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Carpetface
interview
0126 added 22.01.03 words
Twizt
Dancing gimps, lobsters for hands, videos on MTV, vinyl and gibbons. Welcome to the world of Carpetface. A friendly workaholic whose self-produced, self released debut EP "The Friday Night Sniper" mixes humour, heavy beats, samples, live instruments, singing, rapping and a hefty dollop of madness together on one 12" sized black plastic platter. Conventional boom-bap this ain't. In the interests of science UKHH.com sent its most dispensable scribe, The Twizt, along to see what on earth was going on.
How/when did you first get into hip-hop?
I can't remember exactly how old I was when this kid called Khalid, who was always running around the playground spouting mad shit, played me some PE and NWA, and I guess it started there. Harrow had a couple of local pirate stations playing hip-hop and raga, etc. around that time and I'd listen to this crazy stuff as I went to sleep, not understanding any of the lyrics but bopping along anyway. I had no idea at the time that I'd end up doing this; I wanted to be an actor and ended up as an act.
How did you get into rapping/producing?
I was the drummer in a rock and roll band for a while, and over that time learned to play most instruments and learned about song writing from the people around me. I wanted the band to be so much more than it was musically and I eventually got kicked out for not playing simple, straight rock beats. So I thought, "I'm not doing that again; got to boogie, must boogie", and went away and recorded a load of tracks with the main objective being to have fun. I tried to find an emcee and a singer to front it but that ended up being me as a frustrated afterthought. It's funny how things work out.
Who do you rate on the current UK hip-hop scene?
Roots Manuva, Aerosolik Records, stuff like that. I dig what I've heard of Pitman's stuff.
There are many more, whose names that I can't recall at the moment.
Tell me about the 'Friday Night Sniper' EP. Where did you record it?
Most of it was done in the living room of a flat in sunny Wembley, on a 4-track, although a lot of the drums were done in my friend's bathroom in north London. I then mixed it on a Mac, apart from the horn parts which were recorded at Super Crustacean Man's flat in Harlesden.
Hold on, who the hell is Super Crustacean Man?
He's a dude I know called Will who lived upstairs from me in Harlesden. He'd hear my tunes coming through the wall and I'd hear him tinkering upstairs playing horns and pianos and stuff. This went on for a while and then when it turned out that we both had makeshift living room studios we got together on the EP to give it the horn.
Most of the arrangements were constructed on a Laptop - in bed, in my grandma's dining room, in the park, or on trains. Then the final mix was done in my friend Roy's mum's spare room in Uxbridge. Bless her, she put up with a racket I can tell you. I like doing my bits here and there - it's good to move about.
Did you handle all the production yourself?
Guilty. I got one friend to play some extra bass and another to do the 'heyheyheys' on one track. I tried to have friends I trusted sit in on the final sessions as I couldn't decide when it was finished. It never feels finished, plus I need people to tell me to take a break once in a while.
"...
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Chimps and gimps with limps, shrimps on plinths, lobsters, yuppies and dancing bears. Oh, and me on the mic, whilst Tony Baby spins the
dubs...."
I love the way the Friday Night Sniper EP runs at 33 on one side and 45 on the flip. Was that planned from the start or just a whim?
To be honest it was the cheapest way of getting those tracks in that order on a 12". I wanted them all on the first record. At first I was really pissed off about it but people like your good self are bringing me round slowly.
Your stuff has a slightly off-centre take on hip-hop. How do you think you fit into the whole hip-hop scene?
That I would love to know. I'm waiting to find out, as it's not really up to me. People who dig my stuff aren't just from or in the UK, and they're not all just into hip-hop, although that's really what it it is. I take influences from a lot of music from a lot of places and that can sometimes scare off your hardcore hip-hop specialist. I hope they get my lizard, if you get my lizard.
How did the video for 'Friday Night Sniper' come about?
Canine Bear aka, A.D. (or Anton), is one of my best friends. We've know each other for over ten years and he shot and produced the Friday Night Sniper video. I worked in an office for a bit, and just had to fucking say something about the experience. It's an autobiographical piece really. I storyboarded it for a while by post (Canine Bear's in Edinburgh) and then we got together in London and filmed it all in a day.
In a real office?
Yeah. We actually blagged our way into an office on a Sunday and were continually looking over our shoulders whilst filming. We thought the security guards would spring us any minute. Then A.D. did the post -production in Edinburgh whilst I tried to finish the mixes off down here.
Tell me how you managed to persuade MTV to show it?
A rare thing indeed - I just posted the video off to them, they said they liked it and they'd put it on… simple as that. It's been chosen for a new show on Sky in the Spring as well. Canine Bear is just really good at his job I guess. Hats off to him, the little tyke.
Any more videos in the pipeline?
We're storyboarding the flick for my next single "Let the Harvest Commence", and aim to get it shot in March. It's a warped one, and that's all I can say for now. Canine Bear's also the man behind my live projections and he's got some stuff on my website (www.newbias.com). He's one of the funniest, most talented, dedicated and trustworthy people I know. Of course he's also as mad as a GM baboon in heat, and I'm physically scared of him. But I do not mind this.
You also gig regularly. Tell me about the Carpetface live show.
Chimps and gimps with limps, shrimps on plinths, lobsters, yuppies and dancing bears. Oh, and me on the mic, whilst Tony Baby spins the dubs. The last time we did a live show I did the splits and bust my trousers on stage but nobody cottoned on.
You're off to South Africa in a couple of weeks.
Yes, we're going to Johannesburg and then Pretoria; got a few live dates in clubs, some radio appearances and a festival I believe. I'm out there with Daddy J from Aerosolik Records, Mark the Monkeyboy from Gogglez and the trusty and feisty Canine Bear. We're going to dig some of this fine music and culture they have out there, and then I'll be squawking down the mic like a fool, with some dancers the likes of which they may not be quite used to. We'll also be filming a documentary about it all.
So what does the future hold for Carpetface?
More records, more shows, more videos, bigger meals and less debt. I've a non-stop stream of ideas that keeps me awake at night. It makes it almost impossible to think about or concentrate on anything else. I'm busy demoing the next single and an album, and The Mad Professor has given me a couple of Lee Perry tunes to remix and fuck around with, which will hopefully be ready soon. It's not often you get to work with two of your heroes at once. To cut a long story short, I've a feeling the bags under my eyes are going to get even bigger - and I think I like it.
Lastly why 'Carpetface'?
I've worked in a lot of places where you've had to be clean-shaven and a beard to me is a sign of freedom. It's also the least offensive of the many nicknames I've been given in the past (the other printable one is Rhythm Gibbon).
- Twizt
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