With less than half a year until his 21st birthday, Swisha (formally known as Swisha Sweet) has successfully created and maintained a name for himself in the music industry. He created the record label, Great Tracks, released his latest EP, Perfecto, and a recent addition to Juke Bounce Werk. From Philadelphia to Los Angeles, the self-proclaimed nomadic producer-DJ, has dominated every set he’s played in some of the most prominent cities across the nation.
How can someone so young, be this talented and well-rounded? Swisha is respected in various different scenes within the industry, and he’s humble about it. His skills and artistic abilities take him as far as it can — and there’s probably no stopping it. HangTime had the chance to sit down and get a sense of what lies in the mind of Swisha!
HangTime: What made you get behind the decks?
Swisha: I guess house parties… That’s pretty much how I started djing. Just house parties and then, I got into producing, like less than a year later.
HT: What was your favorite gig?
Swisha: Damn… I don’t even know. I mean the most fun was probably the SXSW party at Peligrosa. That was pretty fun.
HT: What makes a good DJ?
Swisha: Somebody that can successfully beat-match and tastefully blend.
HT: Who is your biggest influence?
Swisha: I don’t know…. Myself! (chuckles) Nah… I don’t know.
HT: How did you first discover the music that you DJ/produce now?
Swisha: I mean, DJ Sega showed me club music, and footwork, I don’t even know how I got into that. I guess, the people around me influenced me the most.
HT: Would you say the people in New York have influenced you the most, or the people in LA?
Swisha: A mixture of both.
HT: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Swisha: Uh, hosting the TeenNick Choice Awards… (laughs) I don’t know, doing the same thing. Making music and playing shows.
HT: Is there anything you wish to start, create your own group, or a record label?
Swisha: I do have a record label, but just with one release. I don’t think anything else will get me further than what I’m doing now. I don’t want to be a studio producer, that doesn’t sound fun at all.
HT: How do you want your music to impact others?
Swisha: However they want to perceive it.
You can find Swisha on Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Photography by Ebony Anderson-Brown
*** featured mix coming soon ***