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  Cafe Recordings Interview
interview 0304 added 19.05.05 words: Mr Lingo
technical:
QED
The Café crew are one of
the most underrated, and underexposed groups in UK hip-hop.
Having recently played Ya Don’t Stop, and rocked the place, and
with another phat 12” on release, Lingo met up with the boys in
on their SW London turf after Liverpool’s 0-0 draw with Chelsea
for a chat…
Lingo: Right boys, thanks for making it
down, introduce yourselves and tell us a bit about yourselves.
 Mr Jaes: Yeah, Mr Jaes, beat maker for Café Recordings.
Antidote: Yeah, Antidote, MC, and illustrator.
Geniedon: I’m the Geniedon, Beatmaker/MC/web-designer.
Dandy: Dandy-Dizzle, MC/Entertainer.
L: OK, you guy’s have a couple of
absent members, anyone wanna do the honours?
J: Well, missing in action is PAC, aka Powerful and Calm, and
Valu.
L: So hoe did you guys all hook up, and
come together. You guys are a big crew, so how did all that
happen?
A: Well the majority of us all grew up together, myself,
Geniedon, Dandy, PAC and Valu all grew up in the same area so it
was a natural progression. Mr Jaes was introduced to us through
a mutual friend. He was saying, ‘Look I do music, I do hip-hop’
and it was all positive from there…which was back in 1997.
L: So you guys had all been doing this
individually for a while, before you all hooked up?
A: Yep. From about ‘88/89.
G: Yeah, about from 89. Influenced by the hip-hop of the time,
Big Daddy Kane, Ultramagnetics (MC’s), Demon boys, Hijack, and a
whole lot of crews. I was in a crew, Antidote and Valu and PAC
were in a group called X-Factor, we used to battle each other,
do shows, and then amalgamated to form a crew called ‘Kings of
Intalect’ and then changed to Thee Absent further down the line.
We had a guy round the corner, Dan-Dizzle…
D: Yeah, I was doing my Drum & Bass thing at those times, on
different angle, parallel though. Did a few shows with em,
supported them, they supported me, and moved across with these
guy’s after the sales dropped out, and made some good music.
J: Started out in 1989 aswell, but as an MC. After 3 or 4 yrs I
switched to beatmaking full time.
“...The menu’s there, nothing set, order what you like, and you get
what you’re given!...”
L: So how does it all fit together? Are
you guys Café first and foremost?
A: Café is the embodiment. It’s the home, the foundation…the
brickwork, its warm, got central heating and double glazing, but
at the end of the day everyone is individual, and has the space
to express themselves.
J: Its difficult sometimes, because you have to wear two hats;
the Artist and Label hat., make decisions, and isn’t always the
best way to do things.
L: Is there one Café vibe, or do you
all bring something different to the pot?
D: My understanding, as the newst comer, is that there are
different flavas, styles and angles. A real blend, or mix…. The
menu’s there, nothing set, order what you like, and you get what
you’re given!
 J: At the moment, there are a lot of MC styles, but all the
beats are mine. We’re bringing new people through all the time,
so the menu is getting more diverse.
L: So have you got any new additions to
the Café roster, or people you’re working with closely?
J: Yeah, there are definitely people we’re working with round
the fringes, people like Vee-Kay, 35 Above, Creamo, who’s part
of the extended family. B-Sharp, producers like Bare, Treblar.
It’s a big family. Just a case of bringing everyone through!
L: Do you all dabble in production, or
is it all down to Jaes to be the beatmaker and DJ, or does
anyone else dip in?
J: I think with production, because I’ve concentrated on it so
much from before, that these guys are probably a year or two
behind. They’ve had the opportunity to come in and hang on my
coat tails and develop themselves.
L: Ha ha. OK. So does anyone have any
other hip-hop skills? Writing, Breaking, Graffing, Drinking,
Smoking etc?
G: There’s loads of skills. We’re a self sufficient unit!
There’s graffing, web designing, graphics…..there’s so much!
A: Yeah, as G said, we do our own artwork, graffiti and tagging
back in the school days. Daddy jaes, oh, I mean Mr Jaes is a
powerful graffti writer. Got a lot of technique.
J: I had a mis-spent youth, waiting outside of trains, and
dangling off busses, but no, no breaking!
L: It’s been about 2 years since you
last had any big exposure on the radar, so what you been up to
in that hiatus?
A: Basically building the foundations. Making everything ready.
Before, we used to rely on someone else for web-support, and our
mastering/mixing/recording, now we do it all in-house. No we can
offer that service to other people, and had other people asking
if we can do that for them.
“…their energy is there, and comes from something deeper. You
can’t just put people on stage and make them be like that...”
L: In terms of live dates and releases
what else has been going on? Is it a case of total re-building?
J: I think the reason is our releases are scattered about. We
need to keep running shit on a more regular basis. If all the
releases are apart, it is a bit like having to start over again.
D: I think our approach is more composed, and pragmatic. We’re
thinking more about what we’re doing before slapping it out, and
I think that shows too.
L: I first really hooked up with you
guy’s in Rimini, Italy last year. What did you gain from that,
and how much of an experience was that?
G: Well obviously playing overseas is a really big thing. Big
experience playing shows to different crowds… and working with
new artists. It was really like a tour, and something totally
new. The other thing was we made some really good links. That’s
one of the best things, and a lot different to the shows you do
in London, where you do your show, and then bang on. There we
collaborated with new people, had fun, and saw some beautiful
women too!
 A: The thing with Italy was we wouldn’t have made a lot of
positive links, like with yourself.
L: You guys have been bubbling under
for a while now. What do you think is really holding you back
from being one of the UK scene big hitters?
J: This is where we get controversial now….
G: In this game, you have to come hard, or not at all, you get
me? Its about consistency and going for it. When you have the
chance you really have to go for it, write rhymes 24/7, do the
beats 24/7, shows 24/7. For us, we have to be consistent, not be
lazy, and keep on going, and not stop.
J: I think when the finances are low, its very difficult to
juggle being an artist and a label, so the PR, and doing PA’s is
hard. I can either spend all my time making tunes, or all my
time playing out and plugging my tunes. But if I have no tunes
to plug, why bother playing out. It’s a Catch 22. Sometimes you
can’t cover every aspect. Its also difficult to get on PA’s in
the scene, whereas some people have no problem at all, so we
find ourselves blocked by the scene.
L: Café seems to be one of those rare
groups where the work on CD sounds tight, but when it comes to a
live show, it just goes up a level. How does a live show bring
the extra out of you guys?
A: Live shows are like sex for the first time. Just RAAA! You’re
touching everything, you’re grabbing everything! Every crowd is
different, personally that’s how I go for it. Different areas,
different crowds, and its just amazing…you couldn’t pay for it.
G: It’s all about letting it all go and have fun! Not being
scared to make mistakes, and being yourself. With Café, we go
on, have fun and wile out. That’s just us. We don’t need to be
stiff and tight, that’s not us.
D: The key is as well, to project energy. We enjoy ourselves,
they see us enjoy ourselves, and we project fun, and that is all
just expressed when we do live shows.
“...Live shows are like sex for the first time. Just RAAA! You’re
touching everything, you’re grabbing everything!!...”
L: Is that as much down to the music,
or the fact that there is everyone else to bounce off?
J: Beat-wise, I really think it’s important for the MC’s to
catch a vibe off of it. Once they have that, its half the
battle. Also with the MC’s on Café, because they’re all so
tight, and have known each other since babies, their energy is
there, and comes from something deeper. You can’t just put
people on stage and make them be like that.
D: Just saying that though. Obviously if you feel the music, it
comes across, and with us, we’re putting good lyrics to good
music, having fun. So really it’s a good synergy, good beats and
good MC’s is a recipe for a good party!
L: The next 12” coming out is ‘Driver’,
which is a really hot tune, and will be out in the next month or
so. Any new projects or releases we should all be aware of?
 D: I know PAC is working on an EP, I’m working on an EP with
Jaes and the crew. Lots of surprises and projects going on all
the time within the crew which keeps us busy. There’s always
something going on, something cooking, but definite EP’s from
Dandy & PAC.
G: Look out for the ‘Toxic & Charles’ project, which is a secret
weapon, adventure, with Genie & Antidote….aka Toxic Anderson &
Charles Bronson.
A: It’s a story book. Rather than a tune, it’s a piece, like
art, that gives an insight into us.
J: It really gives the MC’s involved a real chance to come out
of themselves, and be someone else. Expand their lrics that way.
G: Musical Theatre!
L: What is the end goal for this year
to class it as a success for yourselves and the label?
A: Continuity. Just more solid releases, try and get more shows,
go up north. Furthest we’ve been is Cambridge with Mofu, Heavy
Enterprises.
J: If we can get out all the releases that we plan to do, then
we’d be happy. We also just wanna do more shows, so people get
in touch with us and invite us along. We’ll make your night a
party.
G: We just wanna get Café stamped on the uk hip-hop map. That’s
the aim. With the aid of the releases make it a strong label,
and keep going. Get the brand out there.
L: Do you feel that you get the support
from the hip-hop community in general, whether its DJ’s
promoters or whatever?
J: I think its patchy. From the start, everyone got promo’s and
records, so everyone on the scene knew who we were from the
start in 1999. Some people support us and some don’t. Simple as
that. Some people may think we’ve hidden ourselves away but if
you’re in the scene you’ll have got some shit from us, but its
down to the individuals if they wanna support that.
L: Other than yourselves, have you got
any tips on people to look out for, people you rate and to look
out for?
G: OK, people like Creamo, like B-Sharp, K9, man like Templar.
Sway, doing his thing. Beatmakers like Treblar, Treble A. Mr Vee
Kay kicking the doors down, 35 Above.
J: For artists not connected with us, for me its gotta be
Kshmere and Lowkey. Kashmere is the one MC I haven’t worked with
that I’ve just been likh ‘Raah!’
L: OK, for the end of it, any shameless
plugs, or shit to get off ya chest?
J: Go to
caférecordings.co.uk there’s plenty to see and buy, and
to hear for free. Just check us out and buy our shit.
A: Don’t trust banks, because they fuck you for pennies! That’s
my beef.
G: Look out for a Café Vs Contact t-shirt, which is out now. Go
to www.contactwear.com to check out the Café t-shirt, and get a
free mix CD. Mr Jaes Double AA, Driver/Do You Know.
D: On the beef thing, don’t trust dwarves and midgets, they’re
small enough to pick your pockets. Peace!
-
Lingo
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