Neil Armstrong…a maestro of some of the most sought out mixes in the last decade.  His musical taste is as eclectic as his mixes, his style has spawned off many imitators but there can only be one true original.  He hails from the 5th Platoon crew who just celebrated their 10th anniversary.  He’s probably one of the most personable people we have ever met; please allow us to introduce to you Neil Armstrong…

Please introduce your self to our readers?

What’s going on y’all, DJ Neil Armstrong here – NYC born and raised, Djing for almost 12 years . Originally part of the Turntablist Battle Scene Alongside crewmates the 5th Platoon, now known for making some fine gourmet mixtapes for the true music connoisseurs…

What was the inspiration for Neil Armstrong to start Dj’ing?

Being a true blue fan of Hip Hop – wanted to participate and not just spectate. I couldn’t b-boy, graff, or MC, so that left Djing…. I think I made the right choice.

Let us in on 5th Platoon, When did it form, how did it come about and your current involvement in the crew?

5th Platoon officially started in April of 96’, which would have been our first show. We were born at a time when the Battle scene was at a low and there were only a couple of crews in NYC really making noise – the big dogs being the X-Men (X-ecutioners) of course. The original founding members – Daddy dog, Roli Rho and Myself used to spar with the X, battling for money – we would all throw a dollar in a hat, and whoever won the battle would take home the prize. From that time it made sense that we come together as a squad, whose goal was to wreck havoc on the battle circuit.

As time has gone by, we added more members and won some titles. But our time in the battle scene has passed and we have moved onto the other aspects of the DJ/Hip Hop/ Music lifestyle – from making mixtapes to production to rocking parties. Since we started out as a family as opposed to a business, the name 5th Platoon is still there, just like you carry your last name. Even though you may not hang with your siblings like back in the day, you still carry the name…

5th Platoon just celebrated their 10th Anniversary, time fly’s right?  How was the celebration?  Were you able to get the crew together and kick something off?

Like the people we are, we are late with the celebrations. We are in the midst of finishing off our 10-year anniversary DVD, and also did collaboration with Adidas and UNDRCRWN with a 10-year anniversary 5th Platoon Kick – a version of the Adidas B-BALL EQUIPMENT sneaker. Should be out any minute now – literally.
 
Your Original series is one of the most successful mixes to date.  Explain to us your path to creating that masterpiece.  What did you set out to create and how did it come to fruition?

I think a good gauge if something is “classic” or successful is if it stands up to the test of time. I made the mix back in 1999, and it still gets a decent amount of burn today…

Original was my 1st tape – and literally it was a tape – came out on cassette 1st. I guess I was trying to figure out a way to introduce the turntablist skills to a more mainstream audience. Somewhere along the line I really got into the origination of the samples used for the hip-hop that I loved…

And actually, if I think back, I think this other DJ named Spinna inspired me to put something like this together. He performed at one of the big battles of the time – called the ITF back in NYC, and he did a LIVE set where he played all the original samples of the hip-hop songs. He wasn’t the 1st to do it I’m sure, but he’s the 1st one I saw do it that slick. I also know at the time Riz had put something out too with just the original samples.

So I figured, I’d try to take it one step further, and join the original samples with their hip hop counterparts, and then add that aspect of turntablism to the mix.

I wanted it to be part entertainment and part education. To show the range of music that makes hip-hop, and to prove to the naysayers that Hip Hop was music – if it comes from other music – its music ya know? And also to show that there is a lot of creativity that goes into making Hip Hop, that again at the time, a lot of people were trying to refute. Producers were not just ripping off other songs wholesale, they were taking something dope, and making it their own.

That one cd seems to be what has allowed me to keep going and doing my thing for y’all as a DJ… It definitely put my work on the map…

Original Part 2 was the continuation, and I you can hear a lot of progression between the two.

Nonstop – was the original series done completely Live – to shut the mouths of the people who thought I couldn’t do it for real – that I was a “bedroom” dj.

I see you wearing them in the photo-shoot, 5th Platoon just released an equipment shoe collaboration with Adidas, how was that creative process?

Well, the sneaker was a collaboration between the 7 members 1st off, trying to decide on a single design – which as anyone who works with a group knows is difficult. I sat down with Dustin of Undrcrwn, and we made 3 different versions of the shoe in different colorways etc etc. Then went back to the crew and discussed and discussed AND discussed some more, and voted on what made the most sense for the crew and the 10 year anniversary feel.

We tried to make sure the shoe had inklings of the 5th Platoon throughout (our logos and names), but we tried to make sure the design didn’t alienate the people who have no idea who the 5P is, but are fans of Djing and kicks. I.E. the laser etching on the heel that makes the adidas logo look like the center of a record, the “1200 dots” on the side of the shoe.

It took some time, but we’re happy at how the shoe came out, lot of little details make it dope.

If I had to look inside your creative mind what keeps Neil Armstrong inspired?

If you were looking at something that was concrete – I watch a lot of movies, and obviously the music that I play.

The other thing of course is just life, the people around me. The conversations people have. The life experience. Sitting on planes and traveling all the time with a lot of time to just think and put things in order… All that good stuff.

I think what differentiates the CD’s I’ve put together from others is that there is often reasoning behind even why the CD exists at all. I’ll never just play a song for the sake of dropping it on there. Often the songs tell a story, or there is a logical thread to follow. For me, it’s not about the song that’s playing, what’s important is what comes before and what comes after the song that’s playing.

All the battles you and your 5th Platoon crew have been in which one was the most exciting and most gratifying?

Hahah, well oddly enough I have never won a battle SOLO. Not one of significance.  Only when we did group stuff, and that was back in NYC in 97’ I believe.

But if one of the members won, it was like we all won. I think there is a tie for best battle – ITF 97 when Vinroc 1st won the world championships – the whole crew was there and Vinroc came home with the gold, by beating another member of the crew DJ DoBoy.

The other battle would have been when I.Emerg won the DMC worlds for the 1st time in 2004. It was like seeing the culmination of everything I had hoped for him come true.

Give us a little insight how it was to hang out with the other DJ’s at the Undrcrwn photo shoot?  I heard it was a dope vibe, everybody conversing and trading DJ secrets….etc….

Man, I ended up giving Prince and Lantern an impromptu Serato Class!! Rane is one of my sponsors so I got to know the equipment, and I showed them a couple of the more advance techniques.

I’ve met or known a bunch of the other cats, but met Britt for the 1st time. These were all chill cats mos definitely. And to chill with Prince Paul, who would fall into my hero worship category (I was a big time De La Fan), that was just dope.

Going along with the basketball analogy, I was the new rookie on the team, and they made me feel at home and it was definitely a dope vibe. I’m grateful for Undrcrwn including me with the caliber of DJ’s that were in the shoot.

Any future projects or collaborations you can let us in on? 5th Platoon 10 Year Anniversary DVD, the Adidas X 5P collabo, All Out King part 5 and 6, and something planned with one of the unsung hero’s of hip hop named Dante Ross – if you a real head you’ve heard of his name before.

I am going to do my best to continue making cds that make you think, giving you something different from the rest…

Any upcoming club or residencies we can hear you DJ?

Oddly enough, I really don’t DJ much compared to your average working DJ. So when I DO do gigs – make sure to bring yo ass out!

Where can we find out more about Neil Armstrong?

http://www.5thplatoon.com , and  www.riottt.com/djneilarmstrong. And if all goes as planned, you’ll be hearing a lot more about me all over the place …

Thanks Neil for taking time out of your schedule to sit down with us.