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Vadim Peare is a purist. His approach to hip-hop has nothing to do with
attitude, gold chains, money, BMWs, or nearly nude chicks shaking their
ass. Vadim designs his umwelt with samples, chopped beats, and scratches,
and invites underground rappers to put their lyrics on top of it. At least
that's what he does on his latest album USSR: The Art Of Listening. The result
is more hip-hop than Vadim ever was. Back in 1992, Vadim Peare released his
first two singles, Abstract Hallucinating Gases and Headz Ain't Ready, on
his own Jazz Fudge label. Those were followed, a few years later, by his
fantastic debut
album USSR Repertoire, on Ninja Tune. A journey into an abstract world of
slow, hip-hop beats and broken beats laced with a selection of often curious
samples. Turntablism avant la lettre. But very tasteful indeed.
From 1999 on, Vadim began working with real hip-hop artists and rappers more
and more. Resulting in some remixed Vadim material, a new album containing
collaborations with Dilated Peoples and Company Flow, and the Isolationist
project, together with DJ Primecuts and Anti-Pop Consortium. His latest
release, USSR: The Art Of Listening, effortlessly blends all kinds of hip-hop
together, using some drum 'n' bass and 2-step rhythms to spice things up.
Releasing DJ Vadim from the etiquette of making abstract, leftfield hip-hop.
Peare: "I've been always labeled as leftfield, while Outcast, for instance,
also makes intelligent stuff. But they are in the hit lists, and that makes
them mainstream. I don't think my music was, or is, more difficult than
theirs."
Although Peare, who was born in Russia but moved to England at an early age,
doesn't think of himself as an intellectual, his music, combined with futuristic
cover art design, breathes the sphere of early twentieth century
intellectualism. That is what Peare likes, but it is only to enhance the
radiation of the music. Nothing more, nothing less. That doesn't mean Peare
thinks that hip-hop shouldn't have a message. In a way, you could call him a
real
purist. Hip-hop is the message itself, but the genre lost its
progressiveness, its ability to criticise society. Peare: "If you look at
MTV, you only see the same acts over and over again. I am not in the position
to say what hip-hop is or should be, but the media only shows one side of
it, like it is a monoculture. For me, hip-hop is about fusing different
things. It is not that I think that the hip-hop you see on television is
bad, but you've got to show all kinds of hip-hop — not only the commercial
— to
give people an idea of what hip-hop really is." This is a man on a mission.
Like he is taking his interpretation of hip-hop, and the fusing of different
kinds of
music, serious. USSR: The Art Of Listening is his definition of hip-hop. A
very broad one indeed. Blending 2-step rhythms with sexy female vocals,
combining deep, aggressive bass lines with militant raps, slowing down
drum 'n' bass breaks to make them fit in a hip-hop idiom. And the funny thing
is, while progressive hip-hop acts like Anti-Pop Consortium, Dilated Peoples,
and Nerd seek new ways in using extensive technology, Peare is moving in the
opposite direction. Not only does his latest record sound organic, most of
it is recorded with real, live musicians.
Strange, because Peare started as a real studio project. His work with rappers and other hip-hop artists made him more and more willing to use vocals and live instruments. The Art Of Listening is the next step in this musical evolution. Instead of asking famous rappers to work with him, he chose unknown, talented ones. Furthermore, nearly forty percent of the music on the album is played with real instruments. Peare: "I wanted to make real songs with good vocals. Funny, political, and romantic vocals. All by people I've met during the last years. During my live performances, I worked together with many live musicians. They influenced the way I look at music. I know that technology is getting more [of a] grip on music lately. Timbaland, for example, is really cutting-edge. Using technology to push things forward and mixing different styles to create new ones. He is really into British drum 'n' bass and 2-step and calls his music R&B. For me, hip-hop is becoming more melodic, more song-like. That doesn't mean that I think that all hip-hop should sound like mine. I even don't know if I am actually making hip-hop." Whether Peare is making real hip-hop or not, his role within the European hip-hop community is important. His own label, Jazz Fudge, is an important starting place for unknown hip-hop artists around the globe. Like his latest gain Dark Circle, from Hamburg. And there are many fine new things to come. But what about that beautiful Russian design Peare is using? Is it really only about design? Peare: "I am really into Russian art of the twentieth century — twenties, thirties, forties. A period of hard work. That period has a tremendous influence on my music and the things I do. Finding the correct words . . . Well, it is not that I don't have an opinion about the political state of the world, but I don't want to preach. I want to make people proactive. Hip-hop has become a cultural product that exists in nearly every part of world. That makes it a powerful cultural tool to create awareness."
http://www.kindamuzik.net/achtergrond/dj-vadim/dj-vadim/1690/
Meer DJ Vadim op KindaMuzik: http://www.kindamuzik.net/artiest/dj-vadim
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