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Part 2
interview 0150 added 14.07.03 words K-Per

Now about the MCs for the new album. Obviously having heard some of the tracks, you have got a varied range of lyricists again. How did you work with them? Did they come in, take a beat and go away? Or did you get acapellas? Did you work together?

Dom: Usually they come round and hear a beat, and then they take it away. Sometimes if we have a concept for a track, like the first track I played (featuring MC Dynamite), we will do it differently because it evolves from the concept. In the case of that track, we were just actually playing video games, as we both like games and Brad has got an emulator on his computer with loads of old 80’s games. We were going through all the games and I spotted a melody in the soundtrack to “Xevious”, and I was like: “wait, we should make a beat out of that!”. And Dynamite came and heard the very beginnings of the beat, which just went “douloulouloudoulou” (sounds better than it reads), and it was just a nice thing to use and we could hear the tempo in it. And he was like “if you make a beat out of that then I want to hear it”. He went away and we spent a couple of days on it and we played it to him and he was like “I’m in”. “I’ll do a rhyme about video games”, because he’s a real video game head. Concepts give rise to the most interesting, the most remarkable tracks and we’re gonna do more of that. We’ve had enough of people coming round here and just rapping over a beat and going away. And that’s partly our fault as well and that’s how most people make hip-hop records. And it can be a really good idea to do it like that, because you get this kind of natural feeling. But at the end of the day if you wanna do something different you gotta come up with ideas.

Brad: a lot of the records that have made a difference, that make you take note, were the ones that have a vision and a concept to them. And a as a result that gives people a lot to write about, and in turn it makes people excited about it. It’s sort of like The Streets, it’s all about his concept behind what he does, giving people loads to write about. Gorillaz is another example of that, a conceptual band and the artwork as well. And they are some of the only examples of more underground, leftfield music that’s being sort of massive. And it’s actually slipped through the net because of the concept.
Let me bring back the whole fuss about your first album surrounding the choice of MCs. Some of the press and people in the industry were saying at the time that you chose US MCs over UK ones and that it wasn’t really on (there was a lof of fuss a few years back about not backing the UK to the fullest, The Creators album was also criticised). Do you think 3 years later things have changed and that the UK scene has more to offer in terms of MCs than it did back then?

Brad: I think there was a period when people were like “don’t work with American MCs, work with UK” and I think now it’s got to the point where people don’t mind again because they have realized that there aren’t that many good UK hip-hop MCs!.

Dom: because there aren’t

Brad: and working with Americans sometimes is just a good idea.

Dom: we work with MCs because they are good not because of where they are from. It sounds like a bit of a cop out, but it’s always been our argument.
I think that’s fair because if I look at the French scene, they have never been afraid to cooperate with other countries and exchange styles whithin hip-hop. As you say if it sounds good then that’s all that matters. It’s a shame some people feel a need to support artists at the expanse of quality in the work.

Dom: but the French scene has always been healthier than the English one.
Yeah but that’s more because the UK scene will always be compared with the states because you speak English, which is a shame. You have that Big Brother type thing going on with the Hip-Hop scene in the states. The French have their own language to express themselves which makes all the difference.
Are there any musicians or artists you haven’t worked with yet that you would like to work with in the future?

Dom: Roots Manuva. I know it’s an obvious choice but we’re both big fans of his and we know that he likes our stuff. So it’s been a shame that we haven’t worked together yet. Moving on to the MC topic again, the producer/album thing is extremely hard to do because you haven’t got someone in your band who can rap and sing, you have to go and get them. And if they are worth their salt they are probably doing their own project. You have to prize them away for a few days, and get a really good performance out of that. Sometimes that works and sometimes management can get in the way, they’ll say “oh I don’t want him/her to feature”.

Brad: there is a huge problem with that in this country. Management companies have this really crazy idea that featurings are a bad thing. So if someone is bigger or has a big backing straight away they are protected by this management that are like “oh no they don’t do features”. And that’s a terrible idea, because if you look at the US market and the way everyone features on everyone else’s albums, that’s a great way to promote new artists. Bring them through. And say “look he’s on this track, this person who is well respected likes his stuff”, what do you think of it, kinda thing. And it’s stupid not to do that more in the UK.

Dom: for some reason people are very precious

Brad: it’s just the UK really (laughter).

Dom: that’s what I mean, for some reason in the UK if someone gets any kind of fame or recognition they want to protect it. Management is saying they are the best but you can’t work with them, which is really bad. And also part of the reason why there is isn’t better urban music over here.

Brad: it ends up with no one working on any separate projects. And I remember being young (Dom cracks himself at that point), and buying hip-hop records and seeing like a Pete Rock remix of a Public Enemy track and it had C.L Smooth on it. And it was like “woah!”, now it’s Sean Paul and Busta Rhymes and whoever with whoever and it’s still exciting, what’s that going to be like. It’s a bit like that Dr Dre and Rolling Stones track (cover of “I miss you”, I think), it’s really good.
It’s like the Judgement Day album and the rock/rap fusion period in the 90’s, which made both genres more interesting to different audiences as well. Now about the single you released last year with Mystro and Braintax (called The Next Trend). That was an interesting record for many people and also it was your first release in a while. Where did the concepts for the songs come from?

Brad: it was their idea. Mystro’s whole thing is that he wants to rap about parties, his new tune on the lowlife album (Low Life Presents Food, out now) is the second part to the tune on this 12” we released last year, where he raps about this place where everything is free, you order spliffs at the bar and get massages. He’s like obsessed with that.

Dom: which is a good thing to be obsessed about.

Brad: I thought that those two beats on that record were the worst we’ve ever made. We were in the middle of a very bad timing,
You just had to put it out?

Dom: no we thought it was alright but then within hours we were like “shit, that was crap.”

Brad: I thought their rapping performances were really good. It was our fault.

Dom: in fact when we did those tracks they made us realize and change a bit didn’t they? When we thought about those tracks we realised we didn’t want to do anymore of that. We thought right, drawing board, not erasing it but rethinking our approach, which has led to our new stuff.

Brad: to be honest we were still working the same way we worked on our first album when we made those tracks. But because it was almost like there wasn’t the love there anymore or the excitement about making those beats, and that ended being reflected in the beats and what they sounded like. It’s a shame really because those vocals were good.

Dom: the mixing didn’t help either.

Brad: we didn’t mix it very well and it didn’t come out as good as it should have.

Dom: it could have been stronger I think. Anyway that was our lowest point production wise.
Oh well I put my foot in it then. Let’s move on to your mixtape that came out last year, “Listen and Lose weight with the Nextmen”, how did you come about doing something like that?

Dom: Everyone seems to like that. It’s really just one of our sets. What I mean is that if you came down to our residency you would hear a similar type of era/range of music, beats.
You can tell that when you see you guys playing, it reflects your influences.

Dom: the only thing it didn’t touch is drum n bass, because we play a bit of that. And we play a bit of big beat and broken beat as well, and it wasn’t in this mixtape. But we will probably do another one soon, and it will have another slice of one of our sets.

Brad: all the lose weight thing on that tape, is from this motivational record a friend of ours bought us from New Zealand. And all the cover art is also taken from that. And that record is called “Listen and Lose.”(if you haven’t heard the mixtape, then think along the lines of The Lessons, Steinsky-esque cut ups and funny little snippets of motivational talk over beats and bootlegs)

Dom: and it’s got all the good bootlegs on it as well.
How do you guys regard the cut and paste aesthetic of something like that?

Dom: it’s really like we all used to make mixtapes. Pause tapes as you called them, and you put your favorite tracks on it. Obviously the technology now allows you to cut and paste it better, with more tracks.
Yeah, how did you do the bootleg parts of the mix, did you mix them through computers or on the decks? Or both together?

Dom: We mix it and then we process it. We mix as if we would mix it live, “is that in time or not”. Then record it and put it on top of the track. So it’s a bit of both.

Brad: a couple of the weird, little bootlegs that we have done and put out are more involved than the ones on the mixtape. Like we did a thing with Brandy, called “What about us?”, where we made the beat.

Dom: we took some different samples and made a beat out of that.
That mix really reflects the music you play out in clubs. I have noticed you guys like to play different genres which is good, as too often you go to clubs where it’s just about one genre, which can become boring.

Dom: yeah it can be good but it can be bad as well. Because we get booked to play at eclectic clubs, which are easily the best, and straight up “hip-hop cap” clubs as well. And of course then sometimes they don’t understand. They want you to play really murky independent hip-hop. And if you don’t they start looking at you funny. We are not going to play those clubs anymore because they are not us. And that’s not us turning our back on hip-hop, it’s just us being pissed off with people being so narrow minded. I don’t think there is many of these clubs left.

Brad: there is still one in every city. There is a circuit of them. But somewhere like Rawganics (Cambridge’s leading Hip-Hop night) we need to play of nice set of hip-hop but the vibe is really good. It’s not as narrow minded, it’s closer to what it should be about.
What about the UK scene? Do you think it’s evolved in the last few years and reached some kind of maturity? It’s a more structured scene with a better chance of making an impact?

Dom: Well in a sense it’s matured, but it’s really missing something important in its history. Early US hip-hop had a huge impact, and then you had the whole mid 90’s era where the production changed and things were different, but still impacted on Hip-Hop. And then after that, mid to late 90’s it got more jiggy, and the whole thing blew up on the mainstream. In the UK we haven’t followed the same development. We have gone from underground, murky hip-hop beats to jiggy, upbeat stuff without anything in between. Without a natural progression. And I think the jiggy style doesn’t suit UK production styles.
But the UK does have it’s own sound as well, something that is rooted in its musical heritage. It comes from the country being at the center of so many musical influences that have come through it and left their mark on UK production?

Dom: UK beats have that nice dubby, raggae feel to them sometimes, which is nice. Roots manuva for example is incredibly British in both his production and his lyrics. Rodney P is a legend, and is one of the best MCs around and he carries this UK style with him, which is important. Harry Love (part of Kung-Fu and ex-Scratch Perverts), is also one of the best up-and-coming producers in the UK, with his own style. And they all do things differently but with the same UK sound to it.
What about getting your stuff remixed?

Brad: We rarely get our stuff remixed by other people and this time we are gonna try and do something about that. We want to experiment with other genres and styles.

Dom: I would like for us to be in a shop under two different categories. DnB, breakbeat, broken beat will definitly be included in the remixes. It’s about good music, it’s universal.
Have you guys been around Europe touring and what do you think of the various music and Hip-Hop scenes around?

Dom: We’ve been around Europe a bit. France, Belgium, Ireland. To me the scenes are all similar in a lot of ways. We played at straight up hip-hop clubs, and it’s the same feeling as the UK. It’s nice to be in other countries and see people enjoy your stuff. We are looking forward to touring the new album in Europe, and Australia as well as maybe the US.
Talking about the states, can you tell me more about the fact that “Break the Mould” (featuring Grap Luva), off your first album, made a big impact over there, getting regular rotation on Bobitto’s radio show in NY? Were you surprised to get support from the States?

Dom: Well it was really nice. When we went over there, Fat Beats were really good to us, they put posters all over the shops and were really pushing the album. A friend of ours told us that he went to LA and Cut Chemist played ‘Turn it up a Little’ (again from their first album) and people where really loving it. We don’t really expect support from the states but if it happens we’re happy to take it. We’ve had interest in the new album, so we’ll see what happens.
What about turntablism? I know you judge the DMCs and all. What is your view of the artform and its practitioners?

Dom: Well I agree that they are musicians in their own rights. We’ve done the DMC for 4 years now. It is the same atmosphere as a jazz club gig, when you see someone really good. If it’s done well, it can be excellent and really impressive. But these days there are a lot of people who aren’t that good but come out with it. Everyone has a pair of decks at home these days.

Brad: I don’t think there has been any innovations in a few years. There was a period in like 95-99 when it went mad in innovations and new techniques, but it’s now quieted down. You had Q-Bert, Babu and all the others coming out with mad skills. What is there that’s new now? Q-Bert is the only one, for me, that makes the really different stuff that catches your ear, like mad insane noises that make you think “yeah!”.

Dom: We can appreciate it a lot but for example judging the finals of the DMC can be really hard, and on top of that none of my friends ever want to come down there anymore! When I think about it, stuff like what the Scratch Perverts do is amazing! Their regular gigs at Fabric are really good. The All Star-Beatdown they organised with the Allies last year was one of the best turntablist showcase I have ever seen. There wasn’t any DJ there that wasn’t strictly amazing. The French really tore it up both there and at the DMCs. They showed that it can still be an innovating artform even if some of it is getting stagnant.

Brad: I really think that straight up scratching in turntablism has reached its peak and hasn’t really evolved in a while. There is still stuff like beat juggling and others but scratching I think can’t really be innovated anymore as such. 4 bar solo scratches are ok but after that it becomes boring again. If it isn’t Q-Bert, I don’t bother and even then a few minutes every year is enough for me.
Are there any tunes over the last year that you’ve been impressed by and upcoming ones you’re looking forward to?

Both: The new Nas is impressive as well as Missy Elliot. Nas’ new album shows him really back to form and the production on both that and Missy Elliot is really good. ‘Made you Look’ (Nas’ new single) is amazing in production and yet so simple. Nas is a good lyricist and it was about time he got a decent record out There is a new Method Man 12” and a new Outcast album out that we are looking forward to. Erikah Badu’s ‘Humble Mumble’ is also a heavy track.
What about the Neptunes?

Yeah they are good at making beats and not afraid of venturing outside of the conventional Hip-Hop production ethics. That’s good and interesting.
What about RJD2?

He’s his own thing. It’s good what he does, kinda like Shadow and Moby in my opinion. His choice of samples and chops is interesting, but I think it’s still traditional. We’re also feeling Harmonic 33, which are amazing and not just straight up Hip-Hop. We are really looking forward to branching out more than before into other genres as we said before. We’re gonna go into drum n bass, breakbeat, change everything around but it’s still got to be good!
Any last words?

Dom: where are all the naked South American women?

Brad: Potato!…Oh and Common’s lost his mind! (Brad proceeds to explain why Erikah Badu has some kind of mad influence on her men and therefore turns them into weird freaks, such as the guy from Outcast she used to be married to and who is gone all weird and Common, her new boyfriend who’s also lost it).
The Nextmen's 'Get Over It' LP is out on the 28th of July. There's 7"s and 12"s floating around too, check Scenario for mo' info.
Thanks to the Nextmen and Dave@Scenario for the help & support...
- K-Per

Related Links:

Scenario Records website

The Nextmen website

Get Over It album review