 21 Dread; and Vajra.

What albums have had the biggest impact on you?DJ Shadow, Endtroducing; Tricky, Pre-Millennium Tension; My Bloody Valentine, Loveless; Arto Lindsay, Prize; anything by Björk; Blackstar, Blackstar; anything by Boards of Canada; the Books, Lost and Safe, Lemon of Pink; Cacheflowe, Automate Everything; CocoRosie, Le Maison de Mon Reve; Digable Planets, Blowout Comb; KMD, Black Bastards; Pharcyde, Labcabincalifornia; Philip Glass, Mishima; Tribe Called Quest, Beats, Rhymes & Life; Prefuse 73, Vocal Studies and Uprock Narratives; DJP, Manipulated Trax.

What artists have had the biggest impact on you?

The artists mentioned in the previous answer and DJ Nutter.

Myspace: godsend or the devil?Santa Claus. So, technically, both.

Do you have an iPod? If so, who's on it right now? "Act Too (The Love of My Life)," from the Roots' Things Fall Apart.

DJ LAZY EYEZ
NOMINATED IN DJ: HIP-HOP CLUB/TURNTABLISM
3 P.M., VINYL ROOFTOP

Website:www.myspace.com/DJLazyEyez

Native or transplant?Born and raised in Colorado Springs; brainwashed in Boulder; now living in Denver.

Releases/discography:"I Ain't the One," D-Roccamus Rhyme featuring Jo-el (single, 2001).

Describe your music in a sentence:I'm a party-rocking DJ who tries to keep it real but ends up playing the songs requested by cute girls.

Do you think you can make it out of Denver?I go to Boulder and Colorado Springs all the time.

What's your idea of "making it"?"Making it," to me, is being my own boss, controlling my destiny, being financially secure, loving what I do for a living, making a difference with my life and hanging out with my people that I grew up with.

What local artist(s) are you most excited about?Dent, 1865, Distrakt, Maneline, Rrahh Foundashun, Ground Zero Movement, Flobots, Herbin Tribe, Es-Nine, Black Pegasus, SP Double, Q-Burse, DJ Cysko Rokwel, DJ Thought, Crunk Brothers, DJ Vajra, St. Nick and D-Roccamus Rhyme.

What albums have had the biggest impact on you?Outkast, ATLiens; Akinyele, Aktapuss; Mission (Crown City Rockers) One; the Roots, Do You Want More.

What artists have had the biggest impact on you?Outkast, Tupac, DJ Shadow, Native Tongues, Dead Prez, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, the Roots, Bruce Lee, Jeff Smith (creator of the "Bone" comic books), Dent, the Procussions, and everyone at Radio1190 and Colorado Hip-Hop.

Myspace: godsend or the devil?Reluctantly...godsend. I would say the devil, but even DJ Thought, who was the biggest myspace hater, just got one last week.

Do you have an iPod? If so, who's on it right now?I did. It's broken. Which really sucks, since my CD player has duct tape holding in the batteries and I have to use one of those jacked-up cassette-player adapters. But the last thing I uploaded was the Go! Team's "College Sessions" and Showbiz & A.G.

DJ LOW KEY
NOMINATED IN DJ: HIP-HOP CLUB/TURNTABLISM

Website:myspace.com/djlowkey; djlowkey.com

Native or transplant?Transplant. I'm originally from Georgia.

Releases/discography:I've released countless unofficial tapes, but the last official joint I dropped was a tape called Mixing in Action #1 (you can download it for free at djlowkey.com). Later this month, me and DJ Amen are going to drop the Bar Luxe: Late Night Soundtrack mixtape. Later this summer, Mixing in Action #2 (hosted by Tanya Morgan) will be out.

Describe your music in a sentence:I play too much music to describe in a sentence.

Do you think you can make it out of Denver?Without a doubt. With that said, people need to start thinking about ways to "make it" in Denver rather than making it out. It's 2006, and you don't have to be in NYC or L.A. to do it big.