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Head to Head with The Herbaliser Strike up a conversation with headz anywhere in the world about UK hip hop and you can bet the farm on the Herbaliser being one of the first names that comes up. With a steady flow of killer albums and EPs for Ninjatune, both as a the dynamic duo of Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba and with the full Herbaliser band, and remixes for everyone from reggae dub sensation Little Axe to avant-jazz master Nils Peter Molvaer, the Herbaliser have been steadily smashing down the barriers between jazz and hip hop, and creating a funkified sound all their own in the process. We manage to rip Jake away from the his favorite seat at the mixing desk for a few precious moments to pick his brain about the secrets behind the Herbaliser's studio Ninjitsu. |
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AAS: How did you start doing music ? JW: Well.. I think it really goes back to being a kid, and just loving music from an early age, and then, from quite a young age, wanting to be in a band... I started to learn ,and gave up, a few instruments like piano and the trombone, at about 9-11 years old... but what I really wanted to play was the guitar... my father played guitar, but as I had given up a few instruments already, he wasn't happy to pay for more lessons, so he said... 'if u really want to play guitar, there is one (his acoustic)'. So I picked up his guitar, and learnt some basic chords from a Beatles songbook (and I only really knew a few Beatles tunes!)... And it went from there... Once I had learnt the basics, he was happy for me to get a guitar teacher and then a couple of years later, I started my first band, at school, with P.C. (one half of DJ FOOD) How did Herbaliser get started ? Skipping on a few years, and a few bands later.. I had played in various funk bands. Also, I had been into hip hop, from there I had got into funk and jazz (from checking out the breaks that were being used in hip-hop tunes) at this stage I realized that I wasn’t going to be the best jazz guitarist in the world, and I knew that I wanted to get into samplers and computers (particularly CUBASE!)... I felt that I was limited to what I could express musically with just a guitar, and so I sold my lovely old Gibson es335 jazz guitar, and got an Akai s1000 and a Mac classic II computer and took it from there. After about a year, I hooked up with Ollie (who I had loosely known from college). We both were into hip hop, funk, jazz, soundtrack music, and making beats, so that’s what we did. A few months later when we had some demos, we started looking for a deal, and luckily I had recently bumped into P.C. At a show, and he was working for Ninjatune (which was a really small label then) then as Coldcuts' young studio apprentice. He played the guys at Ninjatune our tape, and they asked us to make our first 12' single- the real killer... And it went on from there When did you start making music with computers, and what was your setup then ? Kind of answered that above, but set up was an Akai S1000, E16 1/2' reel to reel (that always screwed up!)..a quadraverb, Soundtracks Mr series desk, and a few Sm58's. How would you like to see electronic music evolve? Dans mon pantalon..... Really though.. I don't really dwell on the future, or the past!! You were one of the first 'bands' to treat a DJ as a musician in a more traditional sense on stage. Is this something that occurs in your studio work as well ? Well... Ollie is very musical for a DJ (joke)... I am a producer/musician who also DJ's, whereas Ollie is a DJ who is also a musical producer!! What projects are coming up next for the Herbaliser/Herbaliser Band ? We are working on some remixes for a few people, and the most exclusive news is that last week, Jean Grae (who most of our fans will know as WHAT WHAT, from our previous records), was back in the UK, and back at work with us, after a 6 year absence. The Tracks that WHAT WHAT did with us originally, were all done in one session, 6 years ago, and they appeared spread over the two LP's- "Blow Your Headphones" and "Very Mercenary"..She is better than ever, and the tracks that we did will be on our next album... We are also putting together a Mix CD for Ninjatune's Journeys By DJ series, that will be out next year I guess. While there is definitely a continuous sound heard through "Blow your Headphones" right up to "Something Wicked...", there seems to be a certain brightness about the newest Album. How has your working process changed over the years? We have become better producers from doing this for nearly 10 years now, it sure didn't come easy to us, like it does for some lucky people!! As the band has developed, we have used more and more input from the guys in the band, and myself, and that has allowed us to develop deeper instrumental tunes, where we have explored our love of soundtrack music, and mixed it with hip hop beats... Also, it is fair to say that for the Something Wicked LP,I bought some nice but pricey microphones and compressors (AKG C12 VR Mike and 2 Tubetech Compressors, as well as better monitors (quested vs2108-ONE OF THE MAJOR REASONS WHY OUR SOUND HAS IMPROVED!!!!)...But , for anyone reading this who is starting off: ITS SO IMPORTANT TO GET ON WITH MAKING YOUR MUSIC WITH WHATEVER YOU HAVE GOT, rather than being the sort of person I have known, who would say "Oh I Cant finish my record, because I haven't got this synth, or that mike" Another major change that has occurred since we did Blow Your Headphones is that we got a decent MAC, and I have continued to try and keep up to date-ish with the latest Macs.. In fact, I confess, I LOVE MACSSSSS!!!!!!!.... But since we got handy with VST,it has been SO much easier to get both a better sound and to be able to really get creative... Stuff like RECYCLE, Timebandit , CUBASE (though now we are LOGIC 5 users with Pro Tools Hardware and amazing APOGEE CONVERTERS).. As well as the amazing plug-ins and soft synths that keep getting better, and of course that brings us onto... In your productions, where does the Lounge Lizard fit in? Its the best sounding fender rhodes I have ever heard, even better than the two REAL ones that we have taking up space in our studio, and BATTERED and NOISY after years of abuse by Kaidi 'Agent K' Tatham--the Herbaliser's' super-funky keyboardist, and also well know London session player... I bought the EVP88 a while back, and I WAS pleased with its sound, but it was nowhere near BETTER, or as good, as the REAL RHODES... Lounge LIZARD SIMPLY IS... So, whenever we need a Rhodes, or EP...we will be using LOUNGE LIZARD....IT IS DOPE!!..though..being honest, and u best print this too.. I think the wirly needs to be better..a REAL Wurlitzer has so much colour and warmth, that you ARE getting with the LIZARD..it doesn’t come across with your wirly..and I hope that’s only for now..who knows what else u will come up with, after coming up with such a good thing as the LIZARD....and for those of you who are sick of how much I am bigging up the Lizard, I really wouldn’t be, if I didn’t think it was SO good..!!! Over. What's your studio setup look like these days? Really really nice...really f#%king nice indeed..but it is boring to go into detail isn't it??..the list at www.herbaliser.com is kind of out of date, but gives an idea..now add PRO TOOLS mix 3 and The oh so FAT sounding Apogee Ad 16 and DA16 converters..I only got the Apogee gear after doing Something Wicked...so, hopefully our next LP will sound better by default, as those converters are REALLY SERIOUS INDEED. Any UK bands you would like to recommand to our listening? Homelife are good (their singer, SEAMING TO, features on the track ‘Something Wicked’)...plus there is a whole load of great UK hip hop coming out –but generally I don’t get to listen to too much new stuff..every few months, if I hear a new name mentioned, I make a trip to a record or cd store, and stock up, and take some risks!! UK hip hop acts have tended to be fighting an up hill battle when it comes to getting rocognized in the US market, you guys seemed to have conquered it to some extent. How do crowds and the air at shows differ between the UK and North America in in your experience Well..if we had conquered it that decisively , I would be rich like P- Diddy!!!.. I think, we have sold more records in France than the States...however, CANADA is another story for us, and particularly the band...IT IS OUR FaVORITE PLACE in the world to play live...we have done SO many great shows there, from the Jazz fests in Montreal, to Victoria Island...It’s all been wicked...and we still look forward to getting a call, asking us to do a tour out there...we have done good shows in the Bigger cities in the states, but, we really aren’t as well known there as in Canada, so there is a big difference. You have played a couple of times in Montreal, how did you like the city? C’est vraiment fantastique!!....It’s our special place in Canada, as it’s where it all began at FOUFOUNNE, a good 5-6 years ago..we always take the time to have some pasta at euro deli on St. Laurent, and take in the European spirit!! Thanks! www.herbaliser.com
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