Snowboarding, fashion, music and writing seem disassociated from each other, but not when DJ “Trouble” Trevor Andrew is at the center of it.
To him, it’s all about creativity, and his true talent is his ability to unleash this creativity in whatever medium he chooses.
DJ Trouble Andrew, together with Jason Bothe and the Trouble Gang, dropped by Manila last weekend to spin his trademark beats at the Native Color Carnival. He was cool and laidback and has a high threshold for pain, as Super saw while we interviewed him in the process of getting tattooed by artist Wiji Lacsamana.
How did your collaboration with Native come about?
I’ve been close friends with Damien, the brains behind Native, since we were kids. I’d lived with him, we snowboarded in Whistler together for years, and I was traveling doing professional snowboarding and he was figuring out what he wanted to do. And he said, “I wanted to start a shoe company, wanna get involved?”
At the time I was thinking it might be tough because there are a lot of shoe companies and you gotta think of something original, and he was like, “Yo, I have something, you gotta see it.” And he brought the sample to my house and as soon as I saw it, I was, “Oh man, I am in.” Because it just seemed like “Why didn’t anybody think of this before?”
The possibilities are just endless with it, what you can do with a molded EVA shoe; it being so light, and the silhouettes are so fun, reminiscent of classics that we grew up on, so I was sold the minute he showed it to me and I’ve been riding with him since.
How does it tie in with your personal style?
I definitely grew up in skate culture, snowboard culture and I’m definitely into high fashion and street style, all kinds of stuff but I think Native is so universal it’s not about me, it’s about everybody. The funny thing about it is it’s one of the few brands that exist that you would still wear even if your parents wear it, or your little sister. My whole family wears Natives, but it’s something that we all relate to, comfort and fun.
You mentioned in an interview before that you were thinking of writing and acting. Any projects geared towards those interests?
Music videos. I just helped direct my first music video (Adorable), and there was a bit of acting in it, it definitely is something I would love to pursue more, along with so many other things I want to do right now.
Who are your musical influences?
I grew up listening to Joy Division, The Beach Boys, Tupac, the whole down south movement, Dead Kennedys.
You mentioned you got into music because of an accident.
I met her before my accident, I was in New York, we were both in New York at the same time, we had mutual friends, we had just met by chance and stayed in touch while I was traveling snowboarding, and then I hurt myself and I just started hanging out with her.
She was working on this punk rock project, and I stayed with her while she was doing that and that was when I started writing my own songs and then we just fell, that was 11 years ago, you know how it goes when you fall in love.
Who would you want to collaborate with next?
I’d like to do something with Iggy Pop one day. I always like to work with more experienced people who influenced a lot of my movies. I’d love to work with Trent Reznor, that would be amazing. Rick Reuben would be insane, too.
Would you be into scoring films?
Absolutely. I’m actually going to score some stuff for snowboarding videos. A couple of my friends are working on movies, you never know, that’d be something I’d be interested in.
How do you manage to devote time to snowboarding and music?
I snowboard still, but I’m no longer out there doing it everyday. I work on production, and graphics for some snowboarding brands, and then design clothes or glasses. I’m just constantly working on that next creative outlet, always. That’s what keeps me alive.
We saw on Instagram that you’ve been knocking back San Miguel and now you’re getting a Red Horse tattoo on your arm. We take it you love the beer here?
I love the beers, when we landed that’s what we had. Amazing. I got to try the San Miguel, then the Red Horse, we wanted to do something to remember our trip to the Philippines, so we had some beer.
You’ve gotten inked quite a few times, is this your first international ink job?
My first tattoo (the word “determination” across one arm) was from Switzerland, one’s from Canada, and the rest are from the States, New York.
What would you remember most from this trip?
We had a fun time and we have footage! Last night we partied pretty hard, and the three of us were goofing around in Greenbelt, and had fun in the pool. It was hilarious. But just being here, just being here with friends, to be able to do this kind of stuff for my job, I always remember, I’d never forget it. This is my first time in the Philippines, so that’s unforgettable, and I’ve got a tattoo to always remember it.