DJ Skribble

On “ESSENTIAL DANCE 2000,” Atlantics first joint release with the Warner Essential label, the one-and-only DJ Skribble spins pop, house, electronica, hip hop and progressive trance into a boombastic multi-artist mix which makes it perfectly clear why MTVs own superstar DJ is tops both in his field and on the dance floor. Capturing all the vibe and vitality of a live Skribble club set, ” “ESSENTIAL DANCE 2000” “sees this master dj blending hit tracks from an eclectic array of musicians such as Moby, Cher, Filter, William Orbit, the Vengaboys, Fragma, and even Bob Marley with his own idiosyncratic brand of anything-goes mixing. “A DJ should be able to go into any kind of party and adapt to any kind of situation,” Skribble says. “If youre not versatile, you just trap yourself into a corner. I pride myself on trying to play many different styles of music. I can go to a hardcore hip hop club, play for those kids, then go to a hardcore rave and play the hardest trance set. What makes a great DJ is the ability to play for anybody.”

The New York-born Skribble alias Scott Ialacci began working the decks at the tender age of 11, and soon stepped into the national spotlight as a founding member of the hip hop collective Young Black Teenagers. The groups two Hank Shocklee-produced albums courted controversy in the late 80s/early 90s, but also earned Skribble the esteem of such rockers as Primus and Anthrax, who invited the DJ to tour with them on the wheels of steel. Since then, he has traveled the world numerous times, spinning for the likes of the Notorious B.I.G. and Craig Mack, not to mention opening sets for the Chemical Brothers. An avowed hip hop junkie, Skribbles genre-busting style has led to his contributing remixes to such artists as Olive, Pink, the Jungle Brothers and Faith Evans, along with scratching and spinning on The Fugees smash “THE SCORE” and Wyclef Jeans “CARNIVAL.”

Skribbles many MTV roles on such shows as Sisqos Shakedown, MTV Jams, The Grind, The Daily Burn, Yo! MTV Raps, the annual Spring Break festivities, and of course, Global Groove have made him one of the worlds best-known and most-loved DJs. In addition to his hugely popular Saturday Night Dance Factory radio show on New York Citys famed WKTU-FM, Skribble also spent two years in the mid-Nineties spinning for Ed Lover and Doctor Dres HOT-97 Morning Show, inspiring the smoking hip hop mixes that have been collected on his two “TRAFFIC JAMS” compilations (featuring contributions from such Skribble aficionados as Busta Rhymes, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Gang Starr, Juvenile, and Reverend Run). He has also teamed up with longtime collaborator Anthony Acid for the acclaimed two-volume house music series, “MDMA: MUSIC 4 DANCE, MUSIC 4 ATTITUDE.”

In 1996, DJ Skribble starred on Broadway as part of Bill Irwins groundbreaking contemporary musical, Hip Hop Wonderland, and was a featured performer with the long-running off-Broadway hit, Jam On The Groove (where he backed the legendary Rock Steady Crew hip hop dance ensemble). Summer 2000 has already found Skribble taking on yet another high profile gig, pumping his trademark sound as musical director and DJ on CBS The Cindy Margolis Show. Now, with “ESSENTIAL DANCE 2000,” DJ Skribble amply displays the prowess and power that makes him the life of any party. “Being a DJ, the goal is to get people in the palm of your hand,” Skribble says. “You have total control of where youre going to take them throughout the night. Thats what drove me toward openness, because there are so many different ways you can go. I just figured, I want to play everything.”