Dutch Uncles

Dutch Uncles’ fondness for irregular time signatures has earned them a reputation for intellectualism, like a highbrow brand of indie bearing the smarts of math-rock while carrying the crystalline torch of disco. On their third album Out of Touch in the Wild, the Manchester band have practically mastered that peculiar approach to pop, affording them the stability needed to cultivate a new motif: Pitting the polished against the seedy.

Carmen Villain

Carmen Villain is a stunning beauty of Norwegian and Mexican heritage who spent a decade modeling for top designers and posing on magazine covers before she decided to leave that world and pick up a guitar. The sounds that came out of that guitar were fractured and intense, a corrupted take on the blues that expresses not sadness but the swirling weirdness of the mind. Her first album, Sleeper, was released this March, featuring Carmen herself playing almost all the instruments. Purposefully a bit off-kilter and rough around the edges, the record creates this very rich, very complete sonic world that sucks you in right away.

Ryan Hemsworth

Journalist-turned-beatsmith, Ryan Hemsworth has been making music that swims in the same ethereal waters as some of today’s most sought-after hip-hop producers. Brought up in Nova Scotia, Canada, Hemsworth started producing electronic music during university, after a brief affiliation with guitar music – rock, to be precise. Since switching to his laptop, his production skills have been in high demand.

Tigerlight

Growing up between Helsinki, Berlin and London, Tigerlight has juggled roles within the media. Not only is she a singer, DJ and producer, but she also writes weekly comedy sketches for Crissy Criss’ D&B show on BBC Radio 1Xtra. Then there’s her work as a backing vocalist for The X Factor, and Britain’s Got Talent, where she supported Beyoncé, Robbie Williams and Westlife, no less. Despite spreading her talents with quite a few DJs from across this latest wave of dubstep – including Document One, Far Too Loud and Dodge & Fuski – perhaps her most favored producer has been High Rankin, with whom she has recorded numerous tracks.

A K U A

The video for “Gravity” is the perfect visual encapsulation of the aquatic suspension you feel from listening to A K U A’s harmonies. The R&B singer from Montreal is in character as a fish-tailed siren of the sea being coveted by admirers. The gently gargling beats in her production enhance the aquatic theme, but instead of lulling you to a gentle slumber, you become buoyed by a mixture of seduction and heartache. A K U A writes her own material and co-produces her music with Andy Bauer of Twin Shadow and Martin Rodriguez.

In the depths of south east London stands firm one of the scene’s leading newbies, who flows under the moniker of Merky Ace. His deep, dark, personal rhymes, aggressive delivery, strong work ethic and persistency played a major part in tastemakers giving the 10-year-old genre another chance, some even treating it as though it were a newborn. Not one to water his sound down for a pound, Merky Ace has continued to deliver solid, screwface-inducing grime material guaranteed to make even the most reserved character draw for their gun fingers, which is one of the many reasons why he truly deserves his crown as the new prince of grime.

How would you describe a Merky Ace listening experience to an inquiring mind?

Well, it’s an authentic street sound. Everything that I usually put out is hard-hitting and full of bass. I’ve been spitting for a while now, so it’s at a professional level but is still grimey as fuck! My aim is to get people moving, really. I’m all about the energy, and I express that through my music on many different scales. Talking’s all well and good but, to get a proper picture of what I do, your best bet is to actually listen.

And as an inspiring grime MC, which artists made an impression on you?

I grew up listening to a lot of music coming out the early grime scene, as well as garage rap and early dubstep. The main artists out of those were MCs like Dizzee Rascal, Esco, Newham Generals, R.A, Essentials, and M.I.K. Producer-wise, I was into a lot of Skream, S.K.I.T.Z Beatz, Plastician and other UK producers on the underground circuit. Dizzee really caught my attention, though, as he was one of the first to really take grime to a higher level – I’d always hear him on radio tearing up sets. R.A, Essentials and M.I.K are all from south London, so I heard them naturally as they were doing a lot for grime in the local area. They were always on stations such as Flashback, and On Top – which were big at the time. I heard a lot of the other stuff through stations like Rinse FM and De Ja Vu. Pirate radio was a big avenue in the UK, and a lot of the artists who have come up through the ranks today made it through getting coverage from there and tearing up raves. I’ve always been into the greazier, darker stuff and I guess they just appealed to me the most.

When I listen to your music, it’s clear that wear your emotions on your sleeve – which is what grime music was initially built on: a youngster living in an inner-city, pouring their heart out over gritty beats – but I personally think a lot of MCs have lost that. What do you hope people take away from your music?

I hope people take away a picture of me. I like to get personal a lot of the time through my bars so that people who might not know me can get an idea of what I’m like, no matter my subject matter may be. I also aim to teach people what it’s like where I’m from, and what I’ve witnessed growing up. I only make music I like, so I hope people get a taste of what I’m into and what gets me bopping my head [laughs].

For a fairly new member of the grime scene, you’ve released quite a lot of material. But what has been your favorite release so far, and why?

My favorite track would have to be the intro to my CD, All Or Nothing. The track itself is very hard-hitting and bassy, but has a more mellow feel to it in comparison to my other tracks. Every time I listen to the CD, I find it hard to listen to that track without rewinding it over and over [laughs]. My favorite EP would have to be Catch Up, for the simple fact that it was more like a mini mixtape. It was ten tracks strong, with all of the big tracks of mine that were floating about at the time – including the title track, “Catch Up,” which has done a lot for me, in terms of putting me in different places due to its support from the likes of Baauer last year. I must give a special mention to my debut mixtape, Blue Battlefield, as that was what really got things in gear for me.

What are your thoughts on grime’s current state? Like, is there anything that you would change about it?

I reckon it’s changed a lot, actually. The sounds evolved a lot, and it has become more professional. A lot of the stuff sounded samey before, but the sound has more range now, and can appeal to different people – depending on the type of artist you are. And the productions have gone up several levels, compared to the older stuff. People still appreciate the old beats, though, because they defined the scene. Personally, I wouldn’t change anything. I like the direction it’s gone.

There’s a big buzz around your new project, All Or Nothing – which must be exciting for you. What will it give to your fans that they don’t already have?

The aim behind All Or Nothing was to give people a proper insight into what I do, and who I work with. There aren’t really that many collabs on there, because I wanted people to get to know me and Family Tree better. I spent a lot of time in the studio getting it to the level I wanted it, and I made sure that I was happy with everything. It covers all the types of sounds I’m into right now and will appeal to fans of my older stuff, but also new audiences because it ranges from different styles in each track. After All Or Nothing comes my next CD, Play Your Position. That one has more collabs and gives people a chance to see who I’m working with and rating. I took it up a notch on the production side of things, too. I kept it mostly in-house, with a lot more tracks made by Family Tree producers, Faze Miyake, Splurt Diablo and Jack Mason – who are all on top form right now. It’s one to look out for, as well as the Family Tree CD, which is also out this year.

All Or Nothing is out on May 27 via No Hats No Hoods.

If this mantra is already close to your heart, you might want to skip to the next paragraph. If not, you should know that this phrase made a significant cultural imprint on the world after it was first performed by the seminal English punk band X-Ray Spex in 1977. Lead singer Poly Styrene’s holler “Oh bondage! Up yours!” grew into a feminist rallying cry and she is considered a godmother to the Riot grrrl movement of the 1990s. Poly Styrene and X-Ray Spex were firmly anti-consumerist and anti-capitalist and in their later years participated in charity works for causes such as refugees and ending racism.

Sadly Poly Styrene passed away from breast and spinal cancer in 2011. But her philanthropic spirit will live on at the X-ReSpects: X-Ray Spex Tribute concert on Sunday June 30th at Webster Hall in New York City. The Shivering Brigade, The Suzan, and Militia will be performing songs from X-Ray Spex’ 1978 album Germ Free Adolescents. Contributions will benefit War Child, an organization that “helps rebuild war-affected communities to provide the support necessary for children to experience a stable childhood.” The concert continues the work started in the album Rebel on the Underground: A Tribute to X-Ray Spex put out on Permanent Wave Records last year, with proceeds benefiting Sweet Relief Musicians Fund.

Where She’s From: Montreal, Canada

Genre: R&B, Soul

For Fans Of: Jessie Ware, Tawiah

Sounds Like: Ethereal soul for rainy days or nightswimming

The video for “Gravity” is the perfect visual encapsulation of the aquatic suspension you feel from listening to A K U A’s harmonies. The R&B singer from Montreal is in character as a fish-tailed siren of the sea being coveted by admirers. The gently gargling beats in her production enhance the aquatic theme, but instead of lulling you to a gentle slumber, you become buoyed by a mixture of seduction and heartache.

Another one of her singles, “Told You So,” reflects the same vaguely trip-hoppy production and flowy vocals. A K U A writes her own material and co-produces her music with Andy Bauer of Twin Shadow and Martin Rodriguez.  Her first EP One’s Company will be released on June 4th. We’ll definitely be watching out for it.

It’s eve of Club 8’s eighth album release, Above the City, and Johan Angergård is contemplating his musical hero, Morrissey. Having just released his first protest song, the pro-vegetarian ballad, “Kill Kill Kill,” it seems inevitable that the ex-Smiths frontman will come knocking any day. Right?

“We can do a duet or something,” Angergård jokes. “I can produce the next Morrissey album. He needs a new producer! He needs me more than I need him.”

The Swedish songwriter/multi-instrumentalist (who also performs as part of Acid House Kings, Pallers, and The Legends) isn’t prepared to go to the same lengths as Morrissey (who once famously remarked at a festival, “I can smell burning flesh … and I hope to God it’s human.”) when it comes promoting his beliefs. But he does hope that the “Kill Kill Kill,” and its accompanying video featuring scenes of animals waiting to be slaughtered, will make people question their dietary choices.

“I don’t think it’s realistic to change people, that all of a sudden they’ll stop eating meat,” he muses. “But I think it’s realistic that they will eat a little bit less meat, maybe. I don’t think anyone thinks that animals, the way that they’re treated, is natural. Because it’s not.”

After working with producer Jari Haapalainen (The Concretes, Camera Obscura, Ed Harcourt) on 2010’s Afrobeat inspired The People’s Record, Angergård reclaimed his position behind the mixing desk for Above the City. Alongside singer Karolina Komstedt, he created an album that plays like a mixtape of influences, filled driving pop anthems, 1980s-influenced dance beats, down-tempo ballads, and the occasional instrumental interlude. But being in full control of the final product brought out his love of minutia, resulting in a nearly three-year album gestation period.

“It’s easy to become a perfectionist,” he says ruefully. “You know if the song sounds a particular way, you can directly see what you need to do with it to make it sound even better. But if someone else produces the song and they say it’s finished, you accept it.”

The album covers some familiar thematic territory for the duo, recognizing the bucolic beauty of day-to-day existence while simultaneously longing for an escape. While “Kill Kill Kill” is the only political song on the album, Angergård admits activism is something he’s becoming increasingly interested in. He compares much of the political movements in his home country to an episode of his favorite TV show South Park, where people are too blind to see the hypocrisy of their own actions.

But how to motivate people? Uninterested in turning his music into a soapbox, Angergård considers the question, eventually tossing out the idea of creating a new political party.

“What the party should maximize is the happiness of people,” he muses, “It sounds like a hippy idea, but I think do believe that it’s more important to be happy than to be rich. I think it’s strange that no one has started a party like that.”

Political salvation non-forthcoming, Angergård admit he’s left waiting. What for, he’s not sure.  It’s a theme, he says, that colors both his life and art.

“I think I’m always longing for something bigger and more important,” he ponders. “Someone to expand life and make it big and important and change everything. Death is always hanging over me. I don’t see any salvation to that problem, so far. I guess I’m still waiting for that to happen. I think my anxiety is not death, I think it’s eternity. Being alive forever is perhaps almost as terrifying as being dead forever.”

After years of being a fan of Jamaican style and riddims, but never focusing exclusively on it, he’s recently released his first dancehall EP, Inna Style N Fashion, on Mixpak Records. He also did a promotional mix for the EP for Large Up, which dives into the older sounds of dancehall that he gets some of his inspiration from:

The EP features his beats accompanied by vocals from rising stars Kantana, Kari Jess, Keida, and Cee Gee. We caught up with Douster over a transatlantic phone call and talked about the EP, his shifting influences, and more:

How long have you wanted to do a dancehall record?
For a while. Actually, the riddims that were used for this EP are maybe two or three years old. I happen to do dancehall riddims and rap instrumentals all the time, but I don’t really do anything with them. When Dre Skull told me that maybe he could find some vocalists for them, I was pretty happy.

Did you have any previous connection with the vocalists?
No, not really. I’ve never met them actually and I’ve never been to Jamaica, but I definitely want to go and cut some things out there. For this EP, we just worked through the internet. It works, but it’s not the most fun way to do music, I think.

Do you like what some of the Jamaican artists were able to do with your riddims?
Yes, definitely. I was quite surprised because they did very good vocals. They aren’t really well known artists. Kantana and Cee Gee—they write songs and lyrics for Beenie Man but they don’t usually sing. They delivered good lyrics and a good flow. I really liked what every single artist got done with the riddims. I couldn’t have asked or expected anything better.

Image Courtesy of the Artist

Tell me a little bit about the artwork.
The artwork is from a friend of mine called Cool Carliff. I wanted something in a Wilfred Limonius style. Do you know him? He did the artwork for reggae and dancehall artists in the ’70s to ’80s. They were like comic book drawings, but within club situations or in the streets or Space Invaders or things like that. My friend does kind of the same kind of drawings, but maybe more street art-based with a lot of different characters, like dogs and cats. I asked him if he could do comic book-like stuff for the EP and he really liked Limonius’ stuff too, so he was pretty happy to do it.

You’ve been known to wear flamboyant clothes. Did dancehall’s fashions inspire Inna Style N Fashion?
I don’t know. I had to come up with a name. It’s just something that old DJs in dancehall said. I’m French, so I don’t know what it really means, but I guess it’s about how they would dress fresh and in tight clothes when they would go out. Like when you see ’80s and ’90s dancehall videos, they have super crazy styles.

I’ve seen a lot of photos where you’ve also worn lots of prints and patterns.
I used to. I still do, I guess. I’m kind of a simple guy, but I do like pretty things and pretty patterns with geometric colors.

Are you still influenced by African culture?
Not really. I’ve gone back to a more classic house music like Chicago house from the ’90s, but in a fun way. Sometimes you could say that I’m using African or Caribbean riddims, but those are just riddims that are used in different parts of the world. I don’t really use those instruments as much in my productions right now.

What about cumbia?
Ooh, I still love cumbia. I actually did a real cumbia villera remix for Fauna, the band from Argentina. It’s called “Comemelon.” So, yeah, I still do that kind of stuff for fun on the side.

What do you think are the personal things that you bring to your sound?
Most of the time, I feel like there’s not much fun in music nowadays. It’s either cheesy EDM or serious types of house. There’s nothing in between to have fun and not act too important.

What’s your next move?
Doing a live set with more electronics to hopefully get rid of the computer.  I tried it once with a laptop and controllers and a TB-303, so it’s kind of focused on acid house at the moment. It worked pretty well, but still I don’t feel like I have that much liberty, so I’d like to adopt it a bit. I want to have more of a live set and just record what I do, like classic house with a fun twist on it.

Where She’s From: Helsinki via Berlin and London

When She Started: 2010

Genre: Soul, D&B, dubstep

For Fans Of: Ayah Marah, Alex Clare

Sounds Like: A muse for modern dubstep

The concept of dubstep without a vocalist was set loose quite a while back. Once revered as a strictly instrumental genre, recent years have seen a snowballing number of elements being pick-pocketed from mainstream culture and interpreted through a dubstep filter. Tigerlight is one of the female voices that can regularly be found atop an electronic beat.

Growing up between Helsinki, Berlin and London, the petite la femme has juggled roles within the media. Not only is she a singer, DJ and producer, but she also writes weekly comedy sketches for Crissy Criss’ D&B show on BBC Radio 1Xtra, and has a clients in Buena Vista, The European Court Of Justice and Nokia, among others. Then there’s her work as a backing vocalist for The X Factor, and Britain’s Got Talent, where she supported Beyoncé, Robbie Williams and Westlife, no less. Not a bad curriculum vitae to be waving in front of potential employers.

Despite spreading her talents with quite a few DJs from across this latest wave of dubstep – including Document One, Far Too Loud and Dodge & Fuski – perhaps her most favored producer has been High Rankin, with whom she has recorded numerous tracks. Tigerlight is currently brewing up her solo EP within her own studio space in Berlin, which is set for release later this year.

—Words by Errol Anderson

Control is one of our edgier songs and it is meant to be “in your face” with a touch of rebellious. It depicts the decision of a person to take the reigns of his own destiny even if he has no idea how to navigate the sea of life. He can feel life within him, and that’s all he needs.

Watch for the release of their debut EP this summer.

Light Asylum/Photo courtesy of the artist

Words by Laura Studarus

Today is World Goth Day! (It is also Morrissey’s birthday; a fact that we have chosen to pretend is more than a happy coincidence.) A celebration of all things dark, witchy, and morose, the celebration marks an opportunity for Goths to proudly emerge into the sunlight, raise their heads high, and declare, “Damn it, why don’t they make an SPF higher than 100?”

Zola Jesus: Goth doesn't have to come in black.

From classic Goth ringleaders such as The Cure, Bauhaus, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Joy Division, to newer darkness-embracing acts such as             IO Echo, Lacuna Coil, and These New Puritans, music has always been a large part of the subculture. But entering the fray, which features bands such as Alien Sex Fiend, Love Like Blood, and Sex Gang Children, can be intimidating to the uninitiated.So what’s a non-goth to do? Are we destined to carry the torch of true angst in the shadow of a Hot Topic?

In honor of the day’s celebrations, we’ve compiled an introductory list to demi-goth bands. You probably won’t hear (many) of these at your local bat-friendly watering hole, but for those looking to add a touch (or bucket load) of black eyeliner to their playlists, this is a good place to start. Did we miss someone teetering on the brink of darkness? Let us know who will be on your day’s soundtrack in the comments.

Big Black Delta

Big Black Delta (a.k.a. Jon Bates) is on a one-man mission to paint dance music black. Full of oppressive beats (made live by two dueling drummers) and ghostly vocoders, his debut album is as shadowy as a Los Angeles street an hour after last call. But underneath the wild man exterior is a giddy kid, living out his dream with every note.

Goth ranking: 2/5 skulls. But don’t worry, hefuckinglovesyou anyway.

Other Los Angeles art bands: OOFJ, White Sea, Houses

Fever Ray

Childhood is a time of discovery, joy, and a haunted lack of understanding about the world around you. Dressing herself up as a character that could go bump in the night, Karin Dreijer Andersson captured that sense of impossible darkness in her 2009 album, Fever Ray. Full of down pitched vocals, sparse arrangements, and lyrics inspired by her own children, it’s a ghostly ride meant to unsettle with sincerity. Even after peeling back the paint and theatrics, it’s clear that Andersson understands goth on an elemental level. As if the last Knife album left us doubting that.

Goth ranking: 4/5 skulls. Just don’t look under your bed while listening.

Other theatrical females: Bat for Lashes, Florence & The Machine, Karin Park

Gold & Youth

Canadian four-piece Gold & Youth borrow from the great dark electro traditions of New Order/Joy Division. Which is perfect because who doesn’t want to wander the streets with a latter-day version of “Temptation” looping through their ear buds?

Goth ranking: 1.5/5 skulls. Beyond Wilderness has some nice moments of darkness, but Gold & Youth seem to have more on their mind than pure mope. You’d be better off heading to the indie disco instead.

More retro-leaning electronics: Radio Dept., Chromatics, The xx

LIFE & LIMB

LIFE & LIMB splits its members between Italy and New York, and its tone between phantom electronics and droning. Song titles include “Ghostly Incantations.” “Before Flame and Flood” and “Cage Seeks Bird.” It’s not likely to play at your favorite Darkwave club, but it’ll do nicely for a night in.

Goth ranking: 3.25/5 skulls. Let’s face it, our favorite goth acts all hit during the 1980s—and LIFE & LIMB knows that decade inside and out.

Other dream soundtracks: Letting Up Despite Great Faults, Blonde Redhead

Light Asylum

Brooklyn band Light Asylum describes themselves as “Dance Macabre.” Singer Shannon Funchess growls songs such as “Sins of the Flesh” like a woman possessed. They count Depeche Mode and Bauhaus among their influences. Do we need to spell it out for you?

Goth ranking: 5/5 skulls. (duh.)

More doom dance: Hercules & Love Affair, TRUST, Róisín Murphy

Museum of Bellas Artes

This is a tricky one. At first, Stockholm’s Museum of Bellas Artes’s style of ethereal pop seems to mesh better with the likes of Still Corners or Beach House. But upon closer listen, they exude a type of darkness known as “pink goth.” As described by author Sarah Vowell, people truly adept at exuding gloominess can do so even when wearing the brightest of hues—or when their music includes a sugar-voiced soprano.

Goth ranking: 2.25/5 skulls. The band just signed with Line of Best Fit Recordings, so this rating could rise with the release of their full-length later this year.

Darker ethereal sound collagists to check out: Maria Minerva, LA Vampires, Blouse

S.C.U.M

If the pounding drums, legions of keys, and Thomas Cohen’s bastard Bowie voice aren’t enough, consider this: the origins of their name come from a radical feminist manifesto, written by the woman who shot Andy Warhol. Now that’s twisted.

Goth ranking: 3.75/5 skulls. Are they glam? Are they Goth? Is there peanut butter in my chocolate or chocolate in my peanut butter? The world may never know for sure, since S.C.U.M called it a day after one album.

Other Glam mopers: The Horrors, TOY, Cat’s Eyes

Siekiera

Siekiera create the soundtrack for when it’s all going wrong. Think: 1980s-style punk performed in the black of night. ‘Cause sometimes we all need to head bang it out, right?

Goth ranking: 3.5/5 skulls. Something’s clearly foul in the state of Poland.

Other Polish semi-Goths: Hatifnats, Siekiera, Armia, Collage

Tamaryn

Over the course of two albums, New Zealand-born vocalist Tamaryn and collaborator Rex John Shelverton have wandered increasingly further into desolate shoegaze territory. This is music for when you simply want to walk away from it all without a trace. Hopelessness never sounded so stunning.

Goth ranking: 2.75/5 Skulls.

More abstracted beauty: Blue Hawaii, Still Corners, Young Prisms

Zola Jesus

Ask the theatrical songstress about the term “Goth” in an interview and she’s likely to clench her jaw and politely change the subject. But despite her desire to avoid calling a spade a space (or a bat a bat) the evidence isn’t exactly in her favor. From her stage name (born Nika Rosa Danilova, she went anti-establishment, picking a moniker likely to raise the ire of French lit fans and Christians alike), to song lyrics, to her visual aesthetic, the operatic pop singer lives her life in a darker shade of pale. Even her cover of Rihanna’s “Diamonds” isn’t without an otherworldly glimmer. Add it all up, and Danilova embodies the Siouxsie Sioux comparisons that circle her music like so much kohl eye makeup—even as her denials stretch heavenward.

Goth ranking: 5/5 skulls. And a bat. Just because. (Doubters, please refer to her 2010 joint EP with LA Vampires)

Other ladies with big voices: Faye, Kate Boy, Niki & the Dove

Summer 2013 Tour
June 8: Uppsala, Sweden @ Volt Festival
June 11: Lisbon, Portugal @ ZBD
June 15: Barcelona, Spain @ Sonar Festival
July 11: New York, USA @ MoMA PS1
August 2: London, UK @ Deviation, XOYO
August 4: Katowice, Poland @ Off Festival
August 9: Oslo, Norway @ Øya Festival

The full album stream for Music for Mothers is available today. Check out how he chops up alien synth lines and stuttering rhythms to create otherworldly electronica worthy of any momma’s praise.

Where He’s From: Nova Scotia, Canada

When He Started: 2009

Genre: Electronic-based hip-hop

For Fans Of: Clams Casino, Evian Christ

Sounds Like: Twilight electronica, swigged with a hip-hop-shaped codeine tablet 

Journalist-turned-beatsmith, Ryan Hemsworth has been making music that swims in the same ethereal waters as some of today’s most sought-after hip-hop producers. Brought up in Nova Scotia, Canada, Hemsworth started producing electronic music during university, after a brief affiliation with guitar music – rock, to be precise.

Since switching to his laptop, his production skills have been in high demand. Without allowing genre boundaries to limit him, he flirts between both hip-hop and electronic music – a divide which, in recent years, has become smaller and smaller due to the emergence of trap music. Hemsworth had his first breakthrough in February 2012, when his melancholic, starry-eyed rejig of Grimes’ “Genesis” thrusted him into the limelight and made him a subject of much buzz and exposure.

A series of captivating one-off remixes surrounded the release of two original EPs, Kitsch Genius and Last Words, and earned him an opening slot on Daedelus’ tour. Since then, he has done remix work for the likes of Frank Ocean, Lianne La Havas, and Main Attrakionz, while intermittently unleashing his own original productions into the social media tumble dryer.

—Words by Errol Anderson

But wait a second! It sure looks like Gandhi is still releasing music. In April, he put up a collection of tracks on his Bandcamp page called Unreleased Freestlyes + Other Bad Song Ideas, which he says he’s selling to help finance the mixing and mastering of his debut album, which he recorded before deciding to retire. He plans to release it later this year in his final rap move. Then he’s going to go back to focusing on college, where he’s studying to become a pharmacist.

This sucks, because Big Baby Gandhi is really good and extremely smart and one of the best people talking about race and gentrification and stuff while still being hilarious. But a guy has got to do what a guy has to do.

We talked to Gandhi on the phone while he was waiting for the bus, and got the full story behind his untimely departure.

Are you the first rapper/pharmacist?

No, I’m not a rapper anymore.

So this retirement, is this for real? Why did you decide to stop rapping?

Basically, I felt like now is the time in my life that I have to make money. I don’t want to be like these other broke underground rappers.  That’s literally it, it’s actually really simple. I don’t want to be that, I want to be someone else.

Big Baby Gandhi (Photo courtesy of the artist)

You know that nobody believes you that you are really leaving music, right?

Basically I had this album done before I decided to retire, so I’m just going to drop it. My goal is to just make beats and not have to do anything in front of the mic. So I’m just trying to promote this album so that people will want beats and I can charge a lot of money for them, and I’ll just be a producer.  Basically, so I can focus on school and try to get a real job, because making beats doesn’t take any effort. Producing is just like being a dude in his basement; he has half an hour so he makes a beat.

So you are tired of having the spotlight on some level?

Nah, it’s not about that, it’s all about the bottom line of trying to make as much money as possible, you know what I mean? For me it’s like, get to a level where I can be not poor, and that’s it. That’s my whole thing, not being poor.

I’m pretty sure being an indie rapper means being poor, that’s true.

Exactly, why would I want to be an indie rapper?  People look at me like I’m crazy and I’m like, “are you serious?” I think I’m the sane person, because I’m very business oriented. I’m not trying to “find myself” or anything. I don’t have that sensitive notion to it, of like, “I need to be loved” or whatever. I just rap because I’m good at it.  Doing anything because you want people to think you are cool is the worst reason in the world to do anything, you gain literally nothing.

Did you find yourself not completely comfortable with the indie-rap scene your music was circulating in?

I don’t know – it’s mostly my fault. I wasn’t being 100 percent real with what kind of thing I wanted to do. I think on the album I’m really rapping 100 percent like myself.  I think certain white people are going to shy away from it. And I think a lot more minorities are going to fuck with it.

What does that mean? What should we expect?

I’m calling the sound “R&B Liquid Swords.” The production is like a young RZA with darker chords, and drums like early, early Just Blaze. The rapping is a like really broke, less talented Jay Z rapping mad aggressively about social issues. Aggressively conscious, like Poor Righteous Teachers. Literally just attacking people.

Huh, that seems bold to me. “Conscious rap” has suffered a bad reputation in recent years, from people who think you have to sound like Talib Kweli or Common to rhyme about politics.

People think that if you have to make a club hit, you have to be mad ignorant on it. It’s not about that. People like what sounds good. They forget that conscious rap, if it sounds good, people will listen to it just as much.

So what else should we expect from the album?

I toned the rhyming down a lot. I wanted to have really understandable rhymes; not trying to go all out with lyrical verses that that don’t mean anything. Before, I was doing a lot of wordplay for no reason. I recorded both of my mixtapes in two weeks, and I just had all these random rhymes in notebooks. I didn’t really realize what went into making an album. Now that that I actually have to put together the whole thing myself, I  see there’s mad work involved in packaging it and all that. I used to just freestyle on beats, and now I’m really learning what rappers are supposed to do.

Photo courtesy of the artist

You talk about Queens a lot in your raps – is Queens the best borough?

If you had to choose a borough, Queens would probably be the best borough, for me. All I need is really good, cheap food and at least one park. We got a lot of libraries too.

Between you, Action Bronson, Heems… seems like a lot of the underground rappers from NYC to get attention recently are from Queens. Coincidence?

I don’t think it’s that interesting, there’s always been rappers from Queens, with the greatest variety of styles. I wish Bronson would rap a real song about Flushing. It doesn’t matter if you are from there if you don’t talk about the people who actually live there. What does it mean to say “I rep Brooklyn” but you don’t say anything about anybody from Brooklyn, you don’t do anything for anybody from Brooklyn. How do you really rep Brooklyn? I represent Queens because I help old ladies across the street and s**t, because I don’t want them to get hurt. I don’t understand these rappers.

In 2003, Jay-Z said he was retiring. Ten years have passed and he’s still putting stuff out. You’re not going to pull that are you?

Nah, I’m sticking with the decision. I just have to release this album to try and make money from it. If I wasn’t, that wouldn’t be keeping it real either. I just want to have some extra money to help me get through school.

Since we’ve been talking about money so much – what would you do with a million dollars?

I’d take half of it to pay off my loans, pay off my parents debt, and buy a house in Bangladesh for my parents to live over there. I’d take the other half to start a small business to help get jobs for urban kids, that’s the idea.