But you're still using a lot of analog keyboards, I saw a Wurlitzer in the studio, a Fender Rhodes?

Yeah, I love the old school sounds. ARP String Ensemble, Rhodes, old school Clavinet, the whole shit. I'm a big keyboard fan. I don't really dig working with samples because you're so limited when you sample.


But you came from a sampling background?

Actually, most of my music has been played. Back when we started with the N.W.A. thing, it was a lot of drum loops, drum samples, and what have you. But if we were going to sample something, we would try to at least replay it, get musicians in and replay it. If it was something we couldn't replay, we would use the sample. I've tried to stay away from it as much as possible throughout my career from day one.


Any surprising musical influences?

I'm a big P-Funk fan, that was it for me growing up. Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes, I was influences by all of those guys. That's what really motivated me to use live instruments on my records. Just listening to the way they put their records together. That appreciation came from my mother. There was always music being played in my house when I was growing up, and that's all I heard was 70's soul. And then the DJing thing came along.