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Reprazent's MC Dynamite: 5 March 1998

This was done for the Diamondback as a preview of Reprazent's first full U.S. tour.

Fritz: The first thing, I guess, is the matter of the line-up. There were rumours that the whole Reprazent posse wouldn't be coming.

Dynamite: It wouldn't work if we weren't all here. We're a collective, we're a unit.

F: From what I've read, that's the whole idea of Reprazent - everybody brings something to the group. What's your role?

D: I am the voice. I communicate with the people on a verbal level. I try to work the vibes and let them know what is happening, where it's going, where it's coming from ... I just make sure they'll be there. I add my vibes to the rest of the gang's - everybody brings their element.

F: It's been said that one of the reasons Americans haven't really gotten into jungle or drum'n'bass is because they just see it as dance music, but Reprazent is different because you lot rely on live vocals from you and Onalee more than, say, Grooverider or most of Metalheadz do. What do you think the role of an MC should be?

D: MCs get a hard time in jungle. ... There's a lot of different levels, and an MC's job is to enhance the music as best as he knows how. Some MCs tend to concentrate on themselves, and use the time and opportunity to tell everybody what they had for breakfast, or what's in their pocket, and that's not really what it's about. I'm there really just to help the music along. That's why it's important to have all of us there, so we can all do our thing. It's not just about me and it's not just about them - it's about all of us. But the MC is a very important piece of the music that shouldn't be overlooked.

F: I think that the whole idea of a live band is why the Prodigy is doing so well here - Keith gives them an image, instead of DJs like the Chemical Brothers or Orbital, both of whom I think are far superior, but when they come here they just get onstage with their decks and don't do anything else.

D: We took it one step further then the guys who stand behind two turntables. That's why we started this Reprazent collective in the first place. We wanted to give them a show, get the people involved, so they can see the guy drumming, see the guy playing bass, see Roni playing the keyboards. This is the next level of business right here.

F: What's the reception been like in America? What did you expect, and are there any American DJs you like?

D: I was very skeptical about how the American audiences would take the live music. I'd heard a lot of good talk about how the music was starting to pick up over here, but until I see it for myself, I'm a bit of a doubting Thomas. But I was very happy and very surprised with the reception that we got. We've organized this tour to take the music to new places, to show them the English side of things and what we're about. It seems like you guys are ready for it. But it doesn't seem like I know any - I can't even think of any American drum'n'bass artists that I've heard.

F: How did you get involved with Reprazent?

D: We hooked through the rave scene. Roni was a DJ and I started off as an MC - my friends all had decks and were bedroom DJs who worked a little club here and there. One day I did this club and Roni Size was there, DJ Krust was there - who I'd never heard of or met before. No one was really anybody then, we were all just doing our thing. I chatted with them that night, and then we went our separate ways. Three months later I got this phone call saying, "Yo, that Roni guy says he wants to meet you, he wants to hook up with you." So I went down to Bristol and hooked up with Roni, and we vibed. We were both thinking the same kinds of things, he was a DJ and I was a voice, so we played pretty much every town in England and Scotland, we build up Full Cycle [Records], we spread the word, and now we're on a higher level.

F: You're only on one track on New Forms. I thought you brought a lot to it - why aren't you on more?

D: "Railing" was an experimental tune. It wasn't even going to be on the album and only got stuck on at the last minute. By the time I'd done "Railing," I think he'd finished most of the tunes already. I haven't done a lot of vinyl work. I did "Brown Paper Bag," and I've got a tune called "System Check," which is circulating on a white label (promo) with Reprazent. But I'm always doing so many live shows that I don't get into the studio as much as I'd like to. There might not be much of a contribution from me on the vinyl, but my true work is the stage show, which is where I get my chance to shine. Obviously I've got plans to get into the studio - we plan to release a Dynamite album in the later part of this year. There's no pressure about things. Everybody's got there thing they're going to be getting on with. It's really an exciting time right now.

F: Portishead is in town the night before you guys are, and one thing that amazes me is the quality of the acts that come out of Bristol. Reprazent, Portishead, Tricky, Massive Attack ... what do you think it is about the West Coast?

D: One thing I can really say is that Bristol's a really cool place. It's got a good vibe to it. There's only two major cities putting out music right now, and that's Bristol and London. Bristol is much different: it's much more relaxed, and people tend to get on with their own thing and do their own business instead of worrying about what other people are doing. I'm not saying all London people are like that. You can't define Bristol, but there's a lot of good people, good parties and a really good atmosphere, and that reflects in the music.

F: You won a Mercury Prize, which was totally unexpected - by critics at least - and now you've been credited with bringing drum'n'bass into what most people would call the "mainstream."

D: I was very surprised about the Mercury - we went in there with the opportunity to play one song on prime time television. We thought that'd be a good opportunity to show a lot more people who we are and what we do. When we actually won the award, no one was more surprised than me - I was midway into my third bottle of champagne. They said our name and I was like "Heyyyyyyyyyyyy!" But it was a good thing. I've had a lot of people ask me, you know, "What do you think of the mainstream? How does it effect your music and 'keeping it underground?? How does it effect your music and 'keeping it underground?'" It's all positive to me. If we can reach a large audience and a larger scale of people, then that's a positive thing. We haven't changed. We're still running [record labels] V and Double Dragon as well as doing Reprazent. It's all underground but it's overground as well. We still play Bar Rhumba (a small club in London) every Thursday night with Brian G and Frost, but we also do these big festivals and go on MTV. We still do our thing. I think people are misguided: if only four people know about you, then it's credible. Once the fifth knows about you, it's no good. This isn't trendy. This real.

F: When people come and see you all next weekend, what should they expect?

D: I want people to expect the unexpected, to be prepared for anything. I want them to come and be prepared not just to watch the show but to be prepared to take part as well. Reprazent, man - when we're up there, we're having a good time. It's about vibes, it's about energy. We're going to play them some music they've never heard before, we're going to do some things they've never seen before. Most of all, we're going to get down and we want them to feel welcome, because this sound is for everybody. It's all good and everything's going to be great.