DJ Jay-Ski

- -DJ Jay-Ski fell in love with Hip-Hop in the early 80's. He went from growing up on Van Halen and Led Zeppelin and playing guitar, to trading that in for breakdancing and eventually two turntables. After messing around with an early record that he purchased (Jam Master Jay by Run-Dmc), he fell in love with way it sounded to scratch "Jayyyyy" on his father's stereo. After risking the record condition as well as his dad's needle, Jay was eventually given a set of beginner turntables as a gift. From that point on, there was no looking back. After practicing day in and day out, and eventually buying a set of the standard Technic's 1200 turntables, Jay-Ski entered a local DJ battle that consisted of about 25 DJ's. He made it to the second week, and remained on the stage all night as he defeated all competitors in his path. This landed him a local radio guest spot as a prize, which then led to a gig on Philly's Q102 in 1992 doing a weekly hip-hop show. One year after that he also entered the Battle for World Supremecy in New York City. He made it to the second round and was defeated in the semi-finals (By DJ Sinister, formerly of the X-Men). However the experience gained him notoriety and also the confidence to go in front of any crowd.
Jay eventually started spinning full time on the station, until 1994 when the station changed it's format. Being a true fan of radio since 1980, Jay-Ski wasn't giving up that easily. He later moved to the Washington D.C. area and became the lead mixshow DJ at WKYS, Kiss F.M. He had two great years there and helped the station reach number one in the ratings. Radio-One, who owns WKYS, then bought WPHI in Jay's home region of Philadelphia. Without hesitation, Jay left to go back home and blaze his hometown airwaves. He was spinning full time 6 days a week, sometimes 7 and was also the mixshow coordinator as well as creative services producer. After 8 years there and feeling the need to grow, Jay moved on and took a small break from radio to focus on music production as well as recording and performing with his current supergroup , Bunjii.
Over the years Jay produced a few records, including a remix for Coolio on Tommy Boy records, as well as classik cuts for Baby Blak, Last Emperor, and others. Also in that time, he linked up with long time friends DJ Excel and Sat-One and they formed the Skratch Makaniks DJ crew. The group of top-notch DJ..s has since expanded , and has set out on a quest to spread turntablism and knowledge of the DJ culture wherever they go. The Makaniks have recently toured with Busta Rhymes as well as the Roots and the Gap Band, and Jay and his crew maintain residencies at all of the Philadelphia hotspots. The sky is the limit for Jay-Ski and the Skratch Makaniks, and with 20 years behind the turntables and drum machines, this Jersey native is just gettin' warm!