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Interview: Raphael Saadiq

From the chart topping debut single Lil Walter (with Tony, Toni, Tone’) in 1988, through the party vibe of Lucy Pearl’s “Dance Tonight”, to the immediately classic “Instant Vintage” album, one voice has been a gleaming jewel in the tapestry of R&B music. Raphael Saadiq has done it again! “The way I see it” is an album that renders the best modern R&B has to offer…a clear view of the past.  In an age of designer vintage clothing, this authentic reminder of the very soul and sound of classic Motown without covering the original records is the new fitted, double-vented, narrow lapel blazer music has been waiting to make a comeback.  It’s too stylish to be dated, too raw to be fake, and too timeless to go another second without checking out.  I caught up with Raphael to talk about the motivation and execution of this album.

One of the general themes of your career has been that you’re the guy who clearly sees what could come next, and as such knows how to invite the past to the party today is throwing. Have you always seen this as a project that you would eventually do? or did something recently happen that made you want to strip away some of the elements of modern music and keep it super clean?

I didn’t really give it that much thought, I just got up one morning and kinda thought…I just want to go for it. I saw what I wanted to do and after that and I didn’t look back, ya know? It was a new way of doing things for me and my career. I couldn’t do that by just planning on it, and this is one of the ways I wanted to elevate myself so I just do it. And I’m always looking for ways to recreate myself without damaging my career, and this was the right way to do it. I always do that. I don’t even think about it you know? It’s something I just like to do.

It’s interesting that this is the quality of material you can come up with without having planned it …dude, that’s scary man!

Yep, you just change direction and keep running, ya know?

Absolutely.

Everyone always says that the Motown sound is the most elusive. Its a popular belief by myself and many other musicians that it is impossible without recording in the room in Detroit, with those original musicians…  So I think I speak for most when I ask… How did you do this and what steps did you and the sound engineers go through to guarantee the sound that you were looking’ for?

Well first of all I found the drum set that I wanted to use for the complete record. There’s a place where I eat every day and right across the street is a store called Drum City. They sell new drum sets, but they have this one old Ludwig drum kit, and I jumped on it and started playing it and I thought, “this is it!” From that point on, we just started messing’ with the drums, the sounds, and from there it took off. You gotta have the chops too, to make it work, but that was the beginning of it, you know?

Which sacrifices or embellishments in arrangements did you have to make in contrast to your normal way of working?

Well, the first thing we had to do was to make all the songs very short, and by making them short–you can’t play around, you gotta make an impact by the 2:30 mark [in the song]. The first few bars have gotta be catchy, ya know? The first few notes have to get you right into it.

I remember that you pulled out the tuba for “Still Ray” so you’re definitely comfortable using any instrument for any occasion as long as its necessary. Did you get a chance to use anything out of the ordinary this time?

Yeah, Stevie Wonder. (laughs)

Everybody knows you as this signature vocalist, I know you as this monstrous bassist and guitarist… What were the jam sessions like for this record? Is there anything floating around out there, that you wished made the record?

I started doing one type of record, then started doing a different type of record, then I ended up doing this record. Some of the other things almost went in, but it would have never fit the style of record that I was doing. There are a couple songs that could’ve  gone on this record that I didn’t complete. I just didn’t feel like they should be on the record, but I’ll probably end up putting them out for my next record. I’m gonna stay along these lines for my next record but it will just be a little different. I kinda like this Stax/Motown thing, it’s a global thing, and I want to live this out how they lived it out. They lived it out for a couple years, so I just want to I definitely want to fuck with this for a minute.

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Tags: Raphael Saadiq, Stevie Wonder, The Way I See It

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11/4/08

I know it might be old news to some of y’all, but these pictures from Obama’s victory party on U Street need to be seen. Much thanks to Couch Sessions reader Madeline for the photos!

Tags: Obama

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Interview: Adam Tensta

If you’re a daily reader of the site, you must have stumbled upon my posts on Adam Tensta. The Swedish MC is a part of a renewed interest in that country’s music scene over here in the States. Tensta’s album, It’s a Tensta Thing, a collection of songs mixing pop beats with serious lyrics about racism, segregation, and poverty in his hometown of Tensta is one of the finest CD’s to drop in the past two years. In his native country, he’s earned him chart-topping success and a Grammy award so far.

The motto for Tensta’s Respect My Hustle Entertainment is “MY Friend Is My Grind,” and the dude is making serious moves on the worldwide scene. Tensta just got back from a West Coast swing, and will be releasing  an International version of It’s a Tensta Thing later this year.

What’s Good?? How’s Life Been So Far?
I’m good man, grindin’ it out. Checking in with you to see what’s good. After this it’s back to the studio again.

Adam Tensta - Bangin’ On The System

Word. That’s what’s up! Let’s get started. I think your song “Bangin’ On The System” is a powerful message about the racial and economic situation in your native Sweden and “Dopeboy,” addresses racial profiling. Could you briefly try to go over what the situation is in places like Tensta for those of us in the States that are unaware of how it is out there?

Geographically Tensta is situated about 20 minutes from the central parts of Stockholm. Similar to other projects, which are usually located at the outskirts of many of the Swedish cities, its inhabitants are of mixed ethnic back rounds. Back in the early 70´s the government founded “the million housing project” designed to house the increasing number of guest workers invited to Sweden because of a labor shortage. Later these projects also became areas were they placed refugees. Most of these first refugees and political asylum seekers came from Turkey and Iran; later from other war ridden countries such as Yugoslavia, Iraq and Somalia.

Tensta is not that different from projects you can find in the U.S. The people, who live out here have grown accustom to being on the outside, trying to fit in as best they can. Today the situation is getting worse if you see the whole in terms of segregation and the issues that touch our everyday life. Growing unemployment rates and an increase of criminal activity, is just some of the issues. I guess projects all around the world are becoming more and more similar.

How is the Hip-Hop scene in Sweden? Do artists get as much respect over there as in America? How is American hip-hop received?

Right now Hip-Hop in Sweden is bigger than ever before. Domestic Hip-Hop got its first real breakthrough in 1997-98 getting major spins on every TV and radio station in the country. For a long time it was the fastest growing music genre in Sweden. During these years tons of new acts surfaced and made Hip-Hop common in most households, even outselling popular pop/rock acts.

After that the whole scene dipped in terms of sales and radio air time, mainly due to a lack of a strong underground foundation. Most of the work was done on a corporate level, which led to the scene getting watered down. Since RMH (Respect My Hustle Entertainment) began working with the mixtape scene adapting many of the promotion methods people use in the U.S, the scene in Sweden has come to life again, both on a commercial and an underground level. With us, people have seen that it can be done from standing on the street corner hustling mixtapes to being one of the most successful Hip-Hop acts in Europe. Hip-Hop is back as the fastest growing genre in Sweden and we are getting more and more airtime since radio and TV stations are picking up on the fact that European artists are treated as top-of-the-line on an international level. So, yeah, artists get a lot of respect period, no matter what language you´re spitting in.

American artist have always been icons in my eyes since I grew up listening to them and I guess there is a lot of people feeling the same way.

Adam Tensta - 80s Baby

I hear a lot of elements of T.I. and Young Joc in your music? Do you try to model your music after those styles? If not, who are your influences?

Haven’t heard that one before! I do Bloc Pop and barley even listened to Young Joc or T.I. in that way. They are talented people but my real influences are acts like Bob Marley, Outkast and Dead Prez. I listen to a lot of different genres so I get my input from all over the place. I’m raised on that whole New York era of Hip-Hop with acts like Nas, Mobb Deep and Boot Camp Click. I basically didn’t have a choice and had to listen to what my big brother was playing when I was growing up.

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Tags: Adam Tensta

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UK Tings: Vula

I haven’t been keeping up with things in the UK as much as I would like, but after discovering East London artists Vula, I’m convinced I need to start taking notice again.

The 28 year old America born/UK living songstress is probably most known for being spotlighted on electronica duo Basement Jaxx’s last record, Crazy Itch Radio, which she was featured on3 songs. However, she’s making her own way as an R&B artist, with her own label (DivaGeek Records) and a feature of BBC’s Black music station 1Xtra.

Her music is straight R&B, but being from the UK, many of her tracks have heavy broken-beat influences which add some spin on the type of post neo-soul trend (yeah, I invented that) trend currently being occupied by Muhsinah.

It’s hard to know if Vula will ever take off in the UK. Maybe she needs to come back to the US and hook up with Kanye (a la Estelle)? (via Wuzz)

Download her EP at iTunes.

myspace.com/vulavocals

Vula - If U Want It (Official Video)

Vula - If U Want It (Live Acoustic) *Hot Fire!!

Tags: Basement Jaxx, Vula

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Hip-Hop

Album Preview: People Under the Stairs - Fun DMC

People Under the Stairs - Anotha BBQ

If you’ve ever been to a BBQ in LA, you will be a fan of underground duo People Under the Stairs’ latest effort, FUN DMC. The mission of the album was to bring the summer vibes of Southern California to the people. Of course, everybody and their mother tries to do that (err Shwazye?) but the duo of Thes One and Double K take it to another level. For the album they go outside of the studio, recording half of the tracks outside at real cookouts in the streets of Compton and East LA. There is more texture and life to the songs, and it heightens the BBQ idea feeling further.

As the title states, this album is all about the party, and does spark that old school hip-hop vibe, however it doesn’t try to ape any fad like the Cool Kids. PUTS has been around for much longer to follow any trend (it’s their 6th album, if anybody is counting).

I’m getting my hands on the full album soon. I’ve been really digging the press preview that I got in the mail the other day and this has the makings to be a 4 star (or higher) album. What do y’all think?

myspace.com/peopleunderthestairs

Tags: People Under the Stairs

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Love Is Love - The Pictures

We did it for a good cause. You missed out. Don’t to that again.

Shout out to the homie Juan for the images.

MORE PICTURES FROM LOVE IS LOVE RIGHT HERE

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Negroclash!

WaPo dissects the Frohawk

I was going to blog about our next redneck gun toting Vice President, but while scoping the Washington Post I ran across a particular article about the “Frohawk” which interviews Couch Sessions homegirl M.J. Zilla. The WaPo is claiming that the Frohawk (er, black people wearing mohawks) is enjoing a “renaissance.”

You’ll find it in the explosion of dreadlocks fanning out from the otherwise shaved head of a doorman at trendy Marvin in the District. See it doing a more subdued low-rise fade on Redman as he bounces onstage with the Wu-Tang Clan recently at the “Rock the Bells” rap tour. Or check it out, in all its glamour-girl glory, on Jack Davey, from the Los Angeles electronica duo J*Davey.

And stalk the gallery at Afropunk.com, the online community that sprang up in the wake of filmmaker James Spooner’s 2003 documentary of the same name, and you’ll encounter a bevy of fro-hawked folk who go by such monikers as AfrocousticPunk, Rape Whistle and Aunaturale22.

To be black and Mohawked — or fro-hawked — is to rage against both the machine and one’s own community, a double dose of in-your-face outsiderism, rendering a life lived on the outskirts of the outskirts.

Even though WaPo is trying to pimp the term “fro hawk,” (just like the New York Times tried to invent “blipster,”) the people interviewed in the WaPo article at least get the chance to set the record straight.

“Just because I’m a black guy with a Mohawk doesn’t mean that it should be called ‘fro-hawk.’ ”

“It’s a little racist,” Collins says.

I don’t want to call these type of articles racist, per se, but just like the Time’s “blipster” writeup, I do find the sort of shock that young Black people don’t all wear baggy jeans and listen to hip-hop to be a tad condesending.  I know there are a few Afropunk peeps who frequent the site. What do y’all think?

Tags: Frohawk

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