Preceduto da due uscite su Anticon – “Tape 1 ” e “Tape 2“-, che hanno sorpreso e riempito di aspettative, arriva ora la prova del nove per il trio degli Young Fathers. Infatti in uscita la prossima settimana su Big Dada ecco l´atteso album “DEAD“. I singoli “Low“, “War” e “Get Up” si sono rivelati veri e propri concentrati di stile, urgenza ed innovazione, con questo album i tre giovanissimi Alloysious Massaquoi, Kayus Bankole e ‘G’ Hastings si lanciano in un attacco al cervello al cuore ed alle gambe di chi ascolta. Le loro interviste sono uno specchio della loro musica, li scopri eloquenti eppure guardinghi, la voglia di esprimersi e raccontarsi stemperata da diffidenza e scontrosità tipica di chi sta tirando pugni cercando di raggiungere una meta, una qualunque. DLSO ha accettato la sfida. Ecco il resoconto:
Can you tell to our readers how you all three met and started music together?
In a club. Big bass compressing your eardrums so no point speaking. We were in a rhythm, in a circle dancing to rap songs. 14 and I wanted to dance for so long but couldn’t because there was no one else dancing. Can you imagine how that felt? Fucking good.
You vocal performances are quite stunning, very intense and covering a very broad spectrum of emotions. How did you get to reach this kind of blend? Did it take you a lot of time to reach that result?
We´ve been singing together since we met. Together is the important part. Our voices are our sound. Everything else will always be shifting around them.
Your musical vision seems to be fully formed from day one, from your “Tape 1”. Even if you used familiar rap techniques the tag hip-hop seemed too restrictive for you, and this expecially for an album like “DEAD”. What do you think about it?
We don’t think about it. Thats the difference. Because theres no allegiance to any form it doesn’t come up. Only because we look like a hip hop group and hip hop has become so conservative from the pop side to the “underground”, we get asked these questions. They dont fool us with how much cool capital you have. Your still a fucking sheep. Anyway, “Its only pop music, don’t kill yourself” as our manager says.
You also totally avoid hip hop sonical and stylistic clichés opting for droning organs and almost tribal percussions instead. Do you jam when you compose? Try musical solutions as you go?
I have a problem with the word “Jam”. Reminds me of bad jazz and someone wanking. You gotta get to the point. Quickfast. Otherwise, move on. The balance of it making you think and being dumb enough to keep your attention is vital.
In the way you don´t seem to fear dissonance and noise in yor music, you remind me of Shabazz Palaces (our site interviewed them time ago), with whom you are sometimes compared. Do you know them?
Played with them once in Manchester some time ago.
I know that you supported Simian too, they are very popular in Italy. Is there something that you particularly appreciated about them?
That was when we were younger. They are analog. You hear the difference with them. They got good ears.
If you should point out the differences between “Tape1” and “Tape2” and the forthcoming “DEAD”, what would you tell?
“Tape One” is an outburst. “Tape Two” is the description of why the outburst happened. “DEAD” is too far gone to be anything to do with what came before. We were all uncomfortable at some point. We bled it out because we bleed this. Believe us. We’re fucking serious.
The track “War” shows a gospel influence of sorts. Which are you musical roots, your background?
Never sang in church. You listen to records and take the little bits of what you love about a song. Otis Redding can sing a song from his gut but he doesn’t just hammer it out. He knows he’s gonna get you around the 2 minute 30 mark, its all been a walk in the park until then. If you don’t know what I’m talking about then I cant help you.
The fatherhood “theme”, as the “family” one, comes up not only in your moniker but also in your lyrics. In “Low” for example: “Baby showered in my father’s sins/ But I was born to be the better part of him”. Which is your goal when it comes to write the lyrics for your songs?
You put your lines together and what you might have meant is replaced with another story, so you surprise yourself, or it is what you meant initially but you sing it true and it sticks. Or it just sounds good.
Some of your songs are very dynamic, with an anthemic quality, I m thinking about “Low” or “Get Up”. These are going to drive your public wild during your gigs I guess.
That’ll be nice.
Since years you are hard touring too. How´s the reaction of the audiences to your music. Did you notice different kind of feedback according to the different countries?
Americans had good reactions. Which is funny to us because you grow up watching America and because of its size you think, they have everything covered but they were the most shocked. Then you truly realise that no one could have put this together apart from us.
Are there any gigs, locations or countries you already look forward to in the next touring months?
Slovakia and around North America, never been.
