Shucks Howdy Partners -

Here are some excerpts from an interview we did with Systemwide drummer, Josh Skins. He’s the man behind “Heshen Backwoods Dank” from Bridgetown Breaks Vol. 1…and he’s a badass:

“…I’ve been drumming since I was able to hold a spoon in my hand on the kitchen floor banging on pots. I remember setting up different pots to get different tones. When I was 8, a drumset appeared in our pantry. The pantry had walls that were filled with sawdust, so nobody would get bothered cause they couldn’t hear me rockin. That drumset dissappeared and it was a few more years until I was able to get another one. I got my first set when I was twelve. I found an orange sparkle set at a pawn shop for $125.00 and set up a payment plan where I would give dude $ once a week until I had paid in full. I was making a dollar an hour doing yard work for people after school and on the weekends so I got it after a lot of hard work. I used to watch my older brother Jethro’s band Ivory Strings, and think “that drummer’s not playing the fills in the right spot.”

…Currently, my influences are riding bikes, recording in my studio and being thankful for the ability to breath and walk. In July of 2003, I was run over by a diesel truck while on my bike and got kinda messed up physically. I’m very happy to be able to walk and play and communicate. It’s nice to be able to participate in a healthy “normal” life. It’s amazing just to be here.

…I used to get pissed everytime I would hear my beats on other people’s shit. Now I think it’s awesome, it makes me happy to discover my beats on new tracks. The best is being in a club with a great sound and recognizing the beat that the DJ is cutting in, as one that I recorded! It makes me stoked!

From a production aspect, I have my drums sampled on a MPC and 303, all kinds of different ways. The thing I’m having the most fun with now, is mixing sequenced and live tracks together so that the two mingle closely and it is hard to tell what’s live. Samplers are the shit! The way they drop the beat, I sometimes prefer to sequence my own kit instead of play it on a track.”

• Here’s a little something from Josh’s break titled “Heshen Backwoods Dank”:

• Here’s a track some friends and I put together using this break. It’s called “4 ways to spend $40″. It was composed during one of our monthly sample sessions by Main Sequence, Mano-Destra, and me…Pluto.
We stormed the studio with an odd assortment of knobs and buttons, properly prepared ourselves for takeoff, and bugged out for a few hours. This is what we came up with. It got weird. It got loud. The track was a collaborative journey that allowed each of our individual styles to shine. Throw on your headphones and enjoy.

Thanks for the inspiration Josh!
Peace,

Plutis VonBlasphemer