It was during the first edition of the Hip-Hop Block Party Festival in Saint-Wendel (Germany), in 2023, that I met Tommy Tornado aka Dj Crypt. His scratching skills and amazing way of backing the rapper Noel Is immediately caught my attention. Then while talking I discovered that he is one of the rare DJs also active as a graffiti writer. The interview with the vinyl addict and beatmaker was unmissable.

Did you grow up in a artistic environment?

I grew up in a small town in a very rural area between Stuttgart and the Lake Of Constance in South Germany. My mother did some paintings here and there, but i wouldn't say that it was an artistic environment. Easy going parents but at the same time very conservative. I always paid the money for cans and Dj gears by myself with jobs during the school holidays.

Your first encounter with Hip Hop culture?

My first contact with Hip Hop was back in 1992. I was ten years old. Luckily we had a satellite dish on the roof so my older brother and me were able to recieve MTV. So my first song that i knew it was rap back then was “Ring, Ring, Ring” by De La Soul.

Did you first get into Hip Hop through Djing or graffiti writing?

Originally my first encounter with Hip Hop was through Graffiti. I always watched the Hip Hop Show “FREESTYLE” on the German television channel VIVA in my brother's room. Artists like Can2, Bomber... did the studio paintings and I was blown away instantly.

You are a scratch addict. Do you prefer to back an Mc and make scratches or are you also a club DJ?

I'm also a club DJ, but i love it the most to back up a live MC. So i was blessed to grace the stage and being on Tour with legends like EDO.G, El Da Sensei, Mr. Cheeks, Funkdoobiest, Snak The Ripper, Reef The Lost Cauze & of course with my fam the Snowgoons.

Are you still bombing train and how are the police restrictions in Germany, are they more flexible like in France since graffiti is in art galery… Also Who inspires you?

I don't have any police stories in france so i can't compare it with german cops. More or less i stopped  bombing trains on the night before christmas in 2021. We almost got hit by a train and it was very very close. So with experiences like this, this is definetily doing something with you. In the beginning cats like Can2, Atom, Cesone (FX) & Kent were my biggest influences. But till today people like Scotty 76 & Rast are still motivating and influencing me.

And do you like paintings canvas? Do you do exhibitions in art galery?

So far I think I did a couple of smaler canvases for friends. But only a few with spraypaint. One time I took part on an exhibition in my hometown back in 1999.

Since then, there was nothing like that anymore happening.

How did you join the Snowgoons collective?

DJ Illegal and myself were meeting each other here and there on shows all over Germany and Switzerland. Because he was on the road as a tour manager with literally every US rapper back then and i was booked for the aftershowparty. So after a while and over a friend connection we met up and he asked me one day to do some cutz on a Snowgoons production. I was down a hundred percent and so we started working together. After a time, he formed the Snowgoons Djs crew where i became a part of since today.

You are also member of The Famous Deck Team, for those who don’t know like me, can you explain to us who you are?

The Famous Deck Team are DJ Smart and myself. Together we rocked on 4 turntables all over Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slowakia, Austria and France for years. Right now we both working on our solo stuff, so no DJ shows as a team right now.

When did you first start making beats? Since have your way of producing and your gear evolved – what is your studio set up?

Mmmh, i think i really started making beats very late. Maybe around 2014. I've started with Akai MPC 2000XL, then the Akai MPC 1000, then Cubase and today i'm working with E-MU SP1200, AkiS950 and Ableton.

In 2023 you released your second album. Tell us about “Ginesis”, is it a turntablism Lp or a Lo-fi Lp with some cuts? While you have collaborated with several German and also English-speaking Mcs, there is no Mc but a lot of guests…

Yes that's true. This project was an instrumental LP. It was not a typical Lo-Fi record. More Boom Bap Stylez with some cutz here and there and i wanted to feature some of my best music friends like DJ Robert Smith, Al Rock, Ephraim Giepen, What The Tilly, Sneaky & Classic Der Dicke.

Why is it called “Ginesis”, is it in homage to biblical Hebrew?

The original idea was to name it GENESIS. The picture i've had in my mind was the “Creation Of Adam” by Michelangelo. The only different that i wanted to be designed in the cover artwork was that good is sending me a Gin Tonic down from heaven with some boombox speakers as clouds. My friend Benno Heller did the original shooting for the idea and my man Jack Lack did the final digital painting of the cover.

Do you have a message for the public or is your music only to entertain?

I want to speak through the music and transporting vibes. So there is not a real political message in my songs.

Could you speak about your connexion with Figub Brazlevic?

Actually he is coming from same area before he moved to Berlin. And Galv, with whom i did my first vinyl project was already friend with Figub. So we all connected and he did that banging remix for the album

What is your best memory as a Dj ?

Oh man there we so many awesome memories, I toured around 20 countries. But here are some great gigs that i love to remember : in 2005, weak knees at the DJ Show at Babylon in Bratislava/ Slovakia for the Funkdoobiest Tour. And in 2018 at Royal Arena Festival in Switzerland with Edo G, El Da Sensei & Onyx.

And the worst memory?

The worst memories are always if mostly the younger generation is displaying their phones towards my face with some stupid song requests.

Are you still diggin’ vinyl, what kind of music are you obsessed with?

Yeah i'm still digging. Mostly i love all kinds of genres always to find some dope drumbreaks and i love to buy 90ies rap 12 inches to get all the dope acapellas that i don't have yet. I'm obsessed with the kind of music that warms up your soul no matter what genre it is. Dope music is dope music!

Do you have other passion, could you speak about #burgerprofessor? 

Haha yeah sure. Cooking is definitively a big passion of mine too. I always want to improve myself no matter what i do. But with cooking it's def something else. I love good food, so i tried to create my own burger buns and creations. I was at a point where i really wanted to run a burger restaurant by myself. But i recognized that i wouldn't had enough time for music anymore if i do that. So i want to keep that as a hobby. Lately i'm also becoming a « taco professor ». (laugh)

Could speak about the turntablism and hip-hop scene in Stuttgart…

I actually took part on the ITF german eliminations in Munich back in 2005 just to see where i'm standing and to meet up with other turntablism nerds. Since then i always kept an eye on the scene what's going on and how the development is. In Stuttgart there is a big Graffiti Scene and also some great Djs, B-Boys/B-Girls, Rappers and Beatmakers. Shout out to the whole scene and to everybody who is an active part of the culture.

What do you dream of tomorrow?

Actually my biggest dream is having a nice big property in Spain and living a relaxed live with doing Beats, Djing and Graffiti in my own “HIP HOP HACIENDA” with a lot of sun, great food, friends and my big love.

Any last word, Any subject that you want to talk about or could you explain your Dj name and your nickname Vitello Tornado ?

My Dj name is going back to the time, when i was a teenager. I always was kind of hyperactive and wanted to have fun with everyone in a hyperactive way. For some people that was too much. So people that did not know me for real were seeing me in an arrogant way. But i never meant it that way. Because i experiened things like that so many times, i thought about that, when i was looking for a DJ name back in 1999 which was my starting year as a dj. Later some of the people that thought i was arrogant knew me better and discovered the inner of mine better. So their opinion about me changed a 180 degrees. Vitello Tornado ist just a funny word play of my real nickname Tommy Tornado and the passionated food component. Alright here we go and thanx for having me. Was a pleasure !

Interview Dj Crypt by Dj Coshmar / Photo header: Dj Crypt x Kontra by Wien.