InYourBass.com

Could you tell me about your new album?
Well in short, the album took 3 years too long to make, there were several times during the making process that I thought I was going insane. But now finally I can listen to it without slashing my wrists.

What’s your main influence on the album?
My main influence is Jamaïcan music: dub music, reggae music, dancehall. Cause for me the most exciting producers are generally Jamaïcan producers. Cause their audience tends to look forward instead of ahead.

Where did you pick up that dancehall inspiration?
It didn’t make any sense cause no one I knew was into dancehall, and I still started listening to it. But I was so attract to the experimentation, the fact that every new riddem sounded totally unpredictable. There were just incredible producers and mc’s. Very intense lyrics.

What is the biggest difference between your previous album Pressure and London Zoo?
Primaraly: choruses, I think it’s catchier, and I wanted it to be catchier. Also I was working with these mc’s before I made this record, so there was a relationship. Whereas with Pressure I basically worked with a lot of people that were new to me. I wasn’t used back then to collaborate with mc’s, I just took what they gave me. But on this album I directed it, I produced it.

On what basis do you choose your mc’s?
I just choose people that I think are really talented and who got something really special to offer. I try to find people who have their own voice, for me it’s important that musicians, producers, vocalists have their own voice. A lot of mc’s and producers copy other people far too much. The people I work with in my opinion have found their own voice, and are instantly recognisable.

Do you prefer to do vocal tracks above instrumental tracks?
Definitely. There is more humanity, there is more a collaboration, there is more emotion. I love instrumental music and I make instrumental music but generally there is something about a voice that takes me trough another level.

Who would you like to work with in the future?
There is always a huge list. I wanted to work with Dizzee Rascal and Roots Manuva for a long time. But that has never happened. But there’s always new people, I just got back from China and Japan, and I worked with an amazing female mc from Japan called Rumi (http://www.myspace.com/mcrumi). I’m always on the lookout for new people.

Talking about female mc’s, do you have any future plans with Ladybug?
There is gonna be an album for sure. The Bug album took way too long to finish. So for me it was a real struggle. The King Midas Sound album that I’m recording for Hyperdub and the Ladybug album are both on hold. I’m working on the King Midas Sound album at the moment, next will be the Ladybug album.

Thank you.

pictures by http://flickr.com/photos/ashes_57