Vice (Source: Instagram)

Legendary DJ/producer Vice recently sat down with the Reflections of a DJ podcast for an epic, three-hour conversation. The iconic DJ discussed the evolution of his career and the past and current state of the scene.

How seeing DJ AM perform at a Hollywood club inspired him to DJ in that scene:

“Right away I’m like, ‘What the f#ck is this? This is like a very crazy wedding set, but it’s still kinda cool.’ [He was playing] like the Joan Jetts and the Journeys. It’s all the basics. Chicago and all these records are playing but then JAY Z plays and [A] Tribe [Called Quest], and I’m like, ‘What the f#ck? How are all these people dancing to this? It was mind-blowing because I DJed so long in L.A., but I had never seen that side of L.A. … I was like, ‘Yo, this dude is on some next level sh#t, and he’s in a different world, and I wanna know about this. So that’s when I just started going to all those Hollywood clubs.”

Why he produces dance music instead of hip-hop:

“I would try and work with rappers and every rapper that I first wanted, I couldn’t afford because they’d all want crazy money to do a verse. And [the] second time, the sessions I got in with rappers, even though I’m in hip-hop, I felt out of place. I don’t smoke weed, I didn’t drink in the studio. I would try and vibe in certain sessions, and there was no-one that was exciting me. I want MCs; it’s so hard. I want Andre 3000 on a record. I couldn’t get him at the time. … And I honestly, truthfully, I didn’t have the hustle. I respect A-Trak so much because he goes out finds these rappers, and I’m like, ‘Who are these dudes? Where do you find them?’ … Also, as much as a lot of people don’t know, I’ve always been into dance, but more into dance like Erick Morillo, Roger Sanchez, Kenny Dope, real house music.”

How he reacted when the scene switched back to hip-hop from EDM:

“I felt like I was already on brand and it was a wedding. [It was] like the music has just shifted again and I know how to adapt. I know how to adapt to any moment. Even to this day, if someone throws me in a senior citizen party, I know how to adapt and start playing the room and play the music. For me, I’m always about the ride.”

DJing on the radio vs. DJing in the club:

“I always give props to radio DJs because all of us play in clubs and we’re out, and we’re rocking, and you feel the energy, and then you get thrown on radio, and you’re in a box, [a] little room. And at the time, Power [106] had like over a million listeners, and you’re like, ‘Go ahead and DJ with no reaction, no feedback, no vibe.'”

Listen to the entire convo below via SoundCloud, and stay tuned for new episodes every Wednesday. The podcast can also be found on iTunes.

Related: Watch DJ Vice and Entrepreneur Chris ‘Drama’ Pfaff Go on a Taco Run