ARTIST TALK: DJ Spanish Fly

In the 1980s, you could meet him in the clubs and streets of Memphis — it was DJ Spanish Fly who brought hip-hop to the American South and coined his new local sound: raw, hypnotic, bass-heavy, captured on simple equipment and distributed on tape recorders. Today he is recognized as the godfather of Memphis rap, and echoes of his influence can be heard in hip-hop around the world.

In an interview with writer and cultural strategist William Skeaping, DJ Spanish Fly will talk about the people, places and circumstances that have created this music scene. Together they will listen to iconic tracks, look through photos from the musician's personal archive and talk about his musical inspirations and lo-fi production techniques, as well as how Memphis itself influenced them at the time — from church and radio to gangs, racial issues and corruption. This is the story of how the local indie scene gained global reach.