Stones Throw Bio:

DJ Design comes from the same time and place in Hip Hip history as Peanut Butter Wolf - from the south San Francisco Bay Area, where rap music in the mid-1980s could occasionally be heard from low rider mini trucks, bad kids' bedrooms in the suburbs, and the occasional weekend house party right before the cops show up.

Design used to steal bikes, he tells us. Bicycle theft led to scratching, and scratching led to beats.

During the year 2000, in protest of a Sleazenation Magazine article that dissed his shoes, DJ Design staged a six-month-long death hoax. When Redman lamented his loss on an episode of MTV Cribs, he decided to come out of hiding. He brought with him a 12" single called Sparkdala, a battle record called Hookie and Baba Flakes Breaks, and a hip hop group called Foreign Legion.

He now lives in San Francisco working with Look Records and Foreign Legion.

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Epitonic.com Bio:

The last half of the last decade of the twentieth century brought hip hop full circle in one respect: the DJ re-emerged at the forefront. The last five years have been a turntablist renaissance; for the first time in fifteen years the operators of the ones and twos have a chance to shine in the spotlight usually dominated by the MCs. Turntablist crews such as the Invisible Skratch Piklz and the The X-Ecutioners (formerly X-Men) have become celebrities, achieving worldwide recognition through creating music by manipulating vinyl, touring extensively, and producing both recorded, orchestrated turntablist albums and instrumental beat records for DJs on labels such as Dirtstyle, Asphodel, Bomb, and Stones Throw.

DJ Design is one of those who has taken advantage of his time in the sunshine. Design is currently the DJ and producer for the Bay Area crew Foreign Legion, formerly of ABB Records. He's also produced tracks for the Beastie Boys and Stones Throw brethren Peanut Butter Wolf and Rasco. "What It's All About," one of Rasco's singles from the Time Waits For No Man LP, is a trademark Design joint. With Gather Round, he gives his beats the center-stage they've been waiting for. The results are bangin', extremely funky (greasy, finger-lickin' funk guitar samples abound on this album), and rump-shakingly consistent with his previous work. Good for any occasion, it's perfect for that after-work chill out with a favorite cocktail, or as an extra clip of ammo for your next DJ battle. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.