| Q1 : How did you get your alias/rap name? |
| It's my real name. |
| Q2 : What year did you first get into hip hop? |
| Well i first got a tape with doug e fresh, ice cube, and 2 live crew from my friends older brother in like 4th or 5th grade so around 1989ish... but it wasnt till i moved out to LA for college that i became aware of the LA underground scene that i am known for, and that was in '97. |
| Q3 : Who have been the major influences on your career to date and
how? (musical or other) |
| That's a really broad question...some artists/labels that i would say have influenced my sound...
herbie hancock
nine inch nails
squarepusher
pete rock
decoder & tech itch
madlib
tigerbeat6
and people who have influenced my career...
P.E.A.C.E. - he basically pulled me out of the LA drum-n-bass scene, into hip-hop, and introduced me into the whole Project Blowed family
Abstract Rude - a close friend for many years, ab has been a major influence on both my musical sound and the direction of my career, linking me up with labels, taking me on tour, and always happy to give out advice. |
| Q4 : If you could perform or record with anyone dead or alive - who
would it be and why? |
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| Q5 : What countries and cities have you most enjoyed performing in?
Any interesting stories to tell? |
| I've had great experiences all over the world... some standouts would be playing a rave on the top of a mountain outside of portland oregon, playing to 6,000 some people right after the headliner at some big festival in zurich sweden, rocking a top 40 afterhours spot in bremen at 3am with abstract rude and a crate full of undergorund hip hop and electronic instrumentals, partying on the beach in nelson, bc, having someone in malmo sweden tell me i'm his favorite producer...lol... thats just a few of them.... |
| Q6 : Across your career to date, what highlights will you hold onto
till you die? |
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| Q7 : Vinyl and analog have played such a massive part of the
development of hip hop, how do you feel about the shift to digital? |
| I am an ardent supporter of both mediums... i primarily make beats on a computer, and have been doing so since way back in the day (started with fastracker in like 1994 on a 286 Tandy), but i have also worked in major analog studios and trained on 2" tape and an SSL console. I love analog, and at my home studio i am slowly amassing an expensive collection of awesome outboard gear, but i also love the convenience of digital. Plus the software that i use is really old school (tracker software) One of the reasons i still use it, is i feel it has a certain sound and character to it that is part of my sound. Just like some people still use an sp-1200 instead of an mpc-4000 with a billion more features is because the sp has a certain vibe to it. |
| Q8 : What advice do you have for young, aspiring artists
(MCs/DJs/Producers)? |
| Practice your craft... in this day and age of loop CDs and super easy to use software, almost anyone can make a beat or DJ, so its extra hard to set your shit apart from the rest. You need to bring something new to the table... It always seem to be the people with a truly unique sound that have the longest lasting sucess, even if it takes them longer to first get recognition... |
| Q9 : What one thing in your career you would most want to be
remembered for? |
| Having a unique sound and an interesting musical perspective |
| Q10 : What other activities do you enjoy doing when you're not making
music, rehearsing or performing? |
| Well I work at a studio as my day job so i do a lot of music.. I also like cooking (hence my album Ken Can Cook), Drawing, walks on the beach,... what the fuck is this.. a dating questionaire? =) |
| Q11 : Why hip hop? |
| Well for me it's not just hip-hop. I make music in many genres... in general i tend to be drawn to music where there can be hard beats and deep bass paired with organic, acoustic sounds... and hip hop is definitely one of those genres where this works well. |
