Love or hate it, The Jackpot is an institution in Raleigh. Planted on the corner of Ashe Avenue and Hillsborough Street, this Raleigh staple is the kind of place where friends converge to get a daily dose of the regular: A smoke-filled, dark, awkward smelling, sometimes loud and generally entertaining place to drink. New Raleigh asked our questions to a few DJs who hold their residency there: The Pope and Mueldawg.
The Pope
How long have you been DJing?
Started DJing in college on the radio in ‘93. I’ve been here (at the Jackpot) since they started having DJs (2003).
When do you DJ?
Mondays, Tuesdays, and whatever other days I can get.
What kind of equipment do you use?
Turntables, CD players, and an iPod
What are your favorite songs to play?
At the moment I’m digging Bad Brains’ “Redbone in the City”, CAN’s “Mushroom”, Main Source’s “Fakin’ the Funk” & Nick Lowe’s “Heart of the City”
Do you ever get tired of playing certain songs? If so, which ones and why?
Yes, I get tired of playing a few tunes that get requested every time I DJ. Some of them include Cheap Trick’s “He’s a Whore, Shocking Blue’s “Send Me a Postcard”, and Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart”. You can only hear a good song so many times before you start to hate it.
When DJing, surely you must have to use the restroom or take a breather. What kind of “break” songs (at least 8 minutes long) do you play to help to you out?
I don’t really take breaks. I just pee fast. The one or 2 times I’ve had to make a poop, I’ve played Don Cabellero or Yes.
Do you drink on the job?
Oh Yeah.
What was the best time you had DJing?
The best time I had was one slowish night when a few tables full of folks from out of town came into the bar and just stated dancing to everything. They were just going nuts, having fun, and going for broke. I’m not quite sure what kick they were on, but they were loving it. They had tons of tasty requests, they tipped well, and they made the whole night lots of fun.
What was the worst time you had DJing?
One night a dude asked me to play a song from his metal band’s demo. I politely declined, telling him that we didn’t play music that folks bring in as if we do it for one, we have to do it for all. His girlfriend proceeded to freak out on me and I had to work through an hour of so of this table hurling insults at me. Not fun, but that’s part of what you’re getting into when you stand up there and say “YOU WILL NOT LISTEN TO MY MUSIC!”
Anything you’d like to say to your listening public?
If you want to dance, just do it. Don’t bug the DJ to play 80s top 40 dance music if that’s not their gig. If the DJ plays tunes for you, tip them. They’ll remember you next time and you won’t even have to ask for your favorite tune, they’ll just play it. Don’t get drunk and walk up into the DJ booth unless the DJ says “get up here girl, let’s have a face to face”.
Mueldawg
How long have you been DJing?
Well, the first time I ever got paid to do it was about 4 years ago at Jackpot, but the kind of DJing I do is really just an extension of the mix cassettes I used to make as a kid. I was always making tapes, usually for girls but also just for cruising on the weekends. Now when I DJ I think of it like a mix tape on the fly. I try to sync and segue the mood far more often than the tempo.
Where/when do you DJ?
Right now the only regular gig I have is at Jackpot. I used to do a couple other spots around town but they all dried up. I’ve done guest spots at Chico and Shaun’s New Romance a couple times. I just did my first wedding a few months back and that was great because I got to play stuff like John Fahey and Duke Ellington that I love but which doesn’t go over so well in a bar setting.
What kind of equipment do you use?
House tables, house crossfader, I don’t own any of that stuff. I have 1,000’s of records but I mostly go digital these days because I don’t drive. The laptop and Ipods fit easily in my backpack, records get heavy quick. Besides, sad as it is, no one hardly seems to notice whether i play vinyl or not. Oh yeah, and I just HATE CD’s. Can’t stand them.
What are your favorite songs to play?
This is constantly changing as I discover new stuff/ get sick of old stuff but for right now- Afrika Bambatta- “No Dope Fiends on the Floor”, Amon Duul II- “Archangel Thunderbird”, The Grateful Dead- “Brokedown Palace”, Gucci Mane- “Pillz”, Bonde Do Role- “Jeremiah”. My all time favorite song to play though has to be “They Reminisce Over You” by Pete Rock and CL Smooth. Never get tired of that one.
Do you ever get tired of playing certain songs? If so, which ones and why?
I get tired of playing requests that are the same night after night. Not at first but like 6 months later when a song that everybody who pays attention to music knew about way back has finally trickled down to the weekend warriors, usually via some TV ad. Punctuality is a big part of being a dj, you want to play the best song at the proper time, not six months after it stopped being hot. Don’t ask me to play “Young Folks” or, for that matter “Electric Feel”. They’re both great songs but we need to give them a long rest till they can be exciting again.
When DJing, surely you must have to use the restroom or take a breather. What kind of “break” songs (at least 8 minutes long) do you play to help to you out?
Neu- “Hero”, Of Montreal- “The Past is a Grotesque Animal”, Issac Hayes- “Walk on By”
Do you drink on the job?
I’ve been known to.
What was the best time you had DJing?
Craig Tilley and I ended DJing an impromptu party after a show in Stuttgart, Germany. It was funny because nobody even seemed to care when I played German techno like Modeselektor but they LOVED that dirty south shit- Trick Daddy, Three Six Mafia, Juvenile, Gucci Mane etc. There was hilarious dancing going on at that party.
What was the worst time you had DJing?
Hmmm. Nothing stands out. I guess I always have a pretty good time. Just don’t ask me to play Journey, Foreigner or Boston. I leave those at home because I hate playing that cheeseball shit.
Anything you’d like to say to your listening public?
Tip your DJ. They are smarter than the average jukebox.
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