Spank Rock -Pase Rock Interview-

SPANK ROCK DJs (PASE ROCK & RONNIE DARKO) plays CITY CAMPERS DISCO @ SOUL STEREO

Support djs: THE FLYING LILIS BROTHERS

ΠΑΡΑΣΚΕΥΗ 6 ΙΟΥΝΙΟΥ 2008.

Yo-Yo-Yo! Δύο βασικά μέλη της διάσημης U.S. hip hop / electro κολλεκτίβας Spank Rock, θα βρεθούν στην Αθήνα την Παρασκευή 6 Ιουνίου για ένα μοναδικό dj set στο Soul Stereo, καλεσμένοι της Champion Sound και των Lilis Bros.

Oι Pase Rock και dj Ronnie Darko, πρόσθεσαν την Αθηνά σαν μια ενδιάμεση στάση της κοινή τους Ευρωπαικής περιοδείας και μερικές μέρες πριν απο ένα ακόμη set τους στο Fabric του Λονδίνου, θα έχουμε για πρώτη φορά την ευκαιρία να απολαύσουμε ζωντάνα δύο απο τα διάσημα djs shows των Spank Rock σε ένα party με ελύθερη είσοδο.

Ο Nεουορκέζος DJ και MC Pase Rock έχτισε την φήμη του σαν dj σε parties των διασήμων στα μέσα της δεκαετίας του ΄90 και η ικανότητα να περνάει στα σετ του οτιδήποτε χορευτικό απο Hip Hop, House, R&B, Electro και Old School τον έχει καθιερώσει ως τον dj που διαλέγουν για τα private parties τους διασημότητες όπως οι Snoop Dogg, The Black Eyed Peas, Justin Timberlake, Playboy, Lindsay Lohan, Larry Flynt καθώς και εταιρείες όπως Hustler Enterprises, Adidas, Diesel Jeans, Urb magazine, Vibe magazine κλπ.

Έχοντας υπάρξει συνεργάτης των Spank Rock απο το "Υο, Υο, Υο" του 2006 και έπειτα, αλλά και σαν ιδρυτικό μέλος των Five Deez, έχει εμφανιστεί σαν dj / mc στα μεγαλύτερα festivals του κόσμου και έχει συνεργαστεί με καλλιτέχνες όπως οι Prefuse 73 , Diplo, Tortoise,ο Iάπωνας superproducer Nujabes ο XXXChange, ο ανερχόμενος Eli Eskobar και πολλοί άλλοι.

To πρόσφατο electro / hip hop single του με τον έξυπνο τίτλο “Lindsay Lohan’s Revenge” βρίσκεται εδώ κα ένα εξάμηνο σε όλα τα αξιόλογα playlists απο αυτό της ίδιας της Lindsay Lohan μέχρι τα σετ των DJ AM, Steve Aoki, Stretch Armstrong και Μark Ronson. Ο Passe παίζει φανατικά golf και αυτή την σεζόν εμφανίζεται στην διαφημιστική καμπάνια της WESC.

O νεώτερος της παρέας Ronnie Darko παρότι ανάλογα μεγαλωμένος με τα U.S. hip hop ιδανικά, απέκτησε απο νωρις dancefloor φιλοσοφία στα set του και παρόλους τους τίτλους στους διαγωνισμούς dmc dj της χώρας, εστίασε σε μια πιο disco / electro house μουσική κατεύθυνση, που σε μεγάλο βαθμό υπήρξε υπεύθυνη για το ηχητικό μπαστάρδεμα που προέκυψε στο πρόσφατο πολυσυζητημένο album των Spank Rock.

Το "Υο, Υο, Υο" του 2006 που χαιρέτησαν κοινό και κριτικοί ως ένα απο τα albums της χρονίας και χάρισε για πρώτη φορά τότε στους Spank Rock, ουκ ολίγα εξώφυλλα σε περιοδικά τόσο της Ευρώπης όσο και την Αμερικής, θεωρείται ακόμα και σήμερα δίσκος ορόσημο για το πως πρέπει να ακούγεται ένας club δίσκος. Κοφτερά beats, φτιαγμένα με electro house δομές , funky μπασσογραμές και hip hop φωνητικά που υμνούν την αλήτικη αστική κουλτούρα των μεγαλουπόλεων.

Όταν μετά απο αυτό το album, η σημαντικότερη -ίσως σήμερα- σειρά dj compilation, του Fabric, ζήτησε απο τους Spank Rock να επιμεληθούν το Fabric Live #33 του καταλόγου, o Darko ανέλαβε δράση και παρέδωσε με την συμβολή και των υπολοίπων ότι πιο κοντά στο ιδανικό party / eclectic / mash up mix, ενώ δεν είναι και λίγοι αυτοί που το θεωρούν ένα απο τα καλύτερα cds του καταλόγου Fabric.

Τελευταία, ο Donnie Darko όταν δεν φτιάχνει beats and pieces για τους Spank Rock, ρεμιξάρει και συνεργάζεται με την Amanda Blank και την Santogold, στέλνει dj mixes στην Solid Steel σειρά της Νinja Tune και στο επερχόμενο σετ του στην Αθήνα θέλει να τεστάρει τα party bootlegs που θα παίξει μερικές μέρες αργότερα στο Lollapalooza.

Δεδομένου ότι την ευκαιρία του να δει κανείς ζωντανά στην Αθήνα, djs αυτού του επιπέδου στην πιο δημιουργική φάση της καριέρας τους, δεν είναι κάτι συνηθισμένο, το βράδι της 6ης Ιουνίου αναμένεται με ξεχωριστό ενδιαφέρον για την νυχτερινή ζωή της πόλης.

Να σημειωθεί οτι στο Soul Stereo (όπως άλλωστε συμβαίνει σε κάθε βραδιά της "City Campers Disco") η είσοδος θα είναι ελεύθερη και το support dj act θα είναι οι Flying Lilis Brothers.

Παρακάτω μπορείτε να διαβάσετε τι μας είπε ο Pase Rock...





















PASE ROCK INTERVIEW

Q: How all things started for you and what are you up to recently?

I'm from a small city in Ohio and I just got into rap music and Hip Hop at an early age. I had two cousins that were older than me and we spent a lot of time together as kids so we would be b-boying and stuff and they got me really into music when I was like maybe 5 or 6. I think it just kind of stuck with me. Some kids were into toys or sports, and I was too, but I was really into music. I started collecting records and cassettes at age 8 or 9 with my weekly allowance money. I taught myself how to scratch on my grandmothers old stereo which had a direct drive turntable. That's the same as what a Technics 1200 is, so i actually kinda learned how to scratch pretty good as a youngster. When I would later get on my friends equipment they were surprised I could cut so well and eventually I just started DJing with my friends doing house parties and stuff until I got my own equipment. But before I started DJing seriously I was rapping and after high school I had joined a rap group with my school friends called Five Deez and we started putting out records in like 1999 or so. Then we signed some record deals did 3 studio albums and toured the world a few times. It was fun. During this period I was also doing a Hip Hop festival in Cincinnati called Scribble Jam. I did that for almost 10 years and the last year before I left I booked a new young group that I caught wind of called Spank Rock. They didn't have any records out yet or anything but I booked them on the strength that they were doing what I had been trying to do musically but more artistically successful I felt like. We all became good friends and they ended up asking me to rap on one of their early 12's. Then I started touring with them as the other MC and hypeman. But for the past 5 or 6 years my main thing has been being a club DJ. That's how I've managed to make a living. And that's what most of my time is devoted to.


Q: Since you've been traveling a lot, you must have a favorite European country and a favorite U.S. one. Which place inspires you most?

My favorite cities of the places I've been to are probably Tokyo, Stockholm, Oslo and Barcelona. On this trip coming up I'm going to some places I've never been, Athens being one of them. I look forward to that. I live in New York City in the States and that's the only place I want to be. Los Angeles is kind of happening but it's not really my vibe. I still appreciate it though. I like Austin in Texas, Miami, Orlando and Seattle as well.


Q: Doing the rap thing over electro and up tempo beats is not that common, considering that most of the mainstream hip hop / rap acts use old school beats from soul /funk / jazz library. Who do you think as the god farther of this sound and according to your opinion which was the element that made acts of this sound such as Spank Rock became so popular ?

Hmmm. Well most of what I do stems from the record 'Planet Rock' by Afrika Bambaata and The Soulsonic Force. I think that's a good starting place. That was one of the first records I remember. That and Pack Jam. early Tommy Boy stuff. My influences are pretty much Bambaata through to the Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest and that stuff. I'm really into that 1978 - 1982 period with the Disco rap. like T Ski Valley and Melle Mel and that. rapping over Liquid Liquid and stuff. That's my shit. So the Godfather is Bambaataa. As far as Spank Rock being popular I think a lot of it is timing. He/They were making the right music at the right time and I think the kids were ready for it. There was a big gap for a group of young people who maybe grew up on indie rock and Puff Daddy or underground Hip Hop and they didnt have that immediate connection to it anymore. It all seemed stale or something. They were looking for music to represent what they were going through and I think M.I.A. and Spank Rock were the first artists to tap into that. I saw it first hand. Good Times.


Q : Your C.V. says that you've been chosen to dj in many private parties for celebrities such as Snoop Dogg, or Lindsay Lohan and Larry Flint. Which was the dopest of all? What party do you enjoy most, the celebrity one or the party with b-boys and girls from the bloc?

Those parties usually aren't as fun as regular parties. In that situation it's a staged event. There are a lot of dollars being thrown around usually for some corporation to raise their profile, so it's never really that fun. They will hire a celebrity to 'host' and get a 'cool DJ' like me to artificially create what I do at my own parties. I guess the best part of that is there are usually a lot of gorgeous women around which I'm never mad at. There are always exceptions to this and I've done some pretty fun ones as well. But a lot of times people are just there to be seen and not really to have a good time. But I understand it and appreciate it for what it is.


Q: You run 'Fully Fitted' record label as well, tell us a bit about that. What are you planning to release next?

I think we're just doing 12's. we just put an ep out with another label called Money Studies which is a Turntablelab.com record label. We are doing another Pase Rock single and maybe a single from XXXChange or something. And my mixtape as well I guess.


Q: Who is your favorite producer at the moment and why? And which was the last time you heard someone else playing records and you said 'he's killing it'?

My favorite producers now are the guys I work with. XXXchange and Eli Escobar. They're pretty much killing it on the production tip. As far as DJs go, I dunno. There are a lot of DJs that I enjoy. My homie Ross One is killing it in Miami. Roctakon in New York. Eli Escobar is probably one of the greatest DJs working right now. I played at Fabric in London the other night and I really enjoyed a set by Brodinski. He's a French DJ and a great producer as well. He was playing Techno and it was awesome. Pat Mahoney from LCD Soundsystem was playing Disco in the other room so I was just running back and forth really enjoying myself.


Q: What kind of records you're playing out there lately?

Mmm. I try to play just what I like but also stuff that the crowds will enjoy. I try to keep it soulful (still keeping it REAL!) hahaha. But every now and then I'll toss in some really cold soulless techno or lazer sounding stuff or something. I'm into that stuff too. I play a lot of the stuff me and my friends are making. But you're still sure to hear some stuff from the 70's all the way up until now. I try to represent myself musically and where I come from when I travel abroad. I like for people to get a good dancing and party experience but also a sense of history. not just music history but also my personal history. I like to connect the dots to stuff that people would otherwise ignore. But keeping it jamming is first and foremost.


Q: What Greeks should know about a party night with Pase Rock and what should we expect from your show?

Mayhem. Pure and utter chaos. really just great music. I have Ronnie Darko from Spank Rock with me as well so there will be a lot of dancing and 'sprinkling' going on. For sure. Hahahahaha...


On MySpace: Pase Rock | Ronnie Darko | The Flying Lilis Brothers