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Bringing Bronx beats to Breck

Kimberly Nicoletti

BRECKENRIDGE-Jason Kibler grew up in the Bronx like any other kid- except on his 14th Christmas, Santa brought him a set of turn-tables.”I grew up in the projects and was the only kid that had turntables,” Kibler, otherwise known as DJ Logic, wrote on his Web site. “So, by default, I became the house DJ for all the parties – graduations, school dances, birthdays, everything.”As a teen-ager, Kibler watched the hip-hop revolution take off with sounds from his hometown heroes Kool Herk, Africa Bambaata and Grandmaster Flash. He became an early hip-hop historian, documenting the sounds and styles of rap’s pioneers.”Growin’ up in the Bronx at the same time as hip-hop grew up, it was always just a part of my blood, my drinking water,” he said.Kibler perfected the ins and outs of his techniques and collected stacks of records. Then drummer Richie Harrison invited Kibler to fuse the hip-hop culture into his rock band. Kibler didn’t know what to expect, but he showed up with his turntables.”As soon as he started kickin’ beats out of his kit, I just started scratchin’ sounds and colors,” he said. “It was a natural mix.”He joined the band, passing up several basketball scholarships to pursue music full time. Sony signed Harrison’s band, Eye and I, then agency powerhouse William Morris picked it up. The band toured with Living Colour, just as Logic had turned 18. “Instead of going to music school, I had all these great musicians like Vernon Reid and Melvin Gibbs teaching me by ear, really helping me see my turntables as an instrument in itself,” he said. “It took me to a whole new level.”As his reputation grew, Kibler’s name transformed. After spending an entire day paging through the dictionary, the word “logic” jumped out.”It was like that name had always been mine,” he said. “It was just … logical.”After a year tour, Eye and I split up, and Logic joined My Science Project. In 1996, Logic began experimenting with jazz. He toured and recorded with Graham Haynes, son of jazz drummer Roy Haynes, and Blue Note artist Don Byron.One night, Billy Martin, drummer for Medeski, Martin and Wood, saw Logic, and three months later, the band’s manager called Logic to perform with the trio on stage.”It was just magical,” Logic said. “I was really feeling them, playing under their tracks without taking up too much space, but the audience was going crazy. The band kept me on for the rest of the run.”Logic produced “Dracula-Mix” with the band, signed on with Capital/Blue Note in 1997 for the Combustication sessions and toured with the band for a year.Logic formed his own five-piece collective, Project Logic, in 2000. Since then, he has performed with John Scofield, Joshua Redman, Teo Macero, Karl Denson, String Cheese Incident, Marc Ribot, Bela Fleck and Chris Whitley. “Every good DJ has got (a) thing that makes them unique,” Logic said. “I like to think my thing is just playing live music with real musicians, being a part of the band and being a good listener.”DJ Logic performs solo tonight at Sherpa & Yeti’s in Breckenridge.Kimberly Nicoletti can be reached at (970) 668-3998 ext. 245 or by e-mail at knicoletti@summitdaily.com.—Event: DJ LogicWhen: 10 p.m. todayWhere: Sherpa & Yeti’s, Breckenridge


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