Hip Hop DJ Berlin
Hi there, my name is DJ Jab. I've been playing powerful, Soul and Jazz influenced, Boom Bap Hip Hop and what your daddy calls Grown Man Rap since 2000.
Inspirations
In the 90's, I got inspired to become a DJ by the Hip Hop radio shows of DJ Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito The Barber on New York University's college radio station WNYU-FM (United States of America), by the The Dutch Masters radio show Villa65 on Radio 3 hosted by Mental Case, 2Tall & DJ Knowhow (Netherlands), the Def Beats show with DJ Inspector G and the Rapper's Paradise show with DJ Groove, both on Jam FM (Germany).
The radio aspect of "putting on a show" still heavily influences my mixing and productions until today.
Getting my music
Mixtapes
When it comes to mixtapes, I solely release music on Mixcloud and YouTube. Both pay the artists, I can play whatever I want and you can listen for free. A win-win-win situation.
Tracks
When it comes to singles & EP's, I release all music on Bandcamp. You can listen for free and download for a small tip.
Beats
When it comes to beats I release all music on BeatStars and Bandcamp. I get paid if the beats are used elsewhere while you can listen for free. Fair, right?
2000-08Birth of DJ Jab
In August of 2000, I started playing under the name DJ Jab, mixing Boom Bap Hip Hop at private parties, and irregularly at small bars and nightclubs in northern Germany. 
The usual party crowd. (Photographed by: DJ Jab)
2001-02Jabz 100 Toplist
In February of 2001, I started a social network for DJ's on the World Wide Web: Jabz 100, a toplist network connecting several hundreds of DJs and producers, who were releasing underground DJ Remixes of popular songs. The website had several thousand visitors a day. I used it for promotion and to support the Roc-A-Fella Records Street Team in Germany. 
Screenshot of Jabz 100 in February 2003. (Photographed by: DJ Jab)
2001-04First regular gig
In April of 2001, I got my first regular monthly gig in a small bar, Rote Laterne, in St. Pauli in Hamburg, Germany. In the beginning I got the 2nd Thursday of the month, from January 2002 the 1st Saturday of the month. 
DJ Jab playing at Rote Laterne in 2002. (Photographed by: Christin Wolkenstein)
2002-01First mixtapes
From 2002 onwards, I started producing mixtapes (actual cassette tapes) in small editions of about 5 to 10 pieces a month. The printed cardboard cassette sleeves were my first cover designs. They consisted of collages of images cut out of magazines and pasted or written texts over them.
The tapes were given out at my nightclub gigs and of course to family and friends. Some of the mixtapes, e.g. Party up in here!, made it to FM radio and were played on the then national radio station Jam FM on the Def Beats show. 
Cardboard cassette sleeve of the Party up in here! mixtape from February 2002. (Photographed by: DJ Jab)
2002-04DJ Vlader
It was early 2002 when I met DJ Vlader at a gig at Große Freiheit 36, Hamburg, Germany. We became friends and he dragged me through Northern Germany's night clubs as a support DJ for some years. Thanks to Bro! 
DJ Jab & DJ Vlader mixing at a private party in 2003. (Photographed by: DJ Vlader)
2003-05Charismatic Rap mixtape
In May 2003, I released my first digital (CD) mixtape, Charismatic Rap, which got airplay on Beatbasement.
The same year I put out the Streets sampler, a collection of recorded freestyle sessions and music by fellow producers, rappers, and DJs. Despite a very small edition of only 50 pieces, the release caused a lot of trouble. Buyers often assumed they would get a production from UK rapper The Streets. D'uh! 
Charismatic Rap mixtape (CD) cover, 2003. (Photographed by: Samofant)
2003-06Blaque Joints web radio show
Beginning in the summer of 2003, I hosted the Blaque Joints weekly web radio show (120 Minutes of Funk) on BlackBeatClub, playing Hip Hop, R&B and Party Breaks on Friday and later Saturday nights to warm up the crowd.
Luckily the show was prerecorded, so I could also do gigs in parallel. It was a great experience and opportunity that would not have been possible without Dejan Bosic a.k.a. Realmaster D. 
DJ Jab hosting the Blaque Joints radio show, 2003 (Photographed by: Samofant)
2004-01First release on vinyl
In early 2004, together with Samofant, I released the Weekend EP on 12" vinyl.
After we delivered to some record stores, the record found its way onto FM radio. It got airplay on the Soundfiles Hip Hop radio show with DJ Mad on NDR in Germany and on DJ Beware's Tribe Vibes radio show on Austrias ORF FM4 station. 
Samofant during the recording of the Weekend EP in summer 2003. (Photographed by: DJ Jab)
2004-03Gigs, gigs, gigs
The radio appearances of Weekend triggered record sales and DJ gigs in a plathea of nightclubs like HANGAR 49 (Berlin), Geburtstagsklub (Berlin), A-Lounge (Berlin), Monopol (Lüneburg), Docks (Hamburg), Cafe Seeterrassen (Hamburg), Maxx Music Hall (Hamburg), Rote Flora (Hamburg), Markthalle (Hamburg), and Mausefalle (Kiel). Too many venues to name.
DJing was pretty intense at the time and resulted in me having to cancel my first regular Saturday night gig at Rote Laterne and slowly cutting the Blaque Joints web radio show down by an hour and then ceasing it altogether. 
DJ Jab party flyers. (Photographed by: DJ Jab)
2005-03Creative pause
In 2005 I decided to take a creative pause. I felt uninspired. Playing only mainstream Hip Hop and R'n'B at night clubs had made me lose my mojo. I also felt uninspired by the idea of releasing just another record. I have "been there and done that", several times. I was ready to move on but didn't know in which direction.
During the following years, I cleaned up my extensive music collection, making it reflect my personal taste. This process lasted for years, since good new music kept appearing, which I collected. 
DJ Jab taking a break. (Photographed by: Nils Koch)
2012-06Digging deeper
It must have been around mid 2012, when I heavily got into digging and collecting from other genres than Hip Hop / Rap. I got inspired to do so during a trip to Africa, when I visited the Santa Maria music festival, on Sal, Cabo Verde.
The local music was so good, I started to look more into Jazz, Soul, and Folk music from all parts of the world. Diggin' deep into genres and styles.
I occasionally compile some nuggets and publish them in a show, called Digger's Paradise. 
Santa Maria music festival, Sal, Cabo Verde 2012. (Photographed by: DJ Jab)
2013-01Back in the game
From 2013, after studying, founding 2 companies and years of abstance from DJing (apart from digging), I slowly got back in the game. I had the opportunity to play alongside some of the artists which I really like a lot, playing the music that I wanted. Playing mainly what I was sampled with by labels/dealers or what bookers wanted me to, was a thing of the past.
DJing became again a hobby on the side instead of being a source of income. This gave me back my mojo. 
Erick Sermon & DJ Jab in 2013. (Photographed by: DJ Vlader)
2016-07DJ Jab sound logo
In the summer of 2016, just before a concert, I asked my friend Tobi, who works as a professional voice artist, to spit out a few variations of "DJ Jab" for me. We recorded with my cell phone outside the concert hall. One of the variations became my sound logo. Since then, Tobi has been my official voice. We still record outdoors. 
Tobi and I recording for the Action Jackson mixtape in 2022. (Photographed by: Herr van Toll)
2016-10DJ Jab logo
After playing around with the sound logo, improving it and adding a personal touch to Tobi's voice, I decided to create a visual logo as well. While investigating typography, I came across Jakob Fischer's Skater Dudes font. According to him, it was inspired by graffiti and has a loose and goofy appearance. Great match with my music! I used the font to create the DJ Jab logo with only minor changes. Props to Jakob! 
DJ Jab logo design process, 2016. (Photographed by: DJ Jab)
2017-05Slowful mixtape
Equipped with a sound logo and a visual logo, I felt it was time to investigating how I could produce and release mixtapes again. After some experimenting with my decks, cutting sound snippets, and testing mastering software, the time had come:
In May 2017, 14 years after my last mixtape, I released Slowful, as digital stream on Mixcloud and in a limited edition on (CD).
A testimony of the times. 
DJ Jab – Slowful CD mixtape, 2017. (Photographed by: DJ Jab)
2019-03Fireabend mixtape
In March 2019 I released the Fireabend mixtape. It was my first digital only release, on Mixcloud.
I had found ways to rearrange songs, remix, do collages of sound snippets, production and mastering, cover design, and releasing. I was satisfied with the product and the whole production process. 
DJ Jab during the Fireabend cover shoot in 2018. (Photographed by: Empanadeta)
2020-08DJ Jab 20th birthday
In 2020, the year that marked my 20th anniversary as DJ Jab, I permanently moved back to Berlin. There, I reconnected with Herr van Toll, a friend I met back in 2009 in southern France. He is an amazing photographer and supports me with most things photography of DJ Jab. Props to Herr van Toll!
It never felt better to be DJ Jab. It never felt better to be home.
Unfuckwittable. 
DJ Jab at Ostkreuz, Berlin. (Photographed by: Herr van Toll)
2020-11MacGuffin Mixtape
During quarantine, I had developed perfect focus and released the MacGuffin mixtape. To show some love for my Berlin district, the cover depicts Lange Brücke in Köpenick. 
DJ Jab during the MacGuffin cover shoot in summer 2020. (Photographed by: Empanadeta)
2021-05Website photo shoot
In May 2021 I met
Herr van Toll to shoot pictures for the website on the roof of a vacant and now demolished tower (for anti-aircraft control systems of the
GEMA), which I always called the
roof of Köpenick.
So, we grabbed some beers at the local Späti and got up there. The results can be found on this website, among other places. 
DJ Jab during the website photo shoot in 2021. (Photographed by: Herr van Toll)
2021-12Boom mixtape
In December 2021 I released the Boom mixtape on Mixcloud. Since I've always been a fan of graffiti, I wanted to try using actual street art for the cover. So I took a Boom tag that I once photographed in Hamburg.
I definitely wanted to release the tape in 2021, so I mixed and mastered on December 31st until 10:30pm. I just made it. 2021 was a crazy year. 
Boom tag on trash can in 2018. (Photographed by: DJ Jab)
2022-03DJ Jab stickers
I’ve never created a sticker before, so for 2022 I had decided to create a variety of DJ Jab stickers. I’ve ordered 10.000 stickers in total. After sending the files to the sticker manufacturers, I had to wait for a few weeks without knowing what the results would look like.
The stickers were and are still being distributed to record, fashion and graffiti stores in and around Berlin.
Keep up the stickering everyone! Also, keep sending in pictures and locations! The farest a sticker made it so far is Morocco. Whoop, whoop! 
DJ Jab sticker on the front window of a Späti in Berlin Neukölln. (Photographed by: DJ Jab)
2022-07Action Jackson mixtape
In July 2022 I released the Action Jackson mixtape on Mixcloud.
The cover with the gun caused heated discussions among family and friends even before the mixtape was published. The question that arose was whether the (fictional character) DJ Jab should carry a gun. I've thought about it a lot and - on DJ Jab's 21st anniversary - decided:
For the sake of artistic freedom, DJ Jab can do whatever the fuck he wants. 
DJ Jab after the Action Jackson cover shoot in spring 2022. (Photographed by: Herr van Toll)
2022-12Jab beanie hats
As the beanie aficionado that I am, I've decided to create a Jab branded one. When I started wearing the beanie, more and more people asked me about it. In the end I produced a whole batch:
100% Merino virgin wool, finely knitted, double-walled with circular knit (without vertical seam), simple fold-over, high quality embroidered "Jab". All made in Germany. Warm and cozy.
Want one? Contact me! 
DJ Jab beanies in red and black with white embroidered Jab. (Photographed by: DJ Jab)
2023-04Smile mitxtape
In April of 2023 I released the Smile mixtape on Mixcloud.
With all the negative shit that's happening around the world, I wanted to send a more positive message. As a huge fan of Gandhi's philosophy on non violence, I posed as him on the cover. Herr van Toll took the photo and Köpenick legend Romano helped with the intro. Berlin graffiti artist Smile (the one and only) contributed his tag as the logo.
All of us are sending out good vibes to the world! Smile! 
Romano with DJ Jab during the intro recording for Smile. (Photographed by: Unknown)
2023-07Stickers galore!
Starting in the summer of 2023, I released a series of stickers in small editions: Haram!, Halal?, Still und schuldig, Çüş!!!, PROWOKECUNT, Baume, Yoga & Mindfäulnis, Kleener Pisser, Schweineöde, and many more.
However, the interest in the stickers was unexpectedly high. Friends of mine who run a Späti offered to distribute the stickers in their shop. So in 2023 I somehow ended up in the sticker business instead of working on the next mixtape. Get the stickers! Have fun with them. There will be more. 
Haram!, Halal?, Still und schuldig, Çüş!!!, PROWOKECUNT, Schweineöde - Stickers by DJ Jab in November 2023. (Photographed by: DJ Jab)
2024-02Honcho mixtape
On February 3rd, 2024 I released the Honcho mixtape on Mixcloud and YouTube. It is exactly one hour long, packed with Boom Bap Hip Hop from (mostly) late 2022 and 2023. What a precision landing – by accident. 
DJ Jab during the Honcho cover shoot in winter 2023. (Photographed by: Herr van Toll)
2024-03Wicked mixtape
On March 22nd, 2024 I released the Wicked mixtape on Mixcloud and YouTube. I guess this will be the last mixtape for a certain period of time. Making mixtapes like that is a dying art form. There are only limited ways to make money from it. And while I do this for the love of doin’ it, I will focus on producing the next couple of months. Let's see what harm I can do. Watch out for my beats. 
DJ Jab & DJ Muggs in spring 2024. (Photographed by: DJ Jab)
Peace to Joseph Abajian, founder of Fat Beats, who also goes by the name DJ Jab and probably uses it longer than me. Love and respect to Sheraz Puri for being a source of inspiration. Big-ups to Tobi, Herr van Toll, and Empanadeta for your support, the friendships and all the good times.
Artists
I also want to shout out all the artists who supported me (in alphabetical order): A-F-R-O, Afrika Bambaataa, Andy Cooper (Ugly Duckling), Apollo Brown, AZ (The Firm), Big Noyd (Mobb Deep), Billy Danze (M.O.P.), Buckshot (Black Moon), Cilvaringz (Wu-Tang), Common, Curse, Dee-1, DJ Invincible (Delinquent Habits), Denyo (Absolute Beginner), Devin the Dude, Dizzy Dustin (Ugly Duckling), DJ C.S.P., DJ Chino420, DJ Desue, DJ Dummy (12 Inch Assins), DJ Lord Jazz (Lords of the Underground), DJ Mad (Absolute Beginner), DJ Muggs (Cypress Hill), DJ Vlader (Wild 13), DJ Young Einstein (Ugly Duckling), DoItAll (Lords of the Underground), Ed O.G., El Da Sensei (Artifacts), Erick Sermon, Estee Nack, Fredro Starr (Onyx), General Steele (Smif-N-Wessun), Havoc (Mobb Deep), Homeboy Sandman, Ives Irie (Delinquent Habits), Juju (The Beatnuts), Killah Priest (Wu-Tang), Kool Savas, Large Professor, Lenny S (Roc Nation), Lil' Fame (M.O.P.), Marco Polo, Masta Ace (eMC), Masta Killa (Wu-Tang), Memphis Bleek, Mr. Funke (Lords of the Underground), Murs, Orishas, Paranom (Tragic Allies), Psycho Les (The Beatnuts), Purpose (Tragic Allies), RA The Rugged Man, Rapper Big Pooh, Reks, Rockness Monsta (Heltah Skeltah), Romano, Rome Streetz (Griselda), RZA (Wu-Tang), Saga 718, Sick Jacken (Psycho Realm), Skyzoo, Spliff Starr, Sticky Fingaz (Onyx), Stricklin (eMC), Stu Bangas, Tame One (Artifacts), Tek (Smif-N-Wessun), ... and anyone I may have forgotten.