DJ Damage
Encyclopedia
DJ Damage is an Australian hip hop
DJ and turntablist from Brisbane
, Australia
. He started in hip hop culture via breaking and buying records in 1983. DJ Damage was in Brisbane mid 90s hip hop group Towering Inferno, and a member of the Big Rigs six turntable DJ team from the same period. DJ Damage is currently a member of The Optimen and turntablist crew the Terntable Jediz. He is also a member of Brisbane new jazz and funk band Step It Up.
and B-Boy Flex. The members of the group met at Burnt Toast, a jazz/hip hop/funk night in Brisbane, organized by Hams and Felicite. Towering Inferno performed at the first Annual East Coast Funk Festival on 1 July 1995 at Festival Hall, Brisbane. The band also appeared at the first B-Boy Kingdom "all ages hip hop jam", Friday 9 February 1996 at Lighthouse, corner of Ann and Creek Streets, Brisbane. Towering Inferno released a tape called The Toowong Sessions with Brad Strut
in 1996. Towering Inferno performed alongside fellow Australian hip hop groups Def Wish Cast
(Sydney) and also representatives from Finger Licking Good
(Adelaide) and Brethren
(Sydney). Bevan Jee, from Bomb Hip Hop Australia, noted in his Towering Inferno article that,
Tony Mitchell, in his 1998 Glocal subculture paper commented on this quote saying,
". . . although US rap was the inspiration, the local scene caught fire on the fuel that was already there."
in 1996. DJ Frenzie mentioned Big Rigs in an interview with The Late Show in 2011, saying that,
(Perth)(2002), DJ Tetsu (Brisbane / Japan) and DJ Freestyle (Brisbane). In 2000, DJ Damage and DJ Sheep toured London, Eindhoven and Berlin and performed at The Social with Yoda
and Plus One
. They travelled to San Francisco to jam with DJ Qbert, and in 2001, DJ Damage performed a Q&A scratch set with A-Trak
in Brisbane. In 2002, DJ Damage was a judge for the DMC Technics World DJ Championships Australian finals. In 2004, DJ Damage was Co-Executive Producer and provided scratches and cuts for the Terntable Jediz' album All Out War released on vinyl by Unkut Recordings.
Australian hip hop
Australian hip hop music began in the early 1980s; originally it was primarily influenced by hip hop music and culture imported via radio and television from the United States of America. However, since the 1990s, a distinctive local style has developed. Australian hip hop is an underground music...
DJ and turntablist from Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. He started in hip hop culture via breaking and buying records in 1983. DJ Damage was in Brisbane mid 90s hip hop group Towering Inferno, and a member of the Big Rigs six turntable DJ team from the same period. DJ Damage is currently a member of The Optimen and turntablist crew the Terntable Jediz. He is also a member of Brisbane new jazz and funk band Step It Up.
Towering Inferno
From 1994–7, DJ Damage was a member of Brisbane hip hop group Towering Inferno with Lazy GreyBrothers Stoney
Brothers Stoney is an Australian hip hop group hailing from Brisbane, Queensland. The crew comprises emcees Lazy Grey and Len One. Both Lazy Grey and Len One are members of the Brisbane hip hop crew, 750 Rebels.-Boney & Stoney:...
and B-Boy Flex. The members of the group met at Burnt Toast, a jazz/hip hop/funk night in Brisbane, organized by Hams and Felicite. Towering Inferno performed at the first Annual East Coast Funk Festival on 1 July 1995 at Festival Hall, Brisbane. The band also appeared at the first B-Boy Kingdom "all ages hip hop jam", Friday 9 February 1996 at Lighthouse, corner of Ann and Creek Streets, Brisbane. Towering Inferno released a tape called The Toowong Sessions with Brad Strut
Brad Strut
Brad Strut is an Australian hip hop emcee and singer based in Melbourne. Strut has performed and released material as a solo artist, and is also a member of hip hop group Lyrical Commission.-Biography:...
in 1996. Towering Inferno performed alongside fellow Australian hip hop groups Def Wish Cast
Def Wish Cast
Def Wish Cast are an Australian hip hop group originally from around Penrith, Sydney. Currently they reside in a few areas around the City of Sydney.-Biography:...
(Sydney) and also representatives from Finger Licking Good
Quro
Quro is an Australian hip hop MC from Adelaide, South Australia who now resides in Sydney, New South Wales. He has been involved on the Australian hip hop scene since about 1992, when he formed part of the legendary Adelaide hip hop group Finger Lickin Good with MC Madcap...
(Adelaide) and Brethren
Brethren (Australian group)
Brethren are one of the longest-serving hip hop crews in Australia, celebrating 20 years in 2009. The group comprises Matthew Peet aka “Mistery” and Claude Rodriguez aka Wizdm....
(Sydney). Bevan Jee, from Bomb Hip Hop Australia, noted in his Towering Inferno article that,
"The name Towering Inferno seems appropriate given the way the group blew up when they first entered the local hip-hop scene. "Fire is a symbol of hip-hop, if you can't cut it you get burnt" Damage the group's DJ."
Tony Mitchell, in his 1998 Glocal subculture paper commented on this quote saying,
". . . although US rap was the inspiration, the local scene caught fire on the fuel that was already there."
Big Rigs
DJ Damage was also a member of the Big Rigs DJ team with DJ Katch and DJ Frenzie in Brisbane in the mid 1990s. Big Rigs debuted at The Bomb, an FRS (Flavours Radio Show) party held in Brisbane in January 1996. They also played at Vibes on a Summers Day Festival in 1996. DJ Katch, Geoff Jigzaw Boardman (who worked on Towering Inferno's recorded material), Dave Atkins and Chris Bosley went on to form Resin DogsResin Dogs
Resin Dogs are a Brisbane, Australia-based hip hop band, originally formed in 1996. Resin Dogs are a loose collective, a cut and paste sample band who use live drums, live bass, and elements of hip hop via turntables and samplers to create all forms of ritual dance sounds...
in 1996. DJ Frenzie mentioned Big Rigs in an interview with The Late Show in 2011, saying that,
"We were doing 6 turntable routines in clubs in the mid 90s. I don't think any one else was doing that kind of thing in Australia at that time".
Terntable Jediz
DJ Damage is a member of the turntablist crew called Terntable Jediz. The crew was formed in 1998 by DJ Sheep and Krypton. DJ Damage joined in 1999. Other members of the crew include DJ Kenny (Hong Kong)(2001), FinatikFinatik N Zac
Finatik N Zac are an Australian duo signed to producer Jim Jonsin's "Rebel Rock Entertainment". The duo consists of Michael "Finatik" Mule and Isaac "Zac" Deboni.- About Finatik :...
(Perth)(2002), DJ Tetsu (Brisbane / Japan) and DJ Freestyle (Brisbane). In 2000, DJ Damage and DJ Sheep toured London, Eindhoven and Berlin and performed at The Social with Yoda
DJ Yoda
Duncan Beiny , better known as DJ Yoda, is a hip hop turntablist who uses samples to create a cartoony musical style.-Biography:From 1995 to 1998, he studied English and American literature at the University of Warwick...
and Plus One
Plus One (DJ)
Plus One is a Hip hop DJ from Scotland. He won the DMC world title in 2001 He is a former DJ on Kiss 100.As well as touring regularly with the Scratch Perverts, Plus One is one half of production duo Jack Beats along with Beni G from The Mixologists...
. They travelled to San Francisco to jam with DJ Qbert, and in 2001, DJ Damage performed a Q&A scratch set with A-Trak
A-Trak
A-Trak is a Montreal-born DJ, turntablist, and owner of the record label Fool's Gold.- Career :...
in Brisbane. In 2002, DJ Damage was a judge for the DMC Technics World DJ Championships Australian finals. In 2004, DJ Damage was Co-Executive Producer and provided scratches and cuts for the Terntable Jediz' album All Out War released on vinyl by Unkut Recordings.
The Optimen
In 2001, DJ Damage joined Brisbane hip hop band, The Optimen. Other members of the band include Sammsonite, DATS, Kristoff the Russian, and Peter Beaty. In 2002, The Optimen released an eight track EP called 02: Breath Control. In November 2005, the band released their album Boomtown. The singles, Give It Up and Mic Induction received high rotation on Triple J Australia's national radio station. The Optimen won two MusicOz Awards in 2006 – The Roland Best Urban Artist Award and The Channel [V] Best Unsigned Video Clip Award for their Give It Up single. In 2010, The Out of Money Experience album was released. It debuted at #36 on the ARIA Urban charts and was Album of the week on Triple J's hip hop show for the week of 19 April 2010. The filmclip for the single 80’s Babies has been played on ABC's Rage programme.DJ work
DJ Damage has also played house, funk and soul music at clubs such as The Monastery, Technomadiscotheque, Mantra, Family Nightclub. DJ Damage also performed with VJ Simulcast at the Judith Wright Centre for 2008 Valley Fiesta.Step It Up
In 2011 DJ Damage provided cuts and turntablist skills for Brisbane new jazz and funk band Step It Up on their EP, Push.Compilation Appearances
- cuts & instrumentals by Towering Inferno on Blunted Stylus (vinyl) - arranged by DJ Jigzaw
- Jigsaw's Journal by Towering Inferno on Home Brews Volume 2 CD (1997). Track #11 - produced by Geoff Jigsaw (Resin Dogs)
The Optimen
- 02: Breath Control EP (2002)
- Boomtown (2005)
- The Out of Money Experience (2010)