This Saturday we have Keith Worthy bringing his deep, hypnotic and distinctly Detroit vibes to Mister Saturday Night. We’ve told you a lot about the new space already, so now it’s time to take a moment to get to know our talented guest a little more. We fired a few questions at him earlier this week. Here’s what he had to say.
Mister Saturday Night: You’ve been busy recently. Traveling, taking in a lot gigs & reaping well-deserved success it would seem. How do you feel about this particular time for you?
Keith Worthy: It’s always feels good when people are interested and appreciate what you are doing, and it’s cool to visit other parts of the world and meet and play for people who get down the way that you do… but I stay away from using the word ‘success’… it’s relative depending on what your goal really is.
MSN: If you don’t mind, tell us a little about the interaction of the DJ/Producer community in Detroit. We know that the scene is small and that there aren’t many parties supporting the music coming out of Detroit right now so I’d imagine the opportunity to interact at parties is limited and then many artists have established themselves on the international circuit so they must be out of the city a lot. Under what circumstances do you find yourself in the company of your peers these days?
KW: For the most part, the DJ/Producer community in Detroit supports each other, whether it is publicly or in private, even though the media doesn’t often print the last part. I’ve said it a thousand times, but there are a lot of very talented people living in Detroit, some you have already heard of and some you will be hearing from in the future. As far as [interacting] at parties in Detroit being limited, it’s definitely not 1989 anymore, but there are things to do if one is interested. Detroit is a city for hustlers, so we all get our hustle on in various ways.
MSN: You started your label (Aesthetic Audio) so you could be in control of your productions and output. How do feel about that strategy? Has it paid off?
KW: As far a me gauging my business strategy and it paying off, again ‘paying off’ is relative. If my objective was simply to make a lot of money then I would have certainly not have started a record label while people are constantly stealing music with downloading and file sharing. I’m not against technology at all, I actually embrace it… it’s people that I don’t have much faith in… once they are exposed to technology for the most part… from warfare to music… ultimately people have to find out how many times over we can kill ourselves… I finished my education, so if I simply want to make a few bucks, I have other options, just as long as God blesses me with my health. For me, music is sort of an addiction, it’s more or less something that I could not seem to shake… I love music and appreciate others that do as well, and Aesthetic Audio is my voice.
MSN:Switching gear for a minute, how would you describe your approach to production?
KW: Production for me is really emotional and sometimes I can’t sleep until I record and save what’s in my head… and other times I’ll need to dust off my keyboards…
MSN: We’re always interested in our guests’ inspirations? Can you tell us what artists, tracks or people have inspired you over the years?
KW: Numerous people from various genres have certainly inspired me from a creative, free thought perspective, but to answer your question, artists such as Prince, Michael Jackson, James Brown, Larry Heard, Juan, Derrick, Blake, Shake, Kevin, Pepe Braddock, Frankie Knuckles, Gilb’r, Isolee, Ron Trent, to the Rolling Stones, Al Green, The Spinners, The Doors, to good friends Mike Huckaby, Scott Grooves, Theo, Kenny, Duane Bradley…
MSN: Any plans to release future music on other people’s labels?
KW: I get offers to work with other labels, and I am open to it when the situation and the feeling [is] right. Many labels are not in the position that they once were to take risks (monetarily or creatively).
MSN: What’s coming next for you?
KW: Underground Anthems vol 3 on Sistrum Recordings, Underground Anthems vol 4 on Aesthetic Audio, [and I’m] working through a few remix offers… [There’s also] Aesthetic Audio 12 through 14.
MSN: Well, we hope you give us a little preview this weekend. We’re looking forward to playing with you!
nice!
real right!