CHRISTIAN RICH are twin brothers out of Chicago carving out their own path in modern music. With props from Pharell (below), Kanye and Diddy, they’ve produced for Lil’ Kim, The Clipse, Young Gunz, Foxy Brown, GLC and Armand Van Helden. Groovement caught up with them for some chit chat from a UK perspective.
Hello Christian Rich. What’s been the secret formula to bringing your work to everyone’s attention?
Understanding how to brand one’s self and the power that holds.
Please describe the elements of your music that make you stand out.
We tap into worldy music from folk music to bossa nova to hip hop to Afro beat, high life music. We are kids that were blessed to live overseas, so we were able to experience an array of sounds and life.
You’re working with clothing labels in tandem to making music: how important are these partnerships to you? Have you found them a good way to get people to know who you are?
Oh yeah, there is no line drawn between music and fashion. The worlds are one and the same. We are blessed with great people from BBC/Ice Cream, DC, and other great brands.
Caught Diddy’s new sound on UK television the other night: have you had a hand in that?
Well, he loves our sound and I think he gets inspired by all the producers who’ve been working on that album with him.
How have your studies in advertising and design helped you out in the past couple years? Do you see CR as a brand and concept rather than two individuals, or how do you balance this out? Will you be looking after your sleeve designs personally?
Our studies directly shaped our understanding of branding and marketing through consistent advertising. The passion for design comes from just being visually stimulated by life and art and modern design as well as classic European and classic American furniture/culture. CR is one big ass Brand but we don’t anticipate creating any clothing lines; maybe accessories but not a clothing line.
Would you say that Neptunes production in particular has been a big influence? Which parts? What are your other big influences?
Of course! We couldn’t believe there were other producers who love the same types of chords and harmonies that we did. We love Henry Mancini, Birds And the Bee, Timbaland, Dilla, Premier, Quincy Jones, the list goes on…
Pharell seems to be associated with the Decadence – how’s he helped you guys out?
He and Shae see our vision and help to continually cultivate that vision for us.
What are the pros and cons of working as a duo? Is one of you bossier/more stubborn than the other?
We are both very bossy and stubborn, so sometimes one of us has to back down and let the other take the lead.
What new releases are doing it for you?
Anything from Nicki Minaj, Gucci Mane, Black Keys, Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia or Armand Van Helden.
Have you heard much of the emerging UK electronic wave of new music? Artists like James Blake, Pariah, Paul White, Bullion to name a few.
No, but I’m gonna check them out now.
Is hip hop tired? Is yes, what are the ways forward for it? If no, what/who makes it fresh?
Hip Hop is well and alive through Soulja Boy, Drake, Nicki Minaj. People forget that hip hop is creating your own lane and having your one fan base, movement. The people I just mentioned have created their own worlds and are doing excellent things in representing their music.
I believe we’ve yet to see your live incarnation in the UK – what makes it a little different?
It’s coming from us, we are the difference.
What are your release plans? More downloadable mixtapes or a full LP?
New album coming out last quarter or first quarter. More collabaration and like always, many surprises.
Groovement heard big things about STAC’s album launch down in the capital and several rumblings over the last few months during the making of the album ‘Turn That Light Out’, so we were dead chuffed to catch up with the lady so soon after its release. It’s a pleasure too to big up WAH WAH 45s, who continue to deliver such high quality output: a record label where each release is lovingly nurtured to full bloom. Check the Groovement We Wah Ten podcast by Dom Servini for more Wah goings on.
Hello Stac. How was the album launch?
Hello Jamie Groovement! It was very exciting thank you. I had a wonderful time and it looked like all the people that came enjoyed themselves too, so I was incredibly happy for days after – still am actually! It was so lovely to have two of my oldest friends play the slot before us, Jamie Woon and Jim Wood did a little acoustic set which I was totally chuffed with (Woon has recently signed to Polydor and is probably going to be a household name soon so I felt pretty lucky). And of course Dom Servini had a little spin on the ones and twos as well as, Blue Daisy, LenAfrosaxon and Pause who have all done mixes of my stuff. What a bloody lucky girl I am!
Blue Daisy’s a friend of ours. How did you hook up with him for the remix? Any other collaborations planned?
Ahhh Blueskilz. He sent me a message a while ago on myspace and I read it and then forgot about it. Whooops. I didn’t know who he was! But then I remembered, re-read it and then checked the beats on his myspace and I liked his sound. His beats are pretty rich and a bit dark but he somehow manages to incorporate a bluesy element to them which I love. He is such an incredibly talented producer and one of my favourite people. Im working on a couple of songs for his album at the moment which is very exciting but in terms of other collabs we shall just have to wait and see what happens!
Matt Halsall’s a jewel, isn’t he? Tell us about some of the artists you’ve worked with on the album and why.
Yup! He is a diamond. Matthew and I met through Myspace too, a good few years ago now – what an era we live in eh! I love Matthew’s playing and he is another incredibly talented person not to mention my favourite trumpet player. I had this South American forward slash Eastern European number that I wanted to get some trumpet on so well called upon his talents and he kindly agreed to play. Stephen McCleery who is responsible for the magic piano solo on All or Nothing played the first few gigs with us when we started out. I love how beautifully magical he is so I definitely wanted him to come play with us. The wonderful Daniel Marcus Clark played double bass with us when we were trying out the more acoustic line-up and I was looking for a trombone player to team up with Matthew and Dom suggested the incredibly lovely Magnus Dearness who plays with Hackney Colliery Band (who have just signed to Wah Wah 45s). I’ve been leading a choir for the last year now and we have been performing acapella versions of my songs since October last year so I definitely wanted to involve their beautiful voices. There is something so special about a choir. I love it!
What sort of line up would we be looking at for a tour?
Well we have the core band of guitar, bass, drums, 3 singers and me but at the launch party I got a taste of what its like to have a string trio, a keys player and a little brass section as well as my choir which was amazing but I love my band so much that I’m happy for just the 7 of us play. Any extras are a wonderfully added bonus!
Have you been pleased with initial reception to the album?
Crikey yes! Ive been delighted! I think I did that thing thats slightly similar to when you get your GCSE results in the post. You rip the letter open and then read it with one eye shut and the other only open enough for you to see the blurred outlines of the letters. And then when you see that the results are not horrendous you get a bit more brave and open both your eyes!
By the nature of Bandcamp and Soundcloud, your music is up there to listen to without necessarily purchasing it. How comfortable are you with that?
I think its good for people to be able to hear your stuff before they buy it. I just hope that if they like it, they do buy it and support independent music.
A still from the video All Or Nothing, directed by Marie-Claire Denyer
Fill us in a little on your musical journey.
There is a picture of me when I was three with a pair of massive headphones on, a guitar in my hand and one of those late 70’s thin wand microphones. Not much has changed really apart from the fact that Im bigger and I have a better microphone. When I was 9 I sang in the west end production of Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat with about 50 other kids for three months. After that I had a solo in our school production of Theseus and the Monitor and clearly remember absolutely shitting myself before I had to sing but I did it and it was ACE! No stopping me.
I went to the Brit School and studied music which I loved and then off to Leeds College of Music where I got to hang out with loads of ridiculously talented folk and subsequently got the fear! I tried writing for various producers I knew but all the effort was spent trying to be what I thought it was that they wanted me to be, so I stopped singing.
I decided that I wanted to keep involved with music as it really is the only thing Im good at, so I got a job at Kudos Records Distribution as the sales girl and that’s where I met Dom Servini and Simon Goss. My Dad bought me a microphone and a soundcard around the same time and that’s when acapellas started to come out. I find writing with my voice a lot easier than with any instruments. I put some of the acapellas up on myspace along with a remix that a great producer called PROD did for me, which then turned out to be my first single on Wah Wah 45s with a Bonobo remix on the flip. Couldnt believe my luck with that! That’s when it all kicked off really! Dom Servini has been really amazing. He made me get a band together and start playing gigs and he suggested that for We Wah Ten (Wah Wah 45s 10th Birthday party at Scala in October 2009) I got a choir of ladies together to perform a few songs. It was amazing. We’ve carried on singing together doing my songs and my arrangements of other peoples songs that I wish I’d written!
The LP’s called Turn The Light Out. Did ‘Turn The Light Off’ sound a bit too common?
Haha oh yarrrr. I should have called it Turn That Light Orrfft. I was actually jumping between the two for a while but Out came out top. I think its a bit more poetic I guess than ‘off’. I love little nuances in the English language and this is one of them. You cant turn tvs and hoovers out but you can a light, and I like that. Simple minds I guess.
If it’s not too deep – what is the ‘light’?
Oh its not deep at all. The reason I named the album Turn That Light Out is because its something my Dad says ALL the time. He likes to do his bit for the environment and he and my mum have been so supportive while I’ve been on this adventure that I wanted to give my Dad a little nod.
Have the songs that made up the album been in your head for a long time or were they written over the past four months?
Tip was the first song I ever wrote by myself and that was about 4 years ago. So I guess I’ve been writing my album over the last 4 years without actually knowing it. Pretty much all the songs started their lives as acapellas and have grown with the band and a couple were re-arranged over beats from Producers PROD (Balls Bounce) and LenAfrosaxon (Whoops) but really, there wasn’t a grand goal of making an album, I was just happy getting my write on, so I was really happy when we discovered that actually, we had an albums worth of material that I was incredibly proud of!
His ears. They are very deceptive. They look like the ears of a small child but they are very wise.
What’s it like being in the Wah Wah family?
Exactly that! Its like a family and that’s something that’s incredibly important to me. I don’t think I would like to be part of a label where the label manager didn’t call me up to moan about the fact that his kitchen was under a few inches of water and then sing a song called “You’re playing the Big Chiiiiiiill, you’re playing the Big Chiiiiiiiill! down the phone to me.
What tickles your fancy in the current musical climate?
Errr. I really couldn’t answer that fairly because I don’t really pay much attention to it. I’ve only heard a few things recently and I thought they were all the same song, so perhaps my lack of interest is as a result of that. Im not a music snob. All Night Long by Lionel Richie is one of my all time favourites.
Who did the beautiful cover art?
A beautiful lady called Chiyo Arae. I met her through Matthew Halsall when she was living in London. She is an incredible artist. Please check her stuff out on http://www.chiyoarae.com/ABOUT.html I haven’t seen her for years as she has now moved back to Japan and I am sad that I can only hug her in binary, but hopefully we shall meet again and I can squeeze the living daylights out of her for doing such an impressive job.
What are the next steps for Stac?
I think just playing gigs and writing more. Im really looking forward to playing Flo-Motion at the Royal Opera House on the 17th July and then Secret Garden Party and Big Chill. They are going to be very fun!
And so there you have her, the wonderful Stac. The album’s fantastic and riddled with true summer vibes that deserve your full attention and undying emotional investment. Bloody buy it.
We’ve been following the movements of Florida-based rapper Midaz for a minute now; utilising a creative slant to his tunes through a concept-based approach and heavy use of Bandcamp has seen his message spread throughout the blogosphere. Here he presents an intricate and thoughtful persona, enlightening us to his world, which backs up his steely work ethic in anticipation of forthcoming debut album ‘Au‘.
How goes life in Orlando?
Orlando life is good brother. Its hot as Hades around here this time of year, but nothing to complain about. Just working.
Is there an active and thriving hip hop scene there? How have you found it to change in the past few years? Have tastes varied?
Orlando has been proving itself to be a hotbed for underground hip hop talent man. A lot of cats are out here or have came from out here and the surrounding areas that are real emcees, and producers. Of course cats from my team, Doxside… IMAKEMADBEATS, TzariZM, Synopse, then you got 100k battle winner Murdoc, Mygrane Mcnastee, and you know Grind Time was started out here too. Plus a ton of other cats you may have heard of are from my hood. Sollilaquists of Sound, cRitical Madness, and more. So yeah… the scene out here is always poppin. For the most part the main change out here is faces…every season there’s a slew of new cats, and some of the older ones will fade out. But, tastes generally remain the same.
Can you give me some context on your identity? Is BlakOut your own crew? How long’s it been around?
I am MidaZ The BEAST. Formally known as Golden Child and Fastablade. Umm, basically i’m an emcee. Im a writer. I chose the name MidaZ because in my early days of rhyming, i was always enthralled with putting perfection on paper, lol, I didnt ever achieve that, but i always wanted to present a verse or a song like it was written with a golden pen. I wanted all my shit to seem pristine. The BEAST came later though. That was born out of feeling like i was iller than other cats man. I had (have) a philosophy that I try to just murder whomever im on a track with. LOL. Just some cocky emcee shit. BlakOut is just me and IMAKEMADBEATS. Thats my G right there, right hand man, whatever however you wanna say it. BlakOut started in 2002/2003, a little bit after the Golden StormZ days. IMAKEMADBEATS did all the production for the Golden StormZ project, and when GS fizzled out, I approached him about us doing music together. We both noted that we had a serious natural chemistry. So after just a few joints it was BlakOut for life.
Tell me a little about Doxside – is that a homegrown collective? In what ways does it give back to the community?
Doxside is the label, the team, the family. Definently homegrown. Basically we were a crew of artists that decided to take matters into our own hands as far as releasing our music. IMAKEMADBEATS, MidaZ The BEAST, TzariZM, Synopse, J Freedome, Butta Verses, Ponce De Beyond, and R.U.G.G.E.D.. Thats Doxside. Officially we havent started any community projects yet, being a new label and all, but we have been working in the orlando community for years. I specifically do a lot with children. I’ve volunteered to help middle and high school students with creative writing, and have done shows and organized shows for different schools and kids in our area. Its a blessing to be apart of things like that.
Your debut album Au is due next year: at what point in the process of making it are you up to? Who are you working with to complete it?
Ive recorded a lot of tracks for Au. Its been in the works since the winter of 08. I’ve done something like 50 joints so far for it. Just trying to keep recording until its time to push it out. We got a few things lined before Au drops. NightLight with IMAKEMADBEATS on production thats one half of a double lp with Butta Verses, El MidaZ live, BEAST Wars 2, a new MidaZ vs project, IMAKEMADBEATS album, and an album called Trilogy im doing with IMAKEMADBEATS and Beretta 9 of Killarmy. Its coming though trust. Its not gonna be like Detox or the Cure, lol. I got Beretta 9 on there, Sabac Red, Marco Polo, Oh No the Disrupt, Roc Marciano, Planet Asia, TzariZM, Murdoc… Mad heads on it in some form or other. Its some real hip hop shit man. Thats pretty much all ima say for now about it…lol. Its on its way tho. Keeps your eyes and ears peeled.
Is it important to release a full album in these digital days? Are mixtapes still relevant?
I’m old school in that sense. I totally believe in a full album. Thats the best way to present your work i think. Obviously with my track record, i believe mixtapes are relevant too. Especially as a way to prepare the audience for the aforementioned album. But i dont like the way mixtapes are presented currently…I think cats have to be more creative with their mixtapes. Make them a unique experience as well. Dont just grab 2 djs to host it and throw a bunch a of freestyles on there. Use your creativity.
The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams is a compilation of some of your work so far. Would it be fair to say you work hard at what you do because you love it? You seem to be much less ‘in your face’ on the promo side of things than many rappers might be.
I love it. Rhyming is a sport to me. Its like playing ball. Its my job no doubt, but its a labor of love. My favorite pastime. what did canibus say…”rhymin is the 9 to 5 that i manipulate best.” As far as promo goes, Im definitely anxious to get better known out there, but not by any means necessary. Im an emcee, and i want to be known as one. Not as a gimmick, or the guy with the cool videos, or tshirts and shit…i mean i wouldnt mind having some things that people know me for. But i want to be known as someone who writes dope ass songs. Period.
You’ve used Bandcamp to get your work out there and it’s popularity is growing – what are it’s benefits for you? What other tactics do rely on to let the world know Midaz is here?
Bandcamp is really fresh for indie heads to get music out there. Its good to have a hub where u can setup all your music at. And if you wanna release something yourself, heres an excellent way to do it where you reap the benefits yourself. As far as other tactics go, without letting mad shit out the bag, you gotta be an outgoing person. Thats it really. You as a musician are an entertainer, so having an entertaining personality helps people remember you when they see you. Thats the thing. Its not really about who sees, hears, or meets you… its about who remembers you after the fact.
What is the ‘our show’ radio element – is that BlackOut associated?
My man Conshus started OurShow a few years back and asked me to cohost it with him. Thats our radio show where we get a chance to put our flavors out there for the people to taste. Myself, IMAKEMADBEATS, TzariZM and Conshus are a collective called UJempire. So all our stuff is related. From Doxside to BlakOut to Ourshow, its one big ass family with different heads.
As far as hip hop goes in 2010, what do you consider quality? Is Drake doing it for you?
Really digging the Roc Marciano ‘Marcberg’ album. That shit is inspiring to me. Umm.. I like the Ruste Juxx and Marco Polo album. That shits hardbody. Anything Sean Price is doing. A lot of the new Raekwon stuff. Waiting for the new Madvillain stuff. Not really digging Drake too much. No problem there tho, hes cool and all. Just not my cup of tea.
How have you found promoting your work on the internet? Is it frustrating not to be able to push your stuff face to face?
It is frustrating on one end, but on the other its not. I like to get out in front of the people as much as possible. I’m a very active performer, but the net is the business nowadays. Its how you promote with zero dollars, when you cant get in front of the people. So you gotta respect the net and the people on it. Thats the way info is passed now, especially info on hip hop.
Have you found it hard to get people to see past their established tastes?
Umm… I think peoples established tastes help more than they hurt. The hurdle is getting them to LISTEN. Its a little easier to get them to do that when have something to compare you to. Like “i heard he sounds like some old busta rhymes shit…I like busta rhymes.” Nahmean? Their established tastes might be the thing that puts them on to u in the first place.
You a Thundercats/Transformers/Marvel fan? Detecting a definite comic style vibe going down there…
Ah man thats the basis of it all man. I’m a huge comic book fan, and cartoons and all that. BIG. So your def. gonna hear a lot of that influence in my stuff.
What grounding did Golden Stormz give you in the game? Who have you found to be your most reliable supporters?
GS is my brothers for life man. Jonny Storm killing dudes in Grind Time, Big June, Deafcon, and my man Shah. My first rap group. I wouldnt be the rhymer i am now without those dudes, so the love is ALWAYS there for them. PERIOD. GS till the grave my g. As far as supporters go. I think its just people who dig authentic hip hop music. Emceeing and classic production. Originality. People who appreciate that stuff are always the ones who approach me and show love.
What is your next step? Will you remain based in Orlando?
Orlando is the base always, but our eyes are keen on expansion. The next step is pushing these project out there man. Continuing to try and build the fan base, and get cats familiar with MidaZ and Doxside. We got tons of product dropping this year and Au is def. one of those projects.
LORN Portrait by Nathan Osterhaus: nathanosterhaus.com
GROOVEMENT talks to LORN
Having caught the attention of the world with the recent release of his debut long player Nothing Else, Brainfeeder operative LORN aka Wisconsin resident Marcos Ortega is currently sitting back and watching his evil sounds infect the globe…
Hello Lorn. Nothing Else is finally out: how’s the build up been for you over the past few months? Have you been happy with early responses?
I’ve waited years for Nothing Else to become real. The early responses have been good but I’m not so much interested in good/bad reviews than I am looking forward to what the listeners think. More than anything I’m excited that it is all finally happening.
How much did you see making the album as one journey or concept? Did you have a final tracklisting in mind from the start or was it a matter of beats made over years?
The title was there for probably 3 years, I didn’t and don’t exactly have a concept for it but I was just building toward what I think is a strong body of work that I can offer and leave behind. The tracklisting jumped around a lot and the album itself was cut down by nearly half over months of editing and re-sequencing. In the end it represents a lot of things I’ve been meaning to conquer or get out over the years.
The simplicity of the front cover (i.e. two shades of black)perhaps implies that you wanted people to form their own mental imagery when listening to it. Anything in that?
I can agree with that, but it wasn’t my intent. Initially I wanted the cover completely black with no stickers, no barcodes or other indications of what it actually was. Personally I’m drawn toward shit that makes me curious; in a stack of cassettes the first one I’ll pick out is the unlabeled one. Same with vinyl, CDs, books, films, etc. Shit like that just makes me want to stop looking and just listen. For Nothing Else I worked with Nate James (designer) on creating something that could look completely still but also shift in different light situations.
Did you always envision a vinyl release? Is it true there’ll be a cassette version?
Vinyl was always the goal. There is something so crucial about it to me; it is real, it is cut, it inherently has its own character and can be changed by light handling or complete neglect. The track ‘Void’ is actually meant for the vinyl; the process of flipping the record over or just putting it back in the sleeve creates the void.. up to the listener to close that, I guess. As far as the cassette version, yes, it will be real but will be more of a strange mixtape that you kicked around for years. Lots of unreleased material and versions of the album tracks that haven’t been heard.
The digital age: blessing or curse? It’s easier than ever for someone to hear your music, but also to get it for free. Thoughts?
Hard to say, really. I’ve been giving my loops and music out for nearly a decade just because I wanted people to hear it, but now that my album is out its a bit of a punch in the gut. ‘Piracy’ is something that simply cannot be stopped, and I’ve understood that for a long time now, but the album leaked weeks before the official release and its just like fuck, if you’re going to be a shithead about it can’t you at least wait until it actually comes out? By the way, there is some fucker in LA who leaks my and my friends’ records — if you’re reading this and I find you, I’m going to make myself memorable, drop you off at the dentist and then take your mother out for sushi.
A lot of feedback to tracks on the album talks of the emotional pull of some of the songs. Have you found this an easy process or was it quite primal? Do you consider yourself a songwriter or beatmaker? Are any songs representations of personal experiences?
Writing music is something very cathartic for me. A lot of the tunes come from my own memories, experiences, lost places or dreams. As far as songwriter v beatmaker, I don’t really know, I make music because I feel the need to.
In my head I’ve been imagining a live incarnation of Nothing Else, with perhaps a few downtuned guitars thrown in, and an evil orchestra – is this something you can ever see happening?
Absolutely. That’s something I’ve wanted to realize for quite some time now and am actually working on. With the CD, the album just plays. With the vinyl, the album ships with its own flaws and will change with use, but honestly I think live orchestration is the best place for my music; live instruments, live energy, and a more human character in a bigass room where the songs become individual each time.
Sometimes when I listen to the LP it turns into Metal in my head… Was that a genre formative in your musical journey?
I fucking love metal. My good friend Cengiz Yar turned me onto a lot of new school shit and I haven’t turned back since. Such a dense, inescapable atmosphere. While the lyrics can sometimes be pretty trivial and lame, its the music composition that really shines for me; calculated menace, fear or outright stillness at the edge of some nameless abyss.
Nothing Else is only the second release on the Brainfeeder imprint. Did you know that at the time of making it? How have you found support from the label?
It was initially going to be the first but we all decided to wait until Ninja Tune got involved. They now handle the distribution, manufacturing and press for Brainfeeder. Overall the support from both parties has been huge and I never really thought I’d see my album get to this level of exposure. We’ll see what happens, though…
The video for Nothing Else looks massive. Did you have a hand in it, and had you planned to work with Strangeloop?
That was actually put together by Strangeloop and Brainfeeder label manager Adam Stover. I honestly didn’t do much besides write an email back saying ‘holy shit.’ but they fucking nailed it. Strangeloop and I might be working on something a bit.. longer.. later this year.
Some post-Nothing Else stuff I’ve heard from you indicates a different mood to the LP – was this a conscious decision to show you’re not a one-mood pony?
Not at all. I’m constantly working on 5 or 6 projects a day, making new music, exploring. This is all a never-ending process for me so the mood will continue to change as I do. My head won’t shut up. Until it does, neither will my ‘musical’ output. As it stands now, my new material has become more vocal-oriented so I’ll be embracing that for my next EP and eventual album.
Any imminent tour plans? I heard you were due in the UK but couldn’t work it out…
Its been tough working all of that shit out. Last time I came to the UK I got held up at customs, went through an interview, got my bag searched, had to lie about why I was there and, after some convincing, barely made it in with a special stamp on my passport that will apparently give me a hard time the next time I roll through. Good news, though, is that I’ll be at Brainfeeder London in August this year and am planning a late summer/early fall tour around that.
Do you enjoy working with other producers and is it something you’ve done often? E.g. Manchester’s own Illum Sphere? Have you found people chasing you up since the LP build up?
Its good sometimes. I’ve been working with my good friend Adoptahighway for years now on our project Omega Clash (omegaclash.bandcamp.com) and also have shit in the works with various other musicians — Dolor, Illum Sphere, Lower, Emika. There are also a lot of remixes I should probably be working on right now but I’ll probably just wait until the last minute to crank some shit out.
Is your artwork as big a passion as your music? Artistic influences?
It really used to be, now I don’t do much of it. As far as artistic influences, I’m drawn toward simple shit; crooked windows, lost papers on the street, shadows, glares, piles of garbage, cold metal. A lot of lost shit.
Smooth… Amongst the general madness of this weekend past, Saturday night saw both Gift of Gab from BLACKALICIOUS and the FUN LOVIN’ CRIMINALS hit town: Groovement managed to catch quick conversations with both. Here’s the first I’ve got edited, in which Huey shoots the shit about finances, lack of lordship, his dog and the new LP Classic Fantastic. Lovely bloke, MASSIVE tour bus.
Click Huey to download, or have a listen on the player below the image.
This was a great night, organised by Mind on Fire and the MCC Collective (Manchester Creative Cluster). We’d all been looking forward to Onra hitting Manchester and there was a nice air of excitement around the Mint Lounge, not least because Martyn was going to headline later too (I was playing in the backroom at this point – twas empty while everyone bumped and grinded to Martyn).
I’d been chasing Onra for an interview for months and was dead chuffed to be able to do it face to face, even if it was round the back of the club in some wasteland under a space invader. I even got my records signed…
To top it all off, it was Onra’s birthday come midnight. Where better to spend it than the celebratory surroundings of Fresh Bites? Look how ecstatic he is! The MCC more than made up for it later though, with a lovely birthday cake presented to him onstage. Aw. Did you know you share your birthday with Leo the Groovement Cat, Onra? You do now!
Yum! That really IS fresh.
Onra’s reputation continues to swell as we enter 2010 and he’s still, hands down, one of my favourite producers out there. The French press are picking up on him a little more…
What a gentleman. That’s the main feeling I came away with after speaking to Jneiro Jarel for an hour or so. Before we get started, JJ’s been working with Dave Sitek from TV On The Radio quite a bit recently and here’s a snippet of his latest remix for DOOM.
Recorded back in June of this year, here’s a lengthy and revealing conversation with one of what I consider to be one of our great musical minds. JJ skulks in the background like the Maxx that Willie Isz’s name is inspired by but recent touring as DOOM’s DJ and supporting act is raising his profile over in the States – in accompaniment to this, the Willie Isz album received some fantastic reviews and defo seems like a sleeper fave LP.
What I really love about JJ is his versatility and unabashed experimentalism. I remember a great Hip Hop Connection article upon the release of the Shape of Broad Minds album citing that Jneiro’s ahead of his time, that hip hop isn’t ready for his sound yet. As we’ve heard that very sound has morphed and twisted into many forms (see Flying Lotus et al), and indeed moved well away from traditional hip hop in many senses, but JJ has been and continues to be a major innovator.
If you’ve any interest in any of the above, kick back and enjoy the words of a true Head. I’ve split this one into two parts as I know longer conversations can get grating for some. As always, please send me your feedback.
Word of warning: part one’s (land line phone) not as clear as part two (mobile), so bear with the hissing etc, it can sometimes sound like a TDK but that’s because we’re *real*.
JNEIRO JAREL INTERVIEW PART 1
Click to download direct
And then we just started talking about guitars in hip hop when we got cut off. I rang JJ back 5 minutes later as he packed Jawaad into the car and got onto the freeway, airport bound…
Returning this year with a massively soul-tinged LP ‘Of All The Things’, Jazzanova held down a two-night residency at Manchester’s newly-reopened Band on the Wall venue. 48 dates and counting with the full live band the lads were about ready for a break but still found the time to have a post-gig chat with Agent J of Groovement, bringing along Detroit mainman Paul Randolph, who provided honeysoul drenched vocals for the evening.
Recorded October 2009 @ Band on the Wall, Manchester UK.
Fading into our existence for only a short time, slamming it down at Hoya Hoya in Manchester for Hallowe’en (together with Alphabet Zoo’s Danny Breaks) with a live set, Agent J of Groovement shoots the ethereal shit with the don of the Afrikan Space Program, Brainfeeder’s Ras G.
Recorded November 2nd, 2009 @ Hoya Hoya towers, Manchester.
Thanks to Jonny Dub and Illum Sphere.
I caught up with Speech Debelle a couple of weeks after her Mercury win. I was initially anticipating interview overload on her part but to her credit we had an enjoyable little chat about hip hop, education and Mcdonald’s amongst other things.
She played Night & Day Cafe in Manchester following our natter, and certainly delivered the goods in terms of performance and audience interaction. Considering the Mercury win and small venue however, I was a bit gutted to see the place wasn’t rammed – what does a hip hopper have to do to fill a place out, eh?
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