Interview by Nick Stevenson. Originally published in Mixmag in January 2009.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Something cool like an astronaut. I still got a chance. You gotta start somewhere.
What’s the worst club you’ve ever been to?
I’ve been to some baile funk parties in Rio that were full of gangsters, guns and children running around. It’s always cool, but there’s a lot of pressure you feel at these parties. It’s uneasy, but it’s always exciting.
What’s been your worst job?
Working at Subway making sandwiches. I had the graveyard shift when all the crack-heads would come in.
What are you obsessed with?
Sleep! [He was asleep when we rang]
And what do you hate right now?
Waking up!
How would you introduce yourself to someone who’d never heard of you?
‘Hi, my name is Wes. Hey, I have this record label – you should buy some ?of our records.’
When and where were you happiest?
On my 29th birthday two days ago. I was in New Orleans, I rode a horse, I saw Soldier Boy – it was fun, people pinned money on me with safety pins.
Have you been arrested? What for?
Four times, always for trespassing. It’s the lamest excuse they can give you for being arrested. If they wanna make an example of you, you get trespassing which is the weakest fucking thing. They just want to put you in jail for the night so you can pay bail in the morning. I got arrested once for parking tickets and when it went to court I was down for assault cause I pushed the officer in the jail – that’s what he said, anyway.
What’s the best record ever made?
I like ‘Astral Weeks’ by Van Morrison. It’s a record I got when I was starting to get into music. It just hit me. I like the all-round vibe of it, I guess.
What’s the coolest thing in your house?
I’ve found paperwork from hundreds of years ago. There’s an ad from 1840 in my building which says, ‘Come see the native American Indian guy, he’s selling magic potions!’ That’s pretty cool.
Who’s your all-time hero and why?
Obama. It’s just crazy that we elect the president that gives you a little faith in America. It was looking kind of bleak for us for a while.
What do you collect – apart from records?
Girls’ numbers.
What were you doing at 2pm last Sunday afternoon?
I was jumping a fence to see Soldier Boy perform at a football stadium at New Orleans. I didn’t have a
Who was your first love and what happened?
Her name was Elizabeth, I was six, my parents moved and we broke up. There was a girl in the new city though. I got through it.
On a scale of one to 10, how good are you in the sack?
20. [Thinks for a bit] …that was so lame. Just put zero.
What’s your most prized possession that you’ve still got from when you were a kid?
My skateboard. I was terrible.
Have you ever had a homosexual experience?
Wow – deep! I guess everybody has one at some point, even if it’s not physical. ?I dunno – that’s pretty hardcore.
What do you spend your money on?
I don’t, I put it in jelly jars in my back yard.
What was your last big treat?
I needed to go from New Orleans to Atlanta but I missed the tour bus, so I bought myself a flight after hitching a lift to the airport.
What’s your drug of choice?
Aspirin.
What can’t you live without?
Sunshine.
Do you have a recurring dream?
Yeah, that alligators are eating my family and I gotta run from them and fight them. Every night I dream about alligators one way or another.
What would you change about yourself if you could?
I’d erase my attention deficit disorder. My ADD is horrifyingly bad. When I’m in the studio I start 700 beats every day. To finish one takes me like a month.
What’s the worst item of clothing you’ve ever worn?
Skidz – they’re these things you wear when you’re growing up down south. They’re like plaid overalls.
If you had a Tardis, what time would you go back to?
I’d go back 2000 years and hang out with Jesus.
What’s your lamest claim to fame?
My success in DJing. It’s all a fluke!
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