Just a few weeks into the New Year, Chicago-based house DJ Bad Boy Bill is packing up his turntables and hitting the road mdash;well, that is, if he ever unpacked in the first place. Playing close to 150 gigs annually, Bill finds himself constantly on the clock during his regular globe trotting excursions, travelling to as many as three or four cities mdash;sometimes even countries mdash;within only a few days. Bill rang in the New Year while performing in Las Vegas, making him one of a select few who are able to fuse work and play into a single entity.
Of course, the joys of performing and the headaches of touring are all part of the job for any musician. ldquo;It rsquo;s nice to wake up in your own bed a few weeks here and there, rdquo; Bill admits, before adding, ldquo;I do feel lucky to do what I do, and I love what I do. [Touring] is tiring, but I rsquo;d get really bored if I took too much time off.
rdquo; Wedging in an Edmonton show next week between appearances in Dallas and Calgary, the former American National DMC runner-up is going to bring his recent preference for electro-house to the city, hoping that the crowd will share his enthusiasm for the style. ldquo;I don rsquo;t think about pleasing the crowd when I pick music for my sets, rdquo; he says. ldquo;I just play what I like.
My philosophy is, lsquo;I rsquo;ll play better if I get excited about what I rsquo;m playing. rsquo; I like to share my excitement with the crowd, and I just hope they get just as excited. rdquo; His philosophy has been successful so far.
As one of the founding fathers of the mid- lsquo;80s house movement in Chicago, Bill rsquo;s evolving taste mdash;spanning an incredible career of over 20 years mdash;has foreshadowed and continues to guide the direction of house music. Having begun his career on the DMC circuit mdash;only to abandon it shortly after due to the rigorous hours of practice needed mdash;Bill still brings small elements of scratching and hip-hop to the decks for some extra flavour. Despite these old school touches, however, he remains focused on the future, though he feels no need to make any New Year rsquo;s resolutions.
ldquo;I don rsquo;t make resolutions, rdquo; he states. ldquo;I have goals for every aspect of life. I always take things to another level and push the envelope.
For 2007 I rsquo;ll be hoping to accomplish my current goal and complete my album that rsquo;s in the works. rdquo; V
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