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  Dan Bull Interview
interview 0585 added 22.01.09 words:
Mr Phlo
technical:
Spoon
If there’s one thing hip hop gets abused for, well beyond all the glorifying violence and homosexual/sexist comments, it’s the lack of real music. The fact so much of it is built on samples of existing music then a few rhymes plonked on the top seems to really irk some musical critics. Better not let them listen to Dan Bull then or they might be forced to change opinions. This 22 year old artist from the West Midlands shuns the formula and creates everything from scratch. This IS music as the purists define it but is it hip hop? Read on, listen and add your own label...
For those who don't know, who is Dan Bull and why should I listen to you?
My name's Dan Bull - I've been producing and writing music since I was a kid, and for the past couple of years I've been holed up putting my heart and soul into creating my debut album Safe.
Was it a conscious decision to use as few samples as possible? A lot of hip hop, in fact most hip hop, is built on sample flipping so was it conscious of you NOT to go that route?
I'm not against sampling at all, some of the best music is built on sampling. But being as I enjoy playing keys, guitar and whatever else I can get my hands on, the tracks just evolved naturally to be mainly composed. Also as Safe is my first release, I wanted to try and make it something that was really my own - that's why there's no guest spots or producers on the album either. But when I hear a track that casts a sample in a whole new light, it really makes me appreciate what hip hop is all about - it's about taking whatever you experience and reinterpreting and reflecting them back into the world.
Seen, so from that I guess it's safe to say that you're not anti gun/knife lyrics in music? It seems like a pretty standard association these days to have violence and hip hop.
I'm a strong supporter of freedom of speech. I believe that there's so much talk in hip hop about crime because that's what is happening out there. Some people think it's the other way round, that music is the root cause of crime. Lyrics about violence aren't the cause of violence, they are a product of a violent world. I do hear some tracks that I find really distasteful but I think the artist has every right to create them.
Fair point... back to the album. Aside from guest spots here and there you've also diverted away from the mixtape route. Whereas so many artists create a mixtape, admittedly a CD-R with a printed sleeve and stand outside KFCs up and down the country shottin them, you haven't. Again is this part of the masterplan or, for want of a better phrase, do you think your style doesn't lend itself to mixtapes?
I always struggled to tell the difference between mixtapes and albums. The most common explanation I hear is that a mixtape is an unpolished mixed bag of random tracks, and I didn't want to go down that route. Making this CD I was aiming to have a finished product that I would feel proud to have standing aside my favourite albums. It was important to me that Safe sounded like more than the sum of its parts, so although I've tried to make each track stand out in its own right, it's something you can listen to from start to finish and hopefully get taken on a musical journey. The album moves through moods and that's reflected in how it opens up into the track 'Summer' and ends with 'Winter'.
Sounds like a lot of thought has gone in to it then rather than penning the obligatory club anthem followed by the political angst track formula etc?
Make no mistake I have so many unfinished tracks of every style. I love experimenting and working out what defines different styles, but Safe is the first time I've had a clear vision of what I wanted to achieve. I've been making music for years but there's never been a consistency to it all. This time though, everything has come together just the way I wanted and I think I finally have an overall sound that you can hear and recognise as my own.
So without the mixtape hype backing you up, what's the promotion plan?
Think big, act small. I'm taking it one step at a time because I don't want it to be a flash in the pan before everyone moves onto next week's big thing. As well as selling the CD, I'm also offering the whole album for free mp3 download too. I'm a newcomer to the game so I think it's fair that people have an opportunity to listen to my work in full before deciding if they want to buy it. If you think it's worthy of being in your CD collection, buy it. If you don't then that's fair enough.
That's definitely a gamble from the business side, particularly as of all genres hip hoppers are proper in tune with getting as much for free as possible. Which 3 tracks would you say would give newcomers a good overview of the Dan Bull sound?
I keep being told that 'Summer' is single material, it's a bit more upbeat than some of the others. 'After Life' is something for the hip hop purists, leaning more towards the dark horrorcore tip but with an educational twist. 'Outbound' probably shows off best what I can do musically - it took me several weeks to layer up all the vocals on that track.
Well as someone who hadn't heard a great deal of your stuff I have to say I was more than pleasantly surprised. I hate hip hop by numbers and you're certainly a lot more accessible. Realistically, are you looking to hip hop to pay the bills?
I've always had daydreams of being recognised for my music, and I seem to have just put more and more time into chasing that dream as time has gone by. I don't expect to be successful. It would be nice, but creating music is such a fulfilling hobby anyway I'd be happy to spend the rest of my life knocking tracks out in obscurity.
OK so to wrap things up a bit then we'll do a quick either/or game. Just answer one or the other. Heads or tails?
Heads.
Fame or critical acclaim?
Acclaim.
Cheryl or Nadine?
I don't know what Nadine looks like to be honest, but Cheryl is irresponsibly attractive.
Haha sweet... simile or metaphor?
Metaphor.
The excellent debut album 'Safe' is out now on Freshnut Records. You can get it on CD from here for the bargain price of a fiver. Check the myspace for some tracks, reviews and all that sort of stuff...
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Mr Phlo
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