I have yet another really interesting music interview for all of you! Guess who’s
back in the music scene? It’s a creative and talented mind that has been
‘hiding’ for a while, getting ready to come back and eat us alive.
Uppacut is a recognised and ridiculously good turntablist and
producer who was also part of the critically-acclaimed hip-hop band Fleapit. He
has successfully worked with a number of artists over the years and is currently
preparing his debut solo album, as well as a joint EP with rapper Frid.
In
this interview, Uppacut talks about his new project, his collaboration with
Frid and Wenlock Music and his musical beginnings, and makes a strong statement
about today’s hip-hop.
1. Your Twitter page reads "Producer,
Turntablist, was in Fleapit, now reppin wenlockmusic to the nuts." Speaking
of the first, you have an extensive career as a producer, and recently produced
Frid’s Serving Time EP. Besides, your
work as a turntablist was highly recognised in the past. What is the necessary
experience you had to gain before getting to this point, musically speaking? Do
you have an academic background or did you do your own research? And what sort
of advice would you give to the young people who want to become turntablists
and/or music producers?
Firstly
thank you for this interview.
I
have no musical academic background at all. In a way, I wish that I had paid
more attention in my music lessons at school, but it all started as a huge love
of HipHop in the late 1980's. The sound of a record being scratched just
grabbed me, I heard the rappers rapping but I was always waiting for the chorus
to hear the sounds that the DJ’s were scratching, and from there I was hooked.
I knew that I wanted to play HipHop in pubs and clubs but my mind drifted into
battle mode and I started to think that I could stand up against the best
turntablists in the country, but with this came practice; a lot of practice. I
hardly saw any of my friends for around 2 years, I became a bit of a hermit and
I split up with my girlfriend at the time to concentrate on turntablism.
Obviously it’s not just the scratches or juggles that make a DJ good, it's also
the choice of records you use, so I spent a lot of time at record fairs and
markets digging through records to get the sound that I wanted in my routines.
I'm not saying that this is the way to learn, this is just the way I learned.
If I was to give advice to any budding DJ’s/turntablists, it would be this:
Firstly, buy the correct equipment. There are some fantastic deals on
turntables and mixers nowadays, cheaper inferior products will only hinder you.
Secondly, use other turntablists/DJ’s as inspiration, don’t hate them and see
them as competition, build your skills by studying your influences closely,
practice, practice and more practice, and when you learn the scratch patterns
you can build them and adapt them into your own patterns using your own choice
of records, putting in your own twists. Thirdly, don't get frustrated, persevere.
These skills are not going to appear overnight, it takes time; it will come
with practice. As for advice for anyone getting into producing beats, I guess
it would be that in ways it’s the opposite of turntablism as it doesn’t matter
what programmes or equipment you use, you could use all live instruments or use
nothing but samples, but if you have the aptitude, capacity and creativity to
make good music then it will shine through regardless of how it was done.
2. Let’s go back to the beginnings. You
were part of the critically acclaimed hip-hop band Fleapit. Your debut album
Music from the Ditch even reached the No. 1 position in the French hip-hop
charts and it is still considered as the 12th best British hip-hop album ever
made. What have you learnt on the road since those years, particularly in
musical and business terms?
I
would say that the thing that I've learnt the most is that no matter how
successful I thought I was, it can all be taken away so quickly, so work hard,
have pride in my own work, enjoy myself, and if the haters hate, fuck it, let
them hate. This is MY experience and I intend to do the best that I can and
have a fantastic time while doing it. I mean, being part of Fleapit was a
fantastic experience and I'm so happy to have lived it, along with the
secondson&task force project, and doing the cuts for Goldie Lookin Chain's
“Guns Don’t Kill People, Rappers Do”, but that was then and this is now. I
can't dwell on the past, I need to keep building and working towards new goals,
and this is where Wenlock Music comes in. I personally see the future of this
label being big, and it all starts for me with this next project. I just hope
you all enjoy it!
3. You have recently signed with Frid’s
label Wenlock Music. In your own words,
“this label is what the UK scene is in dire need of.” In what aspects does
Wenlock Music differ from other music labels?
Wenlock
Music is a label that smashes down doors that are leading to things other than
just UK HipHop. I can’t think of another UK HipHop label that is trying to
appeal to more fans of music in general than just HipHop heads. Most UK HipHop
labels are created in the underground and they stagnate there because there is
zero drive. I mean, if I'm being honest, the majority of people listening to UK
rap at the moment are HipHop artists themselves, so why should we limit
ourselves and try to sell material to other artists only? We need to sell to
fans of music in general who are into a bit of boom bap - it's the only way the
scene can expand and create more interest in what we're doing. The population
of this country is ever expanding so why can’t the interest in our music expand
with it? If nobody has the courage to poke their head above the ground, nobody
will ever know we're down here. There is a false image that portrays UK rap and
it's so bogus it's unreal! If the surface is scratched by Wenlock Music and fans
of good music can see what REAL UK HipHop is about, then it will make the
massive effort that myself and Frid in particular have put in all worthwhile.
4. Your collaboration with Frid has
even gone further and you two are currently working on the joint EP Not Tonight Lads. Besides, you are also
preparing your debut solo album. As far as I know, the joint EP will be
released first though. What can we find in this album?
Not Tonight Lads is a mild-mannered and often humourous attack on the
image that Frid and myself don’t fit into. In the UK, if we want to go for
a few casual beers in a commercial city centre, but we want to go dressed as we
usually dress (jeans, trainers, t-shirt), the doormen/security will stop us
from getting into the pub and usually say: “Not tonight lads.” So this is a bit
of a 'FUCK YOU' to the rules that have encompassed our genre/style. Apart from that, we've got a fair amount of tracks
recorded for this project, and a few still in the pipeline. Frid is writing the
best material he has ever written and my beats are off the hook! The irony of
this project is that we do think these pubs that won’t let us in for a beer
will be playing some of our tracks to their clientele, and they'll love it too!
5. To what extent do you think that
hip-hop has an impact on young people? And have you noticed a decrease in the
hip-hop audience in the last decade? If so, what do you think are the reasons
for this?
I
think HipHop has a massive influence on today’s young people. The way people
talk, dress, the whole way of life, and especially now that the people that
grew up with HipHop as kids have children themselves, this is officially the
second generation of world wide rap. But I do indeed feel like the audience has
changed, mainly because music has changed so much. I don't want to say HipHop
has changed because I feel that REAL HipHop has remained true to itself. I
personally think that a new sub-genre has emerged and adopted the name of HipHop.
So, nowadays, when the young heads say they're into HipHop, they mean Chipmunk,
N-Dubz and Drake. If you ask someone of the first generation of HipHop: “What is HipHop?,”
they will give you a hundred names of true HipHop acts that today seem no
longer credible to the youngsters. It's
almost gone full circle. Way back in the early 1990's you would get a HipHop
crew who would put out a track with an R&B singer on the chorus to edge
towards the mainstream; nowadays it's the R&B artist who has a token rapped
verse on a track to make it more 'underground'. So to answer your question in
brief, I think the audience has GROWN but in sub-genres collectively labelled -
rightly or wrongly - as 'HipHop'.
6. How does the comeback feel? Is there an old Uppacut sound and a new Uppacut sound?
Any big changes in style and/or inspirational motifs? I am sure that
all Fleapit fans will be looking forward to listening to your new material – is
there anything that you would like to tell them about the new Uppacut?
Awww
it feels fantastic to be out there again! I don’t really have an old sound or a
new sound, but my way of producing has progressed through the last 10 years
having learned to play a few instruments, using new programmes and m-audio midi
keys, but the biggest thing is, having been digging for years for records, I
have discovered a whole world of music that has influenced me to keep my
production fresh. My scratches and live performances are technical but simple
enough for people to relate to. In a way I feel that a lot of juggling and scratching
has lost its soul so I'm remaining old school enough to relate to the music I
produce, so there is no contrast between what you hear on our records and what
you see and hear when you come to see our show. I do feel that working with
Frid has found a new drive in my production though; I've never been so busy on
different tracks all at once. This EP is so much of a fun project and I'm so
happy to be involved in it.
