EXCLUSIVE: LPAssociation.com Interview with DJ Joseph Hahn

After months of receiving requests from fans to follow up our exclusive interview with bassist David "Phoenix" Farrell back in December, we here at The Linkin Park Association were able to track down DJ Joseph Hahn for an exclusive interview concerning Minutes to Midnight, as well as details concerning his current solo ventures that have been reported over the last few months. This interview will help to explain to fans whatever happened to The Seed and King Rat, as well as give insight on what we can expect from Joe at this year's upcoming Projekt Revolution tour. Enjoy!
--

LPA: About how long ago did the idea for SURU first come about, and exactly what inspired you to want to launch SURU to the public? Are you excited this idea is finally getting off the ground?

Joe: SURU started 2 years ago. I wanted to have a place that would carry the brands that I like. I wanted to have a place to showcase the art that I appreciate and I wanted the place to be an extension of what I do outside of Linkin Park. Fashion, Art and Music are very important forms of expression that coexist in such a cool way. I wanted SURU to show that from my point of view.

LPA: Will the SURU that has launched in California be the only SURU store in existence, or do you plan to eventually branch out and open more stores in other states?

Joe: I would love to expand SURU to become a chain. That is something that I can only hope for in the future. Right now, I have my hands full.

LPA: In terms of your other talents, I remember you talking a last year about an independent film you were making called 'The Seed'. For a while there you were posting exclusive behind the scenes movies on the Linkin Park Underground but since then, talk on this movie has appeared to almost go silent and fans are hungry to know more. Do you have an estimate as to when the movie will be released to the public, and is there any plans to feature it for viewing on linkinpark.com? We'll host it for you if you want!

Joe: The SEED is a 12 minute short film that I made in between records. It deals with deception of the mind. I premiered it @ the 2006 Pusan International Film Festival in South Korea. I've been quite busy working on the album that I kind of forgot about the film. I would like to get into a few more festivals before I release it online. It got turned down by Sundance. I guess it wasn't artsy fartsy enough.

LPA: What is the status on King Rat, Kung Fu High School, and any other film projects you may have planned?

Joe: Those projects are now inactive. It has been difficult getting these projects off the ground for many different reasons. Hollywood is very wishy washy. I have moved on and have been having some conversations with some Hollywood folks about some other projects. Nothing really to report for now.

LPA: Judging by the art included on the Hybrid Theory EP and other works you have done for charity, you are quite the skilled painter and artist. Are there any plans to launch a full scale art show like your band mate Mike Shinoda did?

Joe: We're doing a sketch book for Music For Relief which will be available @ the shows on Projekt Revolution. The proceeds will go to save the world from evil. As for other stuff, I occasionally throw a painting up at the Thinkspace Gallery in Los Angeles. They actually have a painting of mine right now. There is a preview of it on my SlamXHype blog.

LPA: Your ningyo looks absolutely incredible and the design is quite clever and unique. What was your inspiration for this toy? He looks like a short Bruce Lee!

Joe: If you ever watched 'Enter The Dragon', you know that the main villain is a guy named Mr. Han. The toy focuses on the rivalry between Mr. Han & Mr. Bruce. Mr. Han is the monkey on his back and is responsible for wounds across the chest and face. Hence 'Mr. Hahn will scratch you to death. I only made 500 of them and will be sure to sell out the day they are released. Available only at SURU.

LPA: On Minutes To Midnight, to some fans you seem to appear less prominently on many of the album's songs, than in comparison to older Linkin Park records. Would you say this was this a conscious decision you and the band made during recording, or would it happen to be something that played out in the way the songs were generated in the studio?

Joe: I did a lot of scratching that Mike and Brad muted out. But aside from that, on this album, everyone in the band was working on everything. We weren't limited to our respected instruments. Every song on the album had a different approach to how it was written. One of the main focuses for me was to nail sounds down by re-amping, resampling, and pushing the dynamic of range with the sounds.

LPA: The video for What I've Done is one of the best videos you've ever created in terms of the message behind it, the the look of it and how it was directed. What was your inspiration behind making the video have the message that it did?

Joe: There were many inspirations. The main ones being the world itself. I tried the best I could to make this video a mirror to the world. The imagery used was carefully selected to show the dynamic contrast between the accomplishment of man and the demise of man. We have been blessed to live a life with many luxuries that have been discovered throughout history. At the same time, it is not all fun and games. There is a fine balance in the world that can be tipped at any point in time and some may argue that it is being tipped. We as a civilization can only maintain that balance with responsibility.

LPA: Concerning Minutes to Midnight, what are you most proud of with this record?

I'm proud of the fact that we made a record that we are completely and absolutely proud of. This is the most thorough and intentional thing that we have ever done. Working on this record has been a lot of work and because of it, we have created a tighter bond within the band.

---

Since it is a well known fact that Joe does not usually give interviews as much as Mike and Chester do, the LPA would like to extend our gratitude to Joe for taking the time to answer our questions, and to give insights to some of the projects him and the band have been working on recently. We urge every one of you in the Los Angeles area to stop by SURU and take a look at what they have to offer, and here's to hoping we'll be able to catch up with the members of Linkin Park again sometime over the next few months! Thanks again, Joe!

INTERVIEW MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED ANYWHERE WITHOUT EXPRESSED WRITTEN CREDIT TO LPA.

 

Yes you can. And we got this through a friend of Joe who helps with SURU.

 

This is excellent. You guys are absolutely amazing.