Drum n' Bass could very well be considered a "child of Hip-Hop," for the very simple fact that it shares a lot of the same traits that Hip-Hop has to offer: immaculate production, hard hitting drums, deep bass, funk or even a simple breakbeat. James Brown would've been proud. HoChi & the Tekdbz crew have been synonymous with this genre of underground music, but he's definitely no stranger to Hip-Hop. He's established himself amongst some of rap's greats, from 50 Cent & G-Unit, to Killah Priest of Wu-Tang. He's also done production for Tony Yayo's "Thoughts of a Predicate Felon DVD" as well as "XXL DVD Magazine." Alongside his Tekdbz Army, which includes artists Infiltrata, DJ Craze (yes, the one and only DJ Craze), Photek (the Boss) and Hip-Hop/D n' B MC's Armani Reign & Sharpness (aka Mental Sharp); the crew promises to bring nothing but groundbreaking, groundshaking heat for the streets. Don't forget to check out the two free mixes available for download after the jump.
What's good with you HoChi? How you livin'?
Good man, can't complain For those unfamiliar with HoChi, Killahertz and the Tekdbz sound, could you break it down for the people?
TEKDBZ is hybird, 21st century urban sound. If there's a sound that's hot on the street we try to absorb it into what we are doing. We are fans of music first and foremost.
Would you consider the Tekdbz camp & sound more of a movement? If so, what are you trying to bring to the masses?
I would say it is a movement. Our collective group got into drum n' bass because of the potential we saw in it. In recent years we have all sort of come to the realisation that on its current path it will never reach its potential. We decided to take what we like best from it and other sounds and create a sound unique to us. Thats the idea behind TEKDBZ. Photek is known as a key figure, as well as an icon in the drum n' bass scene. I'd go on a limb to say he is the "Dr. Dre" of d n' b (sonically speaking). How did you link up with him & what is it like working with him? Is he a big influence on your sound?
I met him by sending demos around. He was toying with the idea of starting a new label at the time. When we met him and Mental Sharp it was sort of an epiphany. All of our ideas just clicked and it's been family ever since.
I read awhile back in an interview that Photek is working on a Hip-Hop project. Care to shed some light on that? Will we be seeing any Hip-Hop collaborations between the two of you?
Photek is a musician first and foremost so he's always working on music. It could be working on music for TV, on the radio, U2, Trent Reznor, or he might send me a hip hop beat he made just for fun. The specific projects we are working on together are TEKDBZ:Ammo and Form & Function Volume 2. He is also producing for all sorts of artists, as well as a rock album.
Drum n' Bass seems to pull a lot of influences from other genres of music, from funk, soul & reggae, to ALOT of Hip-Hop. Do you think this makes it easier for people unbeknownst to drum n' bass to get into it?
I think there's lots of things in d n' b that are appealing to all sorts of people (who doesn't like HUGE bass?). The main problem is that it's almost totally devoid of content. Most of the songs are completely frivolous and working like sound design, than music. I think the average listener finds it exciting and interesting at a club or a rave when they are faded but would not consider listening to it outside of that. I think that most people who really 'get in' to it are more interested in the social or cultural part of it (i.e. the scene) then in the music at this point. This could be a reason why its so stagnate.
You've lent your hands in various high profile projects, such as production & post-production for G-Unit, XXL Magazine as well as a couple of indie films. How did all this come about?
Music for me is always what I find fund, interesting or challenging. I got into all these areas looking for something new. Glue Boys is an independent movie I scored with Photek (www.glueboys.com) about Glue Addiction in African orphanages, and the companies who profit it from it. It was cool to use my creativity for something more then just entertaining people and I found it really rewarding.
What's it like to work for Mr. G-Unit himself? Do you get all the exclusives?
(Laughs) I do get to hear some cuts earlier if they are part of the DVD I am working on, but it's not like Im Whoo Kid or something. While on the subject of Hip-Hop, what do you think of the current state of the music? What new artists are you feeling?
I am really into raw music right now. What I like are artists who have sort of stumbled onto music without thinking to hard about how or why they do it. Thats getting harder and harder to find. I am still loving the Hyphy sound; Turf Talk, Thizz Ent, E-feezy. I am into a lot of the grime that I hear through The One. I follow producers more than artists. Polow (Da Don), Rick Rock, Danjah Hands.
You've played at the House of Blues with the whole Tekdbz crew, alongside Hip-Hop legend, Blast Master KRS-One. How was that experience, & how did this all fall into place? Will we be seeing any possible future collaborations with Mr. Boogie Down Bronx?
We were looking for an MC who had the talent to fit into to a new sound. We had all heard the KRS collaboration with Goldie 'Digital' and thought he would be perfect. He is the consumate entertainer and it's nice to see someone with that much skill and experience command a crowd. If I had a track he would sound right on, I would definitely consider doing something with him.
You're also an engineer, so you sort of have an upperhand at being a producer. What exactly does an engineer do, as opposed to just being a producer?
An engineer is part of the production process and his role should be to clear any sonic hurdles that would interfere with the artist giving the best quality 'snapshot' of his music to the listener. Besides your upcoming projects & releases for Tekdbz, what else can we expect from you in the near future?
I am always working with various artists. I have done tracks with Joel Ortiz, Mental Sharp, Messinian and a bunch of others lately. I want to collaborate with the One on grime tracks soon, and I am working with a Socal Outfit called WEAPONZ who are doing a sort of rock/hip hop/dnb hybrid. It's hot shit! We recorded live drums, bass, and guitar for a bunch of things lately and it changed my whole perspective. We're going to showcase your mix (Heat Volume 2 with The One), along with the new Mental Sharp mixtape. What can people unfamiliar with drum n' bass expect? (note: there is a very big Hip-Hop influence throughout the mix. See if you can spot them).
If I did my job correctly you will think this sounds like 21st century Hip-Hop, and you will like it.
What exactly is "Grime," and is it getting a lot of attention here in the states?
Grime is another dance/Hip-Hop hybrid. They fused the best of Hip-Hop/2 step/and house together to make something new for MC's. It's incredible. What I don't like is the white-washing I see going on where people are trying to take the grime sound and remove 'the street' from it.
Before we leave here, where can people go to hear more of your work? & would you like to give any special shout-outs?
I do a bi-weekly radio show on XM (soon to be Sirius/XM) called TEKDBZ radio. We feature hosts from the entire TEKDBZ universe. If you don't have XM you can check the podcast on the ITUNES store (search TEKDBZ) or at www.tekdbz.com and myspace.com/TEKDBZ. I just want to shout out the TEKDBZ familia and all the fans and crew. It's never easy to start something new, but the rewards are unlimited.
Check out a couple of HoChi's mixtapes right here at Certified Hip Hop