DJ Rush, 'The Australian Sensation', recently took some time out of his busy schedule to chat with Planet Urban. Read about the incredible journey of a young DJ who went from Canberra, Australia to the entertainment mecca of Los Angeles, California. An inspirational and entertaining read.
Tell everybody out there who DJ Rush is and all of the different facets of the industry you are involved in?
Rush can be found spinning in nightclubs around Australia and you can check him out on his latest mixtape California Dreaming Pt. 2 out now!
I am involved in DJing, photography and I’m one of the directors of Spader clothing Australia.
Canberra isn’t particularly known for being a mecca for Australian Hip Hop. What is the scene like there or did you not pay much attention to it?
Canberra is a talented place, always good talent coming out of here if it be dancers, rappers or graff writers. The scene isn’t as big as Sydney or Melbourne but there are some good club nights and events.
Tell us about the radio work that you did in your formative years, prior to moving to the U.S?
I ran a community radio show called HOT91 for 4 years. When I took over the show I wanted to take it to another level and get people excited about tuning in each week. I organised consistent interviews with artists from all over the world, designed a website and got some well known sponsors on board like XXL magazine from the U.S. Doing the show gave me a lot of knowledge about the music scene and kicked things off for me.
How did you hook up with DJ Skee in the U.S.?
The plan was to finish my degree and then hit the US to do an internship so I could get my foot in the door. Originally I had organised to intern for a record label in New York as everyone was telling me NY was the place to be. However Skee and I crossed paths formed a good relationship and before you know it I was eating tacos in Hollywood and hanging with Skee and Game in the studio.
How tough is it to break into the industry in the U.S. (particularly being from a foreign country) and do you feel that you have made good progress in that respect?
Honestly you can do anything you want in this world. It doesn’t matter where you’re from. I’m from Canberra of all places and I ended up in the thick of things in Hollywood. You just need to dream big, work hard and stay positive and you will achieve great things. My life has changed so much since going to the US in 2006, it has given me a lot of confidence and changed my way of thinking.
Do you think that you have maybe opened doors for other DJs/artists from outside of the U.S. to go there and have success?
I hope so. People in the US loved the fact that I was Australian as I brought something new to the table. In Australia we are too caught up with thinking that the US is this big scary place where they only accept American talent. This is not the case at all, they are always after talented people and Australian artists are starting to become hot property.
Tell us about your nickname the ‘Australian Sensation’ and how that came about?
Haha well this started out as a joke when I was in LA. I would tell the girls that I was known as “The Australian Sensation” as a bit of fun. Then it crossed over into my mixtapes as I wanted to be different to the other US DJ’s in the scene and this was a good way to do it.
You were a model for DrJays and their Summer Sensations campaign. Is that a field you are interested in exploring further or was that just a one-off?
I am a lot more comfortable being behind the lens and taking pics but I wouldn’t say no to another opportunity like this.
Tell us about your photography work…
I’ve been into photography and video since I was 15. I did a visual arts degree at the School of Art, ANU for 4 years and I’ve been lucky to sell my work and exhibit around Australia. I got some great photos at The Game’s One Blood video shoot in Compton which landed in Urban Hitz (r.i.p) and Rhyme & Reason magazines.
You have been putting together mixtapes for a while now, working with artists from Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. Tell us about your catalogue so far?
Oh man I have done a bunch of mixtapes over the last 2 years. The tapes I am proudest about are my California Dreaming mixtapes and the one I did for Tyga when he was an unsigned artist from Compton. He recently co signed to Lil Wayne’s label and Gym Class Heroes label. I am about to start working on a mixtape for an artists called DOLLA who is in the latest XXL magazine and is signed to Konvict Music.
What is the process like of putting a mixtape together?
If I am hosting a tape for another artist they will send me all there tracks and I will work my magic and mix the tracks. If it’s a gangster rapper they usually request extra gun shot effects haha.
If it’s my own mixtape project I spend a lot of time getting in touch with producers and artists to come up with exclusive tracks for the tape. I’m always after drops from big name artists for my mixtapes as that gives it a nice touch. Then I will mix it together, get the artwork made and start promoting it.
You are known for having an eclectic choice of music when you DJ at clubs, let us know what a typical club set from you would be like…
I play at r&b/hiphop clubs as well as soul/funk/dance clubs, so I like to mash things up when I can. It’s important to read the crowd before you do something crazy like throw on a Nirvana jam to a bunch of gangsters or play on a Stevie Wonder classic to a dance floor of 18 year olds. You can usually here me play anything from Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, Collie Buddz, The Game, James Brown, Young Murph and Flo-Rida.
DJing at exclusive parties/industry events has become a lucrative field for several people (e.g. Mark Ronson). Tell us about some of your experiences and whether that is a field you would like to focus on more?
Well I haven’t had the chance to DJ at anything too exclusive, I’ve been apart of a lot of great events like the Grammys, Magic Johnson's poker tournament and the Envy Expo but if Mark Ronson can’t DJ one of his events give me a buzz.
You have the new mixtape California Dreaming Pt. 2 out now. Tell us about that project and how it came about?
Being around Skee everyday for 3 months and seeing how much success he had from doing mixtapes I knew I had to get into the scene. I built a lot of good relationships with artists and producers while I was in California and wanted to show off this talent. I was speaking with a few people in the U.S about doing a mixtape and they told me it’s really important to have a theme, “California Dreaming” was the obvious choice.
I am really proud of this mixtape as it’s different to a lot of other mixtapes coming out. You will find a mix of r&b, soul, hip hop & pop on there. The intro features the legendary Warren G and all the artists bring something fresh to the tape.
Any final words of wisdom for the fans out there?
Dream BIG!
