Summer Reissue: Roots Manuva [Q&A]

My 2012 interview with Roots Manuva for Rip It Up.

Selected Works is a weekly (usually) newsletter by the Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa (Wellington, New Zealand) based freelance music journalist, broadcaster, copywriter and sometimes DJ Martyn Pepperell, aka Yours Truly. Most weeks, Selected Works consists of a recap of what I’ve been doing lately and some of what I’ve been listening to and reading, paired with film photographs I’ve taken + some bonuses. All of that said, sometimes it takes completely different forms.

In 2012, I interviewed the UK rapper and producer Roots Manuva for the now-defunct New Zealand music magazine Rip It Up’s website. From memory, the interview was essentially in aid of promoting a series of shows he was playing down here that year. Earlier today, I came across the word doc for this Q&A and thought, why not send it out in the newsletter this week? Roots is a funny guy, and unsurprisingly, he made a few funny comments while we were talking. It’s weird, though; I actually have no memory at all of conducting this interview. I guess 12 years is 12 years. Roots, if you’re out there, I hope you’re doing well.

Rip It Up: Roots Manuva Q&A (2012)

Since his 1999 debut album Brand New Second Hand, UK rapper, beatmaker, and remixer Roots Manuva (real name: Rodney Hylton Smith) has been consistently held up as the benchmark for weirdness and innovation within UK hip-hop. And while he's his fair share of both good and bad years, he's remained relevant through a kaleidoscopic sonic palette, which, while rooted in the dub reggae he was raised on and the hip-hop he grew to love in his teens, is unafraid to draw on a dazzlingly diverse range of influences, be it rave, techno, dancehall ragga or beyond. And while he's probably most remembered for his classic single 'Witness (1 Hope)', Roots newest long player 4everevolution (released last year on Big Dada Records) sees him in top form, and may just have yielded some new future classics for his catalogue.

Rip It Up: Hello

Roots Manuva: Oh, hello, sorry I'm a bit late.

No no, you're fine, this is when I was told to call.

Oh, is it? [Laughs]

Yes.

Have you got your device plugged in?

Yes, I've been recording since you answered!

[laughs]

How is your day going?

Yeah! It's really good! We're about to set off on the UK tour, but I'm organised for once, so I'm not panicking too much [laughs]. I'd totally forgotten about these interviews for New Zealand, though! It's been a good day.

I noticed that on the new album, you did a song called 'Here We Go Again' with Spikey Tee, who is a singer that people in New Zealand and Australia are quite familiar with nowadays. What is the story there?

Yeah! Spikey man! I've known Spikey for years! Spikey was in a band with a brother of a school friend of mine years ago. That was like twenty years ago in England. They were one of the first urban bands to be signed to a major label in the UK.

Was that The Sindecut?

Yeah, man, The Sindecut! They were mentors to me in the early days, really! I would always send The Sindecut demos of my early stuff, and because one of the members of the band's brothers was in a band with me, we always had a good relationship with listening to their demos, and them listening to ours. They'd guide us with bits and pieces, you know?

So that must have been around the same time as acts like London Posse and The Demon Boys, right?

Yeah. It was the same kind of era!

Why did you pull Spikey in to work with you on that song?

Spikey lives in Australia now. He actually called me out of the blue and said, I've got this beat, man; you should do something about it. It was a Dizz1 beat and I loved it. I called him back up and said, hey, Spikey, do me a chorus on it. Then we took it from there. We went back and forth on the emails and had a conversation, and it turned into what it is. We didn't even know what we were going to do with it. It turned out as quite a saving grace for the record really.

What are your thoughts on Dizz1's music?

Yeah, it's good. It's perfect for me. It really gives me a chance to relax and be a bit more selfish with my musical context. When I am making beats and doing vocals, it is always like a two-way conversation. There is always some kind of angst going on as to whether I am applying myself to the emotional fabric of the music on a level that is good enough. There is always a nice blind spot in music where one can't judge it; one can't get the distance enough on it.

What I tend to do with my records is always have at least one-third of the music always done by other music makers. It's not like I've premeditated it, but I always seem to gather at least a third of the music made by other producers. It's always happened in ways that are weird and random, like with this record, there is a beat by Dizz1, and there is a beat by another Australian-based person called Money Mark. This album has a heavy South Pacific feel to it.

I've been having such a good time in the live context over in the South Pacific for the last twelve years. The travelling really does open up one's head to writing and recording and doing music. Actually, some of the stuff on the album was demoed in Australia when I was there in 2009. In these ages and times of people having studios everywhere when you can walk around with a studio in your pocket, I find that the South Pacific is a good place to write. One day I would hope to make a record totally over there. I know Speech Debelle made most of her first album in Australia.

The people who you work with on your music, is it enough for them to have hot music? Or do you need to connect with them on another level as well?

The core of the music on my record is from people that I am around or come from a good recommendation. It does matter that you can get on with people and really have a sincere and honest relationship. But, I dunno, if there is a time where someone's attitude stinks, but they really have a good sense of the funk, I think I am always prepared to ignore those shortcomings for the sake of getting a good song done.

Then there are those people who are just too difficult to work with, or they are just too straight. I don't really know why I've ended up in the studio with some of these people. You sometimes get put together by a record company, but sometimes, when you work with certain groups or producers, they have no idea or understanding of where you come from on a rhythmic level, a sonic level, or anything!

A lot of dance producers really haven't got a clue! [laughs]. I don't find it so much with hip-hop producers or traditional rock or R&B producers, but the dance DJ producers are really quite harsh! They just stick an acapella over anything! As long as it makes a loud noise, it's fine for them! [laughs] I understand that art form, but when you're trying to craft a song, it's always like, look, let's leave the remix until when the song is finished! Then you can do the remix! Now though, we need to have a decent sense of harmonics between the rhythm track and the vocals.

That reminds me of a scene in the Bill Withers documentary Still Bill, Bill is taking about how this record label A&R sat him down and told him he had a brilliant plan to reinvent his career. He wanted Bill to sing a cover of 'In The Ghetto' by Elvis Presley...

What! [laughs]. That is some very angular thinking. No feeling.

Speaking of feeling, what else are you passionate about or interested in outside of music?

Outside of music? To be honest, man, I'm only interested in music! [laughs]. Nah, man, I like film. I would love to have more time to get involved in film. I swear there is a thespian inside me somewhere. Most of my friends tell me I can't act. But with some time and dedication, I could bring out the inner thespian in me! Nah, man, I like bits and pieces of literature. I quite like carpentry and furniture making! I never really get much done cause I'm not that involved with it. Maybe one day.

How is your live show working these days?

At the moment? With a great deal of difficulty! I got a guitarist, a keyboard player, a Kaos pad, turntables, quite a lot of backing vocals, and random MCs jumping on, in and out.

Who are you bringing down to the South Pacific this time?

A singer called Rokhsan is on the album. She's on the 'Get To Get' song and the 'Beyond This World' song. She is a singer-songwriter lady who actually doesn't really make music like mine and is not really interested in music like mine, [laughs], but she comes and does the job. She adds an element to my sound, which is just so perfect. She is really not your typical R&B or urban music lass. She's actually anti, really. But she is up on stage doing backing vocals, playing little synth lines, and doing Kaos pad, and it is quite a treat.

Do you think that tension helps with the dynamics of the music?

Yeah! I think that has always been my thing in choosing musicians is I have never really wanted too many amazing musicians. I really wouldn't want the best bass player in the world. I just want someone who is happy to stand up and play the same old thing over and over again. I wouldn't want someone doing a whole lot of bass playing. I've had that before, and I had the best bass player in town once. It was just wrong, though!

Too many bass solos ae!

Yeah! [laughs] he was trying to do solos during my verses! And no, that is the wrong thing to do! the whole structure of modern MC lyrics might be quite intricate, but it needs quite an attitude to the crescendo. I'm not saying that everything needs to be boring, but when it is time for a verse or an intricate rapped chorus, it needs quite a particular sound in the rhythm and groove played to it. That even goes for the playing of the drums. Some drummers just don't really have a sense of their drum voice. A lot of the drums on my album are live, but they are not traditionally live-sounding drums. The drums are tuned in a way that compliments the tones of the vocals. It is quite hard putting a live band together for my project. But you know, in some way, we get through it.

FIN.