Gramz
07-02-2004, 09:29 AM
http://www.parademg.com/version2/stories/062804-bboys.php
PARADE Around The World - June 28, 2004
Beastie Boys
Live From Beastie Boys HQ
By Mark UC
NY, NY
April 16, 2004, a beautiful and sunny day in Manhattan. After a brief meeting with the EMI executive, Adriana Queiros, we took a cab headed to the "Beastie Boys Headquarters."
Right at the building's entrance, we bumped into one of the group's members, Michael Louis Diamond a.k.a. "Mike D". After a quick introduction, I headed to the audio studio where I had the privilege to listen first hand to the group's entire new album.
There were computers strategically placed in the studio for the use of journalists, music producers, DJs, etc. I sat down in the middle of it all and put my headphones on. Suddenly, a big surprise, right in the beginning of the first song I felt my body shake with the music's bass, and I wondered how that happened. The headphones certainly weren't capable of reproducing such frequency so perfectly and powerfully, and that's when I took a good look at the chair I was sitting. Attached to the chair was equipment that reproduced the low frequency, simply genius. While the headphones reproduced the high and medium frequencies, the chair allowed a real feeling of the bass.
After listening to all the tracks of the CD, which will be released in July of 2004, I was able to grasp the Beastie Boys' message in their new work where they simply declare war on the current US president, George W. Bush. They talk about impeachment, their outrage to see the US invade other countries and, of course, their love for the Big Apple.
Another thing that caught my attention in their new album was track No. 7, which contains a sampler of Berimbal, a typical musical instrument from Brazil.
After the avalanche of information obtained by listening to their new album, I started the interview:
When I asked what they have been listening to in the last twelve months, their answers were rather surprising:
(Beastie Boys): " Mike D": I have actually been listening to a lot of Brazilian music. My son likes Caetano Veloso a lot. We also listen to a lot of hip hop like Kayne West, Most Def, Free Way, Missy Eliott, a little bit of reggae and old stuff in general, Felix Da HouseCat...
You said you have been listening to Brazilian music, and I noticed that track No. 7 in your album contains a sampler of an instrument that's a traditional Brazilian instrument, the Berimbal. Where and how did you discover this instrument?
(Beastie Boys): Adam "ADRock": It's not a sampler. I actually play this instrument since I was a child. I spent years trying to learn to play this [we actually paused for a moment to laugh about this comment]. The truth is that it's just a sampler that we found, we liked the sound of it, and we decided to use it.
What do you think about this mix of different styles of music that you have been listening to like hip hop, reggae, dance music and Brazilian music?
(Beastie Boys): Adam "ADRock": People like to dance. It's good for the body. These styles require a lot of movement. Dancing to these rhythms is a good cardiovascular exercise, and you eliminate your body's toxins. People just like to move their skeletons.
Who are your favorite artists?
(Beastie Boys): Adam "ADRock": We have to say "the classics": The Beatles, Bob Marley, Rum DMC, Public enemy. There are many of them...
Did the music you've been listening to influence this new album?
It always does. What you listen to, what happens in your life and in the world, all of this ends up influencing our work.
Is there any guest appearances on your new album? Any rappers? MCs? Who produced this album? Who mixed it?
(Beastie Boys): No, only the Beastie Boys. We produced the album and the final touch, the final mix was done by "Duro", our mix engineer.
In this new album, is there any different style like you had in the previous albums?
(Beastie Boys): No, only rap.
DCan you talk about the types of equipment that was used in the production of this new album? What are your preferences, analog or digital?
(Beastie Boys): Nowadays we are basically "computer guys". All of our new CD was produced in Pro Tools, and we really don't have a problem with it. ("Mike D") adds: I personally have two MPC 2000; they are incredible machines. But honestly, it's much easier to do everything in your laptop.
"Hello Nasty" debuted in the first place on the Billboard charts and sold 3.8 million copies in the US. What are your expectations for this new album? Do you think that the sales will be mostly concentrated on the Internet? Do you have any special strategies or ideas to combat piracy?
(Beastie Boys): Our first album sold a lot of copies, and we never imagined it would. We thought the second album would sell a lot, and it didn't sell as many copies. With this album, we just didn't think about this. You never know. In regards to the Internet and piracy, we have no comments.
"Hello Nasty" debuted in the first place on the Billboard charts and sold 3.8 million copies in the US. What are your expectations for this new album? Do you think that the sales will be mostly concentrated on the Internet? Do you have any special strategies or ideas to combat piracy?
(Beastie Boys): Our first album sold a lot of copies, and we never imagined it would. We thought the second album would sell a lot, and it didn't sell as many copies. With this album, we just didn't think about this. You never know. In regards to the Internet and piracy, we have no comments.
Why did you do so few live shows in Brazil? Is there a lack of innovation or you just didn't have the opportunity?
(Beastie Boys): We were only in Brazil once, and we would love to go there again. We want to go. We actually don't do a lot of tours, but we really need to go to Brazil. We have a friend who always goes to Brazil, and he has a house somewhere in Rio de Janeiro and is always saying, "You have to come with me!" We'll probably go there on this album's tour. We stopped with the tours to live our personal lives, but we will definitely go to Brazil...
Why did you wait 6 years to release a new album?
(Beastie Boys): We actually didn't wait 6 years. It was just a series of events that led to the 6 year period. We started the pre-production of this album right before 9/11, just about when Bush became the president. But the events of 9/11 changed the lives of all of us and, actually, of all the world...
So we took 6 years doing the pre-production, and we finished the album in one day. We usually don't rush with anything, says Adam "MCA" Yauch, exaggerating. The best definition for our new work would be: "Having Fun in Troubled Days".
Since you mentioned it, how was 9/11 seen from here, so close to the Twin Towers?
(Beastie Boys): Adam "MCA" Yauch: We were all in Downtown Manhattan, and everyone's lives here in NY changed on the moment of the attacks. No one here is the same, the next day after the attacks, the world changed. Before the attacks, there was a lot of tension between the police and the local residents. Right after the attacks, everyone was holding hands on the same side trying to help one another...
How about the America of today, post 9/11?
(Beastie Boys): We love America. We are conscious of the fact that we need a lot of work to turn this country into an even better place, but we definitely love America...
We ended the interview in a friendly way...
The Beastie Boys' new album will be in stores in June of 2004. It's definitely worth listening to. It brings a very strong political message, the apathy for Bush is very clear as well as the love for New York, without sacrificing the good sense of humor and strength of this group's music. Fasten your seatbelts, the Beastie Boys are coming!!!
Mark Uc
About the Author
Mark UC is a brazilian DJ/producer. With credentials spanning over a decade, Mark has produced several CDs, played at the biggest events in South America and has recently launch his record label UC Brasil.
More Mark UC
PARADE Around The World - June 28, 2004
Beastie Boys
Live From Beastie Boys HQ
By Mark UC
NY, NY
April 16, 2004, a beautiful and sunny day in Manhattan. After a brief meeting with the EMI executive, Adriana Queiros, we took a cab headed to the "Beastie Boys Headquarters."
Right at the building's entrance, we bumped into one of the group's members, Michael Louis Diamond a.k.a. "Mike D". After a quick introduction, I headed to the audio studio where I had the privilege to listen first hand to the group's entire new album.
There were computers strategically placed in the studio for the use of journalists, music producers, DJs, etc. I sat down in the middle of it all and put my headphones on. Suddenly, a big surprise, right in the beginning of the first song I felt my body shake with the music's bass, and I wondered how that happened. The headphones certainly weren't capable of reproducing such frequency so perfectly and powerfully, and that's when I took a good look at the chair I was sitting. Attached to the chair was equipment that reproduced the low frequency, simply genius. While the headphones reproduced the high and medium frequencies, the chair allowed a real feeling of the bass.
After listening to all the tracks of the CD, which will be released in July of 2004, I was able to grasp the Beastie Boys' message in their new work where they simply declare war on the current US president, George W. Bush. They talk about impeachment, their outrage to see the US invade other countries and, of course, their love for the Big Apple.
Another thing that caught my attention in their new album was track No. 7, which contains a sampler of Berimbal, a typical musical instrument from Brazil.
After the avalanche of information obtained by listening to their new album, I started the interview:
When I asked what they have been listening to in the last twelve months, their answers were rather surprising:
(Beastie Boys): " Mike D": I have actually been listening to a lot of Brazilian music. My son likes Caetano Veloso a lot. We also listen to a lot of hip hop like Kayne West, Most Def, Free Way, Missy Eliott, a little bit of reggae and old stuff in general, Felix Da HouseCat...
You said you have been listening to Brazilian music, and I noticed that track No. 7 in your album contains a sampler of an instrument that's a traditional Brazilian instrument, the Berimbal. Where and how did you discover this instrument?
(Beastie Boys): Adam "ADRock": It's not a sampler. I actually play this instrument since I was a child. I spent years trying to learn to play this [we actually paused for a moment to laugh about this comment]. The truth is that it's just a sampler that we found, we liked the sound of it, and we decided to use it.
What do you think about this mix of different styles of music that you have been listening to like hip hop, reggae, dance music and Brazilian music?
(Beastie Boys): Adam "ADRock": People like to dance. It's good for the body. These styles require a lot of movement. Dancing to these rhythms is a good cardiovascular exercise, and you eliminate your body's toxins. People just like to move their skeletons.
Who are your favorite artists?
(Beastie Boys): Adam "ADRock": We have to say "the classics": The Beatles, Bob Marley, Rum DMC, Public enemy. There are many of them...
Did the music you've been listening to influence this new album?
It always does. What you listen to, what happens in your life and in the world, all of this ends up influencing our work.
Is there any guest appearances on your new album? Any rappers? MCs? Who produced this album? Who mixed it?
(Beastie Boys): No, only the Beastie Boys. We produced the album and the final touch, the final mix was done by "Duro", our mix engineer.
In this new album, is there any different style like you had in the previous albums?
(Beastie Boys): No, only rap.
DCan you talk about the types of equipment that was used in the production of this new album? What are your preferences, analog or digital?
(Beastie Boys): Nowadays we are basically "computer guys". All of our new CD was produced in Pro Tools, and we really don't have a problem with it. ("Mike D") adds: I personally have two MPC 2000; they are incredible machines. But honestly, it's much easier to do everything in your laptop.
"Hello Nasty" debuted in the first place on the Billboard charts and sold 3.8 million copies in the US. What are your expectations for this new album? Do you think that the sales will be mostly concentrated on the Internet? Do you have any special strategies or ideas to combat piracy?
(Beastie Boys): Our first album sold a lot of copies, and we never imagined it would. We thought the second album would sell a lot, and it didn't sell as many copies. With this album, we just didn't think about this. You never know. In regards to the Internet and piracy, we have no comments.
"Hello Nasty" debuted in the first place on the Billboard charts and sold 3.8 million copies in the US. What are your expectations for this new album? Do you think that the sales will be mostly concentrated on the Internet? Do you have any special strategies or ideas to combat piracy?
(Beastie Boys): Our first album sold a lot of copies, and we never imagined it would. We thought the second album would sell a lot, and it didn't sell as many copies. With this album, we just didn't think about this. You never know. In regards to the Internet and piracy, we have no comments.
Why did you do so few live shows in Brazil? Is there a lack of innovation or you just didn't have the opportunity?
(Beastie Boys): We were only in Brazil once, and we would love to go there again. We want to go. We actually don't do a lot of tours, but we really need to go to Brazil. We have a friend who always goes to Brazil, and he has a house somewhere in Rio de Janeiro and is always saying, "You have to come with me!" We'll probably go there on this album's tour. We stopped with the tours to live our personal lives, but we will definitely go to Brazil...
Why did you wait 6 years to release a new album?
(Beastie Boys): We actually didn't wait 6 years. It was just a series of events that led to the 6 year period. We started the pre-production of this album right before 9/11, just about when Bush became the president. But the events of 9/11 changed the lives of all of us and, actually, of all the world...
So we took 6 years doing the pre-production, and we finished the album in one day. We usually don't rush with anything, says Adam "MCA" Yauch, exaggerating. The best definition for our new work would be: "Having Fun in Troubled Days".
Since you mentioned it, how was 9/11 seen from here, so close to the Twin Towers?
(Beastie Boys): Adam "MCA" Yauch: We were all in Downtown Manhattan, and everyone's lives here in NY changed on the moment of the attacks. No one here is the same, the next day after the attacks, the world changed. Before the attacks, there was a lot of tension between the police and the local residents. Right after the attacks, everyone was holding hands on the same side trying to help one another...
How about the America of today, post 9/11?
(Beastie Boys): We love America. We are conscious of the fact that we need a lot of work to turn this country into an even better place, but we definitely love America...
We ended the interview in a friendly way...
The Beastie Boys' new album will be in stores in June of 2004. It's definitely worth listening to. It brings a very strong political message, the apathy for Bush is very clear as well as the love for New York, without sacrificing the good sense of humor and strength of this group's music. Fasten your seatbelts, the Beastie Boys are coming!!!
Mark Uc
About the Author
Mark UC is a brazilian DJ/producer. With credentials spanning over a decade, Mark has produced several CDs, played at the biggest events in South America and has recently launch his record label UC Brasil.
More Mark UC