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 Disorda Interview
interview 0092 added 09.02.02 words JonnySimps
If ever there was someone who didn't really need an introduction then Disorda is that man. MC, DJ, promoter, record shop owner, possibly the hardest working man in the UK scene.
What stuff are you working on at the moment?
Day to day running of the mail order company, presenting my radio show every Sunday night on Itch FM 105.15 'Suspect Packages Radio Show', pure UK business 6-8pm, and finally getting round to recording the next UK Hustlerz volume 7...
What tracks of the moment do you like?
DJ MK Presents... 'It's All Live', Blak Twang 'The Kik Off' LP, New Flesh 'Understanding' LP, Big P 'Sterling Forever', Mystro & Blufoot 'Open Mic', Jehst & J-Zone 'Staircase To Stage', Task Force 'Life Without Instructions', Café Recordings 'Magic Mondays' , Phi-Life & Taskforce 'Chosen Few' EP.... I could go on...
You must feel pretty chuffed for winning a UK hip hop award?
Yeah it's nice to finally get some recognition for all the hard work I've put in over the last 6 years, it's not been easy and still isn't. I'm still working 15 hour days on a regular basis so to be rewarded is kinda nice. I think the award for 'contribution to UK hip hop' would have been more appropriate though considering everything I've achieved for our scene as a whole. The 'best underground radio presenter' is nice don't get me wrong, I love presenting the show and have always done radio, so I'm just glad that people are listening and like what I do.
What do you think of the award ceremony as a whole?
Overpriced for starters, slightly unorganised, but these things never go off without some hiccups. And artists such as Manuva, Task Force, Aspects & Jehst to name a few, that weren't even mentioned, let alone won anything. The guy that's behind it should take a long hard look at what is really happening on the streets, and who's working their nuts off & not just focus on London for a start. Other than that it was ok.
I mean how could Adam F get beat uk hiphop producer?
Exactly ! I can't even explain that one.
Having only been into UK hip hop for a few years, I understand you formed a group called 'intelligent madness', what were they like?
3 rappers, two producers and a dj who lived in the same area and wanted to produce their own style of hip hop. It was kinda pre Kool Keith, but a little more jazzy (in a nut shell). We were all a bit mad really, some of us still are!
What did you do? (Emcee, production etc)
I formed the group just as I was moving to London, I knew the rappers and they needed some producers, who I also knew, so I hooked everyone up. Then kinda took on the role of promoting and exposing the group. I also Emcee'd a little.
Is any material still available? Any chance of a vinyl reissue?
No. It's all gone. As for a reissue...I doubt it, things have moved on a bit now.
1996 saw the release of 'UK hustlers volume 1', loads of hip hop heads depended on these tapes, and they have become a bit legendary, how did the idea come about for an all UK mixtape?
It was around the time that I had been in London for around a year. I gradually got to know everyone from going in and out of Soho records stores and pushing our vinyl, going to various jams etc. It kinda become apparent that I was getting hold of all this decent UK hip hop that no-one else outside of London was really getting to hear, by that time I was doing a show on Beat FM and rotating all this UK product on a drive time show of all things. There was also an influx of mix tapes that only featured U.S. artists, so I thought that I'd put together a purely UK one. It was really frustrating me that no-one was able to pick up these tracks, I've never really had time to practise my turntable trickery so I knew it wouldn't be some flash 'look at my skills' tape. So I had to make it stand out, that's where all the exclusives come into it. From doing loads of shows around the country with Intelligent Madness I got to know a lot of other UK artists. This just gradually built up into knowing everyone. So the tapes always had that little something extra in the form of freestyles & exclusive dub plates. People just started to pick up on them because no-one else was pushing UK hip hop like I was back then. It did the scene well and the next thing I know I'm on Volume 6 and they're selling in Japan ? I've kinda been on that crusade for UK Hip Hop exposure ever since really, and it's finally working !
Suspect packages has now been around for some years, since '97 I think, I suppose that the website has increased business by loads?
Yeah it's been around since 96, it was just a PO Box that I set up at first
so that I could sell my tapes and not have to put my home address on everything. Then I started to sell other peoples tapes through it aswell, and it just started to grow and grow. It was never really intentional. Then I thought two years ago, why not start selling UK vinyl too. I know there's a major problem with distribution in this country and people can't get hold of everything that they want, so why not revamp the website to hold all the vinyl and see how it goes ? And yeah, I think it's working, I feel very proud to have got it off the ground because of all the hard work that's gone into building it up to what it is now.
Any chance of a secure shopping cart system so people can just use credit cards?
Yeah this is something that I wanted to do a long time ago, but needed to test the water first. It's under way, and should be ready for February. People have been very patient with this, so thanks everyone ! I know it's a nightmare to get a cheque written and send it off etc etc. Once that credit card transactions are in place it'll give the rest of the world a chance to access UK Hip Hop properly too, I know that people in the U.S. and Australia are waiting for this to happen, it's just been a bit of a nightmare to get everything done that's all.
I understand that the 'mind the gap underground artists' series of tapes came about from demos been sent to you, will you ever start up that sort of thing again?
I'd like to yeah but simply don't have the time, those tapes did ok, but not as good as I thought they would have. I still get sent a lot of demos and play a lot on the radio show, so all's not lost.
Compiling the UK hiphop chart for 'Blues and Soul' must have been good, A great chance to get UK some recognition? How did they approach you to do that?
It was Mat C who approached me about doing that, when he was writing the hip hop page for them. I'd known Mat for a good few years, and he knew that I had a radio show where I was playing UK Hip Hop, and had done the UK Hustlerz tapes etc, so he knew I knew what I was talking about. He wanted to get more exposure in Blues and Soul for UK crews and asked me to input my top joints of the week.
Now, you did that till 1999, why did you stop? Do they still have a UK Hip hop chart?
Basically Mat left I think, and the format changed slightly, they stopped doing the charts. I was then asked to write a UK hip hop page for Mat's new magazine Fatboss.
What does SIN Cru do? What shows are you putting on in the future?
SIN Cru stands for Strength In Numbers, its an organisation comprising of B-Boys/Girls, Writers, Dee-jays & Emcees who come together to form one central point for corporate companiess or general public etc to come to if they need any form of Hip Hop culture representing. Be it a mural, a dance piece, some music, live shows etc. There's a lot under way for this year so watch the name...
You've done a fair few documentaries, including one for radio 1 as well as Pioneers, How do you go about making one?
Pioneers was all filmed and edited by a friend of mine Chris Leech, he came to me with the idea and needed the contacts for artists that he wanted to film. I gave him them and he came back to me about a year and a half later with the finished project. I then financed & promoted it. It took a hell of a lot of time to put that together, as does any in-depth project on anything. It takes loads of patience, lots of waiting around for people, and above all knowledge of what your going to be representing.
I haven't seen the pioneers, but the opinion for it is generally quite high, as there was so many key figures of UK hip hop on it, but according to some the filming was poorer than the content, what would you say to such criticism?
I can't really say as I didn't film it, I think it was just different that's all. Lots of close ups and shit like that, it just hadn't been done like that before, well, at all to be honest. The most important thing was that the people who were on it all had something to say, I know some people weren't on it that maybe should have been, but you can't please everyone. I personally was very pleased with it, so sod you lot !
Cheers to Disorda for all the hard work, buy all your wax from suspect packages , it's a great service. Go to sincru.com also!
JonnySimps
 
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