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Spooks |
Phatmag: Why do you think the music is blowing up over Europe?
Spooks: You know truthfully, I don't know why. Every night before I go to bed, I go 'thank you God'. When I was in the shower this morning 'thank you God'. It's hard to believe because we've been doing this for so long. I've been doing hip hop back to 1981 so I'm still trying to figure out when I'm gonna wake up you know what I mean. So I don't know why but I'm crazy thankful. I really appreciate it and the whole time we were trying to get a record deal, people kept saying 'you know what you guys should do? You guys should just go to Europe.' Everyone was telling us you've got something for Europe. Before I hanged here, I didn't know what European hip hop sounded like anyway but I realised that a lot of our influences have come here. Like Portishead, we listen to Bjork, I listen to Sting so a lot of the people we were listening to were from here. So I guess that influence what in our music as well and I guess maybe people from Europe can hear that it's something that sounds familiar to them. I don't know.
Phatmag: When I listened to the album, the first thing that came across, it's got a very French sound. If you listen to a lot of French hip hop, they do have that blend and for me that came across. I thought it was quite strange that you guys are from over there and would have that whole sound. I mean listening to it, I can understand why you're blowing up over here. It is a European sound. Although people like hard core stuff over here, they also like melodic and you guys are very melodic in terms of your music and what you do
Spooks: That's interesting because I'm not sure if you're aware, we did pretty well in France. We were number 1 for a while. There are a lot of different theories about it but I actually like the one that Book put out. That's quite a good one. I haven't even thought of the Spooks theory of European success. I don't know what it is. I know for me, there's a wider spectrum of different kinds of music over here all at once. If you turn on Radio 1 - a national radio station, you still hear a lot of different kinds of music. I think our music mixes a lot of genres and if you're ear is already naturally tuned to it. Some people have difficulty with our music - they don't know where to put it. They would try to make it one thing or another thing and it's not. I remember a lot of people of here, labels - Trip Hop. Back in the States, I didn't know anyone who listened to Trip Hop. I guess, if Trip Hop was happening over here, I guess.....I'm just throwing ideas out. I'm not even sure
Phatmag: So what are they saying in the States about you guys
Spooks: It's actually happening slower in the States. But right now things would be happening pretty good. We're happy with the level that we're reaching here but what's great about it....I hate using these terms but people would label us Underground. Or these guys are representing the underground you know which in the States, probably annoys the hell out of our record company cos they thought we were gonna be this pop act. But things are happening pretty good in the States like I said, but at a slower pace. We have to work harder but what happens, in England, they hear the music, you see us perform you'll all over it. Probably because radio is different there. Like here, people like ColdPlay, you can hear on Melody, then you can hear the Spice Girls then you can hear the Spooks. At home it's not like that. You can hear Spice Girls on this station, you can hear ColdPlay on this station, you can hear Spooks on this station and it might be at this time of night you know. It's a lot different here
Phatmag: Was it your first time round since you're coming here before that you guys been Europe before before you signed and stuff
Spooks: Yeah some of us have made brief trips here but I hate to say this is our first real trip to Europe
Phatmag: So how's the whole European vibe. What do you think?
Spooks: It's tight. I'm telling you man. Europe is good man, went to a couple of clubs, checked out a couple of radio stations but I don't think we've been to enough clubs. We have been to what I call underground clubs. But we're planning to be here a few more times. It takes time.
