French DJ and producer DJ King Flow returns with another edition of Mixtape Addict, featuring an exclusive interview with DJ Pain 1 on Scientific Sound Asia. Scientific Sound Asia operates as an international radio station, DJ agency, promoter and music news platform, supporting underground artists and independent music across Asia and internationally.
DJ King Flow began DJing at the age of fourteen and developed a style rooted in Boom Bap and 1990s Hip Hop. Those foundations remain central to his work, while his selections regularly place contemporary independent artists alongside established names from earlier generations.
His career has included collaborations with Ras Kass, Tragedy Khadafi, O.C., Juicy J and Khujo Goodie, connecting his production work with artists from different periods of Hip Hop. That same approach carries into Mixtape Addict, where lyric-focused records, hard drums and sample-driven production sit alongside newer independent releases.
Launched in 2015, Mixtape Addict has developed from a radio and mixtape platform into a wider project supporting rappers, DJs and producers through music, interviews and independent media. Its interview series, The Mixtape Addict Report, has been filmed across France, Canada and the United States, giving featured artists space to discuss their careers, creative processes and experiences within the music industry.
This edition features DJ Pain 1, a producer, DJ and educator from Madison, Wisconsin, whose work spans independent Hip Hop production, artist development and music education. His interview adds another perspective to the programme by examining the realities of building a career independently, while DJ King Flow provides the music through another selection centred on underground Hip Hop and lyric-driven production.
Interview Guest DJ Pain 1
DJ Pain 1, real name Pacal Bayley, is a DJ, producer and educator from Madison, Wisconsin, whose career spans both underground Hip Hop and the mainstream music industry. He began DJing in his teens, developing his skills in local clubs before moving further into music production.
A major breakthrough came in 2008 when Young Jeezy selected him to produce Don't Do It for the platinum-selling album The Recession. Since then, DJ Pain 1 has built a substantial production catalogue that includes work with artists such as Ludacris, Public Enemy, Rick Ross, 50 Cent, The Game and Gucci Mane.
His production style combines soulful samples, hard-hitting drums and polished arrangements, allowing him to work comfortably across both independent and commercial Hip Hop. Alongside his production credits, he has released mixtapes and instrumental projects that further document his approach as a beatmaker.
Beyond the studio, DJ Pain 1 has developed a strong presence as an educator and resource for independent artists. Through YouTube and other platforms, he shares tutorials, beat-making guidance and music-industry advice aimed at helping producers and rappers better understand both the creative and business sides of their careers.
That educational work reflects his broader interest in transparency and artist independence. By combining experience in club DJing, platinum-level production and music education, DJ Pain 1 has built a career that connects mainstream success with the realities of independent Hip Hop.
DJ King Flow opens Mixtape Addict Episode 63 with three productions from DJ Pain 1, beginning with I-20's Blood And Tears before Vado's What's Poppn and Black Rob with Sean Price on No Fear. The sequence puts the episode's interview guest at the centre from the outset while establishing the hard drums, heavyweight lyricism and street-focused character that define much of the programme.
Obleak and Necro's Haunted Remix keeps the selection firmly within Underground Hip Hop before Roc Marciano and DJ Premier take over with RocMarkable and Good To Go. Rakim and Hus Kingpin then continue the lyric-led direction with Now Is The Time, connecting established MC tradition with the contemporary underground.
Lex Lakaiser's I Still Shine and Contageous Funk's No Way Out maintain the independent character of the mix before Lelex Luthor joins DJ King Flow for Ralala. Lloyd Banks follows with the consecutive Breaking Day Freestyle and Courtside Freestyle, bringing a distinctly New York emphasis into a stretch heavily shaped by East Coast Hip Hop and Boom Bap.
K.A.A.N, Coyote and DJ Hoppa's Breaking Bad broadens the selection before Charles Herron and Chuck Chan deliver Bear Suits, keeping the focus on independent rap and technically driven performances. The Clipse and Tyler The Creator then arrive with POV, adding another heavyweight collaboration before the programme turns towards Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist.
Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist contribute the consecutive Skinny Suge 2 and I Still Love H.E.R, bringing a darker and more cinematic production style into the final musical stretch. Hatch Wiseguy with 38 Spesh follows with Yikes, before Big Sant and Redcoat Da Poet's Supply & Demand completes a selection that reaches beyond one region while remaining rooted in uncompromising lyrical Hip Hop.
DJ King Flow closes Episode 63 with his interview with DJ Pain 1, bringing the programme back to the producer whose work opened the show. The combination of DJ Pain 1 productions, Roc Marciano and DJ Premier, Rakim, Lloyd Banks, Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist gives the episode a strong underground identity before the conversation provides its final focus.
DJ King Flow welcomed producer, DJ and educator DJ Pain 1 to Mixtape Addict for a conversation about turntablism, mixtape culture, production, streaming, technology and the realities of working independently in music. Pain 1 also discussed his experiences touring Europe, adapting to changes in the industry and the projects he is developing across production, education and artist resources.
Asked to name his favourite DJ, Pain 1 initially chose I.Emerge after remembering a live set that had made a lasting impression on him. He also named the late DJ Big Kap and gave recognition to crews such as the Invisibl Skratch Piklz and Beat Junkies, whose technical approach helped establish new standards for turntablism.
Mixtapes still hold particular value for Pain 1 because they allowed DJs to create uninterrupted listening experiences where records could overlap, interact and develop as one complete piece. He believes streaming has damaged that aspect of both mixtapes and albums by encouraging individual tracks, advertisements, random playback and pauses that interfere with deliberate sequencing.
That problem also affects him directly as a producer when he wants one track on an album to transition naturally into another. Tempo changes, matching keys and overlapping elements can all form part of an album's construction, but those details can disappear when listeners hear songs individually or platforms introduce gaps between them.
When asked what he wants from a mixtape, Pain 1 said the best DJs surprise him with selections he would never have expected to hear together. He particularly enjoys genre, era and cultural combinations that initially appear unusual but make sense because the DJ understands how to connect them intentionally.
King Flow then asked which DJ Pain 1 would choose to host a compilation of his own production, and his answer was Don Cannon. Pain 1 sees Cannon as a natural fit because he understands production as well as DJing and now uses his platform to document the stories, techniques and people behind important records.
The discussion broadened into the position of veteran artists within contemporary Hip Hop, with Pain 1 rejecting the idea that rappers should automatically lose relevance with age. He pointed out that many listeners have grown older alongside the culture, giving established artists an audience that still wants music representing their experiences rather than only material aimed at teenagers or young adults.
Pain 1 believes Europe has played an important role in giving artists from different generations opportunities that were often harder to find in the United States. France, Germany, Poland and neighbouring markets have supported tours and audiences for performers whose commercial visibility may have declined at home, allowing them to build income and maintain direct relationships with long-standing listeners.
His own experiences in France also left a strong impression because audiences often seemed more engaged with the performance itself. Pain 1 remembered younger people attending events through subsidised tickets and transport while also noticing fewer phones being held up throughout shows, which made the atmosphere feel more focused on being present in the room.
For young DJs and producers, his advice was to stop waiting for somebody else to validate what they are doing and simply begin. Mistakes are unavoidable, and Pain 1 believes learning through real experience is more useful than spending too much time trying to protect yourself from every possible error before taking the first step.
Adaptation has been one of the biggest challenges of his own career because each new technology can quickly alter how music is created, marketed or sold. After resisting beat leasing for years and later recognising what he had missed, Pain 1 decided he would no longer reject new technology simply because it felt unfamiliar or uncomfortable.
That approach now extends to artificial intelligence, which Pain 1 views with both interest and concern. He is learning how the technology works and how it may affect music while also questioning misinformation, synthetic media and the wider consequences of tools becoming capable of producing increasingly convincing false material.
Rather than announcing every unreleased record sitting on his hard drive, Pain 1 said he prefers to treat music as real only once it has actually been released. He nevertheless confirmed that he is working on substantial new material alongside a beat-selling course, Patreon content and the Music Entrepreneur Club podcast.
Other upcoming products include a new drum kit and Painkillers 4, a soul sample pack that he has been developing for some time. Pain 1 plans to release a considerable amount of material across music and producer resources, using these different outlets to build stronger communities around his work rather than relying on one source of income.
He also teased a completed record involving two rappers without revealing their names, explaining that one is a recognised veteran while the other is a newer artist with a significant reputation. Pain 1 produced two different versions of the track, and both were accepted for release, giving him an opportunity to demonstrate two approaches to the same collaboration.
The interview closed with Pain 1 offering a short message to listeners around the world before thanking King Flow for the conversation. His wider comments throughout the discussion centred on creativity, adaptability and learning through action, presenting music as a profession where technical ability matters alongside the willingness to change when the environment around it changes.
DJ King Flow & DJ Pain 1 Mixtape Addict episode 63
I-20 - Blood And Tears (Prod DJ Pain 1)
Vado - What's Poppn (Prod DJ Pain 1)
Black Rob & Sean Price - No Fear (Prod DJ Pain 1)
Obleak & Necro - Haunted Remix
Roc Marciano & DJ Premier - RocMarkable
Roc Marciano & DJ Premier - Good To Go
Rakim & Hus Kingpin - Now Is The Time
Lex Lakaiser - I Still Shine
Contageous Funk - No Way Out
Lelex Luthor & DJ King Flow - Ralala
Lloyd Banks - Breaking Day Freestyle
Lloyd Banks - Courtside Freestyle
K.A.A.N, Coyote & DJ Hoppa - Breaking Bad
Charles Herron & Chuck Chan - Bear Suits
The Clipse & Tyler The Creator - POV
Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist - Skinny Suge 2
Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist - I Still Love H.E.R
Hatch Wiseguy & 38 Spesh - Yikes
Big Sant & Redcoat Da Poet - Supply & Demand
DJ King Flow - Interview with DJ Pain 1
Listen on Mixcloud here.