Q&A: DJ Nino Brown

Congratulations on your latest Blazin' compilation. Can you give us some insight into what exactly the process is for you when putting a mix like this together? Thanks! I try to get the hottest tracks and classics, so when choosing new tracks, I have to think which ones I feel will be hot from Feb-July when then album sells the most, while choosing them in November, then I submit songs to Universal.

You're very onto the social networking side of things, how important is it now for artists such as yourself to be over those mediums? It's very important, but more important than that is that they're A LOT of fun. I'm an Instagram junkie, and I've got apps on apps on apps! I'm a little obsessed with it. I even have iPhone camera lenses. Facebook is king and Twitter and Instagram I kind of link now. It's dope to be able to chat and mess around.

Fifteen years is a long time in this business, and there is no sign of you slowing down. How do you kept things fresh? I really love what I do, people don't seem to get that I LOVE to DJ, I LOVE to make radio mixes, do albums, I love this stuff, so I always enjoy being fresh and trying to stay ahead of the pack.

How hard do you think it is for up-and-comers to get noticed? For new artists to be noticed they have to be AMAZING and really make a mark, which is a good thing.

What is it about the urban scene that you really vibe on? I really vibe on urban music, from the underground to the mainstream. That's my lifestyle.

You're involved with numerous high-profile brands – might we see your own branding taking a stronger focus in years to come? Maybe. That's in the plans, but right now I rock Joker Brand, Soul Assassins, Mighty Healthy, Diamond and other gear, and Nikes.

How do titles such as the 'Master of the Turntable' and 'Australia's Number One Urban DJ' make you feel? Does they add some pressure to your performances? It actually does. It makes me work everyday to deliver a dope show. I want people to see me perform and see the hype is real.

Word on the street is that you collect toys, how about that? What are some of your most prized possessions? [Laughs] I used to. I've slowed down in recent years. I have a lot of Star Wars and Transformers collectables. I own some life size Star Wars Boba Fett helmets which are dope.

Recent years have seen the urban and dance music merge more than ever, if we could ask you to look into your crystal ball for a moment, what's the future of urban music? I think it's going back to the urban stuff again, such as the new N.O.R.E feat Busta & Waka Flocka Flame record Legggooo . But the dance stuff works, people forget that hip hop started by rapping over the looped beat of pop songs, so hip hop over dance makes sense right now.

And more crystal ball action – what's coming up for you in 2012 and beyond? Well firstly, I hope to be Australia's #1 Urban Instagrammer, so more secret apps. I'm working on some exclusive music with international artists, with my production partner Number One. We call ourselves the Bodega Bullies; he just did a Timomatic Remix and some Chiefrocker shows with DJ Samrai & Naiki. Also Blazin' 2013 comes out in January!