 Spank Rock are in a league of their own, mixing hip hop, electro, disco and a whole lot more. We caught up with their producer Alex aka Armani XXXChange to find out how they first hooked up, how they manage to work together living in different States, and why collaborating with less established people is better…
Tell us about the new Fabric Live 33 album?
It’s a mix CD made by all the guys who DJ for Spank Rock, and me, the producer. There are about 30 tracks on there by different artists, it’s all very mixed.
I was surprised to see Kano on there, only to find that it wasn’t the one I was thinking of!
Yeah it’s an Italo Disco group called Kano! I’m a fan of both, the one you know came up when I did an online search. I love all that grime stuff but it’s hard to find over here in the States, you don’t really get to hear much of it so I’m having to rely on recommendations.
Take us back to the early days…how did you guys first meet?
We all went to the same High School in Baltimore, but then moved to different parts of the country. We never actually did music together in High School- I was in bands, Chris would DJ at a lot of house parties and Naeem was in a hip hop group. We then met up again in New York and at the time, Naeem was doing underground hip hop but when we started working together, it became more like fun party music.
You all live in different cities. How does that work?
It works out well not seeing each other all the time! When you’re touring you don’t wanna see the same people when you get back home, so it works out just fine! But the down side is rehearsing- we never rehearse! Logistically it’s not so good! And getting people to show up isn’t always easy!
Will you be touring again soon?
We’re doing a load of DJ tours, but there aren’t too many Spank Rock shows this year. We actually wanna change our live show, and make it a bit more structured. At the moment it’s all over the place, but it’s still fun!
Do you live the rock and roll lifestyle?
On tour, definitely, we get up to a lot of dumb shit.
For example?
We’re always jumping into bushes, the more trimmed and manicured they are, the better. I’d say that’s the most wholesome thing we get up to. Put it this way, there’s a lot of drinking involved.
Who would you say your influences are?
Too many to list. Everyone on DFA Records, LCD Soundsystem, and big rap producers like Timbaland. I have a pretty good mix of influences, from rap to the band stuff to disco.
Who would you most like to work with?
All kinds of people. Just up and coming people like myself, so that we can create something new. That’s more fun than working with someone really established. If I was to work with someone like Missy Eliot or even Bjork, who have a history of records, I’d feel like I had to do it a certain way, it would be like making a Missy record. I’d prefer to make something really fucking interesting that has never been done before.
You say you want to work with up and coming people “like yourself”. Do you feel you’re not that established yet then?
I don’t feel pressured to make the same kind of music all the time. I’m a free agent. Once you’re really established, it gets difficult. Thom Yorke wouldn’t be able to make some crazy party record for example, as people expect a certain thing from him. The more records you sell, the higher your obligation to your fans to give them something they’re not gonna hate! It’s also about selling X amount of records, and you have to balance that with your creativity.
Do you make music to appeal to the masses or do you feel you have more of a niche audience?
When you make a record, you want people to like it. Some people may claim otherwise, but they’re full of shit. So I do hope that our music appeals to everybody, yes.
Lastly, how did you come up with your name?
It was a stupid joke but then it just stuck!
The Fabric Live 33: Spank Rock album is out on 16th April, and they’ll be Djing at Fabric in London on April 6th
More info: www.spankrock.net
Words By: Anna Nathanson
 |
