60 Seconds With . . . DJ Z-Trip

He helped establish the mash-up as the hottest movement in electronica, and for the last few years he’s made L.A. a regular stop on his party route. DJ Z-Trip (born Zach Sciacca) has his game on for New Year’s Eve, ready with a sound that spans rock, hip-hop and R&B.;

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Electronic music is always moving forward -- that’s its nature. If anything, it’s the real L.A. alternative [music]. It has to be sought out, but the following has always been there.

YOU’LL BE RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR AT GIANT MAXIMUS. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT L.A.’S ELECTRONIC MUSIC SCENE?

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ANY RESIDUAL DISAPPOINTMENT OVER BEING RAINED OUT TWO YEARS AGO?

That was a rough one. I’d had special guests fly in from Europe and it knocked the wind out of us. It’s going be tented this year, so hopefully we’ll be able to give payback. Me and my crew will play in a hurricane if necessary. I’m playing until something knocks me over.

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HOW DO YOU CREATE THE IDEAL EXPERIENCE?

For me, it’s what I want to play and say through my set, my surroundings within the bill, and then: What are people ready for and willing to embrace? For New Year’s you’ve got to figure out where people are on their night’s journey and how you’ll fit in with the collective group.

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WHAT’S THE FUTURE FOR SAMPLING MULTIPLE ARTISTS?

People will always want to hear their favorites in a new way. Sampling may go back to being an extended abstract version, rather than the standard-issue new hot tune over the newest hip-hop beat. It doesn’t have the same punch as the correct combination. There’s still magic out there to be heard and experienced.

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WHAT’S COMING UP IN 2008?

I’ve been recording with live musicians and playing shows with a drummer. The next step is to produce and arrange home-grown and organic sounds. I’ve always liked the sound of live musicians -- the idiosyncrasies make it more real and raw. As with any DJ, it’s a progression, from playing other people’s records and transcending [that] to have people play your records.

-- Jess Larson

the guide@latimes.com