we did a concert with the London Sinfonietta at Kings Place, London on May 1st 2010:-
at the same time as being sat in a van driving though the States trying to write songs and panicing massively about the prospect of writing 45 minutes of music for a collaboration with the London Sinfonietta, i was listening to lots of DJ Screw and thinking about CDJs on WIDE mode - and psychedelia and drug taking and classical music and tripping out and far-out music and crooners - which neatly led to trying to make something like a live mixtape - for me a mixtape is real free rein, no rules, apart from making loosely continuous music. Chopped and screwed ones are some of the weirdest of hiphop mixtapes.
the important things were-
-try to make it homogeneous - not our band 'gaffered' onto a great orchestra
-mixtape structure
-pitch shifting
-speed
-rap
-lyrics about being high
-psychedelic textures
-exotic sounds from new instruments and established ones
-weed
-loops
-samples
it was a HUGE honour for us to work with the Sinfonietta- we feel really lucky and clever.
thanks to all the guys in the orchestra, amazing musicians who have played a lot of music- a lot a lot! massive respect and thanks!
we will do another concert with the London Sinfonietta on the 5th April 2011 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall-
please come!
Chopped and Screwed will come out on Rough Trade Records on 28th March - you can download an mp3 of 'Everything' from it here:
from
Mica
PS thanks to anyone who listens to it and or comes to see it!
PS thanks to anyone who listens to it and or comes to see it!