Last year saw the birth of a great new partnership between Dv8 Sussex’s Bexhill centre and hip hop DJ extraordinaire DJ Skitz. As 2015 dawns upon us we caught up with the man himself to for an exclusive Q & A about The Last Post, a successful project with Dv8 students (read more about the project here).

DJ Skitz at The Last Post

1. Can you say a bit about yourself?

I’m an ageing b-boy who’s embraced all elements of Hip Hop culture for the last 30 years. A DJ and producer and a proud father of two.

2. What’s The Last Post all about?

Its a basically a creative writing project where everyone involved writes a letter to an unknown soldier in the first world war. It ties in with National letter writing day on the 7th Dec and all the letters written will get delivered to Bexhill War Memorial on that day. The young people involved will also get the chance to perform their letters to a selection of their peers.

3. What made you want to do this particular project?

It was a project where i felt a little out of my comfort zone. Previous projects were mostly Hip Hop related and this felt like a challenge being so different. I feel like its good to push yourself and take risks.

4. Can you say a bit about the other artists who have worked on the project?

Hollie McNish is a legendary spoken word artist and poet who travels the world showcasing her amazing material. Inja and Harry Shotta are both infamous and versatile rappers who work with a huge array of djs and producers as well as both having solo careers. Together Hollie and Inja run Page to Performance an organisation dedicated to bringing poetry to life and engaging more people with this art form. They run workshops, events and live performances in schools and youth centres across the UK. I’ve known Harry for many years and watched one of his workshops recently and thought it was great, I thought between them all they would cover all the bases as well as hold the interest of the young people.

5. What made you choose Dv8 Bexhill?

I’d met Leo [Centre Manager] and Jo [Deputy Centre Manager] before and thought their vibe was lovely, we had talked about doing a project in the future when the right one came up. The Last Post was it. Dv8 was the perfect host for the project because of the people the amenities and the whole environment and the positive role that Dv8 plays within the community.

6. What’s been your favourite moment from the project?

My favourite moment has definitely been seeing the change in confidence in some of the young people that got engaged in the project. Seeing them perform their written pieces, watching their journey and playing a small part in it is pretty satisfying.

7. What next?

I’m off to DJ in India. After that who knows? More music, more challenges, more adventures.

Stay tuned for a blog about our super-amazing Bexhill Christmas end of term party featuring Dj Skitz, Inja. Hollie McNish and all the amazing future stars studying at Dv8’s Bexhill centre…

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