See also: Collective Chaos on Misconceptions About Scottsdale DJs See also: Pilots on Their Airplane Shtick, Harry Potter Obsession, and Busting Into the Local DJ Scene
By his own admission, Filthy Flip still has plenty a lot to learn about the world of EDM. The fresh-faced local DJ is a relatively new arrival to the Valley's club scene, having been blending beats and remixing tracks for less than two years, and is fully cognizant of the fact that he's still mere padawan in the grand scheme of things.
And just like Anakin Skywalker, the 26-year-old appears to have innate talents and an ample amount of burgeoning skills (albeit with DJ gear instead of a lightsaber), which you can hear for yourself by checking out his shizzle on MixCrate or in-person during his upcoming performance Vintage Lounge in Tempe on Monday night.
Filthy Flip, who also occasionally goes by his alternate moniker of "The One Man Wolfpack," recently spoke with Up On the Sun about his budding career and other topics for this week's DJ Dossier.
Name: John Paul
AKA: DJ Filthy Flip, The Onẹ Man Wolfpack
Genres: Dirty Dutch, Dutch house, EDM
Where have you performed? At my first EDM event, I closed the night at Sorry For Party Rocking at Club Red in Tempe. My second EDM event, I opened at Blackout 5 at Madison Event Center in Phoenix. Also performed at Flight Lounge, Vintage on Mill Avenue, and Afterlife in Scottsdale also.
How did you get into the DJ game? After] going to my first EDM event The Big Event at Firebird Raceway in 2010. It was a totally new scene and genre of music for me. I fell in love with it right away. At that time, all the EDM sounded the same to me, but I now I can differentiate. I did my research and listened to more and more different genres and understood it more. Then I just slowly got interested in mixing. I thought to myself, "How sick is this to have that skill? To be up there performing in front of friends and random people, getting the party going and having a sick night. I want to be a part of that.
Then what? I started off messing around on my cousin's vinyl turntables. I'm not [a] scratch/turntablist DJ, but that's what I started off on. I messed around and helped out on my uncle's CDJs for private party events, then saved up for my own DJ controller that I use for home practice, house parties, private parties, and gigs.
What's been the hardest thing for you to pick up thus far into your career? Gigs. Also to be recognized and respected. I've still got a lot to learn and I'm very willing.
What's the explanation behind your nickname? One day I just posted "DIRTY DUTCH" on Facebook. Then just thought to myself, another word for "dirty" is "filthy" and I'm Filipino. So my next post was, "DIRTYDUTCH...FILTHY FLIP" and my friends suggested that it fits well with the EDM genre I like and maybe [I should] use it as a DJ name.
You also call yourself the One Man Wolfpack? One of my many personalities, yes. John Paul, One Man Wolfpack, [and] DJ Filthy Flip is all me, but each name represents a different side of me.
What are the advantages and drawbacks of being a One-Man Wolfpack? I would say the advantage would be the wild party carefree living attitude. And drawbacks would be the morning hangovers and trying to recover.
Then there's the whole fanny pack thing. So what artists have been working their way into your sets lately? I'm always throwing in my top favorite DJs/producers who got me into EDM: Afrojack, Laidback Luke, Sidney Samson, Chuckie. Some new ones would be Deorro, Valentino Khan, and Torro Torro.
What would you change about the local DJ scene if you could? The misunderstanding and negative vibes, like [about] the "auto sync" button feature on some controllers and now on the newest Pioneer CDJ-2000 Nexus.
You mean all the drama over whether that function/button does all the DJing by itself? People talk bad and hate on it and they don't even fully understand what that button is. They give DJs a bad rep and look down upon us. Just because our controller has that function doesn't make us less of a DJ.
You can understand where those critics are coming from, right? Just because that button is there doesn't mean everyone uses it. There are a lot of misconceptions. Them thinking its a magical button that does all the work and mixes and [some DJs] just sit there and push play. What's your favorite track of the moment? Tujamo & Plastik Funk, "Who"
What's your preferred poison while performing? Corona with lime and salt, Grey Goose and Red Bull and whatever else the bartender brings me while I'm DJing
Should DJs have a dress code at more upscale clubs? Never! I like how at some places they say you can't wear this or wear that. i just like to show up in a tank top and hat.
What more do you need to learn to succeed as a DJ? I still have a lot to learn. I feel like I still haven't found my own technique and what makes me unique. Practicing more on vinyl and CDJs and using whatever house equipment is [available]. Some clubs prefer you use their equipment instead of bringing my own controller and what I saved up for, practiced on, and use for gigs.
Do you have a particular philosophy when it comes to DJing? If you have the passion, love for EDM and DJing, know the history and equipment, practiced countless hours, and can mix and put on a show, it doesn't matter [whether] you use vinyl, CDJs, controllers, beatpads, or laptops. I respect that and so should [everyone]. In the end its all about the love for EDM and DJing.
DJ Filthy Flip is scheduled to perform at 11 p.m. on Monday at Vintage Lounge in Tempe. Admission is free. More details can be found on the event's Facebook page.
