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10 Questions with ... Terrence "T-Storm" Battle
May 26, 2020
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
I started as a board op and became mix show DJ /air personality and Imaging Director over the span of 29 years and 6 markets.
1. Would you share with us all the things you are doing these days?
Well when I’m not overspending at the grocery store or DJ’ing on Facebook & Periscope live, I produce the syndicated “The Deja Vu Show” for ABC Audio, as well as developing an urban production music & sound design library called “Mastermuzic.” Also, I get to work with a creative crew of broadcasters and comedians on a comedy service and content production company called Masterbitz Media. One of the shows we’ve contributed content to is the nationally syndicated “Rick and Sasha” show.
2. Who did you grow up listening to?
I grew up listening to Mr. Magic, Chuck Chillout & Kool DJ Red Alert. I enjoyed the swagger of the late Mr. Magic, as well as Chuck & Red’s creativity on the turntables. But even earlier as a young child I remember listening to the legend Frankie Crocker. I remember he’d end his show with “Moody’s Mood for Love”, which stayed with me. While I was too young to recall other specific details of his show, to this day I can recite most of the lyrics of that song. The music these iconic DJ’s introduced me to and the way they presented it helped to form my creative palate.
3. How did you get started in radio?
As a teen I worked as an announcer / board op at an easy listening & talk radio station in the Tampa Bay Area. After graduating from high school, I returned to NYC and landed a gig with Inner City Broadcasting at WBLS as production assistant and was introduced to imaging and loved it. Later I moved to Atlanta and worked with Mitch Faulkner at OMP who taught me the pathology of imaging. Since then I’ve had the honor of contributing my talents to some of the biggest brands in radio, from Hot 107.9 Atlanta (formerly Hot 97.5), Hot 97 NYC, to the legendary WGCI & V103 in Chicago.
4. What are some of the challenges with everything you’re doing?
I’m always tweaking my time management, especially now in the era of COVID-19 because there’s so much more “free” time. Time and balance have become a challenge for me. I enjoy being a DJ as much as I enjoy producing comedy bits and music. It’s easy to get consumed. So, I have to make conscious efforts to break away and do things to refresh my creative juices. Recently I started flying a drone. Clearly, I’m not a good pilot yet because I lost one high up in my neighbor’s trees.
5. Would you share the funniest thing that ever happened to you during your radio career?
Years ago, during the time I was releasing break records via AV8 Records, I used to sample Lil Jon’s voice on quite a few of my joints. After a year or so of producing them I bumped into Jon at a club in Atlanta and he sarcastically said to me, “Thank you for sampling me on all those records.” I paused a second then answered back, “You’re welcome.” Jon busted out laughing and told me we could do something original together instead of me just sampling him.
Fast forward years later while I was a producer for Cipha Sounds & Rosenberg morning show, Jon was a guest and we worked together on an “original” tune that was so good it actually made headlines and even caught the attention of Jimmy Kimmel! It was a hilariously vulgar remix of the Sesame Street theme. The powers that be at Sesame Street were not as impressed and issued a cease and desist. But I finally produced a joint with Lil Jon.
6. Who have been influencers and mentors in your career?
I was fortunate to work closely with Mitch Faulkner who, as I mentioned before, took time to break down for me the pathology of imaging. Giving me knowledge to go with my creativity. Before I moved to Atlanta, Grandmaster Flash took me under his wing as his opening DJ in the NYC Tristate. What I learned about dj’ing I’ve been able to apply to what I do with production and imaging. Also, the late Jerry Boulding took an interest in my talents and was responsible with helping me get my first full time gig as a Production Director at the original WAMO in Pittsburgh.
7. How do you view radio’s responsibility to listeners in a crisis?
Broadcasters and content creators provide an important service in times of crisis and tragedy. Every time there is an unfortunate passing of an artist it’s our job to continue to entertain, inform and help provide some escapism. When Michael Jackson, or more recently Koby Bryant died, it was second nature for my team to go into my studio and create something to honor them and connect with the emotion of the fans. People still want to be informed and they still need to laugh. So, with the world currently in a pandemic and economic crisis as well, it’s imperative we continue to provide that service to the public.
8. How do you see radio’s future?
Having watched radio morph from carts, to automation, then the addition of heavy voice-tracking, I see the continuous growth of technology in radio. With the wide use of AI upon us, we will see the expansion of off-air content to couple with that which makes it on-air. Just like Timbaland and Swizz Beatz’s Verzuz series we’ve seen over the past couple of months, the quality will sharpen.
9. What are your future plans?
My plan is to keep delivering quality product in both the sonic and visual realms. Early in my career, I was a single parent working hard to stay working and I couldn’t see the future past a week or month. These days my thought process is to do more than just stay working. Now each of the projects I get involved in my goal is to do something that leaves a huge footprint.
I’m looking forward to introducing the production library we’re developing as well as continuing to produce creative, thought provoking and funny content for radio, digital and eventually T.V.
10. Does radio still need air personalities?
Air personalities are still needed but equally needed are content creators. Think of my favorite song, now a classic “Poison” by Bell Biv Devoe. In this instance BBD were the personalities who presented the content. Their performance or presentation contributed to it becoming a hit. It could be argued that had another artist recorded “Poison” it may not be the classic we know today, but had it not been for the content creator (writer & producer Dr. Freeze) we may not have heard of BBD.
Bonus Questions
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Watch your back, cover your ass and protect your neck. Also, Big Boy told me never name drop.
What new production equipment and or editing apps have caught your eye?
The RODE Microphone’s RODEcaster and Cleanfeed are my new go-to tools to conduct studio sessions during this time of quarantine. Also, I just got hipped to StreamYard.
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