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TWO FINGERS
DOA: Thanks for granting us this interview. First, let's get into your new project. How did you guys first meet, and what about your relationship made you realize that you you two should work on tunes together?
Doubleclick: We both lived in Brighton, but despite having a few friends in common, we didn't actually cross paths until about ten years ago. When you both like Jungle, Cardiacs and tracks like Brandy's "What About Us?", you pretty much have to make an LP. I'm speaking from a position of limited experience, but it's been 100% true in all cases in which I was personally involved.
DOA: How did the name Two Fingers come about?
Doubleclick: We went through a lot of potential names, using all the usual methods. At one point I got so desperate I even tried the "anagram of your last names" thing, but that doesn't work so well when you're called Tobin and Chapman. I know Two Fingers isn't the greatest name in the world, but would you want to be part of an act called Phantom Cabin? Or Bacon Ham Pint? A Camp Thin Nob? Me neither.
DOA: Were you guys shooting to work on an album together?
Doubleclick: Yes, and more. We set out to make the LP, and then do production for other musicians.
DOA: The majority of the album features vocals, including Sway atop 7 of the 12 tracks. Was that by design? How did you guys get Sway to contribute so much to the project?
Amon: I cornered him at a festival in France and handed him a CD of our beats. He didn't know it yet, but we'd already decided he was going to be the main vocalist on the record.
DOA: How would you describe the Two Fingers sound? I saw in URB that you guys classify this as a Hip-Hop album. Do you think the buying public will?
Doubleclick: A lot of people think Hip-Hop is just a certain sound, that it's an easily definable style of music, and that's fine, but they don't think the way we do. I think Hip-Hop is more than that (more than just music too, but that's another discussion). It's partly in the style, but it's also in your way of thinking, the approach to what you do. I wouldn't feel comfortable if this LP sounded like other people's Hip-Hop anyway. We had an idea, and we couldn't stifle it just to fit other people's expectations.
Amon: Yo, andatzwatsup!
Doubleclick: Quiet, you.
DOA: What kind of equipment was used in creating the album?
Amon: Some important pieces of hardware: Chandler compression and in particular the Manley EQ.
DOA: I read a description of the album that described it as a "brutal and beautiful record that could only have grown out of the UK and the internationalism of those involved". Do you have any thoughts on where that distinct hybrid sound of the UK will be going in the next 5 years or so? Do you think genres like dubstep could blow up on a larger scale?
Doubleclick: Absolutely, and it's overdue, particularly for the producers. The recent news about Snoop rhyming over Chase & Status's "Eastern Jam" is a controversial subject, but I'm really excited to see where that can go. Back in '94, you had Goldie and 4-Hero remixing Scarface, Rob Playford & Foul Play remixing King Just... I was always expecting that the incredible production talent in DnB would end up doing full-on Hip-Hop work, and of course eventually we had the Adam F "K.A.O.S." project, but it never really went the way I expected. I see dubstep and DnB as extensions of the same thing, and I think there's plenty that our producers can contribute directly to the US Hip-Hop and R&B scenes. As for whether dubstep itself could blow up, it certainly could and in many ways it already has. It's for the producers in the scene to decide what happens next.
DOA: Word is Two Fingers will be performing live with Sway for a few dates in May (including a show at The Scala on May 13th). What can heads expect from this environment - will you guys stick to the tracks, or is there room for exploration and freestyling?
Amon: We'll be using decks combined with Native Instruments' Traktor Scratch Pro, which allows us to give Sway free rein. He can go off on tangents in any way he likes, and we can fit the structure of the music around his performance.
DOA: Are there plans for any Two Fingers releases after this one?
Amon: We've got another single ("That Girl") coming in May which features the remix by Spor. We're also planning a reworking of another LP track for another single release later in the year.
DOA: Now, many heads would be upset if I didn't ask - when are you going to churn out some more Jungle/DnB-esque tunes?
Doubleclick: Anyone who loves DnB will hear straight away that there's a strong thread of DnB running through the LP, especially in tracks like "Keman Rhythm", but it's very much blended into other styles. We have some tracks which didn't make it onto the LP which are more explicitly DnB. There are so many tunes that just wouldn't fit, and believe me it kills us hearing these things, thinking "if only we could have got this on there". We have talked about doing an EP of DnB, though, so maybe we'll get it out that way. We'll be producing for other vocalists again soon, too, so maybe we can sneak a little something past them when they're not looking.
DOA: Do you have a favorite tune from your back catalogue?
Amon: There's a track called "Slowly" I'll always have a soft spot for.
DOA: Any chatter about an Amon Tobin solo album in the future?
Amon: I'm going to start recording towards the end of this year. I've got this idea but it's way too ambitious... it might have to remain a pipe dream, so I'll keep it under my hat until I know I can do it for sure. Either way, I'll continue to release one-off tunes regularly on my site (amontobin.com). I have to keep making tunes even if it's not for a bigger project, otherwise I get a bit twitchy. More TF stuff on its way too, of course.
DOA: Do you get excited about new artists? Who is currently on your radar as someone who's doing exciting work?
Amon: I get inspired all the time by other producers. I want to keep learning and progress and I think the best way to do that is to listen with an open mind. I recently spent a bit of time at Eskmo's studio, and he taught me a lot in a very short space of time. I had the same experience with the guys from Noisia a while back. These are all people who love what they do and are dedicated to their own progress in production. I find that motivating in itself.
DOA: Could we get a current top 10 from you?
Doubleclick: The last few months have been a bit crazy, and we haven't been able to buy anything or really listen to much music. I only get to listen to things on headphones when I'm on my way out these days, so I'll give you a top eleven of what's on my iPod today instead:
Bettye Swann - Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye
Fatme Serhan - Ala Warag Il Foull
Frank Black - History Song
Gremlinz, Manifest & Verb - Lion Of Babylon
Broken Note - Crux
Lil Kim - Lighters Up (Marc Mac remix)
Billy Bragg - Levi Stubbs's Tears
Raphael Saadiq - Still Ray
Tim Smith - Bug From Heaven
Trimbal - Taliban
Brandy – Necessary
DOA: Do you have any shout outs or final thoughts?
Doubleclick: Thanks again to Khoma for the LP and singles artwork. Thanks too to Pillsbury for inventing canned cinnamon rolls with icing. Got me through some difficult winters in Montreal.
All photo credits go to the talented Khoma!
Words: khal |
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Dogs On Acid > Comments > TWO FINGERS
04-24-2009 02:27 AM
