So I have another interview and this time it's with the creator of the Frankensteez album previously reviewed on these here pages, Mister Jason! Read, hopefully enjoy, and discover some great new music for yourself.
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| Pic taken from Twitter |
First off for those folks in Wales and the big wide world that are
unfamiliar, please can you tell them who you are?
I am human, I am part monster, Mister Jason to some, just
"Jason" to others, "Jay to many close to me, CEO of Frankensteez
Entertainment.
How did you first get started on the path of becoming a musician and how
did you get your break into the industry?
I was always a fan or rap/hip-hop, since around 1983, at that time I was
listening to 60/70's rock, but mostly hardcore punk, like Suicidal Tendencies
and my all time favorites, Circle Jerks. After officially putting out
music in the form of "tapes" back in 1995, my break came in 1997 when
a local record store (Biscuithead Records) owner and legendary Boston DJ, DJ
Bruno, heard I was working on a few projects. I would hang out
at his store and soon we began speaking about a possible record label and
record deal. He started "Biscuithead Recordings" and along with
Edan's debut 12" "Sing It Shitface" he put out my group, Porn
Theatre Ushers, and our first single "Me and Him." The strength
of the deal also came about due to the fact Nabo Rawk won the "Biscuithead
Freestyle Battle" the same year. It was a crazy time, very reckless.
How did you find your time as one half of Porn Theatre Ushers?
It was probably the most fun I have ever had, but also the most
frustrating, due to lack of business direction. We should have been out
there more, more tours, I loved the people behind our labels but they weren't
really in a place to take us worldwide. We had fans worldwide, but
nothing organized in terms of how to maximize our potential. I look back
and think of how much we could have grown as a force in the industry, at that
time.
You're from Boston and obviously there is a very rich Hip Hop scene
there, with the late, great Guru, Mr.Lif, Akrobatik, 7L and Esoteric, and Reks having come through. Do you feel that Boston has its own style in the genre and
do you think it influences or in fact comes through in your own music?
I definitely think Boston has it's own sound, escpecially in those
underground golden years, the late 90's. We hade so many different
personalities and genre's but we all worked together to put the 2nd generation
of Boston on the map. Many artists, Edo G., Top Choice Clique, RSO,
TDS Mob and others paved the way for us and we came in with a new
sound. We made independent hip-hop, sampling uncoventional records,
new flows, complex vocab, etc. It was a great time...
How did you find going from the classic DJ & MC combo of PTU to going
out alone and putting out an album in your voice? I personally think there is a
big difference in the music you have put out as part of Porn Theatre Ushers and
as yourself in that whilst PTU was everything that is great about Hip Hop in a
raw and energetic way, your solo work seems more layered and more of a
progression of the genre rather than the celebration of Hip Hop that I feel PTU
were. Do you think it's down to a maturity in yourself or is it just the result
of new influences, styles or even equipment you're using now?
It is very different, which is important to me. I will always have
the PTU feel in my veins, that is the core of what I'm about. With
Frankensteez, I took bits and pieces from many elements to come up with that
sound. Also, although I am by myself with the actual release of
Frankensteez, I enlisted many people to help create the final sound. PTU
will always sound the way you've known it to be, with Frankensteez, I wanted to
try something new. So, I think it's a blend of maturity, working
with new people, and also the recording process was a bit different, using
live instruments, harmonies and different ways to sample.
I'd like to talk a little about Frankensteez but I'll get the elephant
in the room out of the way first, that 26 rapper Mister Jason Has A Posse (to
me the greatest posse cut ever commited to wax). How did it come about and how
hard was it to get it together? Also how do you feel about the response it's
received as that song seems to have really made waves in the Hip Hop community
and I've seen nothing but praise for it out there, where you aware you were
making something special?
One day, in my apartment, I was hanging out with Rain (my engineer and
also co-produced some joints), going through records to make beats, and I came
across this one 45, which ended up being the backbone of the track. To
me, the vibe seemed like a "tag team" feel, where the stab you hear
every four bars, sounds like a natural break in the beat for a different rapper
to "tag in." It was initially meant to be what turned into
"Renegades." Then I started thinking of a song with multiple
rappers, but just a "Boston rapper" track, showcasing some of the
local artists, both established and up and coming. That envolved into an
idea of having emcees rap about a particular letter of the alphabet, then
finally, choosing rappers that fit each speficic letter of the alphabet.
Although it took over a year to compile, I was amazed that the emcees
volunteered and were excited to be a part of this historic record.
I wanted to do something different, my whole life I have never been
satisfied with the "norm" and musically strive to create something
new. Even when PTU has that classic boom-bap sound, I always chose
samples that I thought were odd or different.
Now the album itself is a beast in and of itself, and the thing that
struck me was how varied it was, with bouncing party tracks, moody beats, Joy
Division samples, flute samples, funky filled bass lines, it really does touch
a lot of musical bases. Were you conscious of that as you made the album or is that
the just what comes through when you're creating music?
It was on purpose. The meaning of the title
"Frankensteez" means just that, all different moods, styles, a
"mixed bag," a "Frankenstein" sound...Frankenstein's
"monster" was man made, made of different body parts, anything the
Doctor. could find to create his monster. It is a
"Frankensteez."
You're releasing Son of Frankensteez on Halloween this year, what can we
expect from this?
It is not a full length release, hence the title "Son of "
meaning just a little piece of work, born from the original Frankensteez
It contains 11 tracks, but is made up of remixes, instrumentals and a few
new tracks. It will be released on Halloween day, 10/31/2012 on limited
green vinyl, but I decided to go with a 12" size this time.
Son... aside what can we expect from you in the future? Is there a plan
from where you go from here?
I am thinking the next "Frankensteez based" release will be
"The Bride of Frankensteez" which will feature all female
emcees. Can't wait for that. I might just tweet that I am taking
open auditions for this one vs. reaching out to specific people
myself. Also, 2013 marks the 15th anniversary for Porn Theatre
Ushers. We will be releasing new music, some old archived videos and a
tour. Look out for that one!
Will we ever see you over in the UK in the future?
That is my next goal, I HAVE to come to the UK. Spread the word to
anyone that wants to set that up.
Who or what inspires you and why?
I'm inspired by anything that is unique and not like the
other...creativity without worry, oddball shit, I actually love when people say
"Mister J, you have a warped mind" or "you're insane"...that
is the biggest compliment!
As a large part of this blog is to try and put people onto things they may not have heard we have a few standard questions for folks, so with that in my mind...
Firstly what are you listening to at the moment?
Mostly traditional Greek, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern music, me
being Greek, this music is in my blood. There is a ton of rare
psychadelic gems being released from all over the globe, some amazing
stuff. I listen to any genre from the late 60's, such a great time period
for music.
If you could get folks to check out three musicians or more specifically
three albums what would they be and why?
Great question...ok, this is tough...there are so many.
Lord Finesse and DJ Mike Smooth- Funky Technician (1990)--Along with
early Prince Paul, Beatnuts, Ultramagnetic, this is one of my earliest
influences.
MOOG: The Electric Eclectics of Dick Hyman (1969)--just
listen to it, you'll know why I love it.
Erkin Koray-Erkin Koray (1973)--self titled debut LP from this Turkish
Psych god. Turkish Psychadelic music? need I say more?
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Are you much of a film head and if so have you seen anything of note
recently?
As a kid, I was really into horror films, on VHS, and I would try to
find the most disturbing, disgusting films out. I remember seeing movies
like Basket Case, Return of the Alien's Deadly Spawn, Humanoids from the Deep,
and many low budget splatter films. Then I got into martial art movies
from Hong Kong, the early Jet Li movies were amazing, until he blew up in
American. If you're a fan of that genre, I recommend seeing Shaolin
Temple, Once Upon a Time in China, Fist of Legend and Fong Sai Yuk. Now I
mostly enjoy independent films and films that typically aren't blockbusters,
but now and then I find good commercially successful films.
What would be your three all time top film recommendations and why?
Hmmm....
A Clockwork Orange, simply amazing, a timeless classic, amazing score by
electronica legend Walter/Wendy Carlos (yes, she/he was once a woman)
Star Wars--the staple of my generation
Can't name a third.
It was at this moment Mister Jason had to go take a piss so that concludes the interview. If you haven't already got hold of his music, do it now! You're on the internet anyway and what else are you going to spend that £10 (probably less) on? You won't be disappointed in the music and you'll be supporting the kind of artist who's decent enough to agree to do an interview on here! You can buy the music from iTunes/Amazon or by clicking on the following link...
You know it makes sense. I'd like to thank Mister Jason for keeping his piss in long enough to answer all those questions and thanks to everyone who's reading this, huge thanks to anyone that goes and buys the music (should I offer up more robots or maybe promise to stop drawing them?), Anyways cheers.
Almost forgot, you can keep up with Mister Jason news on Twitter by following @misterjasonptu.
Peace out
Mechagodzeala
