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  Maverick Sounds Interview
interview 0317 added 29.06.05 words: Mr Lingo
technical:
QED
Hailing from the Medway
Towns, the Mavs are causing a
bit of a stir in the sleepy Kentish waters. Combining hip-hop
elements with grime, and house music, they are somewhat
different to the average hip-hop/grime group. Mr Lingo headed
home to his grassy roots, and hooked up with the Mavs @ One-Ten
Studio…
Lingo – Reet……you guys are coming through with a buzz. Give us
an intro of who you are and how you got here.
 Kobe D: Well, there are a two-piece DJ/Production outfit,
Matojo, and 3 MC’s. myself, Big Tells, & Doobs, with a vocalist
Des Tourettes. The three of us (MC’s) got together about
18months ago, found out that Des knew Matojo, asked if they were
up for making some hip-hop, and they were all over it like a
rash.
ToM: We obliged!
MatT: The rest as they say is history.
L:
You’re from the country, country boyez, what’s your musical
background, and how did you get into it?
Big Tells: I listed to hip hop from school, Kobe used to write
lyrics, and MC to garage…I never used to think about writing
lyrics, then it came around, Doobs got on the case, and I just
fell in really.
“...Our music is hard to categorise….one for the HMV retailers!...”
T: I don’t believe that at all.
M: Where are these lyrics guys?
T: You haven’t written any in ages.
K: We’re all Medway Towns boys originally, went to school
together with these boys (Matojo).
L:
So what’s their musical style?
M: We DJ’d in dodgy underground clubs in Chatham playing house,
to where we are today, playing anything, Funk, Rock, Soul,
Hip-Hop, House, Reggae… Crunk Porn!
T: Soul-Funk.
K: we’re into everything; Doobs who’s away is at a metal
festival.
M: Sends his apologies.
L:
When you all came together, how did that progress to the release
of Rap Addicts vol 1?
BT: It took the first few tunes to see we really had something
to work on.
K: Yeah, Doobs had his solo Panic Attack EP…
M: A try before you buy if you like.
K: Yeah.
T: See where the waters lie…
 M: Check out the standard, and I think we did alright.
T: Yeah.
K: We got about 3 tracks in, and started thinking of a concept
for the EP, and concepts for the other songs. When we got about
5 tracks, and the first live gig…
T: That really bumped us along.
K: Started touring the EP, artwork done… all of it happened
systematically, and we never really set out to do it, or sat
down and said this is what we have to do…
T: It all rolled along nicely, and we got the music out there.
L:
So was the first gig the point when it all worked out….you got
to test the beats, and the rhymes to the public?
M: We got the EP ready for the show. Pressure was on…we wanted
to go there as an act that’s recorded music, and look
professional.
BT: The feedback from the first few tracks was all from mates,
so there were no high expectations.
K: The first gig went so well we just had to carry it on.
“...We have an ethos, no samples, and work from scratch… use our
own musicality, and we wanted to bring that across to the Mav’s...”
M: For the record, the first gig was at the Tap & Tins with
Crack Village & Hard Livin…
K: It was packed out and went down a treat…..had a good crowd
reaction.
L:
The music kind of straddles a couple of genre’s. Is that a
conscious decision, or did it just pan out like that?
K: Grime’s my first love, so when we make a tune I’m pushing for
that sound.
M: Kobe is the most pro-active of the bunch, so he’s generally
letting the side down!
K: I sneak the bpm up.
T: For us we never really made these type of beats…
L:
Hip-hop’s alien then?
T: Yeah, so our style is more electro, and we didn’t know where
to begin on this tip.
L:
How did you go about it?
M: We have an ethos, no samples, and work from scratch… use our
own musicality, and we wanted to bring that across to the Mav’s.
T: We get more fun making the music, rather than sampling…
M: It’s a much more ‘organic’ process by picking up a guitar and
going with that.
L:
Rap Addicts 2 is out this month, what can we expect?
 M: More Smut.
K: More grimey… we sat down, and had a couple left over from the
first one, and wanted to bring a few more things in to make the
project complete. We wanted a bit more smut on there, and some
classic hip-hop… so it’s well rounded.
T: Something for the whole family!
L:
Sunday evening listening….?
M: Yeah once the kids are in bed.
L:
What is the split in terms of work/input, and the creative
process?
K: Well the MC’s come up with a concept, get together and work
on lyrics, then work out what type of beat would suit it…then we
just wing it on the day!
M: We’ve got very good at a 12hour production cycle….early
Sunday, hangover special, and just get it done. It just works.
K: We have an idea of tempo and flow that works well for us,
give it to the guys, and let them add the levels from there. Its
multi-layered music, which just works.
L:
Yeah, is that from having a certain pace that works from your
garage days?
K: Yeah, definitely.
T: its very live-friendly music, up tempo, and that comes across
on the CD too. We think of the live act when we produce the
tracks.
L:
You have done a lot of live shows, which you obviously enjoy,
how much enjoyment do you get from the studio work?
K: There’s no better feeling than after a gig. None. When we’re
in the studio there’s the buzz of a new beat, and how you ride
it, it just switches.
BT: Its not till you drive away with a new beat that you really
start to feel it, and get into it… it can drag in the studio
when you’re well stoned.
M: Yeah you do smoke a bit too much sometimes.
L:
What are the crowds like down here for you guys?
T: we’re just working here, not trying to break it… just
enjoying the gigs and stuff.
M: We haven’t done hometown gig’s just Medway.
K: It’s a mixed bag, because you do have your heads in
Tunbridge, Maidstone, and some grime heads too… just because our
stuff is more musical and up tempo.
“...We wanted a bit more smut on there, and some classic hip-hop…so
it’s well rounded...”
T: It’s just more about the vibe, because I find it hard to
categorise the music…
M: One for the HMV retailers!
K: Its Urban!
L:
Do you see grime staying, or will it fade out like garage?
 K: I think good grime; Kano and Dizze appeal to the student
market, and will always sell records. It fits in with the rock
and punk crowds because of the music.
M: I think there’s a lot of innovative music out there, which is
really good, and interesting… if people keep doing that it’ll be
fine.
T: There is a more mainstream appeal, and cross over with guitar
licks and samba beats adding to that appeal.
L:
Do you think the live shows help keep the crowd interested with
the tempo and style of music?
M: We’ve been DJing for 7 years; so know what works a crowd. Mix
it up, and try new things. Keeping it funky.
L:
Do you try to get them hooked first off and keep it there?
T: It needs impact, you have to either scare them first off or
get them into it.
BT: We come on, and people are sitting down chatting, so we need
to get them pumping, and climbing up the walls.
K: All our tunes work though, getting people pumping.
L:
Do you match the tempo with your stage activity?
“…we need to get them (audience) pumping, and climbing up the
walls!...”
BT: We do what we can, some stages are a bit cramped with 6
onstage…but we’ve only done a handful of gigs.
L:
Who you feeling now?
K: Right now, nothing from the US.
BT: Last I bought was Gangstarr.
K: Roll Deep, Fuming, SkinnyMan, Jehst…
M: Tommy Evans….
BT: Vee Kay, anything on Zebra Traffic….
L:
What about the Matojo boys?
M: I’m feeling LCD Soundsystem, I’ll go and watch them live.
T: Electro, Punk, crossover stuff…
L:
Marmite, love it or hate it?
 M: Love it.
K: Love it.
T: Love it.
BT: Love it.
L:
Unanimous…..ha ha. Where did the name come from?
M: God knows…
K: Er… Playing the NBA game on PS2, my team was the Medway
Mavericks, so it was before we hooked up so I guess it was on
the mind.
M: Not the American country band……we’re also known as the Dirty
Mavs.
L:
Shout outs and shameless plugs?
K: We’ve got an un-named mix-tape out soon…..gig with Blade &
Hard Living.
M: 3rd EP on the way….there are 3 tracks done.
K: Big up to Doobs & Des.
T: Matojo new single out already, ‘Flowers for a Bouncer’ on
electron Soul.
www.matojosessions.co.uk.
M: Hang on lets keep on plugging, we might not be here again!
New EP is out, going out to the Mav’s massive…
K: Big up Vee-Kay for use of the studio, and the oven last week!
-
Lingo
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