Mini-Interview: Mr. Scruff

When DJs are booked to play SmartBar, most are generally content to spin for just about an hour or two. However, this isn’t nearly enough time for England’s Mr. Scruff. The Mancunian mixer famous for his cheeky scribble cartoons is scheduled to perform a full seven hour set this weekend, essentially playing the club from open until close. RFC recently caught up with Scruff, known to his friends and family as Andrew Carthy, to find out the motives behind his deck-hogging madness. Radio Free Chicago: Your upcoming Chicago gig is advertised as a 7-hour set??? How do you keep the floor going that long? Also, why are you subjecting yourself to such a long night when you could very easily just fly in for a quick 60-90min set? Mr. Scruff: I always try and play the whole night wherever I go. That is the way I spin at my UK residencies, and I think it is best if I give everyone the ‘real deal’, so to speak. As for keeping the floor going, I get to warm up & create a mood for the first hour or two, and then get busy for the next five hours! I play a lot of styles of music, so that your feet don’t get bored. RFC: It seems like you play Chicago a lot...what do you like about playing here? Scruff: I like the city, the musical heritage, the food, the people (great dancers!), and I really like the SmartBar. It has a good, homely, underground family atmosphere & a great soundsystem. RFC: What else is on tap for Mr. Scruff in 2006? New album, mixes, cartoons??? Scruff: Roughly in date order, there is a collaboration with Quantic (giraffe walk), a Jazzanova remix, a Big Chill compilation, and then hopefully volume 2 of the Solid Steel mix album, and a new artist album...but don’t hold your breath for the last two!