Vee Kay Interview Number 2!

Certified Banger: Can you tell us your necessary background details so we can build on basics for the rest of the interview? For example: who you are, where you are from, projects you have worked on, people you have worked with.

Vee Kay: I'm Vee Kay, I make Hip Hop and trans-atlantic-speed-bhangra. It's a fairly new genre, but it's coming on with quite a following - so far there's about 14 people into it!

CB: How would you describe your sound? Is there any one track that would best define your style?

VK: My sound is a mixture of Rice Krispies and chocolate. Oh, sorry, that’s Krispy Cakes. Well then my style is just whatever it comes out like at the time of creation - sometimes I'll make a beat with an artist in mind and we'll go from there, otherwise it's whatever sound I find that inspires me first.

CB: Who have been your biggest musical influences and which Hip Hop producers have inspired you?

VK: Biggest musical influences are people that I grew up listening to like The Big Bopper or Frankie Goes To Hollywood....also Annie Lennox.....later on, when it came to Hip Hop I always wanted to make beats like Wyclef and A+.

CB: Do you have a musical background? Do you play any instruments?

VK: I got a Kazoo and a Penny Whistle. The Kazoo got some pimped up diamantes on it, so you know that s**t bangs.

CB: How did you find out that you were handy when it came to crafting beats?

VK: My old producer went off and started making music for Pete Waterman, so I decided that after they didn't want my dulcet tones on their tunes that I'd go back to underground hip hop and pretend that I never sold out....the rest is history...

CB: Do you feel like many producers are overlooked or overshadowed by the MC's that rap on their beats?

VK: Yeah, some producers are really unlucky and get overlooked.....Andy from Wham was a brilliant songwriter, but George Michael f**ked him off and went solo. Same with Kanye - Jay Z overshadowed Kanye on their tunes, but that’s cos Kanye sucks.

CB: What are your three pieces of equipment do you value most when it comes to production?

VK: I got a AMD Athalon PC that I got from my mate Dave, it's got a 10GB hard drive and 32KBS of RAM, so its fast as hell, I also got Cubase 5 which is what I use to sequence my Akai s20 with 16 seconds of sample time.....I also got a broom to keep my s**t tidy!

CB: What other programs/equipment do you use?

VK: Sometimes I use a mic to record vocals, but most of the time I rock some headphones through the input so I can keep it grimey. Programmes wise I download all my samples from Limewire.


CB: What process do you go through when writing a track? Do you start with a tune, a sample, a drum beat or a concept? What happens next?

VK: Most of the time I'll get a track that I really like, like Black Eyed Peas, put that into the sequencer, then I'll layer my sounds and drums EXACTLY the same as they are on the B.E.P tune, then once I've finished, I mute the B.E.P tune and voila! I got myself a banger straight up.


CB: How do you prefer to work when collaborating with rappers? Do you both get in the studio and write together or is there a separate process?

VK: I got a slight case of Agraphobia, not massive, but sometimes I get nervous around rappers, mainly because I hear them sounding really aggressive on the tracks. If I want some vocals then I'll usually myspace them and see if they can record at theirs and then send me the stems. Black Eye Peas don't come across aggressive so I'd be happy getting in the studio with them, but that’s about it.

CB: Have you ever been given some invaluable advice when it comes to producing? What tips would you give to an aspiring Hip Hop producer?

VK: Someone once told me that you should never, and I mean NEVER, start the bar with the snare at the beginning, basically switching the pattern of the drums. Snare, Kick, Snare, Kick. It's true too, it sounds awful. If you want to make Hip Hop, the best advice I can give you is to get on myspace, get limewire, a copy of a sequencer and then just loop everything up. No one cares about finding vinyl anymore, so get in while it's easy!

CB: What can we expect from you in the future? Are you currently working on any exciting projects?

VK: I'm working on a 16 track concept album that’s like a Jazz odyssey, but completely inspired by Buddy Holly. He was massive into his Jazz, and if he hadn't have died, he'd have been a pioneer of Hip Hop. There's no proof of that, but it is fact. Before he died he was tentatively in talks with Herbie Hancock to work together. I'm currently looking for labels for it at the moment.

CB: Any last words or plugs?

VK: Enjoy life and live each moment like it's your last. Do one thing a day that scares you and never throw a 15 year old to the floor - there's a good chance they'll punch you in the ear!

Phoenix Da Icefire Interview

Certified Banger: Tell us about Phoenix Da Icefire - who is he?

Phoenix Da Icefire: The character I have created goes by the name of Phoenix Da Icefire, he is my alter ego, much more fierce and stronger than I show in my day to day life, I feel like I can do almost anything when I slip into the character of Phoenix.

I am also the other half of Higher Heights and was responsible for bringing out the ‘Anathema’ LP by Triple Darkness, I first featured on ‘High Fidelity’ (by M9) on a track called ‘Holy Water’ and a track that I have got for my album called ‘Mental Prisoners’. I put it on there so I could test the waters with the UK scene.

CB: You’ve just released your mixtape ‘Baptism Under Fire’. What else is on the way?

PDI: I’ve got an album coming called ‘Right Timing the Quantum Leap’, it features Kyza Smirnoff, Triple Darkness, 9 Planets, Jah Miracle, Midas Touch, Yasine and El Crisis.

CB: Which words best describe your style?

PDI: The best way to describe my style is “free style”. I don’t believe in being caged behind my own bars like prison, my music is supposed to set me free, that’s why every track sounds different, I can do almost anything but my usual sound would be a cross between Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli and Wu-Tang all in one.

CB: Who have been your biggest musical influences and which Hip Hop artists have inspired you? Which are your favourite albums? What music were you brought up on?

PDI: I was brought up on The Fugees, Nas’s ‘It Was Written’ for me was one of my favourites, Killah Priest, Canibus for his battle style rap, Talib Kweli, Common and Mos Def to name a few.

CB: When was the first time you rapped?

PDI: There was a sound track to Space Jam, which had Busta Rhymes, Method Man and LL Cool J on it (‘Hit ‘Em High’) and me and my younger brother practised it and learnt all the verses to that song.

CB: Haha, me and my brother did the same thing with the same song! So, who else have you grown with musically?

PDI: There are a lot of talented people round my way - P-Money, Firmer Dee AKA Funky De, Little D, Blacks and AKS - we used to all be in a crew together and now I see everyone branching off and taking it to the limit. It was a garage crew back then and now I’m in a group with AKS as well as J Da Exodus called Midas Touch so it’s funny how it works out.

CB: What are your thoughts on the current state of Hip Hop?

PDI: I think hip hop has now become the voice of the corporate rather than the people now, but these days people are waking up and getting wise to the lies that are being fed to them everyday and they want to hear conscious music because they can relate to the real issues they face everyday as opposed to hearing about the girl they might meet at a club!

CB: What process do you go through when writing a track? Do you start with a beat, a concept, a lyric that you thought of in the shower? What happens next?

PDI: Have you ever used the term vibe? Well that in itself is a subconscious grasp on the fact that everything is made of vibrations - what I do is listen to the vibe or vibration of the track and try to align myself with what I hear. In other words I tune myself into the instrumental, once I’ve done that I get a title and a melody for the chorus if there is any. I believe the instrumental itself and the rapper or singer are two separate halves like man and woman and it’s up to the artist to know whether he/she is the right fit.

CB: Interesting and very different answer! Where do you hope to see yourself in 5 years, 10 years time? Is it an achievable goal?

PDI: I plan on being the UK’s landmark for Hip Hop.

CB: Highly aspirational! Any last words?

PDI: To all the artists out there have a clear goal in what you are trying to achieve, make sure its realistic and you are true to yourself and you will succeed in anything and everything.