- Please introduce yourself to the scratch audience in Poland
My name is Swordz, I'm from Brussels.
I'm part of the Iron Finga Cutz crew from Belgium.(aka IFC 4CE)
I'm scratching/juggling for almost 10 years right now (with some breakes included, cause it makes me go crazy sometimes.)

- You've just became second in Pro Category in Skrecz.Com Battle 2007 - what do you think about this battle?
It was great. I loved the atmosphere, the venue, the people and especially the djs. Poland has great djs/turntablists, that's for sure. So I really want to say props to Czarny cause I really liked his juggles. Falcon for almost kicking my ass with his insane set and of course Eprom for showing me the greatest turntablism skills! Also the freestyle battle was really nice to watch. Before I came to Poznan I checked some guys on the internet, but when I was at the battle I was still surprised because of the high skill level.

- Are you going to record a scratch music album or will you only compete in battles?
Actually, I'm working on some featurings with a Greek guy called Funk Konami. He'll make an album with a track with my cuts on it, so that's for the near future. And I'm also part of a Brussels based electro project called RubiCub Club. We have a very cute female singer who's singing in French. And we will release our first 12" on a French record label...so stay tuned if you guys are interested.

- You won the "Hit the Decks" battle in Belgium. Please tell us more about this event.
It is a battle organised by the Killa Tactics turntablist crew. For me still the greatest hardcore turntablists in Belgium. They wanted to organise a battle like the Allies (Craze, A-Trak, Spiktacular, Infamous, J-Smoke & Klever) did cause they thought all the other battles sucked ass. They have the same structure and rules like ITF, so it's a one on one battle. This event happened for the fourth time in 2006. The first edition started in 2000. That year a Belgian dj (Magicut) won this battle. In 2001 the second edition took place and we all got kicked ass by "Ze Germans" (Kid Fresh, Rafik & Rasgunyado). And in 2005 we had again a lot of german guys who participated and so Pro Zeiko won in that year. And finally, in 2006 it was again a Belgian mofo who won it. The sad thing about the Belgium battle scene is that this event is the only battle taking place in Belgium. We don't have a DMC and ITF anymore. So 'officially' you could see hit the decks like the Belgian championship. The two last editions were outside in a forest and people could sit down so a lot of people stayed till the end of the battle, what's unusual I think. I heard the organizers want to do it this year on a different location and I think that's a pity, but we'll see...



- Do you think that turntablism is still part of the hip-hop culture or is it something much different these days?
Officially it's still a part of the 4 Hip Hop elements and in Belgium for example we organise turntablism at the same shows where mc's are doing their thing. But because of the evolution of both styles a lot of cats don't understand each other anymore cause turntablism , in my opinion has become maybe a little too technical these days and a lot of djs are making routines with different styles of music instead of just hip hop. But for me, personally, that's a good thing, I guess. At the end it all depends on the people's mind of course.

- What is your hobby beside djing?
Art in general(photography, architecture, painting, going to expositions), travelling ... And of course music in general. I like to play the guitar and the drums too. .

- Do you also play regular gigs at clubs?
Not so often. But I have my gigs and I still have a lot of fun in what I do. Sometimes when I travel and I play in another country I think like: "if I would live here it must be much easier then playing in Belgium" but maybe that's just a thought.

- What music have you been listening to lately?
Hip Hop & Soul. Scratch music of course. Drum and bass, Grime & Dubstep, House and Electro.
But recently I even listened my old punk and hardcore records. And especially a lot of Jazz & Funk. These last two are still my favourite styles to listen to.
But when I was in Prague I got an album from the Boss Hoss. These guys are Germans who play country music. It's also really great!

- What are your plans for the rest of the year?
Working on the projects I told you about. Producing some dubplates for the upcoming battles. Travelling and if I find the time chillin'.

Thanks a lot for your interest. I especially want to thank Mentalcut for having me in Poznan and for organising such a great dj battle. And of course peace to the polish crowd. Thank you. You were great!

(C) 03.2007 MentalCut for Skrecz.com
Photos: Swordz archive.

Swordz performing at Skrecz.Com Battle 2007:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSMi98-CF4U