JOHN TYPE

John Type is a dj, producer and turntablist who has been specializing in scratching since 1997 and who was champion of the Italian Skratch Kombat in 2003 and third place winner of DMC World Championship in 2008. He is a member of Alien Army, the turntablist for Negrita on their ‘Helldorado Tour” and band leader of the John Type Ensemble. He also performs live in clubs and at festivals, has appeared on TV in Europe and Asia, composes his own music, puts out records and dvds in both Europe and the United States, is a concept designer of instruments for scratching as well as a graffiti artist, multimedia artist and much more…With such a keen awareness of musical styles and eclectic spirit, John does not like to be pigeonholed: his productions, performances, remixes and sets have no limits and often include a blend of funk, rock, jazz, hip hop, electronica, dance music and more. John Type was born in Manila, Philippines in 1979. Even as a youngster he showed a strong artistic and creative flair. In 1983 he moved to Italy. In the early 90’s he developed his own personal style as a graffiti artist, the passion for which led him to get his Diploma in Animation from the International School of Comics in Florence in 1998. In 1997, he began to develop his passion for music and deejaying. In 2000 he started to perform live in both Italy and Manila, performing among other places at the Seminario ITF Italia/Vestax. In 2001 he joined Alien Army, the most important DJ band in Italy, holding twelve first place awards for their music from organizations like DMC and ITF. He published “The End” with Alien Army on IRMA records and Bomb Hip Hop (USA), which was judged by URB Magazine as one of the 50 best albums of Hip Hop Underground in 2003. In 2004 he went on “The End Tour” with Alien Army, performing at clubs and venues up and down the Italian peninsula as well as at important music festivals such as Arezzo Wave, where he performed on the main stage to an audience of 50,000. He also performed at Hip Hop Kemp in the Czech Republic. He has performed with Alien Army on RAI and on MTV’s show, “Brand New.” In 2003 he won first place at Skratch Kombat, judged by legendary scratch artists D-Styles, Ricci Rucker and Mike Boo. John Type is one of the great turntablists in Italy and the world. He frequently takes part in the most significant national competitions. In 2008, he won third place with Intellivision in the DMC World Team Championship. Thanks to his natural talent he has proved to be an excellent composer and producer, capable of crossing styles with ease and originality, moving freely between jazz, funk, electronica, hip hop, experimental music and more. The fruits of his labors can be heard in his first solo album, “Lunatic Decadence,” with appearances by D-Styles (Los Angeles), Mike Boo (San Francisco), Tayone, Laura Falcinelli, and Bozorius, which will come out in September 2009 on IRMA records.  In 2007, he started the John Type Ensemble, a band that of six people with instruments that include record players, bass guitar, drums, keyboards, trumpet and trombone. Type’s talent with scratching and electronic music is apparent in his collaboration on Negrita’s recent album, “Helldorado.” His sampling, synthesizer work, and scratches also appear on songs like “Gioia Infinita” with Roy Paci and on the popular single “Radio Conga.” He will continue to tour with Negrita on the “Helldorado Tour” for the remainder of 2009.