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Rob Swift | |
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 Rob Swift in Bronx, New York City, 1998 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Robert Aguilar |
| Born | (1972-05-14)May 14, 1972 (age 52) Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels |
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| Website | www.djrobswift.com |
Rob Swift (bornRobert Aguilar; May 14, 1972)[1] is an Americanhip hopDJ andturntablist. He was an original member of the turntablist group TheX-Ecutioners until 2004. Over his career, he has released numerous solo albums and collaborated with various artists, includingMike Patton, Patton's projectPeeping Tom,Dan the Automator andHandsome Boy Modeling School,Lords of Acid,Portugal. The Man, andHerbie Hancock.
From January 2010 through May 2015, Swift hosted the online hip-hop radio showDope on Plastic on Scion A/V Streaming Radio 17.[2]
In August 2012, Swift became the resident DJ for a new late night college sports TV talk show onESPNU called UNITE.
Swift was born and raised inJackson Heights, Queens, by Colombian heritage. He started being an DJ at the age of 12 by watching his father and brother.[3][4]
Swift educated himself with the classic turntable beats of the early 1980sNew York City playground pioneers while listening to funk and jazz at home with his brother. He draws inspiration fromBob James,Herbie Hancock,James Brown,Quincy Jones,Grandmaster Flash andGrand Wizard Theodore.
In 1990, Swift enrolled as a student atBaruch College inNew York City and graduated in 1995 with a degree inpsychology.
In 1991, Swift joined the groundbreaking turntablist crew the X-Men akaX-ecutioners (Roc Raida,Total Eclipse, andMista Sinista). Also in 1991, he won theDMC East Coast title.
In 1997, theX-Ecutioners debut their album 'X-Pressions' (Ashpodel), marked the ascent of Swift as a recording artist, evident in the dirt-funky tracks like "Word Play." Five years later, their major-label debut 'Built From Scratch' (Loud/Columbia) propelled the group to stardom with the massive hit "It's Goin’ Down," featuringLinkin Park.
"Following the success of 'It's Goin Down,' our label reps aimed to shift us into a Rap-Rock group, not grasping our core aim of using the turntable as a tool to continually push musical boundaries." — says Swift.
Swift decided to pursue a solo career due to the pressure from the label, which aimed to force conformity for commercial success, ultimately straining theX-Ecutioners' creativity. His debut in 1998, 'The Ablist,' marked the beginning of his solo journey. 'Sound Event' (2002) further showcased his diverse production style, seamlessly blending dark jeep beats, Latin Jazz, and ambient-electronic funk with seasoned studio craftsmanship.
“Venturing off into my solo career helped me realize I was just beginning to scratch the surface of my true potential.” Swift says, “the worst thing one can do to an artist is limit them and I started to feel stifled creatively. My departure from theX-Ecutioners was a necessary one cause it freed me from all constraints.” Swift's post-9/11 beat collageWar Games (2005), his third solo album, (featuring guest shots from The Large Professor and Bob James) “is an ominous soundtrack to the DJ's perspective on the state of the contemporary world today. It's complex, intelligent, and provocative…”[5]
In 2001, he was featured in the DJ documentaryScratch (Palm Pictures). He has appeared onESPN, theLate Show with David Letterman andSesame Street.
In 2008, Swift was the first hip hop DJ invited to perform at the Savannah Jazz Festival in Georgia. He has collaborated with artists from many genres includingBlue Man Group,Herbie Hancock,Scritti Politti,Bob James,Linkin Park,Good Charlotte,Dan The Automator,Fat Joe,Cypress Hill andBill Laswell. He currently[when?] works solo, as part of the groupIll Insanity (featuring former X-MenTotal Eclipse andPrecision), or collaborating with other like-minded artists.[6][7]
In January 2010, Swift hosted the online hip-hop radio showDope on Plastic on Scion A/V Streaming Radio 17 on which he plays mixes and interviews with guest turntablists.[8] Guests have included J-Smoke & DJ Element,[9] Tim Martells, and DJ Platurn.[10]
In February 2010, Swift's solo 18-song turntablism-classical music fusion albumThe Architect was released byMike Patton onIpecac Recordings, which Swift dedicated to Roc Raida who died in 2009.[11][12][13] In June 2008, Swift's girlfriend played a piece byChopin for him on her iPod while he was shaving. In July, he began work on a new album and a month or two into the recording process. He was heard quoting "I listened back to see how to album was starting to shape up. After sitting down and listening to it I started realizing that I was being influenced by this genre of classical that I had a new found love for... I then started creating my music in a way that was reflective of the way that the composers created their pieces. So I started working in movements. I was using sounds and then reintroducing the sounds in other songs. And I sat down and went, 'wow!' All this time, artists like Mozart, Chopin, Beethoven were influencing me on this album subconsciously without me knowing. So once I realized that, then I decided that this album would be a take on what I feel classical composers like Mozart and Chopin would have done if they had turntables."[14] One guest MC,Breez Evahflowin, rhymes about the album's concepts on "Principio" and "Ultimo".
On March 20, 2012, Swift released the albumRoc for Raida, a collection of songs (some unreleased) and battle style routines that defined the late fellow X-EcutionerRoc Raida as an artist, lost interview archives (from John Carluccio), and other material, with proceeds going to Raida's family.[15]
In August 2012, Swift became the resident DJ for a new late night college sports TV talk show on ESPNU calledUNITE. “My roll on the show revolved around me using my abilities as a DJ to score highlights from various college sports games. Providing the overall soundtrack to the show as the cast (former Florida State Seminole & NY Giants QB Danny Kannel, TV personality Marianela, and comedian Reese Waters) debated and poked fun at the day's college sports and hot topics. UNite was the first show of its kind. Never has a DJ been such an integral part of a live television show. ESPN is the most recognized sports network across the world and with my passion of sports and Djing combined, this was yet again, a defining moment in my career.”[16]
In September 2014, Swift became a Professor atThe New School in New York City and while there taught the course DJ Skills & Styles.[17] Smith's research includes Hip Hop History and culture as well as Musical Composition via turntable techniques.
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