SPOOKS
As Joe Davis is keen to point out "the boarders are the show and were just the soundtrack". Spooks alongside Run DMC and Mark B & Blade are providing the soundtrack for Totally Board at Castlefield Arena. World class athletes from the world of Snowboarding and Skate Boarding are the main events at what is become an essential date in anyone's calender. We caught up with Joe Davis and Ming-Xia to get the low-down on the Spooks vibe and to find out where hip-hop can go after the events of September 11th.
Q: There's a sense of mystery about Spooks. You like
to keep your background and your past to yourself.
Joe D: Its funny because some people think that
we planned it that way. We just don't talk about geographic locations because
were all from different places and lifestyles. People when they know where
your from tend to have an idea of how you'll sound before they even heard
you so we just pretty much put the music first - anything after that is
up to you!!!
Q: But to people to know where you're going surely
they have to know where you've come from?
Joe D: We come from hip-hop!!! Its just a freeform
expression of music with attitude - thats what we do!!! Were influenced
as hip-hoppers are by all types of music. We all have different musical
taste's within the group and you'd be surprised what spooks are into musically.
Q: Who was it that got you into music or more specifically
hip-hop?
Joe D: My neighbourhood. Its how I grew up. On
the streets, DJ's coming out with a set. That's how I was introduced to
it, Joe Davis, Booker T was introduced the same well. Ming-Xia has a very
different introduction....
Ming X: ...of course hip-hop has always been around,
just growing up and listening to it in your neighbourhood. I grew up on
rock though and it wasn't until high school and Wu Tang that I was converted
into hip-hop mania. After that my eyes were open.
Q: You seemingly came from nowhere and suddenly "Things
I've Seen" was everywhere.Were you surprised about your success in the
UK?
Joe D: It was seemingly overnight but we planned
everything. We heard about the Uk and how hard they are on music...what
they expect and everything...and we were like well we have something for
them. It might look that it happenned over night but it took a long time.
Ming X: There is a lot under the surface that
people just don't see. It really took a long time and it was a lot of hard
work on everybody's part.
Q: You actually started way back in 1994. How has your
sound developed over the years?
Joe D: It has evolved and we feel it's evolved
for the better. We've learnt things, absorbed things and were reapplying
them all the time.
Ming X: Originally Spooks was about 11 members
and it got fizzled down to 6. Our music changed of course over the years.
We had a lot of bad experiences and got burnt by a lot of people and you
grow and learn from it.
Q: There's quite a strange situation in the UK where
American hip-hop artists are accepted like family but our own home-grown
talent can't break through. Any idea why?
Joe D: Well we've gotta work on that because people
hold so much against you cos' of your address. Just do your best and be
truthfull to what your doing. I think the time will come for someone from
a region you haven't heard shine...that person is probably on there way,
all they gotta do it change there address.
Q: You've had the two singles out now. I wouldn't say
that they represented the album. I mean, the albums a hell of a lot darker
Joe D: There's different moods on the album and
that's how we were feeling at the time. No two songs are alike although
the single's might suggest that. We like to say the album is like a light
darkness or a black flash - yer know some people hear a song and are like
"this is so dark" and other people will hear the same track and think its
really light. Its up to the listener. You write a poem and you don't explain
it - that's how we leave it.
Q: Lyrically you're different from a lot of the other
hip-hop acts around.
Ming X: There's so many topics you can talk about
and we like to touch on certain things and take a slightly different approach
than I guess the average hip-hop act would. There's only so much
you say about certain topics before it gets to the point about should you
say it all.
Q: I think with Spooks you can take them on two levels
- simply as a good pop tune or take it deeper. No disrespect to his past
but I don't think you can say that about Dr Dre in the year 2001.
Joe D: You can take it deeper. Dr Dre is respected
in all circles of hip-hop from the underground to the crossover and even
through to pop because of his accomplishments. So even if his songs are
pop songs you can look at it another way - it could be social commentary
too. Just look at where he comes from, NWA, need I say anything else!!!
When they first came out you stood back and you look at it now and it really
is social commentary.
Even now Dre is more comfortable and relaxed now and his songs may be about fun and partying but once in a while he'll remind us that you can't fuck with him!!!
Q: There's been a lot of talk about hip-hop having
to change since the events of September 11th. On one hand you've got people
saying you can't make another gangster rap record and on the other hand
you've got Dre recording a song called "Kill Bin Laden". Which way do you
think hip-hop's going to go?
Joe D: You're going to hear a lot of different
sides of people's opinions musically. Some people are going to make a lot
of freedom songs and stay strong, other people are going to have songs
saying "fuck Bin Laden" and you may even hear a song about "Lets look at
ourselves".
This incident didn't just happen out of the blue. It may be in retaliation for all that we've done and you need to know more. Music is probably going to show you a lot of view points about where we are in cureent events. Spooks and other bands like Spooks have been giving you viewpoints about whats going on before that event.
Maybe people who have waken up now and going to start
thinking about what they say. As far as whats going on - we've already
been rhyming about what going on so its not going to be anew thing
to talk about the happennings around the world. We may have a song or two
about the recent events because we really want to represent hip-hop properley.
Q: Bringing it back to today. Were here at the Nokia
Totally Board event in Manchester - Snowboarders / Skaters - they've always
been intertwined with hip-hop. Why do you think they sit so perfectly side
by side?
Joe D: Its a good marriage. Its freeflowing, a lot of
attitude and a lot of energy and thats what they need. I mean the boarders
are the show today and were just providing the soundtrack.
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