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‘AMERICA'S BECOME A DEAD ZONE’
The rep grows bigger
Guru has spent 15 years successfully crossing the border between hip hop and jazz. Here he tells Mark Edmundson about the collective force of Jazzmatazz
‘ '\ e personall} a|\\a_\\ been about ti'_\ ing to ereate new. rele\ant. hot iniixie.‘ states (iiii'ti in a
considered tone that \l[\ \\ ell \\ itli his rap eanon.
'and thanks to in} partnership with the \nper—prodiieer
Solar I‘m able to do that. Not merynw has a Solar." This isn‘t the response I \\a\ e\peeting l'roni a question that \\a\ intended to stir up a little ill \xill tonards his eiinteniporaries. (illl'tl ina_\ not be among hip hop\ inoi‘e attentiongrahhing ruling elaxx. neither
\\a\ he among the \ei'} ill'Sl to break the sound nor ol
the t‘ttt'l'L‘ltl RUCkVIi‘RUHx RU} CL‘S Ul- ltitigi} ix Nng \L‘l. but at a trim and _\otithliil ill—phix he remains true to hip hop\ roots. a dependable eonstant. niarkedl} \till touring ne\\ inaterial ol‘en\ iahle tiiialii}.
"I'his is a highl) eoinple\ ixxiie.‘ eontinuex his latter
da} hrother—in~arinx Solar. 'l'ill‘ one. I know I speak on hehall ol inan_\ people here in the [S when l \a_\ that \\ L'.I'C \t‘l'} dl‘l‘l‘k‘t‘lalht‘ Ul‘ IilL' iiilk‘l lilttl [llk‘\L‘ "Hid \ehool" artists are at |ea\t being able to tour their liltISiL‘ and make an ineoine.’
'l‘hough niie\peeted this is a eoinniendahle \tanee. \xhieh tells oi a no-nonxense dtio eiii‘ientl} \\.idiiig against the tide ot eoiiipai'ati\el} timeless and t'i'eqtientl} negati\ e ehart hip hop joints in the [S
Solar eontintiexz 'It\ a struggle here in .\ineriea to get the industr}. promoters and so on here to start pining the same attention to these artists so tlie_\'re not relegated to going o\er\ea\ .itISI to he able to \xork at their trade. \Vhen hip hop \\a\ king here. \\ hen it started. it \\a\ a eoneept that was born out ot pride. out of t'i'tistration. out ot‘ intelligenee and ereatixit}. .-\ineriea'.\ heeoine. in that sense. a dead /one.'
66 THE LIST '3 .‘
It’\ IS _\eai'\ \Illt't‘ (iang Starr l'oiinding member and standard heai'ei‘ (itil'tl. \Kllil an analogous eoneerii loi pining his dues. ill'Sl exeheu ed hip hop\ \aniphng culture in la\oiii' ol collaborations with h\e ia// tll‘lISIS hit his .lii.';ui/iiii.'.' side project. In the eight _\eai\ that ha\ e passed since the release ol the lli‘ltllllltltlx third in\ta|ineiit. .Sli'i'i't Sold. the adopted Veg \‘oi‘kei' hax eniginatieall} parted eoinpan} \‘.iih leilim (iaiig Starr \taluart DJ Premier and gone his ii\\ll \xa} \\|lil producer Solar on then H (irand label.
.\lter the release ol' a (iiirti solo album the pair hax e turned their attention\ to .la//niata// . eiirrenth ioiiring |a\l _\eai‘\ \oliiine tour. //1(' Hip Hop .i/i'ni‘liei'r i/i’iiik to the l'i’l/lll't I. \xhieh leattirex a txpieall} inlorined line tip ol guests li'oin iiiieh \aiiipled \oiil i.i// inan Hob .ltllllL‘S to hotxhot l'lx' rh_\ Illt‘Slllllil \oiiiigiin.
'l5or me it's reall} haxed on .i loxe loi .\l('ing and a line tor the art l'oi‘iii.‘ \a-u (illl'll oi his longe\it_\ and I‘L‘xiiilllc‘ llll\\liilll:_‘llt‘\\ to rest on ill\ laurel» 'So that ;il\\;i}\ eoinex liixt \xith me. I lixten to t'\c‘i‘}tliiiig. and the \ltlll I like I get inspired h}. So I‘m ne\er gonna \tra_\ too tar limit what I do. Inn at the same time I'm eoitxtatitl} ehallenging in} \eltf
\ou \\ itli Solar on hoard (iiirii l'eels he has hreaehed the ne\i le\el. and both are indignant iliat nix exohition isn‘t reeei\ed in the same \\;i} as the \l.idoiiiia\. Springsteenx or Stings oi lilh \xorld.
"l‘he dit'tei’enee is that the} \\ ere enihi'aeed with their new \lllll.‘ ittlltc‘llh Sonar. 'iiillk‘itlii} the hip hop arena ean wake tip and embrace (iiii‘ii propei l_\.'
Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, Fri 14 & Sat 15 Mar.
Kathryn Williams and Neil MacColl l'iwn-
w'i'vii'...: "-i‘trii"'iit)':"“'~ ‘i "liv'h‘it‘ I I ll ik l! i' .1lil k a l i. i\ 1‘) ll», 7 H -'i .ii . "it lail'
l‘ (ELEV I. (iiwaL l.‘.t‘ I . ii i". itl' i/i‘iiwk n; i' W.“ i"
Northern Alliance and friends t )i.i ff‘.‘.'l1‘>‘\li"[hll,.} .Jii'i'zt,tt>.'1w oiitiaiox ‘ii w. ill!" mum's; .‘ntii 'ie‘ t>.iiiti iii bait iii "I (it iiirx.‘ Hi i: m The ( )g‘niti',‘
.il: ,iiiifatli: i itflw i ‘tftitiii; air: .Ji lorztear i? Menu"; .iittl [ lanai: 3"" Mr, fiit‘tlf‘; gi't'l l o- Hwiiii Apart, [17. i-"i‘ Nt lit: fie/7"; Q? (IN/nil [‘ii't'. /<:".".‘)r,'.'i,'/:, 1“"; 7.7M; 7 1}“! Nth". ‘. 13);}; “.1, i’V/‘il . ’l) it'll.
1“: j? w; I ’g/i
Sub-Opt it”? iiiinii j'i tit trio tiltfllJtiE; its/Ch fiiiik rock (iiittit'rz litiol, Sim-HM“. Hogarth}, If) iii;i'l«.i~’l mt'i ’lii'. li‘-.’(: Moi/.1 (Tat/xiii}! ‘.’i>/f.'ii.'i). [awning/i, In 7-1 1/, 1H! )i in. i“; H);
Guru’s Jazzmatazz 53w: ;;i'r“.'t:‘.‘.t MT. Vow/«it, HMO/III».
i {ft/TILU'QU’ . f‘it lief/11* (Li I”): if"
The Damn Shames and The Just Joans A Keen
iii/‘Llih‘; i/hl mtli iili,‘ Sliziiiim‘;
7-: (4‘; Fi'ii 7,") Ari/3!
i’:."‘ll‘1ii post l.:;t:rt HUT) skziiik hunt; a V/v’ilt “;ll“: treat for the first i/itlfilt, it; M, Girlfriend night. l/ri: [Lia'th/I l"./.hi30/, Glasgow. [/1 7 XVIII". l/i’ifljk 5'. Pop;
Ari Hoenig Trio lire,- tiar,’ iCl’ltltif‘) of this moment New Yarn ilriii'iiim are iir‘iii:a<;lii:<i as he iffitti his tn'c-r; {JV/1:. placing in»; pr:.':,t.'s~)izie approach at the heart of tin”: music instead of just Keeping a tic-at. The l of. {it‘ll/irmrylt, Fri 2i Mm Uta/Xi
Ceilidh Culture A month icng iassomg toryfihgr of scores 9‘ ‘:.’i:tli‘: across the C13; from int,- like; of Karine Pole/art. Jamar; Len/gr: a'vl neaxa/ tipped agar/liner Km Edgar. See Dr‘n’l‘L‘J. page 67. {km/w: venues. i'f'o'inburgn. Fri 27 Mar—Sun 72Apr. i/FO/k/