Peanut Butter Wolf, to some known as Chris Manak, has been a figure in the music arena since the 80’s. This veteran talent grew up in the Silicon Valley, a place most commonly associated with technology. To our benefit, a DJ/Producer emerged and broke the mold. PB Wolf started recording in 1989 and his musical career has continued to grow, eventually leading him to become a producer.
I was able to catch Wolf earlier this month at an event (10/10/10) held by Stones Throw Records, a label that he founded in 1996. I, along with fans, other DJs, and friends, gathered at Club 740 in Los Angeles to witness the A-list lineup.
10/10/10 attracted many fans because of one major fact: 10 hours of music…10 DJs…all on 45s. The DJ lineup included: Baron Zen, Dam-Funk, Danny Holloway, J-Rocc, Madlib, Mahssa, Mayer Hawthorne, PB Wolf, Prince Paul, and Rhettmatic.
Below is Peanut Butter Wolf’s exclusive remix, Stand Up Lazarus by Bruce Haack:
Stand Up Lazarus (Peanut Butter Wolf Remix) by JenJenReyes
Thanks to all the hospitality provided by Stones Throw Records, Chris Manak himself, and friends at Deckstar DJs. I was able to put together an exclusive interview for all of our readers here at Newestra.com.
I keep seeing more and more people using controllers rather than the traditional set up. What’s your view on this type of tech?
“I was vinyl only for many years and when Serato came out, I really enjoyed it. Before that, I had made an album called My Vinyl Weighs a Ton, so if anyone was waving the torch for vinyl, it was me (and I still do). I recognize a guitarist can do songs with an electric guitar for one sound and acoustic for another so I try not to limit myself to one thing.”
What do you enjoy about spinning 45′s? Do you think spinning 45s are more difficult or easier to play/mix?
“45’s are definitely more difficult to mix with, but the benefit to me is that you can bring more with you than 12” singles and there’s lots of cool stuff from the 60’s to the present day that is ONLY pressed on 45. I’ve been buying 45s since the 70’s, but didn’t start really mixing with them since the late 90’s because they’re too temperamental. I wanted to organize the night with 10 DJs spinning 45s to bring something different. Themed nights are more fun for me as a DJ to be involved in and the crowds don’t seem to mind either. We’re talking about making it a monthly.”
How have DJs evolved since the 80s?
“I got my first DJ setup in 1984 as a kid. It was bootleg “megamix” records like this that made me interested in becoming a DJ:”
How have DJs evolved since the 90s?
“I made this in 1995 and am embarrassed of it now:”
What role do you see DJs playing in the music industry today?
“A friend of mine is a former DJ and former music supervisor for several successful blockbusters and he now works in publishing and is the key master for anyone who ever needs to clear any music related to Bob Marley. He tells me everything he does is basically just Djing under a different name. I started my record label in 1996, which has launched the careers of several artists, but any label founder/owner can be thought of as a DJ as well. I used to make mix tapes ONE BY ONE for kids in my high school with a tape deck and 2 turntables and a mixer and now I do the same thing on a bigger level.”
How much does crowd reading play into your performances?
“It depends. I used to fiend for the crowd response. About 10 years ago, I was at the height of my “people pleasing game”. Going on tour with Cut Chemist in 1997 where he outshone me at every gig made me strive harder to rock the party. But at a point, I think I took it too far. I noticed I was playing cheesy music at cheesy bottle service clubs just to collect a big check, yet with my label, I was releasing strictly underground and it wasn’t about the money at all. It wasn’t really adding up. Now, I prefer to use more restraint when I can. I turn down a lot more gigs than before. If you were at 10-10-10, I didn’t care to make the night all about me. I didn’t play many hits (if any). I’m more into bringing something different. I don’t have to be the go to guy when someone wants their party rocked if it means I have to play songs I’m sick of hearing for the sake of being ironic.”
Where do you look for inspiration?
“I’m fortunate to be accepted by a lot of very creative people. People who dress better than me, make better music than I do, articulate their thoughts better than me, etc. But I look outside of just music. I’m definitely toying with the idea of getting more into film because I’ve already reached most of my goals in music.”
What other musical artists are you currently enjoying/supporting?
“Just look at stonesthrow.com. I support all those guys mainly. My roster has grown so much that I don’t need to support many things outside my own crew. Here’s the part of the interview where I mention artists you may not have heard of like Vex Ruffin, Djanimals, Anika, Steve Arrington, and Stepkids.”
What advice would you give to a young kid starting out w/ DJing?
“I’d say don’t think too hard about it. Just have fun with it and if you have a good ear, you’ll get somewhere with it. Djing was SO FUN for me when I started. It was because of Djing that I got bad grades in high school, which in a sense forced me to stick with it for a career. How ironic is that?”
How ironic indeed!
