An insite into the UK scene: Braintax interview - Man Is Pure Hiphop

[Don Rizzle]

Both rapper and producer, hes been on scene 20 years, he pioneered britain best known label Low Life Records putting out albums with taskforce and jhest amoung others. all uk style for the love of music not money (i think the last question sums it up quite well), he really is very creative and critical acclaim follows everything he does, its a shame not many know about him though. Although this interview is a couple of years old i think it may give you an idea on what you can expect from him and hope to produce some new fans, so especially to those who are bored of all the commercial rap out there and want to hear good origional and creative blend of funk and jazz and hiphop.


Words from the Taxman - Braintax Interview

interview 0088 added 16.06.00 words Riz


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OK, so it was a long time coming but its here now. Braintax have just released the new LP Biro Funk and UKHH.com just had to get in there with the questions you want asked. Braintax have as you might have guessed been out an about pushing the LP, so I managed to call him on his mobile and set aside a minute or sixty to bring you the word from the horses mouth. Ladies and gentle, boys and girls ...
This is Braintax, this is Biro Funk.


Bringing the Biro Funk 
So tell me, what's the vibe behind Braintax and do you think its that vibe that has led to the labels longevity?
Em, if anything I think the vibe is just open minded vibe, in that sense it benefits the label cos we have put out some diverse stuff and stuff with a wider feel. Its like we're not on a London hardcore Hip Hop vibe and we're not on a crazy abstract Hip Hop vibe, we're just on a good Hip Hop vibe and that's what I'm on and I think it comes across well in the label.

You speak allot of the countryside, not just on Biro Funk but also on your earlier stuff as well, why is that?
Well just because I am from the country side and I like it, I think its a beneficial thing. It's a part of me, if I had lived in the city all my life then I probably wouldn't talk about it. I talk about it cos its part of me. I suppose its like a gimmick in a way, Like Ghostface will talk about jewellery and shit, but I talk about the rural things 'cos its a part of me. Its good to try and say as an individual that this is me. It sounds corny if you are trying to use it to be cool, but to be honest if I was trying to be cool I probably wouldn't talk about it. So it comes off natural as a result I suppose.

Where did the name Biro funk come from?
Em, I just like, well funk is a word I use when I am making beats, I make funky beats. It's the funk element, the 70's funk records. The breaks, the sources of my samples are varied, sound tracks and jazz but the sound as a whole is varied. There is no set pattern to it.

' ...It's a Braintax thing, it taxes your brain and makes you think. To me people should be thinking about politics more. ..'

What inspired the cover layout?
I wanted to do something that would stand out from the crowd. Something that was personal to me.

Where was the pictures taken?
A place in Yorkshire called Armcliff Crags, its places like that that I remember when I was a little kid. The landscape there is a part of me that's why I wanted to be there, I could have had a picture of London on the cover but I don't feel like its really my home, so its more meaningful to me and stand out from the crowd.

What were your views of September the 11th with reference to you standing by the World Trade Centre on the tune "The Grip"?
The World Trade Centre reference on "The Grip" that was written way before September the 11th, cos if I do that tune now on stage I say "be at the world bank centre all dressed in black" Cos obviously I couldn't be at the WTC cos its not there anymore, it wasn't commenting on the events of September the 11th. It was me and an angry pack cos people need to fight back. But that tune has a worldly vibe and make you feel a certain way so you can use that in the song to convey what you are trying to say.

Well that bring me to the next question really cos Biro Funk brings a lot of politics with it. Did you intentionally want to be political or was it just where your mind was at?
I don't know, I'm not trying to be political, I don't really know what being "political" means, its a general awareness. Its Social politics or something like that, being aware of your surroundings and the distribution of power that effects us all so I will touch on it. But its not like I am trying to start a Political debate. I have an element of that in my head that will come out in my lyrics from time to time. It's a Braintax thing, it taxes your brain and makes you think. To me people should be thinking about politics more.

You managed to tackle tunes about women on Biro funk, but without it being sloppy. What are you like in real life, are you rather soft with women, and do you have a woman, and if so did she mind making her out to be a bitch?
(Laugh) The thing is about the tunes about women on the album, at the end of the day they were written about real things or things that people had told me, real situation, from the heart, I guess that's why they work. Instead of being contrived and sitting down thing OK, I'm going to write about this. The woman thing, no I don't really have a woman,

Not that I am asking (Laugh) I am not that way inclined.
(Laugh) My ex-girlfriend was about and I gave her the CD last week and she said, "I can't believe it! Its about me, its blatantly about me!" I said its not, there's bits in there about you yeh but there's others situations. I'm not going to spend the last 28 years and then do an album all about her.

From the album I get the impression you read a lot of Graham Hancock and Von Daniken etc., would this be right?
Who? (Laugh) Who's Graham Hancock?

The guy who wrote Finger Prints of the Gods, he writes about Giza and ancient temples etc.! Like he wrote about Easter Island!
I will have to go and look him up, I never knew there was a book called Finger Prints of the Gods! (Laugh)
I will have to check that out!

Go out and Buy some Graham Hancock!
I do read a fair bit though, have you ever read any Iain Banks?

Yeah a bit but I ain't that big on fiction.
I like the straight fiction thrillers and I read Travel books and fiction in general but when I was doing the album I wasn't reading much at all.

Well a good time to move on (Laugh) How far is Biro Funk being distributed?
We wanna get it out everywhere obviously, world-wide, we have the means to get stuff out all over the world but we are changing our distribution cos I ain't happy with the distribution. I should be going out to Australia in January and Task Force, Harry Love, Mystro will be out there in March.

Where about?
Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne couple of other places.

Yeah I was gonna say cos I know a few heads out there, Brad Strut, you heard him?
Yeah I heard of him, I think he's one the best Aussie guy I've heard.

(We went away on a Yarawonga sing song for a minute or two then got back to the interview).

What has been your favourite release on the label?
Em, man that's a hard question man, Riz you'll have to give me a minute... I think erm, Voice Of The Great Outdoors and eh... mmm... mmm, I'd have to say my album (Biro Funk) cos obviously I like my album, even for just the cover.



Cold Nipple?
 
OK heres another harder one..
Go on..

Do you have a favourite artist on your label?
Em, I like different people for different things, I like Task Force for the ideas and the song and they way they touch you, and I like Jehst for the way he just straight spits, It's like just different fields of Hip Hop. Having said that no-ones signed to the label, when you say signed to the label, no-ones actually signed to the label. Its just this thing, this vehicle that exists to put records out and promote them, its all about good music and not trying to find people to put on six album deals and make lots of money of the publishing, its just good music and putting records out.

Now for questions from our readers, I feel a little bit like Jimmy Saville but here goes, I've got a letter here from a guy called Slacker who asks...
What do they think of the Internet - Internet emcees etc. Is it good for the scene, does it help/hinder etc.
I think it does both to a large extent, its definitely helped with the sales wise and awareness wise and getting feedback from people, profile wise, but I know a lot of the artists, not just me, people wanna got on there and have a soap box, that's the problem, people see it as a means to air their opinion. I would rather it was just done to by people who had some sort of grounding or qualifications, whatever they might be, that have some opinion that's worth putting across. The Internet in general I hate it, its like America, America on your computer.

OK, cool. I have another letter here from Jonny Simps who asks...I would like to know who they used to listen to and who inspired them, that sort of thing, how they got into hip hop and all that?
Well, the way I got into Hip Hop was through Break dancing, Electro and Rap tracks of the Electro series, then through Planet Rock, Run DMC, the usual like anyone else. But it was Electro first. Used to do a lot of poetry at school. Inspiration was Tribe Called Quest, typical stuff.

And British?
Hijack - Stylewars, Demon boys, London Posse.

OK, I got another here from Xkaliba who says... How did they get noticed in the jungle of rap to become what they are? Where did they start?
Do I? I don't know?

Well yeh you do!
OK well longevity, if you are around long enough people will know the name and if you do picture covers then people will notice. Its literally hard work and not being the same as everyone else.

Toddlatee wants to know how many pressings a un-established artist should put out as their first release?
Em, I'd say 250, and that way you can cover your costs, basically do white labels, you can give those white labels to distributors to get orders for more and then you just press to order. The key thing is to press to order. As a label we will press 250 then sell them out and press another 250 and we have been doing that with back catalogues for a while now.

' ...I'm not saying you have to soften your music and put singing in it cos you don't. Its already been proved this year...'

OK, nice one. I got another one here from a guy who's no stranger to the site, UKAlltheway. He says ... Ask Braintax what does he look in an artist to sign them?
I don't sign anybody, to put a record out I just look for tunes that are really good, people who have got something to say. It's all about the music.

Now my man matter is away on one he wants to know about your European tour and about Lowlife's success in Australia? about any plans for breaking other markets (US)? As well as this he goes on to ask about the growth of hip-hop outside London? And he wants to know who from this country deserves to make it next? And finally whether there'll be a mass uprising and overthrow of capitalist stooge government in the next 5 years? Well the tour bits being covered but can you take up on that one? And he's serious about the last bit so he says.
Roots Manuva, if you wanna take it that far, selling all those records and breaking into the US, being on the telly all the time you need... A label to spend a lot of money Secondly, you need to have the records and the image, Roots Manuva in himself is an artist, he has charisma, he's got the whole package, he has personality, like Dreamy Days, its straight up Hip Hop, but your mum could listen to it. I'm not saying you have to soften your music and put singing in it cos you don't. Its already been proved this year that you don't, by numerous people. You need to have the whole package, make it look right, create a whole product.

And the second point?
Well I think Labour could get voted out, but who would be voted in? People are too apathetic to over throw anyone though. I wish people would become more aware.

Now my apologies to this person as I have their question but I have mislaid their name (E-mail me and I will give you the next promo that comes through my door, after I review it!) The unknown one wants to know what has happened to Dupa Styles? He says they are mentioned on the Low Life web site, but nothing from them seems to be released. He saw these boys live in Bristol the other day and they did one of the tightest shows he'd seen in this country. Are they still putting records out with low life? If so when, and if not, why?!!!!
Hopefully there will be something by Dupa Styles on the Low Life Compilation, which will be out about April. We have recorded a few tracks but I am not happy that we have a record that I want to put out yet.
If people want that Low Life vibe its not there just yet.

So Finally what's the plans for 2002, what can we expect from Braintax and Low Life Records?
Riviera Hustle, the next single off the album, there will be something else on there, I am also producing a few tracks for the Low Life Compilation, I am doing production for Shadow Cabinet, erm I am doing production for Mystro's EP.

So what about Freelance, would you do stuff for people who wanted you to do them tunes?
Ha ha, well if someone wants to pay me for working with someone then I would ... If they were good I suppose

How much?
£20 and an 8th