|
  JSD Interview
interview 0555 added 18.02.08 words:
Lady Jay UK
technical:
Spoon
With an eclectic sound based in UK electronic music, Manchester’s Virus Syndicate are producer MRK1, and MC’S JSD, Goldfinger and Nika. Gliding easily from grime to hip hop and then some, they are steady infiltrating from UK to Europe with lyrics ranging from the political ‘Conspiracy’ to ‘Dipping’ that made even me blush!
JSD tells me about the Virus brand, missing flights (unforeseen circumstances) and the importance of building a stronger musical infrastructure in Manchester. He also had some great advice for up coming artists...
Virus Syndicate mean business; and it’s about the long haul.
What’s happenin’ with you in terms of what you working on? Like with Virus Syndicate and your solo stuff
The solo stuff that I do, it’s solo in a sense that it’s me on the tunes on my own, but it’s still sort of a representation of Virus Syndicate really anyway, and it’s all for the one cause
How do you mean representin’ virus syndicate if you’re doin’ it on your own?
 Well, it just means the other 2 guys aren’t on the tune, but at the end of the day it is still Virus Syndicate, you know what I mean. That’s sort of the way we keep it. It’s all, everything’s through Virus, that’s the brand. There’s no point in me, trying to start from scratch and build JSD as a brand on it’s own, at the moment; because Virus have got to the stage where it’s well recognised outside of the UK; and outside of Manchester. So, it’s best to run with that and use that’s the brand and that’s the main objective, really, for everyone concerned.
Obviously the tunes on my own, and some things are different, but, like hip hop tunes for example, we wouldn’t really wanna put them down as Virus Syndicate, because we think Virus just isn’t UK hip hop. That’s not what it represents, at all, even though I love UK hip hop, and I love doin’ it. At the same time, Virus Syndicate, we wanna keep the raw, essence of it. It’s UK electronic music. Like grime, dubstep, you know what I mean, with a hip hop influence obviously. But anyway, goin’ round the houses there…
Virus Syndicate, we’ve got the new album ‘Sick Pay’
Ok, tell me a little bit about the album. Is it just you guys, have you got anybody collaboratin’ on it, is there anything that you particularly like on there?
We’ve not got any collaborations but we’ve done a lot of collaborations outside of the album. Like we’ve recently done Foreign Beggars, Mod Selector from Germany loads of different weird kinda stuff, but we’ve kept that off the album. The first album, the debut, I think we had 2 people featurin’ on it, an’ then it got re-released and we got Trim, Jamma, and a load of east London MC’s. And that was a decision between the label and ourselves to bridge the gap between Manchester and London, but on this one we felt like we wanted it just to represent ourselves.
Things that I’m excited about on there, is ‘Belief’, which might be the lead single, we don’t know but, it’s definitely gonna be one of the main songs. We just filmed a video to that recently, so that’s definitely exciting. There’s loads of tunes, to be honest, I don’t have any favourite, just into ‘em all, but I’ll be passin ‘em ya, the CD anyway so I’m sure the (radio) listeners will be getting a little taste
Most definitely. That’s what I like to hear. Have you been tourin’ recently?
Yea, things are quite busy. Actually, I just missed the plane on Friday to Austria
Why did you miss the plane?
Well you know, that’d be tellin’ an I could sorta get into a little bit of trouble so we’ll just say that it’s due to unforeseen circumstances…
 It’s goin’ really well, like the week before in Holland, this Friday we’re in Austria, next Friday’s Leon in France, Friday after is Denmark, Friday after we’re back in France again so; Europe’s really poppin’ off for us at the minute. Aside from that there’s quite a few UK dates as well. We’ve got Newcastle; we’ve got the main room in Fabric confirmed for February, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Yea, we’re really busy. Check out the Myspace that’s got all the dates: www.myspace.com/virus_syndicate
Alternatively www.myspace.com/mcjsd
Cool. So, in term of being from Manchester, do you think it was more difficult for you guys to come up? D’you think if you’s were in London you might have come up a little bit quicker?
I think if we were in London, things would be a lot more accessible. So yea, in a sense I’d say it’d be a bit easier but, I think if you are from outside of London, and you know it’s all poppin’ off in London, you’ve gotta make your face known. You’ve gotta get down there, you’ve gotta be able to commute to London, meet the people. That’s basically what we had to do. Like, we did pirate radio once a week down in London at Rinse FM. So through doin that. You bump into everyone who’s the main players in the scene, and they know your face, you know their face, and people just become a lot more accessible. When you ring someone for somethin’ they know exactly who you are, and what you’re about…yea it was a graft, but it pays off!
I think we’ve got an advantage over London in a sense that. We’re not totally surrounded by it 24-7 so, when we come and bring grime or dubstep or whatever, we give it with our own spin, and it’s not so much influence by everyone else.
That’s nice really, I reckon a lot of people are tempted to move to London really and you guys haven’t done that, not saying that’s not something you’d do in the future.. but were you tempted, thinking, it’s just gonna be easier for us, if we’re down there
Er, it would be easier for us but at the same time, the way we look on it really is like, if everyone moves outside of where they are to live in London then there’s never gonna be a scene anywhere else. We’ve gotta sort of look on it like, right, if we move to London, then the kids in Manchester, the young MC’s; who are they gonna get in contact with, they’re gonna have to go London as well because eventually we wanna build something in Manchester where no one will have to go to London cos we will have to build our own label and our own things goin’ on. And it’s not because it’s a London – Manchester divide, we work with people from London constantly, a lot of good friends who are in the scene, and it’s nothin’ but love, totally, but, at the same time, we’ve got to.. It’s like, Wu Tang came out and the just built their whole empire, on their own you know. Everything was happening in different places… you’ve gotta do that. It’s like Tony Wilson and Factory records, if all them artists would have just moved to London there never would have been that legacy. That opened a lot of doors for other artists coming through
That’s a good attitude you know, ‘cos that’s exactly what’s needed really. Manchester is actually very well known for music, for good music, but it needs to become much more established really because there’s so much talent here. It’s that young MC’s, they’ve got someone to look up to… really, it’s about bein’ able to pull other people through
 Most definitely, the way you’ve got to look at it as an artist, is like, we might not be the ones to blow, we might, we’re successful at the moment, but obviously, I’ve still got a job, most of the guys have still got jobs… decent jobs that we enjoy, you know, we’re not doing anything that we hate, and it’s just something to keep us bubblin’ over; keep us busy! Otherwise we’d be bored but, at the same time it’s like, we might not blow, we might not get to that stag where we can leave work etc etc. So we’ve got to think about the next generation, it’s gonna be them that we have to open the door for, and then say right, ok, we’ve laid the foundations- these links and them links… our network now is huge, we network all over Europe, the amount of contacts that you build, just as you go along, it’s amazing. It’s important to keep on to them contacts, a quick ring or a quick email or anythin’, just make sure them people know you’re still there. More than important to bring the next generation through.
It’s like in America, you got DJ’s like Kool Herc. Now he’s a legend, but he didn’t really get paid, he wasn’t the guy that that, it was the next generation. He opened that door, and then now look at hop hop, it’s like the biggest grossing music in the world. Full stop.
Who’da thought that ten years ago. What book you been reading lately?
You know what, I love readin’ but I’ve been a little bit slack of late, I think the last book I read, was a book called ‘Ugly’ by Constance Briscow, and it’s an autobiography and it’s harrowing. I don’t know, what’s up me yea, but
All the sickness!
All these deep things, I just love ‘em! So yea, what else? Stupid White Men by Michael Moore, Michael Moore’s just a genius ain’t he really.
Michael Moore by the way, free advertisement, has got a new film out about the health service in the states, and he comes over to the UK as well. I rate him
He deserves it definitely man. Yea, kids, get readin’ man. It’s important. Especially young MC’s, people see it as oh it’s not cool to read or whatever, but, if you wanna be the biggest MC, you need to widen that vocabulary as best you can, you know what I mean
Subject matter too isn’t it. You can only rap about cars for so long
hahaha Don’t ever rap about cars; please
 The’ I Luv Live’ night we’re at tonight is a live band concept. What do you think about that, ‘cos you’re gonna be performing later
…It’s definitely somethin’ I’m excited about, it’s somethin’ Virus Syndicate as a group wanna do. We’d like to turn the show into a live show, but you know it’s transporting musicians, and instruments, paying musicians…In the long run, it’s definitely something we’re gonna do. Live music, you just can’t beat it.
Anything else to add about what’s coming up really?
Loads of things comin’ up. It’s just hectic cos, I don’t remember, I just forget these things, you know I have to have someone ring me, and tell me what’s goin on, but just definitely keep your eyes peeled to the myspace, most of the information is all on there. I produce as well under Hindo Nagasaki.
Virus Syndicate are playing all over the world over the forthcoming months. keep checking the myspace links below for more information on those and any releases...
-
Lady Jay UK
Related Links:
 
|
