 “Logic's
not just a skilled DJ, he's also a talented all-around
musician. Eschewing flashy scratching displays, he
fronts chunky hip-hop beat slinging, knob-twisting
dub, and chaotic sound sculpting -- sonic trademarks
that've made him the man to call when jazz cats want
to tap into the hip-hop zeitgeist. The results - both
on the album and in concert - favor multi-textured
grooves over highflying solos.” – URB
Born in the Bronx, Jason Kibler
a.k.a DJ Logic experienced the birth of hip-hop first-hand.
As a young teenager, Logic received a pair of turntables
for Christmas and was soon spinning music for dances
and parties in gymnasiums and private homes all over
his native borough. Influenced
by both the boogie down and downtown jazz scenes, Logic
got his start playing turntables with live musicians
in 1990 as a member of forward-thinking rock group
Eye and I. After some early tutelage from Living Colour
guitarist Vernon Reid, many members of New York’s
downtown jazz scene took notice of the innovative DJ
and the fresh sounds he brought to their music.
In 1996, Logic hit it off with
funk trio Medeski, Martin & Wood at their historic Shack Parties. Logic’s
ability to capture textures appealed to the trio and
after a few collaborations the turntablist quickly
became MMW’s unofficial 4th member. Logic
toured with the band and recorded with them on their
Blue Note album, Combustication. A big break
for the DJ, his work with MMW made him a sensation
in the jazz, jam band and hip-hop worlds, leading to
work with jazz musicians like Graham Haynes, Don Byron,
John Scofield, Joshua Redman and Christian McBride;
jam bands like the Allman Brothers and Phish; and hip-hop
masterminds like Prince Paul, Ursula Rucker, and Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson
from the Roots. By 1998, Logic was headlining at the
Knitting Factory in New York City and word-of-mouth
swiftly evolved the DJ into being the most sought-after
in clubs all over the city.
Logic’s first gig as a bandleader was in 1999,
implementing his own version of live band with turntablist
concept as Project Logic. In 2001, Logic would
dip into his fat book of contacts and record then premier
his debut album entitled DJ Logic Presents Project
Logic (Ropeadope). The album features cameos
by Marc Ribot, Vernon Reid, and John Medeski. By
the end of that year, Project Logic would criss-cross
the nation on several tours, introducing the entire
country to turntables in a live band setting. Fans
were ecstatic.
In 2002, Logic released a follow-up solo record with
Ropeadope. The Anomaly was critically acclaimed
and the sophomore effort skyrocketed Logic’s
profile, earning him respect not only from critics
but also from a diverse array of musicians. John
Scofield, Roy Hanes and Sun Ra Arkestra brought Logic
on board as a collaborator as well as he worked with
soul star Roberta Flack.
Later that same year, Logic co-lead two groups, each
with a long-time collaborators: a duo with DJ Logic
and Rob Wasserman (from the Grateful Dead), and The
Yohimbe Brothers with Vernon Reid, the latter group
recording Front End Lifter for Ropeadope (2002)
and The Tao of Yo for Thirsty Ear (2004). The
Yohimbe Brothers name is loosely based on an African
herbal aphrodisiac – very fitting for the duo’s
fertile partnership, which produced a well-received
debut. Today, the Yohimbe Brothers continue to
create experimental sounds that defy genres and combine
the best of many elements into noteworthy packages,
live and on record.
In Spring 2003, Logic was called
to join a major U.S. summer tour with Ben Harper
and Jack Johnson. The Harper/Johnson tour diversified
Logic’s audience and in 2004
Logic would join one of the years highest profile summer
tours with Grammy winners John Mayer and Maroon 5,
introducing his old-school flavor to the nations young
pop audiences.
In 2004, DJ Logic would go on
to break new ground. He wasn’t thinking of
the gigs as landmarks as he was booking shows at
the Blue Note, but it would be the first time that
a DJ would ever play the Greenwich Village venue.
Both shows sold out.
DJ Logic has gone on to perform
all over the world, circling states, countries and
venues everywhere from France and the UK to Brazil
and Japan. His role
as a producer keeps him at the top of his game, fulfilling
countless requests for remixes for groups such as Soulive,
The Weather Report, Olu Dara and Phish. In 2005,
Logic is busy in the studio laying down tracks for
his long awaited third album. In addition, he
plans to release a Ray Charles re-mix album, one that
is bound to blow off the charts. DJ Logic is
currently taking his music back to its roots, playing
solo DJ gigs all over the country and participating
in regional tours with The John Popper Band and one-off
collaborations with artists such as Mos Def.
Instead of techno, DJ Logic’s growing catalog
of recordings is more likely to be filed under jazz
and hip-hop. This is no small accomplishment, and his
popularity is as much a reflection of his musicianship
as it is of his diplomacy, his skill as an electronic-music
ambassador. DJ Logic combines textures and weaves them
into something completely new. He adds tabla beats
to electrified blues riffs and salsa grooves. He
attacks hard rock and punk with a jazz sensibility.
This diversity of musical settings has become Logic's
hallmark - his music is a recipe for jazz with
the ingredients as Bronx as hip-hop. A flavor that
will be passed down from generation to generation.
DJ LOGIC COLLABORATIONS
Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson I Allman Brothers
Band | Antipop Consortium | Arlo Guthrie | B-52's |
B.B. King | Bela Fleck | Ben Harper | Bernard Purdie
| Bernie Worrell | Bill Ware | Black Rock Coalition
| Blue Oyster Cult | Bob Weir | Buckethead | Charlie
Hunter I Chocolate Genius I Chris Whitley | Christian
McBride I Cyro Baptista | Deantoni Parks | Del McCrory
| Derek Trucks | Dirty Dozen Brass Band | DJ Olive
| DJ Spooky | Don Byron | Fuzz | Galactic | Graham
Haynes | Headhunters | Jack Johnson | J-Live | John
Popper | John Scofield | John Mayer | John Zorn | Joshua
Redman | Karl Denson | Karriem Riggins | Karsh Kale
| Kenny Garrett | King Curtis | Living Colour | Marc
Ribot | Marco Benevento & Joe Russo | Maroon 5
| Medeski, Martin & Wood | Mike Clark | Mike Gordon
| Mister Rourke | moe. | Mos Def | North Mississippi
All Stars | Oteil Burbridge | Page McConnell | Particle
| Pat Martino | Prince Paul | Rat Dog | Rob Wasserman
| Robert Randolph | Robert Walter | Ron Miles | Rusted
Root | Scratch | Sex Mob | Skerik | Slick Rick | Soulive
| Stanton Moore | Steven Bernstein | Steve Cannon |
String Cheese Incident | Studs Terkel | Subconscious
| Teo Macero | Tom Tom Club | Trey Anastasio | Uri
Caine | Ursula Rucker | Vida Blue | Widespread Panic
DJ LOGIC ESSENTIAL PRESS
"Satchmo = Grandmaster Flash, Bird = Marley Marl,
Miles = DJ Logic." – Jazz Times
“Like some hip mutant offspring of DJ Shadow
and the JB’s, The Anomaly lays eggs
of infectious rhythm in your ear.” - Alternative
Press
"...Logic is the Miles Davis to Faust’s
James Brown, the John Fahey to Z-Trip’s Eddie
Van Halen." - Spin Magazine
"DJ Logic provides a glimpse
into the future and has developed an improvisational
style fiercely attentive to pitch, rhythm and space...his
debut album, Project Logic,
might be described as the ultimate turntablist jazz
record." - New York Times
"Seldom do DJs turn out
something so fiercely imaginative and steadfastly
danceable." - CMJ New Music Report
“As musically ‘accomplished’ DJs
go, it’s harder to find anyone with as many credits
as DJ Logic. Serving as conductor, arranger, bandleader,
as well as wikky-wikky guy,
Logic proves he’s no novelty.” 8 out of
10 – Mixer
“Of all the jocks who
pride themselves on vinyl shredding flair, few can
splice styles,
bring the beat science, or funk it as chillfully as
the Bronx’s DJ Logic…The Anomaly
is one muthalode of out-there grooves.” - LA
Weekly
“There’s all kinds of talk about DJ Logic—how
he’s using turntables to reinvent
electronic jazz; how he’s not just scratching,
but leading a band; how he’s turning hiphop
notions around by shooting them through Miles Davis.
- Philadelphia Weekly
"Kibler flips the DJ script,
layering styles and sounds with each song instead
of
simply playing different sounds and songs within a
musical style. Hip-hop is
tempered with jazzy high hats. Reggae is electrified
with synth squiggles. House
music? Check. Drum-and-bass? Funk? Reggae? All present.
Yet Kibler employs
these styles with such a deft touch that they're hard
to pinpoint. The Anomaly sounds
less derivative than freshly conceived, a new millenium
urban milieu, alternately fit for
the club space or just spacing out." - Washington
Post
The spinner makes needle and vinyl cry out,
mutating words and rhythms into an exquisite blur.” -
Philadelphia City Paper
"One of a few turntablist
visionaries who sees a future for the tables beyond
shallow
virtuosity contests, old skool reconstructions, and
rap metal rhythm generators, DJ
Logic treats his tables like a legitimate instrument
and hears live musicians as if
they're all part of his vinyl world. A hip-hopper with
thirsty ears and improvisational
instincts, Logic has become the darling of the New
York jazz and improvisational
scene, going where few turntablists have." – Time
Out NY
“Logic certainly can make
a claim as a jazz artist after building an impressive
resume
from playing with some of the past decade’s most
adventurous jazz musicians.” – Downbeat
"An astonishing mix of
live instrumentation and turntable wizardry confirming
the
supreme musicality at which DJ Logic's guest appearances
have only hinted." - San Francisco Weekly
"This joint is so fat, it’ll make you want
to lose weight." - URB
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