DJ Vadim –
A Biography...
Hardest working man in show business? Trouper? Tireless? However you want to put it,
be sure of one thing, when DJ Vadim first heard the phrase “Don`t sleep” he obviously
took it literally.
Over the last decade few people can have put so much time and energy into the culture
they love. Founder of Jazz Fudge in early 1995, A&R, producer, DJ, promoter, record
collector, radio presenter, occasional painter, writer, and in-house producer/dj and cohort
of Latin Grammy nominees, Spanish hip hop super group 7 Notas 7 Colorez, Vadim has
certainly been keeping himself busy. And that`s before we even mention his DJing itself
which has seen him perform in virtually every country in Europe(east and west), all over
North America, Australia, New Zealand. Japan, Israel, Turkey, South America and South
East Asia in just the last year. He has also performed with the likes of DJ Krush,
Company Flow, The Roots, Pharcyde, Public Enemy, Beat Junkies, Dilated Peoples,
Kraftwerk, Ed Rush, Morcheeba and Paul Weller as well as at events like Glastonbury
and the Moscow Street Ball festival (to over 40,000 people!). To describe the man as an
internationalist almost seems to sell him short.
In 1992, Vadim Peare bought a sampler and started working on the music that would
become “Abstract Hallucinating Gases” and “Headz Ain`t Ready” (both released on his
own label, Jazz Fudge). Later in the year he signed to Ninja Tune and began work on his
debut LP, “USSR Repertoire”. From these early recordings came a remix LP, “USSR
Reconstruction,” featuring DJ Krush, Kid Koala, Mark B and Silent Poets, plus various
12"s both for Ninja Tune and Jazz Fudge, and a mixtape and CD with DJ Primecuts
(International Turntablist Federation world champion `99 and Scratch Pervert). In 1999
there was the abstract funk collaboration LP, “The Isolationist,” produced by Vadim,
scratched by DJ Primecuts and vocalled by New York avant-rappers Antipop Consortium
(now signed to Warp). Relentless international touring followed with Swollen Members,
then Company Flow, then Jazz Fudge, all of which led to the purchase of yet more
obscure and dusty vinyls to add to an already burgeoning collection.
This all culminated in his critically-acclaimed last album, “USSR: Life From The Other
Side” (Ninja Tune 1999). The record featured Co Flow, the Scratch Perverts,
Iriscience(from Dilated Peoples), Blade and many others and caused quite a storm in
USA with the track “Your Revolution,” featuring Sarah Jones. This song was banned by
the FCC (USA radio regulators) for explicit and provocative lyrics, despite Jones actually
satirising the attitudes and words of the mainstream rap and r&b that could be heard
pumping out of the radio every day.
To promote the record, Vadim put together a live group - The Russian Percussion consisting of Mr Thing (turntables), Killer Kela (beat box), Blu rum 13 (mc), John Ellis
(keyboards) and himself. They notched up a mere 200 shows in about 24 countries
including most of Europe and North America.
Feeling tired yet? Hang on in there. Vadim has also presented radio shows for the BBC,
including the Sony Award-nominated programme “Around The World In Eight Relays`.
He has toured with Sarah Jones, Killer Kela and as support and collaborator for Super
Furry Animals. Oh, and he went to Latin America with the aformentioned 7 Notas 7
Colores and, and, and….
We`ll stop now. Our guess is that the average human mind would actually struggle to
take in everything that DJ Vadim has done in the last ten years, let alone do it. There
really is only one way to revive yourself now – reach forward, slip “USSR – The Art Of
Listening” into your cd player and soak it all up. It is, after all, where he gets his energy
from. And where he`s putting it, too…
Discography:
DJ Vadim Abstract hallucinating Gases EP (Jazz Fudge April 1995)
DJ Vadim Headz aint ready EP(Jazz Fudge June 95)
Little Aida Confessions EP (Jazz Fudge February 96)
DJ Vadim Non lateral hypothesis 12(Ninja Tune February 96)
DJ Vadim Aural Prostitution 12(Ninja Tune August 96) feat Lewis
Parker/Delirious/Mark B remix/ Acyde/ sli poetry
DJ Vadim Heterogeneous/ nocturnal thought tracks for v/a comp
Organised Sound (Jazz Fudge September 96)
DJ Vadim USSR Repertoire LP (Ninja Tune September 96)
Andre Gurov Revelations of wrath EP (Jazz Fudge February 97) feat
Jupiter and JAE
DJ Vadim Conquest of the irrational 12(Ninja Tune May 97) feat
Jupiter
The Bug Taping the conversation LP (Wordsound May 97)
DJ Vadim presents Sculpture and Broken Sound LP (P-vine Japan) 97
Andre Gurov A new rap language EP (Jazz Fudge September 97) feat
Jupiter and JAm
DJ Vadim USSR reconstruction remix LP (Ninja Tune Feb 98)
DJ Vadim and DJ Primecuts Architects of the Great mixtape (Jazz
Fudge Feb98). As featured on Feb 98 issue DJ magazine front cover CD
The Isolationist Hydrogen Slush 12" (Jazz Fudge October 98) ISO is
DJ Vadim/ DJ Primecuts/ Anti Pop Consortium
The Isolationist The Isolationist LP (Jazz Fudge March 99)
DJ Vadim Friction 12" (Ninja Tune April 99) feat Iriscience/Task
Force/DJ Primecuts and Mr Thing
DJ Vadim Its obvious 12" (Ninja tune August 99) feat Blu rum 13,
Swollen members, Mark B remix
DJ Vadim USSR; Life from the other side LP (Ninja Tune September
99) feat Co-Flow/ Blu Rum/ Swollen members/ Iriscience/ Sarah Jones/
Moshun man and from UK The Task Force/ Blade/ Jupiter and JAE/ Acyde,
Supa T/ Profound/ Skinny Man/ Killer Kela/ Toastie Taylor, Scratch
Perverts, and from Spain - Mucho muchacho / Delta on the artwork
DJ Vadim USSR; instrumental to life LP (Ninja Tune November 99)
DJ Vadim Your Revolution/the higher standard 12" feat Sarah Jones with
remixes by Kela and
DJ Nappa and The Higher Standard feat Mr Lif, Esoteric, Virtuoso with
a remix by Mark B Ninja Tune September 2000
DJ Vadim - leaches/up to jah 7" (Ninja Tune May 2002) feat Demolition man
DJ Vadim combustible/ghetto rebels/ dimelo es el verbo 12" (Ninja Tune June
2002) feat gift of the gab, phi life cypher(UK 12" ONLY), mucho mu(US 12"
ONLY)
DJ Vadim - its on/up to jah 12" (Ninja Tune August 2002) feat Vakill,
demolition man
DJ Vadim - USSR: The art of listening LP (Ninja Tune September 2002) feat
moshun man, gift of the gab, juice and vakil, yarah bravo slug, demolition
man, task force, skinny man, kela, phi life cypher, mucho mu, coke, promoe,
sarah jones, steve coleman, revd clevie brown, ula dudziak, mr thing, plus
one, ade soma, ttc, john ellis, chandru, david balilti + .... Darco on the
artwork
DJ Vadim - eddie brikkel/4 my writers 12" (Ninja Tune November 2002) feat
Slug, juice
DJ Vadim - USSR: The Art of instrumentals LP (Ninja Tune November 2002)
Other productions
Coppe - Rotary / Burton . Japanese singer produced 2 tracks (Mango sweet
rice/PIAS/Sony Japan) 98
7 Notas 7 colores - 77 LP. Spanish hip-hop group Produced 4 tracks for 77 LP
(La Madre -September 99)
7 Notas 7 Colorez - La mami international LP - 5 tracks produced for the
LP(so dens spain) 2201
Blu rum 13 - vaguely familiar LP (jazz fudge UK) - produced 7 tracks for the
LP 2001
Yarah Bravo - if child is art, growing up is becoming an artist - produced 8
tracks for the LP 2001
DJ Vadim and Sarah Jones - Remember me. Around the world in 8 relays
recorded track for the BBC World Service 2001
Mucho Mu - solo LP. produced 6 tracks for frontman of 7 Notas 7 colorez
2001/2002
Total Chaos - produced 2 tracks for german hip hop group 2001
Remixes
DJ Food - B Boy (Ninja Tune) 96
DJ Krush meiso feat CL Smooth (Mo wax) 96
Faultline PLH (creation) 97
Sugizo Lucifer/ beauty (Polygram Japan) 97
The Cure Gone (4AD) 97
Low Laugh (Caroline/Virgin USA) 97
The Herbaliser 40 winks (Ninja) 97The Freakniks Lost (Scenario records) 97
Ruff neck Piano repaired piano evolution within (Soup Japan) 97
Spectre Hidden Gods (Word Sound USA) 97
DJ Cam Innervisions (Columbia) 97
Surfers of Romantic positive self dimension (Music Mine - Japan) 98
Gus Gus - Why (4AD) 98
Cowboy bebop- Fe (RCA Victor Japan) 99 music for a Japanese cartoon!
Supersol sleep walker (chocolate industries USA) 99
Stephano Torrossi walking in the dark (Right Tempo Italy) 99
Silent Poets feat The Anomalies Prisons (Toys Factory) 2000
Aspects - intrigueing (Hombre) 2001
Virtuoso - the mission (rebel aliance USA) 2001
Juice - electromagnetic color (choclate industries USA) 2001
99 posse - aguila(Bmg Italy) 2001
kela - crop circles (Jazz Fudge) 2001
Upcoming projects:
Yarah Bravo LP
The Russian Percussion live LP due
DJ vadim - master with cracked fingers mixtape
Production for kamikazee(UK), Skinny man(UK)
Writing for brain damage - biggest polish graff magazine
Radio projects:
Bloc rocking beats - BBC radio 1 - may 2001
3x 15 minute programme presented by DJ Vadim
`around the world in 8 relays` bbc world service - nov 2001
8 x 15 mintue programme presented by DJ vadim
hip hop outernational - bbc world service december 2001
one 30 minute programme presented by DJ Vadim