Artista: King Britt · Voto: 0
King Britt for who don’t know him is a music icon in the electronic music. We think that is very restrictive present him in a few words, so we’ve decided to leave all at the interview.
Happy reading!
Dubneo: Hi King. I am really glad to interview you. I have been following you for the last 15 years. you had always been a very eclectic producer, with refined sounds, and a precise mission. And you are a very prolific producer. Let’s begin with your early years. Before becoming a producer, you was a dj; and before that you were a foreign records’ buyer for the Tower Records. They see you are talented and recognize that you have a great knowledge in dance music. Can you tell us something about that experience?
King Britt: Working there really changed my life because I was able to connect with people from around the world easier. We didn’t have internet yet, so it was all landline phone calls and I got to meet everyone from 4Hero to John Aquaviva to Carl Craig via this job.
Dubneo: Many years ago, in the 90’s, you became a dj resident at Silk City in Philadelphia and at Revival. Thanks to these two experiences, people say that dance music around Philly got a new great impulse, and from that period your music started to evolve. You released your first record “Tribal Confusion” for the Scrictly Rhythm, right? Can you tell us something about that?
King Britt: I had been working on demos for a bit and when Strictly and Nervous popped up, I contacted them since I was working at Tower. I then, after building a relationship, sent my demos and Gladys Pizzaro called me right away to sign one of them. I had just met Josh Wink, who wanted to get more into production. So I asked him if he would like to record these songs together. The rest is history!
Dubneo: After that, during the early 90’s, your career has a sharp rise. You go on tour with Digable planets that soon after are going to win a grammy awards as Best rap performance,; then you started your label Owum Recordings, with Josh Wink, and your first release at the time was Supernatural, a great track with Ursula Rucker as vocalist, and that came up a great music success in the States. I think that these were very important experiences. can you tell us something?
King Britt: I mean, it was all like a snowball effect. My intention was to create good music. With that came rewards and fantastic opportunities. The key is to know which opportunities to take. So it all worked out perfectly.
Dubneo: At the end of that decade, a new project came out: D Sylk 130. Your album “When The Funk Hits the Fan” sold at least 500.000 copies. It’s a really high number, especially since you aren’t’ exactly mainstream. At that time there even weren’t all the possibilities that we can have nowadays to be known using the internet. After some years, in the early 2000, you released “Re-Member’s Only”, with the wonderful track ” I cant’ wait”. And then other projects got to life. Why did you give birth to Sylk 130?
King Britt: I was touring with Digable, when i started writing Sylk130. The entire concept spawned from my time with The Planets. I needed to tell my story in album form. I knew so many musicians and artists in Philly, who needed to get out and be heard, so I felt that this project was the perfect remedy! Because Ovum was through Sony, we had an amazing machine and publicist. This is the reason we sold so many worldwide!
Dubneo: In 2003 we have Adventures in Lo Fi, with the London label BBE. You worked with many artists , among which De la soul, Dice Raw and Ivana Santilli, in this new adventure, instead, you felt the need for…
King Britt: I felt the need to do a rawer more hip hop focused project. This was absolutely a joy to do. When I finished Re-Member’s Only, working with Jazzy Jeff and De La, pushed me to do a more complete hip hop project.
Dubneo: In 2006 you changed direction. Your love for techno took you to your work The Nova Dream Sequence”. It’s like you go deeper, like taking light among the darkness. It seems to me that there are certain links between this work and the following one, Fhloston Paradigm. what drove you towards these two projects?
King Britt: I have always loved techno and Detroit vibes. But I wasn’t ready to explore these realms in production until Nova. I then had the tools and ideas to dive into it. Fhloston Paradigm has been a project that I wanted to do for a long time. Its definitely where my hear is. Sci Fi sounds….
Dubneo: Saturn never sleeps was meant to be only something extemporary, to accompany a Sun Ra exposition. then it also became a band, a label, and a fixed monthly appointment. What do you play during those shows ? How is the dj set?
King Britt: SNS is now defunct and over, but when we did it, it was magical. We played live, completely improvisational, bringing in like minded musicians into the arena with us. We never knew what to expect and this is what fueled the energy around the project. It was a great experience and prepared us to continue on our solo paths.
Dubneo: I guess that for a versatile artist like you, some one who writes, produces and plays music, even different genres, getting a prestigious award such as the Pew Fellowship in the Arts for musical composition, is a great satisfaction. I mean, it is a very high achievement.
King Britt: Yes…. to be recognized in this capacity (academia) was a great achievement
Dubneo: Let’s talk about something different now. What do you think about nowadays music ? Do you think that there is some progress in creativity, or that all is at a deadlock? I mean, with electronic music now, from my point of view it seems like we reached a point where everything had been discovered. Do you think that there could be something new or not?
King Britt: Absolutely. It will never end. Now that everyone has access to the tools to create and make music in an affordable manner, more creative and fearless ideas will emerge. This has been going on since technology and music first merged. Its endless what can be done. Cultures clash and traditions clash to make magic
Dubneo: Well, we have finished our interview. I really thank you and wish you any luck for your career. Ciaooo!!!!
King Britt: See you in ROME !!