Contradictory Hiphop opinion, with a bitter and twisted attitude…
Archive for March, 2003
INTERVIEW: Andy Smith
Mar 23rd
Andy Smith Interview (by DJ Moneyshot)
Andy Smith, best known for his work with Trip-hopper’s Portishead, is one of the U.K’s most in demand DJ’s. And It’s not hard to see why if you’ve witnessed him playing out. Whether he’s seamlessly mixing ‘Cross Town Traffic’ into ‘You’ve Gots To Chill’ or dropping a vintage soul 7″, this is one guy who is not afraid to delve deep into his record collection to rock the crowd. DJ Moneyshot caught up with him to discuss all this and more.
So Andy, can your Mum and Dad believe that their son plays records for a living?
AS: My mother still doesn’t really understand how I can make a living from it! I have recently been featured on a T.V programme in the South West of England, so in her eyes I’ve ‘made it’. She even once said in a some what surprised voice: “Oh I actually like some of this music that you’re playing here”.
You’re a very competent Hip-Hop DJ. How important is it to get the skills out of the way early in a set so you can concentrate on rocking the club, confident that your credibility has been established?
AS: It kind of depends on the club and also who’s been playing before. It is good to kind of say to certain people: “Well yes, I can do that”, but I’m really here to entertain all the people, not just the trainspotters. I prefer to get into the doubles a bit later on, when the people need a bit of a lift.
We all know dance floors are fickle places, so do you resent it if a crowd thins out and you have to win them back over with a more ‘commercial’ tune?
AS: Well you can never please all the people all the time. I always try to think to myself that most of these people are not as deep into music as much as I am. (If they were, they would be doing what I’m doing!) With the kind of stuff I’m playing incorporating so many different styles there are bound to be peaks and troughs, so the more commercial tunes just back up the rarer, unheard of stuff to keep the night even. If some Hip-Hop kid comes up to me and says “Why did you play ‘Shake What Your Mamma Gave Ya’”, I’ll say “Yes, but how many times have you seen 500 people getting into ‘Marley Marl Scratch’ in the same set!”
Do you prefer dropping a pinpoint, accurate set for the ‘watchers’ or a sloppier, spontaneous one for the drunken party people?
AS: A bit of both is always good. I think playing in the U.K there is a lot of the latter going on, because that’s what they want from a night out. (And hey I enjoy a beer or two myself!) But somewhere like Japan it seems to be totally the opposite, and a set for the watchers would be more applicable.
Don’t you just love it when you drop a tune that no one’s heard before, and it still goes off?
AS: It is great, and it means I’m doing something right. You have to try and move things on (with new tunes and unheard, old tunes) and not play the same stuff every night.
When playing out do you pack just enough records, or way too many?
AS: I always pack too many! You never know what the club is going to be like, and what direction you may need to go in. Last night for instance I was booked to play in a club that played House music before and after my set. Now, I wasn’t expecting that. But I had a fine selection of tunes that managed to bridge the gap (I think!). I also find that there are times when I get through tunes more quickly, as it makes it exciting. Carrying a lot of records does have it’s bad points though: A bad back and airports hitting you for extra baggage
charges!!
‘Dynamo Productions’, tell me about that.
AS: Dynamo Productions is myself and Scott Hendy (who worked with Purple Penguin and releases under the name of Boca 45). We decided to get together to make tracks that we could play out. We both come from the Hip-Hop angle and were getting a bit frustrated that is was difficult to programme a lot of slower Hip-Hop into your set, and a lot of the faster stuff that was evolving into Big-Beat had nasty noises in it! Essentially the Dynamo Production stuff is for DJ’s by DJ’s, although the L.P is coming out next year and it will be a more varied listen. It seems to be being received quite well, with most DJ’s reactions being positive. We were a bit worried that some of them would think it wasn’t progressive enough. But as far as we were concerned the most exciting stuff around was the stuff by Cut Chemist, DJ Format, Bombjack, Krafty Kuts etc… There just wasn’t enough of it.
What was the intention behind your “Document” mix album?
AS: Doing “The Document” was fantastic. It gave me a chance to show what I do when I play out, and hopefully showcase something a bit different. Also to distance myself from Portishead a bit. Don’t get me wrong, being involved with them is great, but I’m not happy living in their shadow. I think a lot of people think I’m milking that, but the fact is I couldn’t get away from it if I tried! Another reason for doing the Dynamo stuff was to show people that I was involved in other projects. I was happy with the way “The Document” came out, considering the limitations on what tracks I could use. But, I have found it frustrating that nobody wanted to do a follow up (back to the fact that there is no Portishead album out) until now. “The Document Vol. 2″ will be released by Illicit at some point soon.
Your ‘Groovetech.com’ radio show is called the ‘Soundburger’. Why name it after a child’s portable record player?
AS: I wanted a name for the show that was fun, but at the same time mean something to the trainspotters. Yes, it is the most fantastic portable record player I have ever come across, and it goes with me on most trips. (You never know where you might find some vinyl that needs checking out!)
Where have you travels taken you?
AS: All over the U.K, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Greece, Italy, Turkey, U.S.A, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and that’s just off the top of my head.
What accessories have made your job easier?
AS: The Sound Burger, a Vestax PMC 06 Pro, Shure M44-7′s, 45 adaptors, my own slipmats, a mini-disc recorder (for long trips) and Big Daddy magazine (also for long trips).
Do you think you’re underrated?
AS: I don’t think people realise how much you need to put into what me (and Scott) do as DJ’s. It involves a lot of thought, planning out, practising with doubles, constantly digging in old record shops, constantly looking in new record shops. I don’t see why DJ’s that just mix one tempo for hours on end are so rated personally. It’s always worth it when you get a cheer at the end of the night though!
What D.J would you feel the most nervous about playing after?
AS: I once played after D.J Premier in San Diego. I remember thinking: “It doesn’t get much better than this”. But the nerves were kicking in that night!
How important is it to bring a crowd up and down during a set?
AS: It is important, so that I can showcase all the stuff I want to play. As well as uptempo funk, I like to play some new Hip-Hop and Reggae before we’re through.
How often do you play out and where are your residencies?
AS: It varies during the year, but about 3-4 times a week. Scott and me have a monthly gig at Fabric in London, I usually do a weekly session in the Salmon and Compass in Islington in London too. I also do regular spots at the Bomb in Nottingham, Planet Of The Breaks in Shrewsbury, Supercharged in Brighton, Hi-Karate in Glasgow, Ri-Ra in Dublin etc…
What’s been your toughest crowd?
AS: I had to play a full on Techno club in Ireland once (not a good booking). Let’s just say the Irish lads weren’t feeling Jeru the Damaja that night!
Where do you dig for records?
AS: Any where that will allow a portable turntable!
What are your top 5 tunes?
Grandmaster Flash – Adventures on the Wheels of Steel (Sugarhill)
He redefined what a D.J was about and showed me the way.
Joy Love Joy – In Orbit (Cadet)
Northern Soul is the most uplifting music ever.
Gang Starr – DWYCK (Chrysalis)
The most consistent crew ever.
King Tubby – Braces Tower Dub (Yard Music)
The heaviest piece of Dub going.
James Brown – Stone to the Bone (Polydor)
Where would we be without this man?
Finally, do you dance?
AS: Sometimes I have to. I can’t play ‘I Got The Feeling’ by James Brown without dancing, although I don’t think I’m very good at it though.
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So there you go. Andy Smith, coming to a town near you… We can only hope that it’s not a Techno club though, bless him.
INTERVIEW: Ugly Duckling
Mar 23rd
Ugly Duckling Interview (by DJ Moneyshot)
IF IT’S ANYTHING LESS THAN FRESH THEN IT DON’T MEAN NADA…
For Hip-Hop outfit Ugly Duckling “Fresh Mode” was not just the name of their first long player, it was a short-hand term for describing a way of life. It’s an ambiguous word that seems to encompass all and nothing, leaving you with a taste of Kool-aid in your mouth and the sun on your back. Under the motto of ‘Fresh Mode’ these three cats from Californ-eye-ay injected a sense of novelty and creativity back into the proceedings, very much like their spiritual forefathers from the D.A.I.S.Y age did way back when. Yet can ‘Fresh’ be seen a an ironic description? It means ‘new’ and ‘ripe’, but aren’t they diggin’ up the past?
“It is sort of ironic” explains Andy Cooper, who along with fellow mic-smith Dizzy Dustin provide the lyrical backbone to the crew. “But I think all music works in cycles. Hip-Hop is based on something that’s been done before. Whether it’s James Brown or what ever, so it’s natural.”
Something they do ‘naturally’ as writers is to have a preference for linking together rhymes and flows that are lifted from classic tunes from the cannon of ‘golden era’ vinyl. You just have to listen to ‘Do You Know What I’m Sayin’ to hear lines like D.O.C’s “I make it sound smooth/and later make a dub” from ‘It Ain’t Funky Enough’ sitting comfortably next to “The answer is D/ all of the above” from Digital Underground’s ‘Freaks of the Industry’. It seems to be both a history lesson for new school listeners and a trip down memory lane for older heads. Why the pre-occupation for referenciality? And how important is it to re-visit the vocabulary and even just the breaks from the past to a member of the Ugly Duckling fraternity?
“I think it’s quite important if you want to be a serious music fan” suggests Andy, who seems to be the member taking the role of spokesperson for the interview. “And I think that goes for a lot more than just Hip-Hop. But Hip-Hop tradition is so much based on breaks and funk. I think at least any descent B-Boy should know his ‘Breaks 101′.” Einstein, taking a moment from the attention he’s receiving from a gaggle of female hangers-on chips in: “It’s vital for us ‘cos we bite all our rhymes anyway”
STACKS AND STACKS OF OLD WAX TO BRING IT BACK…
As producers they also ‘bite’, not rhymes but juicy chunks of the funk. One of the first things that hits you when you drop the needle on a U.D track is the dusty break that provides the back bone of it. Unlike the super producers of the day their sound has a live and organic feel to it. None more so than on a recent collaboration between Andy Cooper and funk band Crankcase on the 12″ ‘The Tale Of The Stolen Funk And How We Stole it Back’, in which Andy raps a sorry story of the detrimental effects of cheesy rap/metal acts biting the style and not the heart of the culture we call Hip-Hop, over a driving live funk instrumental to club rocking effect. The use of a live band seems like the natural step, but how did it all come about? And are there plans for more of the same?
“Well those guys are some of my friends from church, and they got a funk band. So I figured that being that some people like our group and what we do I’d do some vocals for them and put a song together and it would help them. And it worked to a small degree. It was fun to do ‘cos it was a whole spoof on rock/rap which I don’t like. And if we’d tried to do it as Ugly Duckling I don’t think the guys would have been comfortable doing that. But me, I don’t care… It was a outlet to talk some mack.”
I pushed for more. After all talking shit behind anothers back is a time honoured tradition in this culture of ours. Would he draw first blood?
“It’s not the sense of the live music that I dislike” he offers, choosing his words carefully. “It’s the really bad rapping.” We all laugh. “It’s the bastardisation of Hip-Hop culture that offends me” he suggests, then elaborates before I can retrieve my pocket dictionary. “It’s not like a brand new thing. People have been doing metal rap since the early nineties, maybe earlier.”
EINSTEIN’S TAKIN’ OFF…
I turn to Einstein, the silent partner in all this to explain the joy of digging for old records. Because if there’s one topic of conversation that loosens up an audio-phile like this man, it’s old records.
“Explain the joy?” ( Einstein ponders for a second, perhaps simply upset that this interview, and even more so sleeping and eating, get in the way of him being up to his elbows in old wax right now. ) “That’s what I do. For release. If I don’t want to think about anything I go record shopping.” He pauses, looks around and like a authentic beat junkie quickly remembers where his beloved artefacts are. “I got a suitcase over there full of records” he proudly states. It now seems obvious that on these tours there is no room for any other kind of souvenirs. I imagine these guys girlfriends don’t hold their breathes for gifts when the roll back into town. “This is what I do for peace” he then claims. Well I suppose a tour of the Middle East wouldn’t do any harm if your reading Mr. Bush. ( Then again he does only have a third grade reading level.)
Cod politics aside, if you ever get the chance to catch these boys playing a club you will know that the DJ plays a vital role in the live show. Whether it’s dropping a pin-point accurate cut or donning the legendary ‘Gold Chain’ in a ceremony accompanied by the regal strains of the 2001: A Space Odyssey theme, Einstein’s is a presence felt. And it’s a role well adjusted to Hip-Hop, and the pantheon of crew DJs who have commanded the wheels of steel over the years. From the stoic silence and majesty of the enigmatic Terminator X from P.E, to the hype man attitude of the melody manipulators like Cut Creator or Jam Master Jay, the great acts have required a force to stand behind the 1200′s. And these rap fanatics are now exception. So what role does Einstein play within the group? “Mostly stinking up the car!” jokes Andy. “Nah, he’s essential to our show. Traditionally in Hip-Hop the DJ is the band, and the M.C’s are the ones trying to get across to the crowd the music that he plays. He’s the band: The drums, the bass the rhythm section, the organ. I don’t like to watch a Hip-Hop group leave the DJ back in the corner, anonymous. That seems sort of ridiculous.”
I ask Andy who, as a DJ persona, has Einstein styled himself on. He chuckles as he repeats the word ‘persona’ with query, as if such posturing of identity is the furthest thing from their minds. “Well, he definitely goes the old school DJ route. But I never really think of him that way.” Einstein, never one for people taking about him behind his back sets the record straight: “I’ve patterned myself after, like… Quincey Jones or Jimmy Page or something like that. George Martin, them type of things.” I’m about to state the obvious that these guys have never worn a pair of shell-toes, let alone scratched a record when Andy offers us an insight into the way Einstein got his given role as the groups on stage mix-master. “Actually getting him to perform live took us quite a number of years to encourage him to do that. He wanted to be a kind of behind the scenes kinda guy. But now he’s taken to it quite happily with the gold chain and the stares and glares.”
Ahh yes, the aforementioned gold chain (an essential icon he wears, which is said to give him special B-Boy powers). Tell me about that. “The ceremony?” says Andy, weary of such lines of questioning. “You know what? Our act is getting so much like a Vegas side-show it’s pathetic. We’re gonna be bringing out midgets and juggling pretty soon.” Einstein seems animated by the impulse of absurdity that’s taking over. “We’re working on a routine” he suggests with an accomplished straight-face “where we juggle chain-saws”. Andy, seeing this avenue can go on for ever resumes the tone “So, yeah. We just go for any stupid routine that can make people laugh. We think that there’s not enough humour in Hip-Hop. So we’re not really serious guys so it’s fun to do jokes in the show.”
TO THE WHOLE SOUTH POLE / KEEPING IT COLD…
These guys tour. They’ve been to many places. I ask them about the experience of touring with rap veterans the Jungle Brothers. “That was good” says Andy, casting a misty mind back to their first ever tour. “It was also our first time over seas. And even though the boys had moved over into a dance music genre at the time they were still some of my heroes growing up. Every night they gave one hundred percent on stage and really put on the best show, even if the people there didn’t give a shit. They had a good attitude and were pretty nice guys. It was a good experience defiantly. As oppose to some of groups we had played with before like, on the underground level, were for the most part self-centred jack-asses who only cared about their turn on the mic. Where as the Jungle Brothers were real pros. It was a privilege.”
UGLY DUCKING ISN’T ALL FUN AND RHYMING…
In his serious praise towards touring buddies the J.B’s, Andy touches on some of the sentiment and heart-felt feelings that are also present in their work. What are some of the issues, not about partying, that you like to explore in your records? Your differences as a crew has come up before as a subject for your lyrics.
“Oh, I just think that when you got three different people that have creative intuition you get into some battles about what you want to do stylistically” reasons Andy. “There’s a lot of fun to be had in complaining. I’m more like a strict task-master than these guys, so I get called the Hitler of the group.”
THERE’D BE MORE ROOM IF THOSE CATS PLAYED THE BACK…
I suppose a few Nazi high-kicks wouldn’t go a miss towards making a more Vegas friendly show. But Aryan choreography aside, if you take my position then you welcome acts like Ugly Duckling. They’re an oasis in a desert of dick-grabbing M.C’s, spouting redundant gibberish to a uninspiring DAT. They’re part of a new wave, a west coast resurgence in happy Hip-Hop. Current bed-fellows could include Jurassic Five and People Under The Stairs. But who do they consider as their contemporaries?
“Yeah, J5 and PUTS, those two stand out” cites Andy “especially People Under The Stairs, ‘cos they’re one of the only ones really interested in using loops. There are a lot of smaller groups as well, but as far as established artists who put out records their one of the few ones who are really into music and loops.”
Taking this a cue to get down on some ‘who’s fucked up Hip-Hop’ ish I ask them ‘what is the state of this music right now?’
“Erm, I don’t know man…” worries Andy seemingly sick of fighting the cause “to me I’m not really into new Hip-Hop for the most part ‘cos I like a certain part of Hip-Hop, but that doesn’t make it bad. The particular kind of thing I’m into, people don’t do any more. That’s why we do our kind of records. You listen to our record and I think it’s o.k. It’s good to see people being enthusiastic about stuff and learn, but I would hope that they would take the opportunity to go back and learn about music and about the records, that’s where It comes from. So many of ‘em wanna buy a keyboard sampler and casio… I’m gonna be a rapper tonight, you know. As oppose to learning the fundamentals. You know how punk music is. The whole idea is: ‘I don’t wanna learn how to play anything’. No matter what you wanna play: learn about music.”
JOURNEY TO ANYWHERE…
All this talk of the past and the problems with the culture, lead me to wonder if we can ever see another ‘golden age’ in Hip-Hop music. Like the ones that grace the mythical past, seen through rose-tinted Cazel shades?
“Yeah, maybe we wouldn’t consider it a golden age though” considers Andy. “Just like my parents generation who like Elvis or Chuck Berry might not like Led Zeppelin even though it was sort of rooted in the same fundamentals of what other people would call a golden age. I’m sure there will be a time when, on a major level, artistic credibility will be a lot more important to Hip-Hop. Because on a major scale it isn’t right now, it’s more about making money. Most rappers openly admit that, especially the big ones… the Jay-Z’s or what the hell always talk about making money. At least their being honest.”
It would seem that Ugly Duckling are ones to admire honesty. Their only problem is with rappers who aren’t honest to the advancement of Hip-Hop. One from a time and place of true spirits and the such that adheres to the motto of ‘fresh mode’. As long as we have the few that still rock you with a guarantee like this crew we could see a happy day for this movement, and one that takes the time to honour the past as a way to re-building the future.
Ugly Duckling: “You don’t know where Hip-hop’s going ’till you know where it’s been.”
Never a truer statement para-phrased.
INTERVIEW: DJ Q-Bert
Mar 23rd
DJ Q-Bert Interview (by DJ Moneyshot)
After showcasing what can only be described as mind-boggling skills on two turntables and a mixer, DJ Moneyshot caught up with the man considered to be the most talented DJ ever. Sit back, eat a sandwich and peer into the manywinding corridors of DJ Q-Bert’s wonderful mind.
Right, let’s start this geographically. You’ve got the East Coast as a jumping off point for Hip-Hop and DJing, but the West Coast cultivated its own style of B-Boying. Break that down a little if you please.
Q-B: Sure. Its that whole “well that’s the East coast, lets take that shit…but we want to do something different too”. Were from a whole Electro era as well. We love the slow New York stuff, but Bammbatta played, you know fast, and that’s Hip-Hop too. We combined both and made our own style.
Have any, lets say, non-prescription drugs helped you to develop your own personal style?
Q-B: Sure, sure when I was a kid you fuck around… it’s more of a high school/college thing, experimenting with things. I don’t regret it. Everything that happens is meant to be. It’s like a stepping stone to where I am now. I’m totally into destiny and spiritual shit. I’m always learning. Music and art is very spiritual..
People say that you can tell how a person lives by the way they play chess. Can the same be said of scratching?
Q-B: Yeah totally. It’s your personality, the way you flare the way you think, how spontaneous you are, your understanding of life. I love chess, all I do is play chess, every fucking day.
Do you meditate?
Q-B: Scratching is meditation. When your in the zone you think of nothing but the fucking flow, it’s like surfing the sound and being one with your spirit and mind and body all together at once at that exact moment. Conscious stops and all you are is that scratch.
Does your vegetarianism and the like help you stay clean and focused?
Q-B: They say that when you eat animals you also eat their personality. So say you want to learn how to meditate, don’t eat meat, ‘cos it covers your mind with all types of shit…also all the chemicals and steroids they put in cows and shit.
You’re part of a community of scratch DJ’s. What if you were the only person in the world to have invented Turntablism. Would you have got to this point?
Q-B: Yeah I’d totally do it for myself. Say when you die and go to heaven like you can review your life and check out your scratching. You’re performing for someone, people can check out your life too, like say you’re in the spirit world… “yeah like lets check out Q-Bert on July fucking 17th 1987.”
O.K, on the bugged out tip. If aliens came to Earth and only spoke in scratching, would you step forward to be the Planets ambassador?
Q-B: Yeah, sure… music is a universal language.
The pay would be good.
Q-B: I don’t really trip off money, because money’s energy. You only get what you deserve in life. You can give away money or take it but you only end up with what God gives you.
If you could go back in time and teach one DJ one trick years before any one had thought of it, who would it be?
Q-B: Fuck… I would probably go back to Cash Money or Jazzy Jeff, Joe Cooley, one of those guys. “Hey I’m from the future, keep fucking with this”. Those guys are very creative.
On the subject of techniques do you think that the decline in body-tricks has switched the emphasis from needless showboating to concentrating on the actual sonic artistry that can be found in Turntablism?
Q-B: Yeah, in the beginning of the 90′s people were starting to get the idea that, yes it is a musical instrument. Now it’s ridiculous to even do a body trick…but I love it still. I love to see the X-men and people do body tricks, it’s so beautiful. It’s still art, it’s creative and personal.
The turntable as instrument argument is getting tired, do you approach the decks as someone other than a musician?
Q-B: I look at everyone, like Michael Jordan and his practice schedule and Picasso… the way he paints cartoons and then turned to African art then painted weird ass African cartoons. I look at anyone who was great at what they did. Bob Marley.
Pollock?
Q-B: Who?
Jackson Pollock…
(The tour manager explains that he’s the guy who drips the paint.)
Q-B: Yeah… I’m gonna check him out too. Like when people tell me things, I go check them out.
Do you think you’re a naturally gifted DJ, or has it been a slog of patience and imagination that got you to where you are today?
Q-B: I think everyone is talented in their own way. It’s just they have to reach for it. Every day I always think of myself like ‘fuck, shit I can’t get what I want out’. I learnt something from this one director that made Chinese films. I asked him what life was about and he said ‘if you think your good then you’re not good’. You’ve always got to keep reaching, and that’s what I try to do.
How famous are you?
Q-B: Some musicians and people when they get famous think tothemselves “Aww I’m fucking God” or some shit. I consider myself as being a slave, you know. We’re here to serve people, to give them entertainment. That’s just my thing in life, to help people… Err, (laughing) I don’t think I even answered your question!
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Well that’s Q-Bert for you. And if it weren’t for such detours of imagination and deviations on logic, I’d imagine he’d be one more bog standard DJ. So I thank any little round pills or bumps on the head he’s had as a child, because it must have been these which have triggered such invention. So excuse me now as I drink this bottle of cough syrup and bang my head savagely on the door-frame, in a vain hope that my slumbering muse finally wakes up and gets that flare down the way he makes it sound.
ARTICLE: Iraq – What’s next and does anyone really care?
Mar 23rd
Iraq: What’s next and does anyone really care? (by Endus)
I woke up this morning not really knowing exactly what was happening until Howard’s voice finally started to penetrate: so I guess we’re at war now. The first thing I thought is that everything is different now. We’re in survival mode. We need to start being careful and thinking about what we need to do to win this war. The diplomay, the bullshit, the people we’re going to be slaughtering…it’s all secondary to us winning. Not because I think we’re right, or that we deserve to win, or anything like that… it’s just survival.
But when I get into the office and start reading reports, reading what Fatboy wrote, the only thing I can feel is depressed, defeated, and afraid. The entire world is fucking livid over this. There are leaders of countries doing everything but declaring war on us. If this was some great stand for freedom, something that I really believed in, something that might impact my life, maybe then I could accept this. But the truth is that I don’t care about any of it. I care in the sense of politics being interesting, but does it MATTER to me that we’re killing Iraqis? Is there anyone I know in the military that it would have a genuine and profound effect on me if they were killed? Do I believe that Bush is doing anything that will help me in ANY way, even if it’s making gas prices lower? The answer to all of these is no…and should we really be in a war that nobody except politicians cares about? The only impact this situation will ever have on my life is if I am killed in a terrorist attack the likelyhood of which, judging by the reaction of the rest of the world, is rapidly increasing. So why is this hitting me so heavily now, when I knew this would be the case when this whole bullshit started? Because I just realized the significance of what has just happened. Bush has given away what is probably the second most valuable thing that Americans have nearly always had, and have certainly had since I was born: security. The possibility of being killed in an attack right here in my own homeland was pretty remote. We were isolated from the horrors of the rest of the world.
I work in an old Navy Yard that has pretty much all been converted to office space, except for the area around the USS Constitution, which is guarded by (armed) park rangers and still has a Marine presence to maintain and protect the boat itself. I have seen things change: the concrete barriers, every car being searched for bombs when it comes into the area… but today is different. Today I see them leading a bomb sniffing dog around. I’m eyeing the truck parked waiting to come in with suspicion. I’m assesing how good of a target this area would be and what it would be like if a bomb went off here. These possibilities were never really real to me before now. This morning, though, I read the following passage on MSN.com…
A response from the 30-million-strong moderate Muhammadiyah Muslim group in Indonesia came within minutes of the United States and Britain launching attacks on Iraq.
‘This is not an attack on Islam but an attack on humanity,’ said Syafii Maarif, head of the organization.
What am I supposed to think when I read that? How am I supposed to feel? As I look around my office and watch people going about their daily business like nothing is going on I guess the answer is that I’m not supposed to think anything. I can’t just ignore it though. Every second I sit here, every bullshit conversation I engage in, every time I get up to go to the bathroom and see people talking or going to get a soda I just can’t help but think how absurd it is that nobody seems to care. Whether you support the war or not, the fact is that support for the war was shaky at best, we were facing the possibility of serious consequences for going against the rest of the world, and our reasons for doing this were unclear at BEST. Yet no one seems to care. No one cares about the 45% of the population that thought this was a bad idea. no one cares about the quote I read on msn. No one seems rattled by the possibility of reprisal by terrorism or economics.
I am scared as fuck because I may be dead by the end of today, tomorrow, a month from now, or in 60 years but that isn’t even the thing that frightens me the most. The thing that frightens me the most is that I have no choice and no voice as to the direction that things are going. I have said before that people don’t understand how slowly government moves and how change takes time, etc. but I was wrong. The fact is that this country is no longer a democracy. It is an oligarchy run by the rich and the powerful. The reason that my generation has no voice is because the establishment doesn’t want to hear what we have to say. They don’t CARE that we don’t like the way things are, they don’t CARE that we are moved to protest, to write letters. It’s not that these things aren’t enough to make a difference in the system we are supposed to have, it’s that the system we are supposed to have is an illusion…a dream that died somewhere around the 60′s when those in power realized that not everyone agrees with them anymore. There’s a reaon why the pro-war side doesn’t protest and doesn’t write letters and make calls: they don’t need to. It doesn’t matter how comitted to our cause we are, or how many of us there are, because it can never, ever make a difference. The system is set up by very powerful people to prevent us from having any impact on the direction of the country. It’s when the guys on the radio talk about how lazy and apathetic Gen X is, it’s when politicians lie to us and make us think they THEY are different from the rest, it’s the reply from your senator saying “thanks for your concern over this issue, but I’m still voting to support the people who pay for my campaigns”, it’s when they vote down term limits, it’s the age restrictions on who can get elected, it’s the news, it’s the fact that they don’t get why our generation produces angry music, it’s ignoring the symptoms of the problem, it’s welfare, it’s getting a college education, it’s raising and lowering taxes, it’s the downturn in the economy that prevented people from finally getting some status and money, it’s censorship, it’s the balance between the liberals and conservatives…it’s EVERYTHING. The fact is that we shouldn’t HAVE to work this hard to be heard. The other side doesn’t have to do anything to be heard…they are just as lazy and self-consumed as our generation, they just happen to agree with the policies of the establishment.
The net effect of this is that I just don’t know if it’s even worth trying anymore. It’s not like this movement towards change is new: it’s been happening since the 60′s at least, but the ONLY progress we have seen is in the opposite direction. The system doesn’t want us, and has plenty of traps set up to keep us out. Honestly, I don’t think I even care anymore whether I get blown up in a terrorist attack resulting from a war and policies I never supported, or I don’t. We sold our freedom and our way of life to a company and there’s no going back now. I wish I culd say that I could just not let that bother me, but it does. It bothers me every single second, and the fact that there is nothing I can do about it just makes me not even care whether I die tommorrow or not. Life in this country wasn’t meant for people who think or care about things, who want to live free and have the life that they want. This country is just another Iraq: the people live to support the lifestyle of the rich and powerful, and I don’t give two fucks what kind of car George Bush drives. All the political activism, the discussions, the letters… it’s all just a hopeless waste of time and I just don’t think I’m even going to try anymore. Things are set up to keep me out, and I guess they have officially succeeded.
Welcome to life in 21st century Amerikkka.
ARTICLE: 7.05 by the clock on my microwave
Mar 23rd
7.05 by the clock on my microwave… (by Fatboy Roberts)
…and the sun’s light, halfway across the world, glints off a cruise missile…
And I find I don’t really care.
Peter Pan is on my television out front, my 3 year old Godson making forts and trampolines out of my couch cushions. His mom and dad are in their room, getting some after-work smokey treats in before they settle down in front of the tube with a glass of wine. They’ll probably tousle his hair a couple times, read him a story and put him to bed in about an hour or so, right around the time I finish typing this out.
Here I am, in front of my computer, posting to a hip hop message board after bouncing around the internet, checking movie news, checking sports news, looking for some music to download so I have something to bump in the morning on the new car stereo I just paid to have installed. I just posted a message about DVD’s, and read an in-depth article on the history of Superman’s origins in the comics.
Our president, a career fuck-up who has never once succeeded at ANY venture he chose to pursue, is essentially annexing an entire country, for reasons that are stated to be purely democratic–pursuing freedom, ensuring liberty. Noble, golden words and ideas, right? But when I hear things like ‘Setting fire to the oil fields will be war crime,’ when I find that Halliburton was already contracted to go over there and handle any oil problems–I start to wonder if we just picked up a 51st state or just a really big gas station.
But aside from those very typical and overplayed left wing liberal worries that have been voiced ad nauseum to the point where they almost don’t carry any weight anymore, the truth remains that our country, under the leadership of a man we didn’t elect, is putting the final stamp on his diplomatic split with most of the rest of the free world. And as a result, many tons of explosive will fall on the heads of a LOT of people I don’t know and properties I’ve never stood on in a country I’ve never seen. And right now, as the rain lightly spatters off my bedroom window, as the low light cast by my cheap 9.99 Wal-Mart lamp bounces off my 4 blank walls, the sun is just now coming up in Iraq, and it’s light is glinting off of anti aircraft weapons, off of cameras and camera crews, off field reporters and people running and ducking and talking and pointing to places on maps and drawing lines, dotted, straight, curly-q, and all of them are doing it with the same kind of passion and intensity I’m typing this post with.
Absolutely fucking none.
Seriously. I’m nonplussed. So are the reporters. I saw Wolf Blitzer on CNN as anti aircraft fire ripped behind him and Cruise missles began slamming into the ground, and I thought I saw him stifle a yawn. I went back into my bedroom and checked ESPN.com. My roomates flipped open the life section and started talking about some stupid celebrity quote. I remember coming out and telling them about the latest Shaq quote about Mike Bibby, and we all had more of a reaction to that than we did to the fact that people were going to start dying shortly.
And I’m still nonplussed. I’m still here, posting this. Why aren’t I freaked out? Why aren’t I worried? Surely the entire world is falling down around my head, right? The president the people didn’t want has told most of the rest of the free world to fuck off, has effectively told the people in the organization our own country practically CREATED that we’re above them and their mandates, and has made such a mess of this war situation that even IF a different president is put in his place in another 2 years, there’s no way to try to reverse the damage already done. Where would this guy start? How would that person even begin to TRY to attempt to fix the wrongs that have been done here? How could the UN, NATO, the other countries we’re supposed to be allies with trust us as a people when they’re busy peeking out the corner of a blackened, swole up, spit on eye? How does that man begin to build up the trust and respect Bush just shit all over? How do we repair the damage done by the logic that states “You have to comply with the UN’s resolution, but we can ignore the UN and invade your fucking country whenever we goddamn well feel like it?”
Yes, good WILL come of it. With the US occupying, Iraq will finally have the economic choke hold loosened, and it’s people will start getting the resources it needs. An egotistical dictator who put his peoples needs FAR below his own will be removed, finally. This situation is never as black and white as your right leaning war hawks and filthy exhibitionist hippies would have you believe. Getting rid of Hussein is a GOOD THING. But apparently, in order for that to happen, we had to go through some long, protracted struggle that further isolated our country from the rest of the world, and now there are people dying by this country’s hand. Right now. There is someone getting blown the fuck up. There is someone getting shot dead. In my name.
And I yawn, and I stretch, and I look for a quote or two from Ari Fleischer or Donald Rumsfeld, I hit refresh at CNN.com to look at the pretty green tinted pictures, I put my headphones on and check my bank statements online, check the balance on my credit cards, and a bullet wings through someone’s intestines, the shrapnel from an exploded missle decapitates someone, but burning an oil field is a war crime, and I’m more worried about my NCAA bracket picks.
And I think most of the world is with me as far as that goes. The Oscars are going off without a hitch. CBS is making deals to make sure we don’t miss a minute of Creighton’s first round heroics on the hardwood. The news networks have been running a morbid little deathclock ever since 2 days ago, and I half expect the sick glow in every hungry news anchors eyes to explode, the suits and ties to come off as they break into glorious war dance and smear pigs blood on their eagergrinning deaths head faces. And I just yawn and turn the channel. People have stationary cameras bolted down to probable targets just to make sure they get the footage. the Production level of this war rivals Lord of the Rings. Everything old is new again, and the Gulf war was okay, but this is Gulf War, Special Edition, with all new digitally enhanced special effects and all new footage, restored and remastered for your enjoyment.
I feel enough to know that it’s kinda bad that I’m comfortably numb. I’m 25 and I’m completely sedated. I’m worn out. I’m tired. The corrupt plutocracy that our governmental structure has become has worn me down to the slowly blinking plebe it wants me to be. What’s to fight? The structure our government sits upon is fortified too thick now. It can’t be changed. And what’s worse is most of us DON’T EXPECT it to change, either. We know what’s wrong, and the politicians know we know, but they also know that we’re poor and defeated, mostly, that we’re mostly all have-nots, and have nots don’t fund campaigns, they don’t get special interest kick-backs. The fact that I can drop the term “special interest” without even blinking an eye at the nepotistic corruption the phrase inherently implies should say something, right?
I’m defeated. I’m tired. I’m completely selfish, I’m worried about me, and the US bombing the shit out of Iraq is an abstract. It was an abstract when I was 13, but I was 13. I’m 25 now. But I grew up in a fairyland of freedom and I’m completely disconnected. That’s not to say I’m ungrateful. I’m not. I’m VERY grateful. But I’m also very very sheltered, and even after a couple planes under the command of a completely DIFFERENT madman crashed into the symbol of American Commerce and killed 3000 people, I still don’t think I can wrap my head around what’s at stake here. Because we’re all oh-so-postmodern. We’ve seen this before, in how many TV shows, in the pages of how many comic books, on the screens at how many theaters. We know the script. We know our lines. We know our cues. And we act accordingly. And when Wolf pops up on CNN and I hear the cracking of gunfire in the background like some kid let off his 4th of July string of firecrackers, I recognize the sequel. And sequels are tired. And the fall has started, I think, but I can’t tell, really. I haven’t seen enough of those movies. Not enough of those books got optioned.
So I’m glib and dismissive and flip. I join the office pool to try and win the prize for guessing when our cowboy moron pushes the button and starts laying waste to some other country. I make my freedom fries reference and my snide patriotism jokes. I dismiss the dirty hippie and commie fag jokes that get thrown back, we laugh, joke, settle back in and talk about the new Matrix movie. I’m completely disconnected, and I don’t care to be plugged in. I’ve got funny quotes to look for, joke pics to post up, gags to laugh at, movies to obsess over.
And there’s a lot of you with me.
And there’s a few of you that aren’t.
Let’s hope those few of you have enough strength to make up for the rest of us…
ARTICLE: The mixtape
Mar 23rd
The mixtape (by DJ Money Shot)
The mix-tape, as an art form, has come a long way. Bambaatta and Jazzy Jay’s “Death Mix” is a primitive daubing on a caveman’s wall compared to Q-Bert’s “Pre-School Breaks”, which is more akin to a wildstyle graffiti burner on a Japanese bullet train.
Some DJ’s are God forbid, actually licensing tracks to go on their mix-tapes. Where’s the sense of institutionalised piracy in that? It seems that the scant regard for copyright laws, which were part of the cavalier attitude of the DJ, have had to change in this modern million-dollar climate. Every DJ wants to get paid, and who can blame them? It seems that your Funkmaster Flex’s and the like are selling more copies of their mix albums than the featured artist’s do of their own.
Record stores shelves are groaning under the weight of jiggy Flex and his big dawg copycat mix c.d.’s (I know CD’s). However, in the hip-hop tradition true quality thrives on its opposition to the mainstream. Now the pioneers are back. Evoking the ghost of Flash and honing the epoch defining skills he displayed on his ‘Adventures On The Wheels Of Steel’ mix, demanding the genre to be risky, and fresh because of it.
Of the new knights sat at the round (turn) table let us first describe Kid Koala. Now the Kid epitomises all that is magical about the mix-tape. For ’twas he who created “scratch-cratch-ratch-atch” and rejuvenated the underground buzz within the scene. On this masterpiece he barely uses hip-hop, instead plumping for plinking-plonky Chinese rhythms over rewinded beats and Charley Brown dialogue scratched into amusing new contexts. It was this contagiously fun approach to turntablism that had listeners flocking to him like some vinyl pied piper. Namely the boys at Ninja Tunes who promptly signed him to their label off the back of it. Damning proof that the best way to makes waves as a DJ is by circulating homemade tapes.
Like a stark contrast to the professionally tweaked studio mixes of the mainstream, Kid Koala proved that his such mix-tapes are an integral part of DJ culture. They allow an affordable, practical vehicle for anyone, regardless of notoriety to showcase their talents with complete artistic freedom. It’s the equivalent of a late night bombing session in a train yard or an open mic battle. Proper grass roots hip-hop.
Another DJ who has risen through the ranks to become a pioneer is DJ Yoda, a north London turntable wizard and all round mix-tape authority. On his Spine magazine promotional mix “Fisticuts” he entitles his opening track ‘HOW NOT TO DO AN INTRO’. Lampooning all the tired clichés that dog the genre. I caught up with him and asked who he was throwing the gauntlet down to and what got his goat (for me it’s all the shouty style guys who yell over the tracks in a blatant attempt to diverrt attention away from their pedestrian mixing).
“As far as mix-tapes go, a lot of D.J cats seem to be doing the same things. Either you’ve got your Yoda-biters (how many people are copying my shit at the moment?!), piss-poor mixes of current hip-hop that you could easily knock off yourself at home, silly boring abstract tapes or tapes of the same old classics. Plus most hip hop D.J’s “sense of humour appears to be limited to some kung-fu samples, an answer machine message or a silly shout-out from their friend pretending to have a hillbilly accent.”
It seems that Yoda, rightly so, is not one to suffer fools gladly. But when making a tape what creates the right balance? I asked DJ Z-trip to break his style down.
“Well I guess I just moved towards doing what everyone else wasn’t doing… I get bored with the same old stuff being played or done… You could say my style turned even more into a renegade style…at all costs don’t sound like anyone else!!! And the sad thing is there are only a few of us left who spin with those ideas in mind.”
One of those few is Radar, a fellow ‘Bombshelter’ DJ whom he made an appearance with on the now legendary “Live at the future primitive vol. 2″ mix. The set is the two of them on five decks taking over twenty years of hip-hop history and blending it with funk and even rock to sublime effect. All done live as the title suggests in a club environment, with a crowd are so loud you can hear them through the needles!
I love that warts and all approach, unique joints not regulated by what are the current commercial club bangers are. Dee j a’la fu, of “Treats for the Kiddies Vol.’s 1-2″ fame, agrees that the market can get a tad stagnant.
“I always remember in the space of a month in ’96. I heard tapes from D.J Enuff, Clue, Doo Wop etc, and everyone had the same songs, same arrangement, same shouts, same bad mixing. After that day I didn’t bother with any commercial tape. I don’t see the point of putting out a tape with the same old shit that gets played on radio, MTV, clubs etc. To me that’s not quite the point of a mix-tape.”
It almost seems like some higher calling that the mix-tape DJ has. That they have to spread the gospel to the masses, schooling them to the real hits and the ones they missed. D.J and mail order provider Dave the Ruf is one such missionary who offers alternatives to the heavily biased rotations on commercial radio.
“I sell loads of records that people have never heard because of my “Ruff Beats” mix-tapes and especially “Radio Zero” which basically operates as a new release radio show, but on 2 x c90 tapes bi-monthly. A lot of records I have put on mix’s have eventually been re-issued, or become established underground classics. This is what it’s all about to me. It seems all the shite hip-hop gets the big sales when the really amazing stuff exists and survives from this kind of underground hip-hop love.”
Love indeed. It seems that a DJ’s blessing can save a record. Si G from Baldbeats offers one example. “Sometimes people hear a 12″ cut that never really got any airplay, J-Live’s ‘Them that’s Not’ for instance on Greenpeace’s (Yoda’s mix-tape partner) “Jew’s Paid” mix. That track blew up and then was bootlegged because J-Live was dropped by London.”
I just think of the times I pick up, desperately search for or play out again a record because I’ve heard it on a mix-tape: Heavy D’s ‘Don’t Curse’ thanks to Yoda. ‘Sardines’ by The JunkYard Band sounded nice on that Z-trip tape so I’ll drop it at the club tonight. The list goes on.
I think it’s time to check the underground again, and give support to the DJ’s who support. Because that man, or woman (big up Kuttin’ Kandy) and their penchant for following the true innovators helps create unique ways of giving props, both to them and those who deserve it. I’m sure Bambaatta would be proud… well maybe not as the last time I heard him he was dropping U.K. Garage in his set. Aww fuck it – pass that new Flex tape with the hot new joint from his man Enrique Inglesias. WHUT! WHUT!
Z-Trip’s top 5 tapes
1. Spinbad’s 80′s tapes… pure genius
2. Kid Koala… “I Gotta Rock”… more genius
3. Pretty much any mix-tape Mr. Dibbs does is usually a muthafucker… so I can’t name just one.
4. Romanowski – the “Rock Steady” mix-tapes… best shit to listen to and I never get tired.
5. D.J Shadow and Cut Chemist – “Brainfreeze/Product Placement”… these two are sort of the same thing so I’ll lump them in one… this is a favourite for so many reasons… first off it’s a concept (all 45′s) . And I was lucky to be involved in the live shows, so I know the work they put into it. Second, it’s mixed so well and put together with such thought and skill that the minute I heard it I thought… “this is timeless”. No better way to make a mix-tape than to have something you can listen to 20 years from now and still feel like it can hold its own.
Si G from Baldbeats top 4
1. Shadow and Cut Chemist – “Brainfreeze” (sets the standard from now on)
2. Krush – “Headz Tour U.K.”(fat old school mix)
3. Shortcut/Cut Chemist – “Live at Future Primitive Vol. 1.” (so on point)
4. Q-Bert – “Pre-School Breaks” (the ‘Rush’ break at the start kills me everytime)
Dave the Ruf’s top 5
1. Z-Trip and Radar – “Live at Future Primitive Vol. 2.” (non stop LIVE mix)
2. K Delight – “Waximillion” (K is underrated as fuck – check his mad blends and ruff as fuck hard scratching. Unbeatable.)
3. Prodigy – “Dirt Chamber” (how Liam mixes up this multi-track, exiting and varied set is awesome. With huge breaks and beats mixing into dope cuts from Ultra’s and paying respect to the original hip-hop DJ ethos that any music can be hip-hop. He dropped this bomb and showed that he was basically a frustrated hip-hop kid!)
4. Dave the Ruf – “The Ruffest DJ In The World” (I had to put this in because it stills wrecks my jams before I play out to get people in the mood. Also because every track is an underrated anthem whether it’s M.C Mello or Sly and the family Stone. And selling 500 copies of any mix-tape is a buzz!)
My top 5 mix tapes
1. Neil Armstrong – “Original” (a lovely concept tape, taking all the “original” samples from hip-hop classics and re-textualising them)
2. Coldcut – “Journeys by DJ” (all styles covered. Popularised the craze of using spoken word records.)
3. Kenny Dope – “Hip-Hop Forever” (not the best mixed, but shows that he didn’t forget his roots in this early 90′s selection)
4. Rob Swift – “Soulful Fruit” (a contemplative essay in rare groove with a nice battle against Rahzel too)
5. Spinbad – Any ‘normal’ tapes in the vein of “Clueless” by this veteran. From the intros to the doubling up you can feel the blood, sweat and tears that go into sounding so nice.
D.J Moneyshot has a new tape available called “Word to yer Nephew”. And can be peeped by contacting him at oneoffthewrist@hotmail.com.
ARTICLE: How to admit you’re a lo$er
Mar 23rd
How to admit you’re a lo$er (By Kenny Love)
Sometimes, given some of the element that calls itself a “musician” that I meet in my daily trial and error of the Music industry, I compare it to the element I also met when I was a cop for a couple of years.
In fact, I am embarrassed to say that, on occasion, I met a nicer element as a cop. Per the below response that came from what I term a “disenfranchised” musician, in respect to qualifying for our MuBiz.com distribution, I believe you will readily see what I mean…
Oh, by the way… I have omitted this individual’s name and contact info for the following reasons:
1. I might (unfortunately) discover that ‘His Royal Dumbness’ is just smart enough to (successfully) sue me should I reveal his identity.
2. This guy’s a real screamer… literally.
3. This is one of those rare instances, whereby, I do *NOT* desire to promote.
Without further ado, please follow the below mindless chatter.
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THAT’S BULLSHIT! FUCK YOUR DISTRIBUTION! I MUST LET YOU KNOW MAN, RIGHT NOW, I KNOW I CAN’T AFFORD TO GET ALL OF THE SONGS I HAVE IN MIND ON RECORD!
I THOUGHT YOU COULD HAVE HELPED ME A LITTLE WITH THIS PRESENT SITUATION I’M IN! A WHOLE ALBUM!
SH*T! I DON’T HAVE A RECORD CONTRACT WITH A RECORD LABEL! NO ADVANCES, BUDGETS OR NOTHING LIKE THAT!
I MAKE, LIKE, A $100-$180 A WEEK! WITH THIS SINGLE ROOM I’M LIVING IN, THERE IS NO WAY I CAN AFFORD TO GET MANY SONGS DONE UNLESS I’M MYSELF A PRODUCER,COMPOSER,MIXER, ENG, ETC., AND HAVE MY OWN STUDIO EQUIPMENT AND SHIT LIKE THAT!
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While the late great Country singer, Waylon Jennings was busy espousing advice to mothers such as “Mommas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys,” a highly successful musical seller, he might have experienced equal, if not greater success with a follow-up titled, “Daddies, Don’t Let Your Younguns Grow Up To Be Musicians” as well.
In fact, in support of foresight, he might even have created an unlimited franchise with such subsequent follow-ups as:
1. “Uncle’s, Don’t Let Your Nephews Grow Up To Be Gynecologists”
2. “Aunties, Don’t Let Your Nieces Grow Up To Be Knife-Wielding, Gun-Totin’ Bra-Burnin’ Paratroopers. < ==(Huh? What the--?)
While I often spend my writing days touting the bastardization of the corporate sector of the Music industry, alternatively, along comes the "Indie" version of this insanity, albeit, significantly less financed.
This type of correspondence usually gets me to considering another extended vacation in my wife's homeland of Puerto Rico.
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Editor’s Note: Kenny Love owns and manages MuBiz.com, a music organization providing multiple business and career services for independent musicians and recording artists.
