Wing DJ & The Shutdown

Right, so the kitchen gig was a sweet deal, a proper gig, and let me tell you, when you're one of seven hundred blokes with only six cookers, you gotta play hardball to get in. Especially on a four-day weekend, which was my usual rotation. But it wasn't just about the food, nah. This was where the real networking happened, a melting pot of cultures and flavours. I'd grab a chicken, some mince, and trade with my mates. We had the Caribbean crew whipping up their magic, the Indian boys doing their thing. I even got into mild curries, which was a revelation. We'd freeze it all up in our containers, last us the week. And me, being number one on the servery, I was the food server, the cleaner, the main man on the wing.

But the real buzz, the real escape, was the music. I was doing my thing in the studio at the time, and I'd bring the beats to the wing. We'd get the biggest bass system, you know the type, yellow blaster bass, Sub-Zero, the works. We'd drag it out the cell, clear the wings, get everyone associating. Then I’d crank it up, and the whole place would just… shut down. It was beautiful, man. The noise, the energy, everyone just vibing. And the funny thing, about six weeks later, someone drops a track called ‘Shutdown’. You could tell, right? Someone had got hold of a mobile, heard the beat, got the logistics, and boom. The actual song, the beat itself, was 100% quality, a masterpiece. It’s all about the instruments you use, the vibe you create. And I was there, setting the stage, even if someone else got the credit.

It depended, you see. If you were old school, you’d suss out any nonsense, dig into the paperwork, talk to the victim. Some people, though, they’d lie through their teeth. I uncovered a few of them, blokes who were clearly conning people, trying to take their property, their cars, their money. It was a grim business, but what can you do? Then you get the real ones, the hardcore justice types. They’re the ones who make sure these people never pull that kind of crap again. You get what I’m saying? Some people say you gotta go through what they went through, but honestly, if you’ve had a broomstick shoved up your arse and then kicked in, and a sock full of human shit shoved down your throat so you can’t even scream… well, you’ve experienced a certain kind of humour, haven’t you? A curious sound, that’s for sure. But I’ll never see those people again, obviously. It’s the way they like it, you know? People like it like that.