Bonafide issue 02 by Bonafide Magazine

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Photography by Dan Medhurst for BonaďŹ de www.danmedhurst.com

WELCOME beat, occasionally venturing out to DJ and work with his band, Stateless. Across the way in Shefﬁeld, one man hip-hop machine Kid Acne straddles both the music and art scene. While Neon Neon, with their Delorean car inspired album and collaborative nature, have illuminated the music scene with their Stainless Styles that are miles away from the music their core members normally produce.

Ladies and Gentlemen, B-boys and B-girls, Welcome to the long awaited second issue of Bonaﬁde magazine. This time we’ve upped the ante. It’s bigger, brighter, fresher and we even have page numbers. We’ve kept to the editorial line of talking to innovators who are responsible for some of the best music and art out there.

Travelling down south, Ben Eine has seemingly and illegally adorned most of the trains and walls in London with his typographic, situationist graff whilst also being a master-printer and an integral part of the Picturesonwalls.com success story. Gareth Bayliss, meanwhile went from art college to working at Mo’ Wax alongside many of the inﬂuential OG ‘headz’ and is now carving a niche for his own art practice. All of these individuals have helped us out to make this documentation of modern culture — one that we hope has been worth the wait.

The thread that links the people featured in this issue is their drive to succeed and the fact that many of them are characterised by their ability to turn their hand to more than one thing. Peanut Butter Wolf has produced his own excellent music and has also masterminded Stones Throw Records, a label renowned for developing left-ﬁeld talent and releasing some of the most exciting music of the past decade. Large Professor’s CV is like a producers Who’s Who of hip-hop and his interview reveals the man clearly isn’t ﬁnished making his own music yet either. From downtown NYC to northern parts of the UK, Kidkanevil remains in his bolthole in deepest Leeds, perfecting beat after

Oh and check out our brand spanking new website for some free downloads and regular dopeness. www.bonaﬁdezine.com

CONENS ART

MUSIC 4

PENU BUTTER WOLF

One of the most inﬂuential ﬁgures in the independent music scene.

Artwork retrospective on one of the most individual, original labels ever.

FLYING LOuS

Delving deep into the psyche of the Lotus.

GRET BAYLISS

We talk to Gareth Bayliss about the design philosophy at Mo’ Wax.

KIDKNEVIL

We chew the fat over a bowl of tasty tape noodle soup.

BES JOINED UP

Probably the best art meets music free-for-all event in the UK.

LRGE PROFESSOR

All the way live from NYC, Bonaﬁde links up with the hip-hop legend.

KID ACNE

Multi-tasking with Shefﬁeld’s one man hip-hop machine.

REVIEWS

The classics. Plus we pick the best LPs of the past 12 months.

URBAN ANGEL

Getting the lowdown on the gallery and upcoming shows.

KENAN BELL

Holiday travails with the up-and-coming MC.

NEON NEON

The dark side of car manufacturing.

BEN EINE

A portrait of a spraycan artist as a young man.

MO’ WAX

Illustration by Chrissie Abbot â&#x20AC;&#x201C; www.chrissieabbott.co.uk

ART

Photography by Liz Ainge for BonaďŹ de

BEN EINE

Prior to interviewing artist Ben Eine, we visited Sotheby’s auction house, where, hanging alongside screen-printed iconography by Warhol, Hirst and Haring, were Banksy prints. Coincidentally these had been screen-printed by Eine for the print house Pictures On Walls. In 2004 these images would have looked out of place, but today Bomb Hugger and CND Soldiers are accepted in the world of contemporary art. Eine is one in a select group of artists at the eye of the street-art movement and Sotheby’s provides a microcosm of the themes of our interview. Over the course of an hour we discussed Ben’s career and reﬂected how street art has progressed as

an art form and how it is now gatecrashing the contemporary art establishment. Early learning — Ben begins by outlining his early interest in art. He enjoyed drawing but as a teenager his parents stopped him taking the art option at school. Instead they directed him to courses that would help him earn money. Art, though, remained a pastime he enjoyed and he remembers fondly two grafﬁti artists, Fuel and Prime, creating a piece on Christmas Day in the early 1990s. This was a critical moment, one that, through the paint fumes, stays fresh in his mind. He talks with reverie of how two people would take advantage of the lax seasonal security on

the Circle Line and ‘get up’ undisturbed. For Ben, Fuel’s ‘Mushroom Madness’ was an epochal moment in the London graffiti scene. During these psychedelic flashbacks, Eine hints at a hierarchy, an artistic ecosystem where an inexperienced graffiti writer served an apprenticeship. He talks of going to Edgeware Road to spot recently worked trains and wanting to get up but of having no idea of how to properly go about it. The only way, he explains, to become an artist was to befriend a graffiti vet and learn. This education included information on what type of paint did what, how to get to trains, how to dodge the London Transport Police and how to artwork a carriage in an hour and a half flat.

This education, Eine explains, resulted in over 300 carriage pieces, 1000s of tags and a quick thinking deviant mind capable of keeping ahead of the law. He reels off a series of vignettes: escaping from the police by weaving through moving trains; going on art pilgrimages to NYC and doing trains in the Mecca – a pastime the locals don’t risk anymore because of the excessive penalties; or changing names and styles to confuse the police. As graffed trains would often be buffed before they could be seen by the public, he would document his work through photography and stash the photographs at the houses of those unassociated with street art or drugs — safe houses where they could not be traced and used as police evidence. Unfortunately this was so successful that he now doesn’t have any images of his train work as he has lost contact with the acquaintances entrusted with his images; the perfect crime that inadvertently denies us a chance to see Eine’s style develop.

Fine art or graffiti? — Eine, pronounced E-N-E, is German female tense for one. Navigating our conversation around a homeless dude trying to get back to Jamaica, we discuss his affection for challenging perceptions of what graffiti is. Eine’s is best known for his ‘butchered and bastardised’ stencil typography. When the Internet blossomed in the 1990s he was galvanized by the ability of the web to expose art from around the world. Along with cheap travel and typo face used in posters to promote obscure art house films, he began to diversify his practice — from the way he painted to what substrate he painted onto. Speaking to Ben it is apparent that he takes pride in his work. His lettering is wonderfully crafted and there is subtlety in his work. He has a list of favourite words that he likes to repeat. These words include MONSTER, SCARY, EXCITING and VANDALISM. These words carry meanings and allow him to engage with society.

Painting VANDALISM in huge, monster-sized letters in an attractive font on someone’s wall is vandalism. But its execution rejects assumptions about grafﬁti. The assiduous skill that goes into making it suggests craft. This leads to the ‘What is it then?’ question. Is it art? Or is it vandalism? Similarly, painting SCARY draws on preconceptions that grafﬁti is found in hoody populated sink estates and demarks crime. SCARY though confounds your expectations. The lettering isn’t scary, it doesn’t look like a piece of mindless tagging and it doesn’t suggest a crime wave is on its way. Instead, it is an impressive and polished piece of art. It makes you smile and reinvents a previous barren wall. SCARY says preconceptions aren’t always right. Further experiments include painting EXCITING around a nightclub. With this idea Eine is moving things on and bringing another variable into play. He is interacting with space that has a clearly

deﬁned meaning and as such the work has a greater potency.

dikat seems far removed from the vibrant and experimental environment that spawned it.

Other ideas in the pipeline include BORING; his riposte to traditional 1980s influenced graffiti that asks, isn’t it time for graffiti to move on from rehashing the same Wildstyle type? Why not try creating something different with your spay cans today? Surely writing the same old tag is a bit of a boring and expensive hobby?

The idea that grafﬁti must conform to certain styles and draw on clichés is also challenged by Eine’s website; www.einesigns.com features thugged out brightly coloured Care Bears and with no sign of tagged walls, pixelated faces and writers’ bravado. It is not what you would associate with a grafﬁti based website.

The idea of BORING highlights the polarised and opposing attitudes that exist in grafﬁti. As Ben mentions, when Bansky appeared he saw work that was ‘new, fresh, interesting and funny’. The vibe from older traditional heads, who saw an outsider getting up in their city, was disdain — for them, the stencils revealed a lack of talent. Such clashes of styles and attitude inadvertently reveal what a dogmatic and narrow minded art form grafﬁti can be. Looking over Subway Art by Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant, this kind of

Ben’s practice and values clearly traverse graffiti and fine art. He wants to create discourse with his audience on a number of levels. He places importance on his work being real and imperfect. He cuts his stencils by himself and recoils from the idea of using machine laser-cut stencils that would perfect the finish but subsequently distance the artist from the work. In this sense he is visiting one of the core debates an artist has: the mark of authenticity.

Movements — During the early part of the millennium, Ben was known as the screen-printer at Pictures On Walls — the original print house that created the buzz about street art that exists today. As Ben elaborates, Pictures On Walls’ business strategy was as jaunty as their website copy. The original plan was just to produce affordable artwork of the quality of the beautifully crafted posters used to promote rock gigs in America in the 1960s and ‘70s. Pictures On Walls has been hugely successful in developing artists’ careers and opening up the art world for people who might not necessarily be interested in going to see an art exhibition. Furthermore, people now genuinely feel comfortable and excited about spending £200 on a limited edition rather than buying a non-descript conservative print from Ikea. This kind of education is obviously lucrative for Pictures On Walls, but it is also beneﬁcial for the arts in general. Look at the

interest in the previous Santa’s Ghettos and the Cans Festival. Public interest in these events was phenomenal and the audience was not just made up of Dell-boy types looking for the next removable piece of Bansky street art. Speaking about Cans, Ben echoes many people’s thoughts, seeing it as ‘f-amazing logistical event to pull-off and pull-together. Just to ﬁnd the venue was a major achievement.’ Indeed Cans offered a unique egalitarian situation. A street which any artists could create a stencil piece and then gave the public a chance to see this work captured and preserved in it’s natural environment. Just as Pictures On Walls reinvented the idea of a street art show with Cans, 2008 has been a year of reinvention from Eine. He has left his job as an in-house printer at Pictures On Walls and become a full time artist. On the cusp of a movement he sees real change ahead.

The nascent street art scene is growing and there are a number of galleries competing to establish themselves, like the contemporary art galleries in New Bond Street. As the movement continues to attract attention, and more money is invested, it will have to reconcile clashes of interest with the need to push things forward. As Eine articulates colourfully, by default, street artists are self promoters; they establish their name and market themselves.. Do they really need a gallery who will take a hefty commission from sales but doesn’t even have an established client list and may not know the best way to promote the art? Street artists are going to have to consider whether they want gallery representation or decide to cut out the middleman and sell straight to customers themselves.

will be well into their 60s before anything like that happens. Money, galleries and politics have got in the way, a natural byproduct of success. The earlier Santa’s Ghettos and the Cans will be as near as we get to that. We close the interview by discussing Eine’s own Aladdin’s cave of art treasures. It then becomes clear the spirit Ben encountered with his peers as a train painter remains. He tells of how he

We ask if their could be a ‘supergroup’ show that would document the main players, like the YBA Sensation exhibition, but Eine believes that they

did some work for D-Face and didn’t ask about payment until a year later when he turned up at an opening night and took a fancy to some of the work on show. As payment for the debt he asked D-Face if he could take the pieces. D-Face said of course. Eine is visibly happy mentioning this. Art is clearly still what this game is about to Eine. www.einesigns.co.uk

MO’ WAX MO’ WAX WAS A UK lBEL DEDICTED TO EXPERIMENAL SOUNDS. TEIR OPEN MINDED AND CRETIVE APPROACH WAS EVIDEN IN TEIR AMBITIOUS AND EXTRVAGN ARTWORK. WE EXAMINE TE WORK TEY CURTED AND SPEK TO GRET BAYLISS, A FN uRNED EMPLOYEE AT ONE OF TE MOS INDIVIDUAL RECORD lBELS EVER RUN.

“TODAY, WHEN RECORD COMPANIES ARE LOSING THE BATTLE AGAINST DIGITAL COMPETITION AND MARKETING BUDGETS ARE BEING CUT, IT’S UNLIKELY WE WILL EVER SEE SUCH INDULGENCE AGAIN.”

In issue 01 we provided a history of record sleeve artwork. We talked to Ehquestionmark and George Dubose, two contrasting individuals who have pushed art direction for record sleeves to another level. The feature tried to present an overview of how different labels, in different decades, have influenced the visual identity of music. We discussed the Factory Records and Peter Saville partnership in the 1980s and the ongoing collaboration between Lex x Ehquestionmark. On a timeline, Mo’ Wax is situated in between these luminaries, and its lasting contribution to music design deserves to be explored. The similarities between the three labels are striking. Each label had an agenda to release boundary pushing music. Each had recognisable figureheads. Factory had Joy Division and New Order, a charismatic owner in Tony Wilson, and worked with a designer, Peter Saville, who made Factory visually iconic. This potent mix created the Manchester scene and influenced national

popular culture. Fast forward to 2009 and Lex are putting out groundbreaking work by musicians such as Danger Mouse and Neon Neon and with Ehquestionmark, are producing stunning music packaging. In the following pages we will sketch out, with the help of former Mo’ Wax designer Gareth Bayliss, why the label’s approach made it one of visually illest, ever. Mo’ Wax was started in the 90s by a teenage James Lavelle. With a taste for cool matched by a DIY attitude, Lavelle embraced music, fashion, ﬁlm and art. Bringing together a roster of international talent he created an aesthetic that made Mo’ Wax deﬁne, especially in London and Tokyo, street cool. The heads Lavelle networked with is a Who’s Who of cool: musicians such as DJ Shadow, Solesides/Quannum, David Axelrod, Dr Octagon, Air, Major Force, and Pyschonauts; producer Tim Goldsworthy; promo-makers

Jonathan Glazer and Shynola; streetwear freaks Nigo (BAPE), Hiroshi Fujiwara (GoodEnough) and heads at Stussy and Gimme-5; artists such as 3D (of Massive Attack), Futura 2000, Haze, Mike Mills, Stash and B+; and designers such as Ben Drury, Swifty and Will Bankhead. Such collaboration resulted in Mo’ Wax having a street identity rooted in the hip-hop sensibility of being FRESH. With the desire to pioneer, Lavelle pushed the art direction, resulting in elaborate and fetishistic packaging. Mo’ Wax differs in their approach in many ways from Factory/Saville who were more playful with the juxtaposition of cultural signiﬁers, and Lex x Ehquestionmark, whose best work revolves around repeated patterns and textures. Mo’ Wax, in contrast, created a subtle, nuanced, eclectic aesthetic, that was somewhat at odds with its founders’ love of hype. The most recognisable Mo’ Wax covers are the ones that use Futura 2000’s distinctive and elegant

abstract graff. His paintings were used to fantastic effect on covers for DJ Shadow and DJ Krush releases. The Futura work wasn’t traditional graff that people were used to and the way it was appropriated made buying a DJ Krush 12inch akin to buying a super-nice art print. Likewise the hip-hop record it was adorning wasn’t like any hip-hop the buyer had heard before. There was little MCing, for the creators and listeners it was all about the beats. In this sense, the unusual artwork was complimenting the leftﬁeld sound. DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing LP is a standout cover. Endtroducing is a genre bending release, an instrumental hip-hop record that confounds expectations. The artwork is a documentation

of where DJ Shadow was and what the record meant. The iconic front cover photograph features crate diggers in a massive record shop. It is a snippet into the mythical world of sampling and vinyl addiction. Other design masterstrokes include the artwork for Attica Blue’s self-titled album and 3ree (Means to Be) single, crisp, self-referential, playful design. The Headz artwork, with 3D’s visceral daubs — a synergy between design, the releases title and the whole ‘heads’ vibe the Mo’ Wax scene was about — and the handcrafted typography was hip-hop in delivery but removed from cliché, is also worth looking out for.

Likewise the packaging took a life-of-its- own life; the intricate UNKLE Psyence Fiction pop up, the limited edition Major Force yellow vinyl, the elaborate packaging for the Money Mark’s Push the Button LP, plus wonderful bespoke work just for promo items. The list is of innovation is endless. Today, when record companies are losing the battle against digital competition and marketing budgets are being cut, it’s unlikely, with a few exceptions such as Lex, that we will ever see such indulgence again. From top left: DJ Shadow’s ‘Entroducing’ LP, UNKLE’s ‘Psyence Fiction’ and Money Marks extravagent pop-up artwork for ‘Push the button.’

GRET BAYLISS OG HEDZ, DOPE SOUNDS, NEXT-LEVEL ARTWORK… AN INSIGH INO TE WORLD OF MO’ WAX. Mo’ Wax was your ﬁrst design job after University, how did that come about? GB I moved to London and failed to get into St Martins. I was working in a restaurant and spending wages on records and began noticing the stuff Mo’ Wax were doing. I got into early DJ Shadow and followed up with Urban Tribe and Attica Blues. I liked the handwritten typography that was being used. Ben Drury’s artwork seemed self indulgent, communicative and good. I ended up studying graphic design at Camberwell, my tutor was illustrator Ian Wright (who is well known for his portraiture) and we used to talk music instead of doing graphics. Ian gave me Ben’s number but when I gave Ben a ring, he’d never heard of Ian… I asked Ben if I could show him my work and went down to the South London studio. My body of work was made up from lots of sketch

books with ideas for type and weird stuff I had done making designs for fabric and costumes. For Ben everything started with a sketch, he loves drawing and I guess that was a common bond between our work. A few months later I got a call from Ben and visited his house. From there I tried to get involved in everything I could; letterheads, stickers, anything I could put effort into and try to progress. I would take the work to Ben for feedback and then cycle across London to run it by Toby… The Mo’ Wax set up then was? All seriously talented heads. All knowing about music, fashion… they were just supercool. There was James (Lavelle) caked in BAPE. A catalyst, James was into creating his own identity but at the same time went against the grain of that scene a bit. Some heads were into the

exclusivity of clothes and music, but with Mo’ Wax he was wanting to share what he was hearing and seeing. Likewise he is a great enabler, great at putting people together to make amazing stuff. The last time I saw him was in the studio making Never Never Land and we had lunch. I went into the next room and there was Jarvis Cocker and Brian Eno. Other memories are having dinner with David Axelrod and going to Fabric to see Ian Brown. Amazing perks you get from working at a label! Then there was Ben in charge of the art direction and the reason I was attracted to Mo’ Wax. Toby, the manager, he put everything together. Ollie, a professional skater sponsored by Heroin, who was sorting out the toys and the arts side. Will Bankhead, a fantastic photographer and designer. Will worked on his own stuff and the the more expressive artwork for Malcolm Catto, Now Thing, and Jordan Fields etc.

Will showed me that it’s better to take risks and make mistakes. He also showed me how to turn multiples of the same promo items into something better at the record exchange shops! What was the art direction at Mo’ Wax? What did you try to achieve with each release? Ben’s personal ethos was never repeat. He didn’t want to use the same typeface twice or approach two different jobs the same way. For example, the UNKLE typeface could be used again on future releases as it’s the brand, but for Ben it’s got to evolve. The next release has to be better, the design pushed as far as it can. So everything for the records would have to have an original typeface or image. We could never use a Futura painting the same way. We would have to use it differently and go down a road that we hadn’t gone down before.

It was funny, I would have my college design rulebook and Ben would smash that out of me. Instead of using the computer to line something up, he’d get me to do it by eye. This rejection of the easy option was repeated in many ways. For instance, sometimes it seems like your first idea is the one you want to go with and plough all your energies into that and you don’t look beyond it. For Ben your first idea was the start, the finalised piece was another ten ideas down the line. The Headz artwork is the one in which I first saw the hand written type. That was either Andy Holmes (of Holmes and Silas) or Ben’s writing. It looks like it’s done off the cuff, but it is hand-written and meticulously crafted. How did the relationship with Futura work? When I did the covers for the Nigo singles, Nigo had bought the images from Futura. It was pretty

much the same for the other stuff. We would have a record that would need artwork (as in an image for it) and then James would get the label to buy the required Futura work. If you went to James’ house it was like Tom Hanks’ place in ‘Big’. It was littered with artwork, toys, clothes. An amazing place. The Futura book is almost a piece of art in itself and could only probably have been realised by an outﬁt like Mo’ Wax… When I was beginning at Mo’ Wax they were working on the Futura book and had all these spreads on the ﬂoor. The book is like a visual guide you just dip into. It’s like a piece of art and a wonderful thing. I remember Ben went through about ten different versions of the front cover because the printer couldn’t get it right. I actually got Futura to sign my copy of the book, then Ben told him who I was which was a bit embarrassing.

I think design is about communication. It’s about using tools to communicate. Being an artist is more about being indulgent, ambiguous and experimental. But at Mo’ Wax can it be argued that things crossed over more? No, communication and graphic design are very different to producing art in my opinion.

At Mo’ Wax it was about dealing with technological advances such as using Illustrator for type purposes and pioneering ways of translating ideas but at the same time getting the right message across and come up with the goods.

a Movement poster I think. They did Showtime inhouse due to costs, invoices on the ﬁrst might have been too heavy… The work Ben did for Maths and English is where I would have imagined we would have got to with the ﬁrst LP if we have had more time. Ben’s at the top of his game with that one.

What have you been up to post Mo’ Wax? Anything else… I worked with Ben on Dizzee Rascal’s debut… There’s a vast difference between the quality of visuals used in Boy in da Corner and Maths and English releases… Yeah, the Maths and English artwork is fantastic, the idea of mixing letters and numbers came from

Quite a varied amount of stuff and I have lots of random insights into the creative world… One of the beneﬁts of working at Mo’ Wax was the sick portfolio and relationships I’ve built up. I had a short stint with the design team at Fabric. They are headed up by John Cook and are a true collaborative outﬁt. I would see things like John dressing

Right to left; 1ST? Nigo - ‘Kung Fu Fighting’ 12,” Dizzee Rascal - ‘Boy in Da Corner’ LP

As a designer at Mo’ Wax, you blurred the lines between designer and artist. As someone who is both, do you think ultimately there is no difference between the two disciplines?

“BEN’S PERSONAL ETHOS WAS NEVER REPEAT. HE DIDN’T WANT TO USE THE SAME TYPEFACE TWICE OR APPROACH TWO DIFFERENT JOBS THE SAME WAY.”

up as a Cavalier and then getting people in the ofﬁce to photograph him, they would then send the photographs to an illustrator to draw. John would collect old books and obscure visual references and store them for when they needed them, which is something I am prone to myself. DJs buy vinyl, artists buy images, which I guess is due to the fact that we appreciate something that’s created. I also did stuff with Damon (Deadly Avenger) and Illicit records. Damon has an amazing ear for music, this may or not be explained by the fact that he has no sense of smell. We took some great road-trips when he was DJing, it was all very juvenile. He’s working on ﬁlm scores now. I worked on The Rapture’s Echoes LP with Trevor Jackson. The work turned out super nice but it was an exhausting experience. I was using a crap Mac and at the time was of my depth with Photoshop.

Trevor wanted me to type the sleeve notes in Helvetica then run the work through a TV, photograph it and then scan it and put it back into Photoshop. A deﬁnite labour of love! I’ve also done lecturing in Leeds and Southampton. Now I’m working at a signwriters which is a great way to push processes and experiment with vinyl lettering. Outside of work I’m really enjoying experimenting with my own clothing label, Traveller. I produce all the stuff myself. The T-shirts I am working on at the moment feature wooden guns and tanks, they are all hand-drawn, as is the typography. I love drawing - it’s the effort that goes into creating an image that I really get a kick out of. I love seeing hand-drawn work that looks like it’s taken ages to do. http://garethbayliss.blogspot.com/ http://broadcastgarethbayliss.blogspot.com

BES JOINED UP Best Joined Up is one of the most unique events we have attended in a long while. Run by impresario Bodie, it is in his own words a “live art and design mis-happening”. Occurring monthly alongside the New Bohemia night at the Faversham, Leeds, guest artists are allocated large blank boards on which they create art. Inkie, Replete,The Pern, Sune, D57, Pinky, Women 158, Graham D.Pilling, Drew Millward,Darkside Farmers, Mr.Gauky, The 5683 and Qwerk have all appeared and created something in their own distinctive styles.

Keeping some rhythm to the doodling is a must and over the past year incredibly obsessive vinyl crushers such as Sean Vinylment (B-Music/ Finders Keepers) and Crotona Firehorse have all helped make the night… For the latest news including information on next set of nights and art exhibitions check myspace.com/bestjoinedup ........................................................................................... >>

Photography by Liz Ainge for Bonaﬁde

Alongside professional painters are more amateur efforts. In the middle of the room, blank freestyle boards are set up allowing those attending to put their drink to one side, grab a felt tip and draw some throw-ups. Understandably the quality of this work varies depending on how many drinks have been downed, whether the creator can think of anything wittier to write than ‘this is shit’ and what your perception of good art is.

KID ACNE SHEFFIELD’S ONE-MAN HIP-HOP MACHINE ElBORATES ON TE DEMANDS OF PURSUING A CREER AS BOT AN ILLUSRTOR AND A MUSICIAN. You are following a path that Futura 2000 and the enigmatic Ramm:Ell:Zee have trodden. Musicians have also, with a variety of success, often tried to make art. What came first, the mic or the brush? And do you feel stronger with one media? I began using car paint when I was twelve and have been drawing for as long as I can remember. I’m happiest with either a pen or a spray-can. I rarely use a brush. I like the quality of the line you get with them. It suits my style better than traditional painting. It’s very precise and graphic, plus I like to work fast and can’t stand waiting for paint to dry. When I made my first album, I was very much influenced by the Celluloid series that featured Futura 2000 (with the Clash) and Fab 5 Freddy. We were listening to GhettoVetts at the time too. I’m a big fan of Ramm:Ell:Zee. You should read his Ionic Treatise. I met him in the year 2000. I’d love

to work with him some day. You should meet your heroes. It’s grounding. I read that you admire the work of Quentin Blake and his free ﬂowing, loose style of drawing. Blake has a singular distinctive style, removing everything that is not needed to produce a stripped down, base image. It’s very impressionistic. As an artist, both in the visual and aural sense, do you think you have developed a style that suits you? I think the older you get, the more you want to strip out the decoration and get down to pure style. That’s something that’s very appealing in making both music and artwork, presenting your own style without unwanted clutter. Anyone can camouﬂage what they’re doing and hide their mistakes. The key is to accept the mistakes as human error, while giving the illusion that the end result is ‘perfect’. My sketchbook drawings have now become my ‘actual’ drawings. I’ll tweak them

here and there to make them presentable, but I got to the point where I accepted “this is my style, this is how I do things”. Ross Orton taught me the same about making beats, and Ross is always right. Do you listen to music while you paint, and do you ﬁnd it informs your style of work? I paint in the street and don’t have a Walkman, so no. I listen to music when I’m drawing. Sometimes I notice I work quicker if the song’s quicker, but that’s about it. When you do street pieces what media do you use and how do you get up? Also on the process tip do you ever do collaborative work and do you have a favourite piece of work that you would like on your own wall at home? I use spray paint on all my wall paintings. Sometimes I’ll prime out the background in

“FOR A STYLE OF MUSIC THAT’S BRED OUT OF SAMPLING OTHER PEOPLE’S MUSIC, HIP-HOP IS A VERY CONSERVATIVE GENRE. ALL THE INTERESTING, PIONEERING STUFF WAS AND STILL IS MADE ON THE PERIPHERY OF THE SCENE.”

emulsion, but sometimes I’ll use pure spray. I started doing cutbacks a few years ago, which is how I get the neat line. I’ve collaborated with a few people, but more than often it sucks — you end up compromising everything and settle for an unhappy medium. I like collaborating with She One, he makes my work look more sophisticated. With Iraq and the associated failure of government policy providing a fertile ground for artistic comment in the arts, do you see room for political commentary in the music and art you produce? Also taking a wider view, what are your thoughts on artists (in any sphere) having a social responsibility with their work? The way I see it, it’s like poetry, anyone can do it, but few can do it well. Political and social commentary isn’t really my forte so I tend to leave them out of my work. I’d rather leave it to the professionals. That said, I’ve started incorporating

“I’VE NOT HAD A ‘REAL JOB’ FOR ALMOST 10 YEARS NOW. I THINK IT’S ABOUT BEING RESOURCEFUL AND TURNING YOUR HOBBY INTO A HUSTLE.”

more text into my street paintings as a way of engaging and including people a little more. Decoration and vanity projects can only go so far. I remember seeing a tour you did with Req 1 around the time of Council Pop. If I am correct the Arts Council backed that. As someone trying to innovate and do things off their own back, is there enough support for the arts by the government or is it a question of using your wits? I’ve not had a ‘real job’ for almost 10 years now. I think it’s about being resourceful and turning your hobby into a hustle. A lot of people give up if they’re not getting hand outs from funding bodies, but maybe they didn’t deserve them in the ﬁrst place. I’m not sure what capacity the Arts Council were involved in that tour, it was hooked up via Warp Records. But yeah, you’ve got to have your wits about you.

Do you do live shows that mix both graff and music together? I don’t really mix my artwork and music so much. I guess I should do. It’d make life easy, but I’ve always seen them as separate projects, linked by the fact that I happen to do them both. I’m starting to work out ways to link them a little more. Perhaps I’ll make a concept album. As an artist and a musician your creative outlets and inﬂuences must be pretty wide, do you think that although you would be classed as hip-hop that you are pretty open minded in how you create your work? For a style of music that’s bred out of sampling other people’s music, hip-hop is a very conservative genre. All the interesting, pioneering stuff was, and still is, made on the periphery of the scene. That’s why the likes of Latin Rascals, Ultramagnetics, Beat Bop, Death Mix, Beastie

Boys, Run DMC, New Kingdom and Wu Tang were so good. They looked elsewhere for inspiration. You seem fond of the golden times, with the killer, playful lines, the threads and the general vibe. What does hip-hop from then mean to you and what does it mean to you now? It comes down to the imagination and inventiveness in days gone by. Nostalgia is overrated perhaps, but everything today has become so bland, homogenised and stagnant. My friend put it best: “Hip-hop is like your childhood sweetheart who cheated on you, with everybody!”. It’s not that I’m totally against modern stuff, it’s just that you’ll never beat rhymes like Lord Finesse Vs. Percee P, and you’ll never beat a panel piece by Dondi. Every so often though, someone who understands this will come along, reinvent the whole thing and knock us all for six. Look at people like Edan, MF Doom and Flying Lotus!

“AS A KID THE FURTHEST I WENT ABROAD WAS A FEW CAMPING TRIPS TO FRANCE, SO BEING ABLE TO VISIT FOREIGN PLACES IS AMAZING.”

Do you think that hip-hop, after it’s time in the limelight, is going back to the underground and with the current advances in technology we might be on the cusp of another great era? It’s possible. I mean where else can it go? The underground breeds creativity right? Where does the inspiration for your characters come from? And do you ﬁnd they have developed as individuals as you have worked over the years? The inspiration can be anything from Fantasy Art books, fashion magazines, wildlife programs, mythology, documentaries, the zoo, current girlfriends, children’s books, old cartoons… basically anything to help give the characters some kind of narrative and personality. The style of my characters was very much inspired by those of She One & Fire DFM back in the early ‘90s, combined with elements of Pete Fowler, Tom

Barwick, Jamie Hewlett and Quentin Blake. Very few people have inspired me since then, with a few exceptions, such as Parra, Honet and Ian Stevenson. Someday I’d like to create an entire world for my characters and give them all names, but for now they’re just snap shots into that world and variations on a theme, it’s not fully developed as yet.

Talking of nostalgia… we were talking about hip-hop ﬁlms the other night and wondered what you thought of the classic parody movie CB4?

You mentioned that you have been out of a ‘real job’ for ten years. With regards to both the music and the art what have been the highlights?

www.kidacne.com

Travelling is deﬁnitely the best thing. As a kid the furthest I went abroad was a few camping trips to France, so being able to visit foreign places is amazing. It’s something I take for granted now I guess, but I’d deﬁnitely never get the chance to visit Helsinki, Perth, Azerbaijan and New York within the same year if it wasn’t for my work and I’ve made great friends in great places.

You know what, I’ve never seen it, but I remember seeing clips in the Dre & Snoop video at the time. I’ll get myself to Blockbusters…

URBAN ANGEL REPRESENING A NEW-BREED OF ENERGISED AND PASSIONATE GLLERIES SHOWCSING TE BES WORK FROM TE SREET PAINING FRATERNITY. The past 18 months has seen a growing interest in the street art scene. What can Urban Angel offer that other outlets can’t? Urban Angel represent a number of artists, mostly on an exclusive basis. Alongside selling work by these artists, we work by artists we do not actually represent (commonly referred to as secondary market dealing). We hold a vast inventory, 250 to 500 pieces. Very few galleries have the stock holding that we do and we work closely with artists and other galleries to bring the best art from this scene to our customers. As both an on-line and gallery presence, can people just pop in if they see a piece on-line and take a look at it ﬁrst hand? Absolutely. We are a traditional bricks & mortar gallery as well as having an online presence. Between shows, the gallery may sometimes work on an appointment only basis, but we are always

here to see customers in person… in fact we encourage it. You obviously have a wealth of knowledge and passion for the art you exhibit. Did you always intend to open a gallery? I have been collecting art from this scene for a few years. I was initially into Jamie Reid and I think it was 2005 when I bought my ﬁrst ‘urban’ piece. Unfortunately, in February 2008 my main business went into administration. Collecting art was a hobby that I wanted to spend more time on, so it was the perfect opportunity to do something about it and start something new. We always intended to open a gallery but you must remember that we opened Urban Angel in what was considered the ‘good times’. You cannot just go and get a gallery, we had to bide our time and wait for the right location, along with size. We

traded as an online business for a few months, then launched our first show at the World famous Cork Street, W1. In the background we were desperately looking for a gallery and we finally secured the current space; it’s a fantastic 2000sq ft. premises over two floors and we are really proud with what we’ve achieved in our first year. I don’t know many people that would open a shop selling luxury items in the middle of a recession, which I think shows a hell of a lot about our commitment to the scene and the artists that we work with. What is the favourite piece you have sold through Urban Angel and, in terms of your own collection, what is the one thing you have passed up the opportunity to own for yourself and now regret? I’m unsure what my favourite piece sold through Urban Angel has been. I’ve liked a few pieces

here and there, but I tend to buy the stuff I really like myself. As for my own collection, well… I regret not owning a single Banksy canvas but that’s about it. You are aligned with an exciting roster of talent. Who or what should we look out for in 2009? Are you able to let us know what exhibitions that you have got lined up?

who I sell paintings by Hush to and we are working together to build a core collector base. We have a waiting list for his work. We have also recently started working with Copyright, and I expect positive things from him in 2009 with a solo scheduled for later in the year. Mikael Alacoque is also a ﬁrm favourite of mine.

Of course I genuinely believe in my own artists, but I have a real strong feeling about Remi/Rough. He’s an incredible talent and who else out there is doing abstract as well as him?

Zeus had a strong year in 2008, exhibiting at numerous shows, including our own Corked show, plus Nuart in Norway. He is getting a lot of interest in his work, and his piece titled ‘Streetopoly’ was really received well.

Also very fond of Part2ism. We have a show planned in February for him, and from initial interest, I think he’ll go down very well.

All in all we have a major busy year planned for 2009, with around 10 shows pencilled in so far. We’re hopeful that we will have a successful year.

In terms of price-point and fan base, Hush is probably our biggest artist. I am very careful

For the latest news on shows visit www.urbanangel.com

www.urbanangel.com

Urban Angel photography by Ian Cox â&#x20AC;&#x201C; www.wallkandy.net

URBAN ANGEL The Art Lounge, 41-43 Redchurch Street, London, E2 7DJ T. 08700 111 652 F. 08700 111 653

MUSIC

PENU BUTER WOLF Chris Manak adopted his recording moniker towards the late 1980s, after ﬁnding out that his then girlfriend’s younger brother had a morbid fear of the ‘Peanut Butter Wolf Monster’. Joining forces with the more traditionally named Charizma, the pair were part of an adventurous West coast underground scene challenging New York’s rap hegemony. The duo eventually signed a deal with the Walt Disney-owned Hollywood Basic label but a difﬁcult relationship ended without an album even being released. And worse was to come after Charizma was tragically killed, aged just 23. After a brief and understandable departure from making music, Wolf came back with a newfound determination to get his and Charizma’s songs heard. To compliment this he also released the Peanut Butter Breaks instrumental album, record de rigueur to any self-respecting turntablists collection. As well as producing for the likes of

Kool Keith and gaining notable inclusions in The Return of The DJ compilation series. In short Wolf was gaining industry props and decided to do something with them: start up Stones Throw records. Early releases include Rasco’s ‘The Unassisted’, Lootpack’s ‘Soundpieces: Da Antidote’ LP and Charizma’s posthumous 12” ‘My World Premier’, a song with drums so tough they could take out a small army. Wolf posits the release of Quasimoto’s ‘The Unseen’ as a pivotal moment; “When I put out the ﬁrst Quasimoto album I started really enjoying it… and at that point I felt freer to express what I liked.” It was through that album Stones Throw’s inimitable identity began to fully emerge. A loose collection of musical misﬁts, brought together by an encyclopaedic knowledge of hip-hop and an incessant drive for originality. You are over here on tour, helping to promote James Pants, can you tell us a bit about him?

He came to see me DJ in Texas after his prom, he introduced himself and offered to take me record shopping the next day. He showed me some good spots and we kept in touch ever since. That was about 10 years ago now, I had no idea he was making music at the time. He then interned with us but I never really saw him, although I vaguely remember him coming to a Gary Wilson video shoot. The Percee-P LP was released at the start of 2008, with Guilty Simpsons album out in the spring. Are you pleased with how they have both turned out? When the artists are pleased then I’m always pleased. Percee’s took a while to finish; Madlib was heavily involved with the beats. I think Percee is one of the only people I’ve worked with to have a record out before I did. I think his first (record) was 1988, he’s definitely from the old-school. It’s funny seeing him trade verses with a really young

DMX, Fat Joe and Eminem on Youtube. He’s also really engaging live. As for Guilty’s album (‘Ode To The Ghetto’), I think it’ s one of the best Hip hop albums I’ve heard in recent times. For you, what has been the deﬁning moment of Stones Throw’s success? I’ve always enjoyed doing it, but when I put out the ﬁrst Quasimoto album I started really enjoying it. I began to feel like I was hitting my stride and at that point I felt freer to express what I liked. Even going as far back as the Homeliss Derelix stuff, the ‘In The Mix’ 12” is among my favourite records we’ve released but a lot of people overlooked it. How have you personally handled the balance between creativity and the business side of running a record label? My creative input as far as making music is concerned has really been sucked out. I’m not sure

“I MAINLY CHECK FOR STUFF FROM THE 60S, 70S AND 80S. I’LL PROBABLY DISCOVER ANY GOOD MODERN MUSIC IN 20 YEARS TIME.”

why or how, but it has. But I still have deejaying, live shows, the theme mixtapes and even some videos, which allows me a creative release. Vinyl and the overall packaging of records seem to be a strong part of both your own and Stones Throw’s musical lineage. How are you dealing with the digital revolution that’s affecting the music industry? How are we paying the bills? For one thing we are making everything directly available through the label’s website. Before the website was competing with retail stores and we wanted to respect that, but now they’re going under so in order to survive we are selling everything through stonesthrow.com. We’re hoping to make more per unit that way. When you sell it to the store you have to pay $3 US per unit and that may only go in a small miscellaneous section, like ‘P’ for Peanut Butter Wolf. If you wanted to have an album at the front of the store then you’d have to pay thousands of dollars. The good thing for us is that it’s over now and you can, or will be able to buy everything either digitally or on vinyl and CD directly from the website. I’ve read that you’re into, or use to be into, English groups like Joy Division and Cabaret Voltaire. Do you still check for any English acts?

“I’M STILL WAITING TO DO ‘MY VINYL WEIGHS A TON’ PART TWO FOR MYSELF AND IF I CAN’T MOTIVATE MYSELF TO GO INTO THE STUDIO, HOW CAN I EXPECT ANYONE ELSE TO DO IT?”

Not really new stuff, but that’s not just English music either, just general. I mainly check for stuff from the 60s, 70s and 80s. I’ll probably discover any good modern music in 20 years time. I suppose I’m just in my own world musically, listening to like 300 James Pants singles. We’ve spoken a bit about James’ and Guilty’s albums, a lot of people are also getting really excited about the ‘Madvillainy’ follow up. Can you tell us much about the new LP? I haven’t heard anything but I got a text message from Doom on New Years saying ‘Happy New Year bro, the albums coming along.’ The ﬁrst album came along really casually and after that we tried to really chase them for a second album and enforce these rules and deadlines but it didn’t work. Now I’m more crossing my ﬁngers. We have a very friendly relationship, he (Doom) is one of the nicest guys you’ll meet. I mean I’m still waiting to do ‘My Vinyl Weighs A Ton’ part two for myself

and if I can’t motivate myself to go into the studio how can I expect anyone else to do it? So it’s very much pending? Well that’s kind of how Quasimoto number two (‘The Further Adventures of Lord Quas’) happened. We gave him deadlines and we kind of gave up after they kept passing. Then all of a sudden, one Monday he comes in and says here’s number two. Those two remind me a lot of each other; they are both really nice guys and are both out of their minds musically.

I know when Southern Bounce and even Hyphy got popular in the mainstream, it became exciting for me again. I mean I’m sure there’s still good stuff but I haven’t been seeking it out recently. Three or four years ago I joined a record pool in the US for mainstream releases because it was starting to feel like something different, while all the indie hip-hop stuff was complaining about how good it was back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, whilst not saying anything new. Edan and Kidtronic are underground guys that excite me a lot, we’re considering putting out a Kidtronic record. David Kane .................................................... //

A lot of people over here seem to be getting down about Hip hop, but I think this is a pretty good period for underground rap, it’s just the mainstream has never been worse — bar the end of the 90s, Puffy/Jiggy era. Would you agree with that statement?

FLYING LOuS “EXPERIMENAL SEX MUSIC, AN ALTERNATIVE ‘DOGGYSYLE’ IF YOU WILL!” − DAVID KNE MEETS TE AVAN GRDE CLIFORNIAN PRODUCER TO TALK POLITICS AND SEXUAL BETS.

After months of anticipation this summer saw the release of Flying Lotus’s sophomore LP, and Warp debut, LA. An atmospheric epoch for contemporary Californian music, LA explores emotional and musical depths that defy the producers’ 23 years. From the dark adrenalin fuelled frenzy of Riot and GNG BNG, to the outer-worldly Golden Diva and the clandestine beauty of Auntie’s Lock/Infinitum. Or as the man himself modestly states: “It’s all about base-beat music anyway, and then the presentation and the connection with people. ”To use film speak, LA is quite simply, unmissable.” I initially caught up with Flying Lotus (real name Steven Ellison) at the Deck hotel in Brixton and later on the phone while he was staying at his friend (dubstep producer) Kode 9’s house in South London. In person he is huge, a big friendly giant if you will. Much like his compositions, Steven Ellison is full of contradictions and funny quirks – he is well versed in literature, music, film, has a fierce passion for politics and punctuates almost every sentence with at least one expletive. As well as having a tendency to go off on spacey tangents: at one point he makes a vague comparison between himself the film director David Lynch and Timbaland. He also enjoys playing computer games (check the retro Flying Lotus arcade game doing the rounds), chatting up girls and smoking copious amounts of marijuana. Fairly standard stuff if it wasn’t for the unconscious eccentricity he exhibits that often separates geniuses from the rest of us.

Despite each having their own unique style many have compared his productions with those of J Dilla and Prefuse 73, something that he finds “a little unfair to be honest, flattering yes, but there’s a lot more to my music than people seem to associate me with. I also make plenty of uptempo stuff that people don’t know about (something his exhilarating live shows are testament to). And when people hear these beats I’m talking about… man it’s gonna’ fuck people’s heads up!” But it was his Aunty, the jazz musician Alice Coltrane (wife of the more celebrated, John) who persuaded Ellison to make music in the first place — ditching the camcorder and postponing early aspirations to make film — and pick up the 808 instead. Yet cinematic influences are clearly evident in both his debut LP 1983 and the more accomplished LA. “It’s one thing to do dance-floor orientated stuff but when it comes to making an album it’s suppose to be visual, especially if it’s an instrumental record — it should take you on a ride

somewhere! Go on this cerebral emotional ride…” Despite the stoned jive talk and joker demeanour — at one point he breaks into a contagious smile describing his music as “Experimental sex music, an alternative ‘Doggystyle’ if you will!” — there is a very serious side to this young producer. Which is revealed as the conversation takes a turn towards the ensuing presidential elections going on Stateside. “People are hitting me up from all over the world, ‘your boys gonna win right?’ (Barack Obama) Yes he’s gonna’ win. It can change the whole global situation, the whole world view of America can change, we can make strides towards building a better America if something like this were to happen.” Granted it’s not uncommon for a young black musician to have an interest in the current presidential race amongst the maelstrom of American politics past and present. Yet it is unusual for a developing artist to be contributing

ﬁnancially to a campaign. “Yeah I’ve been giving him my cash, doing what I can. I just wish more people got involved, people have opinions but don’t even vote. It was disappointing man, shocking even; no wonder Hilary won in California.” Once he has started on the subject I can barely get a word in edgeways, rising to a passionate crescendo that would put even the most polemical rapper to shame; “We’ve got to play our part man, I can’t just sit around talking to you about shit if I’m not going to do anything: keep my mouth shut, pay a shit load of money for gas and be cool with it, watch people get blown up and be cool with that as well. The time for change is long overdue, and that time is now.” And who are we to disagree. David Kane http://www.myspace.com/ﬂyinglotus www.warprecords.com

Photography by Liz Ainge for BonaďŹ de

KIDKNEVIL TIS MYSICL BET-MAKING NINJa HOLDS ANCIEN MUSICL SECRETS UNDER HIS GLUED ON BENIE. BONAFIDE TRIED TO GRB TaT SHIT AND RECEIVED A SYNCOPATED BET DOWN. BACK OFF MAN… IT’S KIDKNEVIL.

Hot off the heels of his new album launch, Kidkanevil meets up with Bonaﬁde’s Paul Allworthy for some pop and crisps in his home town of Leeds… For many years now, Kidkanevil has been solidifying his reputation as one of the UK’s freshest producers. We won’t bore you with comparisons, if you haven’t checked his sound then we highly recommend you do so. If we had to choose one word to describe his beats it would be ‘bugged out.’ Ok that’s two, but you get the drift. He manages to display great musical diversity whilst at the same time stamping his own unmistakable steez up in there. Splitting his time between solo projects, the occasional DJ set and operating the MPC and turntables for genre-defying quintet Stateless, he has to date released two solo LPs, featuring collaborations with Lateef, Yarah Bravo, Jehst and criminally under-rated Leeds duo Double D Dagger to name a few. His adventures with Stateless have seen their ﬁrst album released on K7 with another in the pipeline. Not to mention a UK tour with the legendary DJ Shadow (if you checked his last album you’ll notice Stateless vocalist Chris James is on two of the tracks). As you can see he’s a very very busy boy. So what we wanna know is — What’s the dizzle Kidkanizzle?

What drives you to be so dedicated, when did you make the decision to put all your energy into making music? I can’t really hack real life so I kinda put everything into my music and imaginary friends. And sometimes I draw small pictures. You’ve been real busy over the last couple of years, releasing two albums in ‘07, one with the band and one solo. What were your initial impressions of the music business — did it change the way you feel about making music? The music business is a joke, you just have to make the best of it. It has not changed my feelings towards music though, that’s like not enjoying football cos the ref’s a dickhead. I love music. Did you ever think about moving to London to be closer to the industry, what made you stay up North? I thought about moving to the moon to be further away from the industry. Being broke has kept me well Yorkshire. Do you ﬁnd it difﬁcult to balance your time between Stateless and your solo stuff? Yeah, but they both feed off each other and it’s all making music so it’s cool. Just gotta juggle tings proper. Problems and Solutions turned out to be a very diverse album musically and I think it surprised people who were familiar with your

“THE IDEA OF LIMITING YOUR LISTENING TO ANY ONE THING I WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND. YOU CAN’T BE MISSING OUT ON PALESTINIAN OUD MUSIC, SERIOUS.”

beats. Was this a conscious decision or did it just turn out that way? It just is what it is, an honest piece of expression. I try not to think too much when making music. Don’t think, feel and all that. The new album is particularly brainless, and all the better for it. How does being in Stateless influence your beats? Stateless influences my general musicality a great deal. The amount of talent in that band is crazy, I learn a lot from them dudes. Plus it pushes me outside my comfort zone, which I think is a good thing. I think. Consequently, how do you think you influence the band with your styles? I think I bring my own twang to the proceedings, particularly with beats and production. We all kinda feed off each other. I was less pro-active on the first album, I think I was just finding my feet so I was less involved. I have mixed feelings about that album but I’ve really put a lot of myself into the new one we’re

working on, out early 2009! I’m real proud of it, it’s certainly the most accomplished project I’ve been involved in. Anyone familiar with my solo work should be able to hear where the two meet. Being a beat maker-slash DJ, do you feel it is important to take in a wide variety of music in order to inﬂuence the outcome of the music you focus on creating. After all, hip-hop music is created from a wide variety of musical styles in the ﬁrst place. There’s such a vast array of remarkable music out there, the idea of limiting your listening to any one thing I will never understand, especially coming from a crate digging perspective. You can’t be missing out on Palestinian Oud music, serious. How did links with people like Jehst, Vadim, Lateef and DJ Shadow come about? I met Shadow through Stateless, cos he digs us. Which is nice. I met Lateef through touring with Shadow and he was kind enough to bless one of

my tracks. I met Vadim through working on a track with his wife Yarah and then he asked for a remix. He’s very supportive of new talent, good dude. Jehst I just hooked up with through the scene really. Everyone else I sent abusive letters. Except Dagger, don’t send them abusive letters. I heard a rumour you may be hooking up wth Double D Dagger on a project? I can’t talk about Dagger for reasons of public saftey. You did a remix for Dirty Diggers — what’s that all about, I ain’t heard it yet. Yeah. They asked me for a remix and I said the pleasure is all mine, see that. I’m into the Diggers. So I re-did the beat for ‘I Don’t Know About That’ on some gypsy accordian shit, and they were really feeling it so updated their rhymes too. It came out really dope I think, that one was really fun. How come you haven’t heard it? It’s been a top 10 ringtone in Takayama for three days. C’mon man.

“PLAY SOME BEASTIE BOYS YEAH.......................... ? I AM........................................................................... // OH, I ONLY LIKE THE EARLY STUFF.......................... // THIS IS OFF THE FIRST ALBUM.................................. // SHUT UP......................................................................!”

What about album no.2, it just came out right? Yeah, I’m kinda excited about it. The ﬁrst album is quite personal, quite introverted, and very much my dedication to the MPC and the whole crate digging school of production I grew up on. The new album is free of all that. I just wanted to make crazy Tokyorkshire beats and slap a motherfucker. Are Stateless bringing out an album no.2 as well? Yeah, we’re working on about 17 or so demos right now and then will hopefully have it all wrapped up for a release early this year. This album could really be some next shit. Problems and solutions came out as a digi-wax where people who bought the vinyl could also download the MP3 at no extra cost — Do you see this as a way forward for vinyl? I think it’s one way forward. If you’re supporting vinyl, supporting an artist, you should get the MP3s to chuck on your iPod too. Seems fair. Besides, you can download that shit for free if you want anyway.

I think vinyl is more and more for the collectors, for the shelf and the home system. Especially with serato and stuff meaning even DJs are buying less vinyl. Having DJed for many moons now, what are your feelings on Serato Scratch and the like? For me it kinda works well cos I can download a couple of the current big tunes at decent quality for a couple of quid or whatever, and then I can spend my vinyl money more wisely on stuff I really want to own. So in a weird way Serato has actually improved my vinyl collection, in quality rather than quantity. I dig Serato, it’s a dope tool and brings new possibilities to DJing. It’s dope to be able to drop beats you’ve just made that day in your set and stuff, to be able to scratch anything, to be able to DJ out stuff properly that never got a vinyl release. But plugging in that box in a dark sweaty ass club without messing anything up is a bitch.

“I’D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO SHOOT ELECTRICITY OUT OF MY HANDS LIKE THE EMPEROR. SHIT’S DOPE.”

Who would you put in your top five vocalists of all time, whether it be rappers/singers or whatever? Oh man. Lists. My lists always change, so this is just for today. Today I’ma go with… Billie Holiday, Curtis Mayfield, Jeff Buckley, Pusha T and that bitch from I’ve got the power. Who are your top five music makers of all time — whether it be beat makers, guitarists, drummers, spoon players or whatever? Oh shit, that’s too hard. You’ll make my brain hurt. J Dilla is the greatest. Hendrix. Miles, Django, Bobby Brown for On Our Own — Too hot to handle too cold to hold / They’re called the Ghostbusters and they’re in control / Had em throwin’ a party for a bunch of children / While all the while the slime was under the building / So they packed up their group, got a grip, came equipped / Grabbed their proton packs off their back and they split / Found out about Vigo, the master of evil / Try to battle my boys? That’s not legal. Y y you know it.

Who would play you in a ﬁlm of your life? The medium sized Totoro. If you could harness one super power — one only of your choosing, what would it be and why? I’d like to be able to shoot electricity out of my hands like the Emperor. Shits dope. What’s the stupidest shit anyone has said to you? Play some Beastie Boys yeah? I am. Oh, I only like the early stuff. This is off the ﬁrst album. Shut up.

BACK OFF MAN, I’M A SCIENTIST .............../ IS OUT NOW. YOU NEED THIS....................... !

If you could go back in time to any place - where and when would you go? Duke Ellington, Newport 1956. Or Heian period Japan. Or sample some dinosaurs ‘n shit. Or the beginning of time, providing I had the appropriate evening wear. What song do you want playing at your funeral? Shit, I dunno. Rhymes Galore. Seeming as we did a food related photo shoot, what is your favourite sandwich? Probably chicken and sweetcorn with extra salad from Lillian’s in town. Does the job you know. What is your favourite milk-shake? Banana and Oreo. Fuck y’all think. The food you hate the most? Your mom’s goulash. Do you take your hat off when you go to bed? Only for your mum. www.ﬁrstwordrecords.com www.kidkanevil.com www.myspace.com/kidkanevil

LRGE PROFESSOR TE LEGENDARY HIP-HOP MC AND BOOM BAP PIONEERING SUPER PRODUCER HOOKED UP WIT BONAFIDE IN NYC FOLLOWING TE RELESE OF HIS LTES LP ‘TE MAIN SOURCE’

A genuine hip-hop legend with a seemingly endless CV of collaborations, guest verses and production credits — not to mention changing the face of hip-hop as a third of groundbreaking act Main Source whose debut 1991 LP ‘Breaking Atoms’ was littered with hip-hop classics. Combining conscious, intelligent subject matter with incredibly tight production ‘Breaking Atoms’ was a breath of fresh air. And did we mention it features the debut of one Nasty Nas a.k.a Nas Escobar on the track “Live at the Barbeque”. Other collabo’s have seen Large Pro’ work with the likes of Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap & Polo, A Tribe Called Quest, Common, Eric B & Rakim, DJ Premier and Busta Rhymes to name but a few. Oh yes… and he’s just released his fourth solo LP — keeping his old school ideals intact and referencing his breakthrough group with the ﬁttingly named ‘The Main Source’ So you’re on your 4th solo album now — what’s the vibe of the new album? What the mainstream media call hip-hop right now — in my opinion is not hip-hop — it’s not where it comes from so I just want to put my effort out there. To let people know what original recipe hip-hop is.

“I DON’T TRY TO LIVE MY LIFE IN THE INDUSTRY, ALWAYS IN YOUR FACE AND ALWAYS TRYING TO PROMOTE AND HUSTLE PEOPLE.”

How do you keep that boom-bap sound stay fresh? — it never seems to get boring. You know, moving with the times but staying standard. It’s that boom-bap, that’s what it is. People try and take it somewhere else and make it all crazy but it’s still what it is. That’s hip-hop you know — the boom-bap, the drums. But you move with the times, the different feelings of what’s going on in the world today. It’s been six years since the release of 1st Class in 2002, why such a long wait? Just living life really. I don’t try to live my life in the industry, you know, always in your face and always trying to promote and hustle people. I just cooled out. I make my beats, I do my productions. Sometimes I take the back seat and play the background. Here and there I’ll step up and take control of the wheel and drive for a little while then step back again. What are you listening to this week?

I’m listening to the Soul Searchers album called ‘We the people.’ There’s a song on there called 1993 that I like. I’m always digging for records, soul records, rock records. That yesterday music is what I’m always checking out. I listen to new stuff too but my preference is going into that sea of yesterdays music, I love it. I guess it’s proven itself by standing the test of time. Deﬁnitely — some of it wasn’t appreciated in the way that it should’ve been and I feel like I’m supposed to put the world up on it. There’s some artists that made some really good songs that I guess the world at that time just wasn’t checking for. But it still exists and when you hear it you’re like ‘Yo man, this was better than popular stuff at the time.’ Now these younger generations can appreciate The Meters and groups like that. You worked on ‘Let the Rhythm Hit Em,’ was this the ﬁrst vinyl you actually released? Yea, I worked on Let the Rhythm Hit Em with

Eric B and Rakim. Around the same time, just before, Main Source released a 12” called ‘Think’ and the B-side was ‘Atom’ How old were you at this point? you were quite young right? Like 18 So you were making beats with the likes of Eric B & Rakim and Paul C and contributed a lot to the ‘Golden Era’ sound of hip-hop. At the time did you feel like you were making music that would have that longevity and solidify itself in the hip-hop history books? Not really, we were just like ‘We’re putting it down man, we’re showing our skills’ you know? What direction did you see hip-hop going at that point. Did you imagine it turning out anything like it is today? In hip-hop there’s always a lot of experimentation going on. A lot of people wanna take it to places that sometimes it shouldn’t be at. At that time there was a lot of

I guess again it’s about standing the test of time and not worrying too much about current trends. The good stuff will shine through. Nobody really remembers too much about hip-house, I certainly don’t know of anyone buying or searching for those records. Exactly, exactly. Did you start out rapping or making beats initially? I really started DJing ﬁrst then after I heard ‘The Show’ by Slick Rick and Doug E Fresh, I attempted to write my ﬁrst rhyme then just kind of stayed with the pen, getting busy.

And you’re still digging to this day? Yeah, definitely, always man, that’s mandatory man. That’s my hobby. It’s not even so much to make beats anymore. I just love the music of yesterday. A lot of it’s been skipped over and there’s a lot of jewels and gems in that music. Do you find digging more difficult now than back in the days? Everything’s a bit more open now — it’s easier to discover what records are and maybe more difficult to find something that’s unheard of. Nah, it just goes in cycles, everything goes in cycles. For a minute there it was a big craze in sampled production in beats and hip-hop. Now a lot of producers are trying to make these keyboard beats — a lot records are just sitting there now. A lot of dudes have sold their records, it’s plentiful again. I’ll go into a shop and it’s bustling with joints. I’m still discovering records, it’s kind of nice.

How have sampling laws affected your production? Hip-hop started with DJs scratching vinyl. After a while people started using loops and long phrases so they established sampling laws. But hip-hop is the drums, that boom-bap, so you can make it a little less musical and make the drums more prominent and just put a little sound in there, a little break. Regardless it’s gonna live. Would you sample something that wasn’t sourced from vinyl? Yea, if I had to. If I had to sample something on a CD and I only had it on CD or MP3 or whatever. You know cause if it makes the song you gotta use what you gotta use. But vinyl is the best source. Just the feel of vinyl. Do you feel sampling gives you something you would struggle to achieve working with live instruments? Sampling is just like scratching a record and putting it in the drum machine. You’re getting the part that you want. You chop a sample

Large Professor Photography by Robert Adam Mayer

hip-house going on. There’s always something like that going on but that original recipe still lives whether they give it the spotlight or not. Like some people just wanna wear a regular pair of jeans man, they don’t wanna wear the jeans with the holes and the acid wash, you just wanna wear a regular pair of jeans sometimes, like ‘I’m good, I don’t need all the rest of that.’

“A LOT OF PEOPLE TRY TO COMPARE HIP-HOP TO LIVE MUSIC BUT HIP-HOP IS USING RECORDS, USING VINYL RECORDS YOU KNOW, GETTING A STREET POINT ACROSS.”

up, you get one piece from one part of a record, a second piece from another. Something that when DJing you wouldn’t be able to do but with a drum machine you can. A lot of people try to compare hip-hop to live music but hip-hop is using records, using vinyl records you know, getting a street point across, that boom-bap, a rougher sound. You still living in out in Queens? Yea deﬁnitely

Illustration by Ellie Smith – www.ellie-draws.co.uk

How has the city inﬂuenced your sound. How would it sound growing up in a different place? It would probably be different. Now I’m grown up and I’ve seen all that I’ve seen and still walk the blocks where a lot of these things have gone down and still feel the essence of all of it. it’s just second nature. If I’d have grown up somewhere else I would have adapted to that culture. Coming up out here it is what it is and I just still live with the culture. Big up Large Professor. A Pioneer and a legend. Check his new album ‘The Main Source’ out now www.largeprofessor-mainsource.com

TE CLSSICS YOU CN’T BET A CRACK BET ON TE BOOMBOX: BONAFIDE DIGS IN TE CRATES FOR SOME DUSY BETS YOU JUS MIGH HAVE MISSED. Despite the hyperbolic, ‘Best rap album never released’ tag-line, the premise to ‘Bl_ack B_st_rds’ non-release isn’t short of any Brechtian theatre. KMD consisted of Zev Love X, younger brother Subroc and Onyx the Birthstone Kid. They came to prominence after a guest appearance on 3rd Bass single ‘The Gas Face’. Their debut LP, ‘Mr Hood,’ received critical acclaim, but the follow up ‘Bl_ck B_st_rds’, was a far more serious effort, elaborating on previous themes: conceptual, stream-of-conscious lyrics held together with tough drums, old soul, jazz and ﬁlm samples; albeit with a much harder political edge. This was illustrated by the cover art of a lynched Sambo caricature designed by Zev Love X. After the controversy surrounding Paris’ ‘Sleeping With The Enemy’ and Ice T/Bodycount’s ‘Cop Killer’ records, an anxious Elektra shelved ‘Bl_ck B_st_rds’ before its planned release in ‘94. But

KMD Bl_ck B_st_rds artwork by Zev Love X

KMD...// BL_CK B_S_RDS

“KMD ATTEMPTED TO DEFEAT UGLY RACIAL STEREOTYPES BY MAKING A MOCKERY OF THEM. BUT THIS INTELLIGENT USE OF PARODY… WAS PERHAPS ALL TOO SOPHISTICATED A CONCEPT FOR ITS TIME.”

worse was to come for KMD, as Subroc died in a tragic accident and Onyx left the group, leaving a distraught Zev Love to ﬁnish the album alone. ‘Sweet Premium Wine’ is among the more playful songs from the album but it still harbours a dark undertone, revealing an insight into both Zev Love X and particularly Subrocs capacity for alcoholic abandon; “I be livin’ in a bottle, I be in it to win it, or maybe even steal it… I got stress, I sip booze to heal it”. In the title track Zev Love aims his acerbic rhymes not at the bigots who perpetuate racist ideals but at those who succumb to them. The most noteworthy of the few guest appearances from the album is the ‘White Nigga Know?’ remix, a bonus track on the 2001 release, featuring former Doom collaborator turned purported rival, MF Grimm. With it’s sped up, chipmunk-style soul sample Subroc, Zev Love X

and a show-stealing MF Grimm take turns in a rowdy cipher over a lo-ﬁ, scuzzy percussion beat. KMD attempted to defeat ugly racial stereotypes by making a mockery of them. But this intelligent use of parody along with the sensitive, politically charged subject matter of ‘Bl_ck B_st_rds’ was perhaps all too sophisticated a concept for its time. Especially when rap was not short of far more accessible heroes. The irony is that Elektra, a label that once made it’s name releasing records by pioneering acts such as The Doors, The Stooges and MC5, record executives were too cowardly to put out ‘Bl_ck B_st_rds’ and by the turn of the century the label rescinded into dormancy. While Zev Love X reincarnate MF Doom went on to become an underground deity, eventually releasing the record through his own Metal Fingers imprint in a joint venture with Subverse.

“THE INTRODUCTION OF IRON GALAXY, WITH ITS SABRE-RATTLING ORCHESTRAL HORNS AND INDUSTRIAL SPACE SOUNDS, PLUNGES YOU DEEP INTO THE WORLD OF VAST AIRE AND VORDUL MEGA.”

CNNIBAL OX...// TE COLD VEIN

As a music lover I take issue with those who make no attempt to listen to music that can change their pre-conception of a musical genre. This irritation becomes a virulent mix of frustration and rage when I meet people who think hip-hop is shorthand for a social sonic hand grenade best listened to on a stolen mobile phone while wearing a hoody. Taking their cue from Company Flows ‘Funchrusher Plus’ (reviewed issue 01), Cannibal Ox’s ‘The Cold Vein ‘is an album that can alter such badly conceived preconceptions. Essentially, the mutated, second generation awkward bastard relation of the Co. Flow landmark release, ‘The Cold Vein’ is an unforgiving, brave and ambitious exploration of the past, present and potential future of hip-hop. Produced by El-P for his own Def Jux label, it inventively pulls together science ﬁction, urban folklore, and bravado. The introduction of Iron Galaxy, with its sabre-

rattling orchestral horns and industrial space sounds, plunges you deep into the world of Vast Aire and Vordul Mega. Their slick, arch wordplay spraying over the score for the second, unwritten sequel to ‘Bladerunner’. ‘A B-Boys Alpha’ pans across NYC, like storytellers they reel off disturbing vignettes of the Big Apple’s rotting core, pumping their ﬁsts to crunching, intimidating beats. ‘Raspberry Fields’ ﬁnds the duo poking fun at themselves, mocking the idea of a precious rapper who frets about repeating the same word twice. They also drop wonderful metaphors such as the nerd friendly line “I’m Mac because I think different”. The ‘F-Word’, is a rumination of modern relationships, the F-Word in question is not the the one you think it’s going to be. The track is a succinct exploration of failed romance and a strange token of tenderness in an otherwise overwhelmingly masculine album. The track also demonstrates

“THE F-WORD IN QUESTION IS NOT THE THE ONE YOU THINK IT’S GOING TO BE.”

how lacking, cliched and dull 95% of the indie tracks that deal with romantic failure are. On ‘Ridiculoid’ the duo overdose on slugs of self-mysticism: “Walking on air/Last of America’s heroes here to close the circle” cementing their legacy in the pantheon of NYC rap superstars. It’s worth noting the range of subject matter, like a series of The Wire, the production and editing, is expertly tight. Every element has been scrutinized resulting in an album that manages to be creatively beyond what most musicians are capable of. With it’s scope, ambition and intelligence ‘The Cold Vein’ is the perfect riposte to dumb, ill-informed opinions about hip-hop..... //JG

12 MONTS, 12+ LPS A MONT-BY-MONT GUIDE TO TE BES RELESES OF 2008. A Tribe Called Quest — ‘People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm’ // January Remember much about January 2008? Nope, me neither, and it seems as if record labels were equally void of ideas when it came to putting out music save for a few key re-issues. The pick of the bunch being ATCQ’s epically entitled bonaﬁde classic; ‘People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm.’ A soulful, experimental and highly inﬂuential debut record that helped shape the Native Tongue sound… //DK Pete Rock — ‘NY’s Finest’ // February Early 2008 saw the return of the soul-brother Pete Rock line up alongside a stellar cast of MCs, including Jim Jones, Raekwon and Masta Killa, to serve up a slab of good-old-fashioned, dope-asfuck New York hip-hop. Bradford City centreforward Daniel Cousin is also thought to be a fan, he has Pete Rock’s Afro Comb logo tattoo on his arm… //DK

Neon Neon — ‘Stainless Steel’ // March A brilliant mish-mash of indie, pop and hip-hop. Music for the Back to the Future generation. See our exclusive feature for the detail.… //JG James Pants — ‘Welcome’ // April James Pants’ aptly named debut LP has been almost criminally overlooked in most end of year lists but Bonaﬁde knows a winner when it hears one. An infectious concoction of early rap, new wave, funk-punk and italo disco inﬂuences makes ‘Welcome’ one of the freshest releases from the Stones Throw label of recent years…//DK Kashmere — ‘Raiders of the Lost Archives’ // May In May, a mystic and melancholy Kash delivered thoughts on the devil, dreams, and human folly. ‘Raiders of the Lost Archives’

“808S & HEARTBREAK’ IS AN ELECTRO-POP RECORD STEEPED WITH STARK INTROSPECTION... THIS IS TYPICALLY INTIMATE KANYE SINGING (NOT RAPPING) ABOUT BEING KANYE, ALBEIT EXECUTED IN ENTIRELY UNFAMILIAR FASHION.”

is a deep, demonic, on-road record. Kashmere’s engaging flow over nostalgic beats drags you in and next thing you know you’ve racked up 10 plays on i -Tunes… //JW Flying Lotus — ‘Los Angeles’ /// Lil Wayne — ‘Tha Carter III’ // June Splitting genres like atoms, Flying Lotus’ ode to his city, Los Angeles, is one of the richest musical tapestries of recent years. Shards of instrumental hip-hop, dub, jazz, soul and all manner of electronic squiggles flow dreamily into one another. It’s a glitchy, stuttering sonic ride that flirts with the dark yet bursts with Cali vitality… //JH Southern scamp and probable friend of the cocoa leaf Lil Wayne deserves an honourable mention for ‘Tha Carter III,’ which also came out in June. Weezy’s multi-platinum selling album was the highlight for mainstream rap in ‘08 amongst a bunch of duds and in the case of Flo Rida, a walking ploughman’s dinner… //DK

The Bug — ‘London Zoo’ // July Kevin Martin is something of a dub scientist. Throughout the years, with various aliases; he’s pushed the sonic limits of low-end bass to Taliban-like extremes. As the Bug, he’s hit gold with his darker than charcoal view of his London. Flow Dan, Warrior Queen and guests spit potent Babylon infused lyrics over the heaviest of genre-defying beats. Joining the dots between dancehall, dub (step), grime and techno, the apocalypse has rarely sounded so good… //JH The Cool Kids — ‘Bake Sale’ // August As has been widely reported by their many fans, including web magazine Pitchfork, Chicago based duo Mickey Rocks and Chuck Inglish’s debut album, ‘The Bake Sale,’ is an attempt to bring hip-hop back to its “Golden Age” of the 1980s. With sparse production that’s focused on beats and rhymes that are more concerned with trainers than guns, the Cool Kids’ album has

been talked up as a breath of fresh air for mainstream hip-hop and rap. Equally, though, the Cool Kids have been characterised as fashionistas whose music is more style than substance. Predictably, the truth lies somewhere in the middle of these two positions. The Cool Kids certainly have an ear for a good beat and the best of them will have you nodding your head in knowing beat-box fashion; although some people might consider the album to be a little one-paced and, given it only just makes it over the thirty minute mark, short as well. However, ‘The Bake Sale’ is deﬁnitely worth a listen and shows signs that the Cool Kids shouldn’t be written off as fashionistas…//CR Roots Manuva — ‘Slime & Reason’ // September If ‘Brand New Second Hand’ is the zeitgeist record where British hip-hop ﬁnally found its identity and follow up ‘Run Come Save Me’ the album that pricked up the mainstream’s ears’ to

“KASHMERE’S ENGAGING FLOW OVER NOSTALGIC BEATS DRAGS YOU IN AND NEXT THING YOU KNOW YOU’VE RACKED UP 10 PLAYS ON I-TUNES.”

Manuva’s undeniable talents, then ‘Slime + Reason’ is the culmination of true artistic progression. Rap’s favourite Rodney oozes soul and charm over dubby new wave and electronic beats…//DK Black Milk — ‘Tronic’ // October Detroit is as healthy a place for rap music as anywhere in the world right now. Though Black Milk is far from an accomplished MC he seems to be far more cadenced in ‘Tronic’ than recent efforts and ultimately most if not all the beats have plenty of bounce… //DK Kanye West — ‘808s & Heartbreak’ // November ‘808s & Heartbreak’ is an electro-pop record steeped with stark introspection. Prompted by the break up with his ﬁancée and the cruel irony of his mother’s death during plastic surgery this is typically intimate Kanye singing (not rapping) about being Kanye, albeit executed in entirely unfamiliar fashion. This is refreshingly different, aside from the obvious visual

accompaniments where Kanye has traded the bling and Bape for geek chic, the most intriguing development is the use of a Vocoder throughout to support his shaky vocals. There are also signs of humility (Welcome To Heartbreak) and dare I say it, vulnerability, in the case of Street Lights. These brave experiments are what makes Kanye West, still, so vital…//DK Scarface — ‘Emeritus’ // December The former Geto Boy has been threatening rap fans with retirement for a few years now and judging by the title and feel of Emeritus this could be all folks. But rather than bail out with proud reflection, Scarface is out to settle some scores, crafting graphic third and first person narratives of authentic street hustle...// JW Words by James Griffin, Joel Harris, David Kane, Chris Renwick and John Whybrow. ........................................................................ //

KENAN BELL AFTER PROMOTING HIS DEBU EP ‘TE GOOD DAY’, L’S KENAN BELL ASKED BONAFIDE TO HELP WIT HIS R&R AND ARRNGE A HOLIDAY... 8.00am The alarm goes off and you get breakfast. Do you reach for the Pop Tarts, cereal, cold take-out… I’d go with Pop Tarts but only the frosted strawberry ones with the sprinkles. Or the original Eggo wafﬂes or simply buttered toast with cinnamon sugar. I’m like a master chef when it comes to toaster ovens and I don’t have time for anything not prepared by toaster oven or nuked… For cereal — Honey Nut Cheerios or Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I’m a nutrition buff whose ﬁrst meal of the day tends to be Gummi Bears. I’ve never considered myself to be a morning person. I set at least 3 alarms at different time intervals 15-30 minutes apart in order to make the transition from night to day less alarming. Typically I don’t go to sleep until well into the AM anyway. Before sleeping I usually binge and raid my parents fridge for cold leftovers so that come morning I am still actually quite full. Grits and eggs are my favorite unless I get grossed out by the scrambled eggs still stuck to the skillet.

8.30am In the shower you start to sing… I cannot sing. Let me establish the fact that I’m an MC, rapper or rap singer thankful for my vocal abilities and lack there of speech impediments, but coming from a family of gifted vocalists I do feel like the black sheep. I have been known to listen to instrumentals and freestyle during my showers as I believe the water acts somewhat as a ﬁlter and I can hear sounds that aren’t actually present and then develop my cadence and melody from these sounds. 9.00am Packing your holiday bag, your essential pieces of kit are? 1 pair of karate shoes, 2 pairs of Chucks, 3 pairs of Nikes, 4 pairs of jeans, 5 sweaters (cardigans/v-necks/hoodies), Mane ‘n Tail shampoo and Leave-in Conditioner, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap, Dr. Fresh Toothbrush, baby wipes, Burberry Brit parfum, carry on luggage ﬁlled with candy/peanuts/gum. PASSPORT AND MY BRETHREN ARE ALL I NEED!

“I CANNOT SING. LET ME ESTABLISH THE FACT THAT I’M AN MC, RAPPER OR RAP SINGER THANKFUL FOR MY VOCAL ABILITIES… BUT COMING FROM A FAMILY OF GIFTED VOCALISTS I DO FEEL LIKE THE BLACK SHEEP.”

9:30am You check your iPod and make sure which tracks are on it… I’m actually not as hip as people may think. I never had Myspace until I had music to put up and I still do not own an iPod (hint, hint). I can never keep up with the newest releases. Maybe someone from Apple can assist me in having a better response for this question next time it comes up in an interview? To be honest I’m surrounded by so much music, including those sounds that reside in my head, that I do thoroughly enjoy silence whenever it’s given an opportunity to be heard. 11.30am You get to the airport, your holiday hasn’t been that well organised and you have to decide on your destination at the airport… I’ve never been to the Motherland. The thing is, being a black American with Native American and Irish ancestry, I have no idea where to begin. I’d love to travel to Africa at some point but where do I go? The name Kenan is Hebrew though I’m not

Jewish and it’s found in the Bible: 6th Chapter of Genesis, so maybe I’ll travel back in time. 12.30am Customs stop you, have you anything to declare? Um…no sir…of course not! I’d rather not have the same dilemmas as Snoop Dogg everytime I’d like to leave the good ol’ U.S. Of A. 2.00pm The plane takes off… During the takeoff I pray that we land safely and make sure my tray table is stowed and my seat back is returned to it’s full upright position. I’ve requested an aisle seat because I’m 6’5. I will politely ask the person seated at the window to lower the shade I have a fear of heights. 2.25pm the ﬂight attendant checks your ticket. She says there’s been a mix up, she hands you a parachute and kicks you, with the skill of an American Football Special Team’s kicker in the Superbowl ﬁnal, smack out of the plane… Wheeee! The black Peter Pan, not Michael Jackson.

2.27pm You land on a deserted desert island. This is nothing like Lost. There are no ludicrous plot lines, no polar bears and no hotties here, just sand, a few trees and lots of sea. You grow a massive beard, eat mangos and until you get rescued in a few years time, you spend most of your days doing what to occupy your time? Facial hair is something that I was not blessed with the ability to grow so I do not envision ever having a Castaway-style beard. I’ll simply spend my days meditating and studying the plant and animal kingdoms present on the island and spend my nights practicing my breaststroke in the lagoon. I enjoy my privacy, not so much seclusion, but I’m like a pseudo existentialist. I will entertain the idea of having enough time while I’m stranded to ﬁnish writing the story of my life — in rhyme. It’s a new day and a good day!

Photography by Liz Ainge for BonaďŹ de

“WE SAW A 10 YEAR OLD CHILD DRIVE UP IN A £40,000 POUND BMW, WALK UP TO THE BAR AND SIT THERE WITH HIS DAD.”

The perfect venue to see a band in gear It would be difﬁcult to predict the reaction of anybody who walked into the Brudenell Social Club midway through the Neon Neon gig. The venue’s charming 70s chic — just think Phoenix Nights people - is inhabited by an eclectic mix of bohemian minded students and unblinking, seenit-all local residents. It’s a place where the unusual is just around the corner. As Boom Bip notes:

The road to Neon Neon Neon are the brainchild of Gruff Rhys of the Super Furry Animals and American hip-hop producer Boom Bip. Having worked together on the latter’s Do’s and Dont’s single, they decided to make a record as an act just so long as, Gruff jokingly remarks, it came with the usual producer preconditions “of having to make something really different”.

“We saw a 10 year old child drive up in a £40,000 BMW and walk up to the bar and sit there with his dad. Where else could you see that?“

The repeated name, Gruff conﬁrms, was chosen as it neatly reﬂected the fact there were two of them. Their debut LP. ‘Stainless Style’ fuses their name and musical ambition effortlessly.

Boom played here on the Mush Tour 02 and is a confessed fan of the place, where “old geezers sip pints and shoot pool while mingling with the young music fans”. For those who haven’t visited the Brudenell it’s a unique venue and perhaps the perfect place to see Neon Neon, one of the most unique acts of recent years.

The mechanics behind the album The album is based around celebrity car-maker John DeLorean. Tongue in cheek, they label it the “deﬁnitive album about cars”. They knew elements of DeLorean’s life and wove characters and ﬁctitious plot-lines around it. The result is an album of scope and depth, one minute pop perfection,

the next minute a social examination of the 1970s and ‘80s. In effect, a rich, nuanced LP that also happens to be sparkling Baby Sham ‘80s pop. The obvious starting point, when trying to trace their sound, is to go back to Gary Numan’s ‘Cars’ and automobile heads Kraftwerk to see if they had an influence? Boom Bip responds: “Not directly, but I have always been a fan of Kraftwerk and Gary Numan. Most of our influences on this record were not really direct, most of the ‘80s stuff, like ‘Cars’, are tracks you have heard a million times and are just hard-wired there in your memory. So it’s tough to really know whether it was an influence or not. We took inspiration for the last 30 years of music for this record but focused on the era of DeLorean mostly.” We venture that pursuing such a sound risked creating something akin to Rick Astley? Gruff, a man who overpowers you with his infectious love

“High gloss describes the albums very polished sound and lyrics. The mixes are bright and the synths are synthetic. It was all intentional and inspired by the look of the car and the life of DeLorean. He led a life of excess and was very focused on his ‘polished’ appearance. We took those elements and incorporated them into sound and lyrics. We also wanted to intentionally touch upon the songs that were dominating the radio in the early ‘80s, so we used instruments and effects we would not dare use on other projects of ours. We intentionally conﬁned ourself into this space and made sure that when one of us stepped outside that box (the concept) the other would pull them back in. I think militant describes that way of working. We were far from free to go any place we wanted. We had limits.“ Like the ﬁnish of a DeLeoran, the sound had to be clean, stylish and stainless. Boom Bip supplies this with studio elegant, non-organic and considered beats. Gruff brings in the “catchy hooks”, eschewing “earnest, from-the -heart lyrics”. On the LP this is evident when Spank Rock and Yo Majesty join the fun, puncturing the light, daydreaming melódica of Gruff’s singing with bombastic excitement.

Photography by Liz Ainge for Bonaﬁde

of music, must have found that difﬁcult to swallow? Gruff counters that the sounds Boom Bip had produced, for tracks such as Raquel, were glossy and contemporary while also being “evocative of the ‘80s”. Asked to expand on this the group offer the following:

Underneath the bonnet The theme behind the album, the life of DeLorean, is something that grew as the songs began to take shape. Furthermore, the album isn’t an accurate documentation of his life, more a re-imaging of how it might have been. They do this by weaving iconic elements of late 1970s and 1980s culture into the story. A kind of retrospective name dropping. The result is songs such as Michael Douglas. Douglas, essentially the paradigm of masculinity in ‘80s Hollywood, makes a cameo appearance with his slicked haired, power mad, Wall Street character. Appositely, the divine Raquel Welsh has her own song, centred around her ‘affair’ with DeLorean. Live, the song is choreographed to imagery of Welsh, which adds to the charm of the act. It is the playing with the elements of ‘70s and ‘80s culture that makes the album complex. It may sound pop and deal with love and celebrity, but the album is adult. Neon Neon openly admit that the lyrics had to have no real humanity, but equally Gruff is open to the idea that there is a melancholic sound, rooted in the subject matter. As Gruff asserts “the ‘80s were a pretty shitty time for a lot of people”. The characters that crop up in the album and lines such as “Give me a soul

“THE RECORD WAS REALLY HIGH GLOSS AND WE WERE LOOKING FOR A NAME THAT REPRESENTED THAT... WE WERE TRYING TO MAKE A MILITANT RECORD WITH NOTHING ORGANIC IN IT.”

implant / Paid for by your credit card… I need more stuff / I need more stuff” and “I see my reﬂection in Michael Douglas’ mirrored sunglasses” dissect ‘80s obsession with rapacious materialism and desire; motivations that are ultimately futile and disappointing.

scuffed, worn out stilettos, ankle bracelet with a sharp suited, narcissist older man, pushed into position or the close up of raptor like ﬁnger nails entwining the gear stick. It’s a narrative of dark, sexual secrets, lost innocence and inverted domination and exploitation.

Like New Order, it’s pop with a dark, ambiguous underbelly.

Interviewers and interviewee all agree that Ehquestionmark are where it’s at right now. Gruff even ventures that the artwork perhaps goes beyond the power of the record in terms of showing the sadness and desperation of the themes. This is why the album stands as a tribute to the ‘80s.

A dream car named desire Bonaﬁde favourites Ehquestionmark develop this idea with the artwork for the album and single releases. Departing from their trademark illustrative style they have used photography to staggering effect. Playing with the sensual nature of the car and the idea that it as an object of desire, they recreate the Playboy fantasy lifestyle and plunge a dagger into it. The photography is beautifully lit and elegantly clean. The twist is in the detail: the

What needs to be applauded is how two artists from two different genres have come together and produced an album alien in sound to anything they have done before. Not only that, they have produced as an ambitious and intelligent record, that has been put out there over the past few years.................................................................... JG.

BO SH N O AF U ID O E U S

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