Mr. Scruff is back! The iconic dj/producer/remixer recently released Ninja Tuna, a brilliant album that draws on jazz, soul, breaks, funk, hiphop, house, and takes the genres to a whole new level…the Mr. Scruff level. There’s no better way to celebrate than with this exclusive Fairtilizer mix by the Scruffster himself. So sit back, relax, or just take it to the dancefloor if you prefer…and yes, press play, you won’t regret it!

Bonus interview and mix tracklisting below.

Hello Mr. Scruff, what are you up to these days?

I finished the album about 3 or 4 months ago, so right now I’m busy promoting it. I’m also touring, and on my days off doing a bit of art. I’m working on new remixes and singles for the album as well. I’m keeping myself busy with many different things, so you know, it’s kinda continuously exciting.

Tell us about your album Ninja Tuna. What do you bring to the table with this project?

Well it’s very influenced by what I do as a dj and all the music I’m into as a listener. Basically it takes it where I left off with the last album and carries on. It covers a lot of musical grounds, tempos and emotions, you know, it brings a wide array of styles, but in a way that fits together.

You have collaborations with Quantic, Roots Manuva, Pete Simpson, Danny Breaks, Andreya Triana, Alice Russell, Andy Kingslow & Kaidi Tatham on there. How did all of these happen?

Basically all these people are either good friends or artists I often meet at clubs or festivals. People I have learned to know over the years and with whom there is definitely a sense of mutual respect. I had this long list of people I chatted with about doing work but never got round to it. So for this album I called all of them and tried to make the collaborations happen.

What are you listening to these days?

Tons of new and old music, you know, as a dj, you always listen to stuff. I keep up with new releases in hiphop, dubstep, house, drum n’ bass, soul, reggae, house, afro, everything…

Do you play all this in your dj sets?

Yeah, absolutely. There’s nothing I play at home that I wouldn’t play at the club. I don’t segregate music into home listening and club listening, if something is good I believe it should be heard by people.

5 albums you can’t live without?

I Want You by Marvin Gaye, a true classic.
Sun Ra, the Lanquidity album is always a winner, you know, it’s almost like a hiphop album but free jazz style, really good.
There’s an album that came out this year by 2000Black, which is Dego of 4hero and Kaidi Tatham of Bugz In The Attic. The album is called A Next Set A Rockers, which is killer soul and broken beat. I think it was only released on a Japanese label so far. I can’t stop listening to this right now.
Classic hiphop album, Breakin’ Atoms by Main Source, when it came out was just mind-blowing. I think that era of hiphop has just so many great releases, but that one for me was one of the best, and it still has the same effect on me.
Then an album that came out in 1988, Another Side by Fingers Inc. You know, for a few years we heard tracks by Mr. Fingers and Larry Heard on Trax Records and some Robert Owens solo stuff, but with this project all three got together to release a proper album, and it contained all the classic Fingers Inc instrumentals…add the vocals by Robert Owens and Ron Wilson and you get what is probably the best album ever made.

Do you think the feeling of excitement for new releases has diminished with internet?

Kind of, I mean I get excited about stuff. But I think, nowadays, people hear a dj play a song and they are too impatient to wait for the release, so they will go download it. So that feeling of being able to hear it but not get it doesn’t really exist anymore. Everything is more accessible. Also, back then all the excitement would be directed toward the record shops. The whole ritual of going to the record store, you know, going to the store, seeing the release on the wall, maybe listen to it at the store, and all people being excited about it. Buying music was quite social and quite a communal thing. There was a whole music community thing, especially when you add djs and producers in the equation. It was also a way to learn about music, you know, going to second hand shops and shops for new releases, buying vinyls. I think that it still goes on but to less of an extent because there are many other ways to get music. With record shops, there’s always that random chance of hearing something you never heard before that blows you away. At the end of the day, music is a very personal thing. For me buying music is still a very social activity and record shops are a very important part of the music community.

You’re also a cartoonist, do you have any particular projects in that area for work?

Not really, pretty much all of my cartoons are confined to illustrating my music. Obviously there’s the record covers, videos, website, a bit of merchandise. So it’s kind of ongoing, especially at the moment, with so many new releases. I just finished doing a bonus cd artwork for the US release of the album. Also with a single being released every month or so, I’m pretty much always scribbling and doodling. I also hand-draw flyers for club gigs and so on. It’s good fun and it’s very different from music, you know. I wouldn’t see myself as a serious cartoonist but I’ve been doing it for a long time, and people seem to like it. I wouldn’t call it my profession though, especially when comparing to people who do that for a living.

VISIT THE MR.SCRUFF WEBSITE

MIX TRACKLISTIN
1. New Birth ‘Ain’t no Change’ (RCA)
2. Burning Spear ‘The Ghost’ (Island)
3. Steve Miller ‘Fly Like An Eagle’ (Mercury)
4. Marvin Gaye ‘Mercy Mercy Me (Re Edit)’ (Motown)
5. Basement Khemist ‘Everybody’ (Beyond Real)
6. Lacks ‘Reign On’ (Shaman Work)
7. Elevation ‘Constant’ (Kindred Spirits)
8. Labelle ‘Moonshadow (Mark E Edit)’ (Creative Use)
9. TMGs ‘The Hatch’ (Funk 45)
10. Carla Whitney ‘War’ (Jazzman)
11. Mr Scruff & Alice Russell ‘Music Takes Me Up’ (Ninja Tuna’
12. Black Sheep ‘Flavor Of The Month’ (Mercury)
13. Bo Diddley ‘Hit Or Miss’ (Chess)
14. Pete Rock & CL Smooth ‘They Reminisce Over You (Vibes Mix)’ (Elektra)
15. Mr Scruff ‘Give Up To Get’ (Ninja Tuna)