DJ Babu talked to Wax Poetics about his top ten favorite records. One of his picks is Herbie Hancock’s “Future Shock”.
“I don’t know if I bought this or D’ya Like Scratchin’ first, but this record was a huge influence on me. The work Grandmaster D.S.T. (now D.X.T.) did on “Rockit” will forever be in my brain. I still remember hearing this for the first time and wilin’ out! I had heard scratching before, but this record was a huge hit. You have to remember that in 1983 hip-hop was still hard to find, so to hear D.S.T. killin’ cuts over a Top 40 record was crazy! I’ll never forget the pattern. If you see Herbie Hancock and the Rockit Band perform “Rockit” on Saturday Night Live, you’ll see the first time a DJ was treated like a musician. Actually, you’ll see D.S.T. take over the whole show. To me, he was one of the first—if not the first—turntablists ever.”
Babu also expressed his affinity for Grandmaster D.S.T. in our feature with him, DJ Babu: The Turntablist.
See the rest of Babu’s favorite records at Wax Poetics.