Interview ‣ SUPR SPRT
The Superb SUPR SPRT
An interview with one of New York's coolest DJ's.
Kurt
Writer
Updated
You absolutely never know who you will meet when you step into the 2-1-2. The perfect example is when I met one of the, truly, coolest DJ’s hitting the club scene in New York, SUPR SPRT. We initially met at Mi Casa’s Lower East Side location on Hester Street. SUPR SPRT was getting ready to work on some production for the at-the-time upcoming Red Bull Culture Clash.
Later that day, and for the following weeks, like a fly on the wall, I observed SUPR SPRT in his element. Working with various artists to craft the perfect sounds for the battle against Corpus, Club Cringe and Apocalipsis, he demonstrated his ability to be “THE MAN” behind the scenes. At the same time, adopting another team’s genre for the night was one of SUPR SPRT’s qualms, but he overcame it just like he has with everything else in his life.
I wanted to know more about the man behind the cool tunes. I wanted to know more about the man I watched sifting through waves of concert goers at Elsewhere. I wanted to know more about the man that name dropped moistbreezy and, a good friend of mine, DJ FLWRSHRK. Fast forward to 2023; I invited SUPR SPRT to 368 Studio in SoHo to get to know him a little better. At the time, he was preparing to drop his latest EP, ‘New Donk City’, which is available on Bandcamp and SoundCloud now! Our most recent talk touched mainly on the happenings of 2022, as well as his background, thoughts on the DJ community, and plans for the current year.
All photos by me, Kurt @kurt.is.ig
How’s your day going? What’s on your mind right now?
Half Moon
My day is going pretty well. I did some work, did some laundry, and hit the barber shop. Just took care of some errands, took care of some business.
SUPR SPRT
Nice, “Gym, tan, laundry.”
Yeah, minus the tan, clearly.
Your name is pretty cool: SUPR SPRT. Where did the inspiration come from?
It actually started from my passion for high-performance cars. They’re usually called “super sport,” like Camaros. I think Bugatti makes one. That’s where I got the inspiration from.
I started a livestream a while ago, when I was living in Boston, and it was called ‘Super Sports’, and eventually someone was like, “Why don’t you just use that as your DJ name?” So around 2017 or 2018 is when I started using it.
Pretty cool. What were you going by before that?
Just my government name, Aleksey.
You said you were living in Boston, is that where you are from?
Originally I am from the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan.
Oh yeah, you did tell me about that.
Yeah, I think we were talking about that before. Most people have never heard of it. I usually say it’s between Afghanistan and China just for geographical reference. But I did some growing up in Texas, Arkansas, and Tennessee, then I moved to Boston for college and just stuck around there for a little while.
Any particular reason your family was moving around so much?
We came to Texas and Arkansas to immigrate to the U.S., and then my parents found work in Tennessee so that’s how we ended up there.
How long did you live in Tajikistan?
I was there until I was about two, then we moved to Belarus for a couple of years, but I don’t remember much.
I see, I see. What sort of music did you hear growing up? What did your parents listen to?
We would listen to a lot of The Beatles, Boney M., which is funny because they sound like typical Russian disco. Some classic rock, and a lot of gospel music. That’s actually how I got started in music, by singing in a choir. It was a school choir, you know, church music. It was funny; we went on tour with that choir and performed with orchestras. Definitely a cool experience.
That sounds pretty dope. So from being in a choir to then being a DJ, or did you dabble in another area of music before that?
Pretty much the most natural thing I could do was learn to play guitar in middle school. I played in some Rock and Roll bands. I got a drum machine when I was a junior in high school. So I would say I started producing first, then I started DJing in 2008.
It’s been a little while now. Tell me about those first couple of years when you started DJing. How did you sound back then?
I got turntables first, like physical ones. That’s when I was on the hunt for different styles. That’s when I got into electronic music. It was a lot of 80’s and 90’s music. The first drum and bass record that I got, I played it at the wrong bpm, and I was like, “What is going on with this music?” I switched the speed and then it made more sense. Unfortunately, I had to sell most of my record collection when I left Nashville.
Aww man, I’m sorry to hear that. Have you made most of it back?
Not really. I can still spin vinyl but a collection is just too much for me.
I feel you. Before, you said you went to school in Boston. What did you go to school for?
I went to school for psychology and philosophy, specifically, I studied the philosophy of science.
So you were doing that, but in the back of your head that music was always playing huh?
Music was definitely my passion; it was my creative outlet. I was DJing house parties. I had some club gigs here and there, but I didn’t get a residency until 2016-2017. That’s when I definitely got more serious about it.
Where was your first residency?
It was at this club called Good Life, for a trap night called PVRPLE, which had an incredible run. They booked a lot of the underground DJ’s that other clubs wouldn’t book. Then trap music blew up and the bigger clubs started booking the same DJ’s.
Damn, they just swooped in and took the underground. Well, who are some artists you listen to nowadays, particularly from around the City?
There’s a lot of good Hip-Hop; drill music, like Shawny Binladen is pretty big. I listen to people from out-of-town mostly. There’s a big movement in Russia; they like this style called phonk. I was actually listening to Pharmacist on my way over here. Also, just a lot of my friends, like Amadeezy, he’s a good club producer. I like playing his tracks. A lot of southern-Hip-Hop still. Electro, but that’s a bit bigger in Europe, I would say. New york’s not really too much on the Electro.
Your music interests seem to reflect your moving around a lot. And now you are here in New York City, the big ol’ melting pot. Switching gears, how was your 2022 in general?
2022 was amazing, a lot of highlights. The Red Bull Culture Clash with Half Moon, I would say that was the highlight. A lot of smaller clubs, medium clubs… a lot of clubs! I produced a lot as well, I was happy about that. I just dropped a pack of 18 songs that I produced or remixed. I have been really trying to focus on the production side of things.
You brought up the Red Bull Culture Clash at Warsaw, which was definitely a moment. Tell everyone about your preparation for the event. What was it like?
It was a lot of studying. It was a competition so we had to study the other teams. I made a lot of original edits for it, which was cool to play on that big of a sound system. We had a lot of studio time, which was exciting. Recording artists, merging the dubs. It was unbelievable that we got those artists to make custom songs for us. I still have the drops of them saying my DJ name.
Tell me about the night of the clash.
One of the craziest things was how much the stage was shaking. I was wearing my GoPro on my chest, and the stage was shaking so hard, the gear unplugged a couple of times. Whoever was DJing had two people holding their laptop because it was coming off the stand, like flying off!
We were really bumping and thumping in there, huh? Were there any other memorable sets of yours from last year?
We’ve been talking about music a bunch; what are some of your passions outside the realm of music?
I like riding my bicycle, eating healthy, and keeping up my mental health. I try to meditate, be grounded and centered. I was trying to read more in 2022, but, you know.
What kind of material were you interested in reading?
One book I am almost done with is ‘Neuromancer.’ It’s a sci-fi novel, and it’s the first time someone coined the term, “matrix.” That was one of them. There’s a psychologist, Oliver Sacks, he has a book. I think it’s called, ‘Everything in Its Place.’ He does a lot of fringe studies about weird psychological disorders, so I like reading his work.
Nice, those do sound pretty interesting. What are your plans for this year? Maybe finish up the book?
I’m hoping to finish that book, maybe a couple more. I’m releasing a lot of new music; I’ve got two EP’s that are planned for spring. I’m sitting on an R&B album, like, it’s ready to drop.
Wait, you’re singing on it?
Oh, no, I just produced it. So yeah, that’s in the works. I want to produce a lot more. I’ve got some DJ gigs lined up as usual.
At the moment, which one do you like to do more: DJing or producing? Do you like spinning in front of the crowd, or do you like to be in the recesses of your home just cooking up?
I think they have different appeals to me. DJing is a more instant gratification, where I get to see the crowd's reaction. The environment is different. Everyone’s turned up, there’s much more high energy. Production is more satisfying when I get to send my music out. It’s a slow return on that work. The 2022 pack I dropped had a lot of interesting support from DJ’s. I’m hoping to see some videos of my tracks being played.
That would be pretty epic. Let’s say you could DJ in front of an audience made of any demographic. Who would you choose to DJ for?
I would say I most enjoy DJing for people I can surprise. A lot of people may have a certain conception of me when they see me. I’ll play a dancehall set and they’ll be like, “What?” It’s a pleasant surprise for people. I guess it's people who don't expect much of me.
I would also say people who have a specific idea of what they want to hear. Like the Bad Bunny requesters. I’ll play something for them and then something for me, and try to get them to be like, “Oh okay, my mind is more open now.”
I see. You’re trying to open people's minds, take them out of their comfort zone of what they like to hear. That’s pretty dope. Last thing I want to address is your Twitter. You tweeted, “I brought at least three new DJ’s into the world this year and I’m sorry.” What does that mean?
The reason I am sorry is that it’s a lot of ego. I think that one thing I want to teach people more is managing their ego. Especially at first when things are going super well and you’re getting gigs and people are like, “Oh my God, you’re so good!” And you’re like, “Yeah I am!” It’s good to experience that but it kind of can get out of control.
Also, DJing is pretty saturated. Everyone’s a DJ; it’s pretty accessible, it’s more accessible than ever. I feel like there are a lot of people that just get the basics down and then are like, “I’m the shit.” I think that energy is what I’m sorry about.
That makes absolute sense. What’s something you want to see more of within the DJ community?
I would say more of an appreciation for music, and less judgment; less hate. I think a lot of “DJ Twitter” is people with opinions that nobody asked for. In a really funny way, they tend to get a lot of support. Sometimes with a scandalous opinion, people are like, “Oh my God,” and they just start talking about it and then it’s my whole feed. Everyone’s hating on so-and-so. I think that goes against the actual music. It’s impossible to separate the art from the artist, but at the same time, it really is about music and trying to create a connection with people in that way. Yeah, connection and community is what I hope to see.