Jamie S23 links up with SaSaSaS to discuss their latest mixtape and the madness that was Red Bull Culture Clash 2016.
Mixtapes in drum and bass have always been important but it’s also very easy for these to be overlooked with so much online content on offer these days. How does a project like this come together?
Harry Shotta
“Yeah for me doing drum and bass mixtapes was a necessity when I came in the scene. I can remember doing wicked sets in a rave then listening to the CD pack and the mics would be so low on the recording you could hardly hear the bars. This is why I was onto doing studio mixes from early. It allows fans to learn your new material and for you to be heard clearly. It also allows you to be creative and literally write bars to certain tunes so when they come on in a rave their almost like songs that the ravers know and chant back.
I think if you’re a serious MC you have to be dropping mixtapes as well as tunes. With SaSaSaS this now gives us more vibes on the set because as well as classic bars that everyone knows we now have a load of new combination bars that all bounce off each other bringing even more chemistry and energy to the set.
In terms of the project coming together you just have to put in the work. Hours and hours of writing, hours and hours of recording and mixing and mastering. Its loads of work and takes a lot of time but it’s worth it when you hear the finished product.”
In terms of time taken do you think people checking this mixtape will really appreciate how long a mixtape takes to put together? Out of interest, how do you allocate session time for these projects? It must be hard to all meet up at once for a writing session considering how busy you guys are?
Stormin
“I don’t think anyone can appreciate how long it takes unless they have experienced it first-hand. We always take time to deliver music for our fans though because without them there’s no SaSaSaS. It can be hard for everyone to meet up and work but again, we manage.
We are a strong team and very much like a family.”
Viral Damage contains tons and tons of new lyrics; will these be carried over into the rave for a special live performance in the same respect Shotta performs the Harry Shotta Show for example?
Harry Shotta
“There are no old lyrics on this tape, we were quite strict on that. I think for now we are going to start to slide these new combo’s and bars into our live sets but as the mix gets out there more and people are thirsty to hear the tunes and the lyrics there’s no reason why you can’t get a Viral Damage set.
All these things are good for the scene as its fresh and forward thinking. We’re also going to be working on tunes together so over time they will be included in our live performances and I think things will grow organically into something special.”
What’s the end goal when producing a mixtape of this calibre?
Macky Gee
“I think things like this are just good for the brand and good for the scene in general. It’s great that the followers get to learn new bars from the MCs but it’s also an amazing platform for myself and Phantasy to get hold of some fresh music from new artists and showcase it to a very big audience.”
Let’s talk clash – how did you feel rolling out onto the Red Bull Culture Clash stage? Was it different to the raves you guys perform at considering it was a massive surprise to the crowd?
DJ Phantasy
“The o2 Arena was actually our second Redbull Culture Clash this year. The difference this time was we were not allowed to let anyone know we were there. Knowing what we were planning was exciting and to work with some of our music friends from other genres was an absolute pleasure.
When round 2 started, the TV cameras swung round and caught Macky and I on the screens and both of our phones started popping off! People were expecting something might be happening but nobody was really sure.
To be able to step onto such a great stage at an amazing venue and hear that roar from the crowd was something else and most importantly, we stayed true to our music and represented drum and bass playing some of the biggest bangers that are currently being played out right now.
(Note: The sound quality at the start on the UKG set was sadly unavoidable.)
It was different to our normal events but the amount of people who were there from our world was immense. Music lovers everywhere appreciate good music and all everyone wants is to be entertained and we hope we brought that energy to the stage. We can’t wait to do it again..”
Some people have discussed the lack of proper dub plates from the crews this time around – what are your thoughts on dub plates in clashes. Do YOU think they all did the objective justice?
DJ Phantasy
“The UKG All-stars had loads of dubplates made and I know they have about 30 they couldn’t use because of time.
People forget, it’s about entertainment and what Redbull are doing for the UK music scene in general is to be applauded. Some of the teams played 45’s (normal released records) but out of the 20,000 plus people there, I honestly didn’t see anyone do anything other than dance, cheer and join in the moment.
One team played the original release of UK Apache’s ‘Original Nutta’ and we counteracted with an exclusive dub from UK Apache as we are great friends and I’m one of the only people who can get that kind of exclusive from him. To be honest, when the original release was played, the roar at the o2 Arena was something else… it brought goose bumps. When we played the exclusive clash dub, people were dancing and going mad but in all the madness that was happening around them, did they really catch what UK Apache was singing about the other teams?
I believe the UKG team won the clash (well at least 2 rounds clear) but it seems that the Drake dubplate and Big Narstie’s appearance stole the show. So does that make Mixpack bad or clever at doing what they had to do to win the clash?
I make them clever because winning is about bringing anything you can to the table to win in whatever you do. Football teams do what they have to do to win, why would this be any different?
Big love to all the teams involved because from what I see, the o2 Arena was fully entertained. Big love to Redbull and let’s have a drum and bass team next time!”
Will SaSaSaS be bringing clash culture to the rave this year? Imagine that! The ‘Viral Damage’ mixtape takes hints of this already, especially the part where you’re all discussing each other’s styles lyrically – flip that around on the attack next time!
Stormin
“We won’t be bringing clashing culture to a rave cause that’s not what we are about but all of us have excellent stage presence so the vibe we bring will have the energy of a culture clash and more!”
What’s next for the crew? Any diverse projects in the pipeline?
Harry Shotta
“What’s great about us as a collective is there’s no egos so as well as doing things as a team we all have solo careers and projects which we all fully back and support to the fullest. There’s music and projects coming from every single member, loads of features, collabs and remixes.
As a collective we are working on an EP which should drop before the end of the year too. We need to do more vocal led drum and bass as a genre to keep smashing the stigma that drum and bass MCs can’t make tunes and all that rubbish. Fact is, some of the most innovative and flamboyant MCs come from the drum and bass scene so we need to be producing music and sick visuals as well as smashing up raves.
It’s all about breaking new ground and smashing into new territory on our own terms and being proud of our side of drum and bass and its accomplishments.”
Image credits: Chelone Wolf.