* * * * * * * *

Wednesday,
April, 29,
1998

Fly Home Page      
US/Canada: Features

FLY HOME
NEWS
AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST
ASIA/PACIFIC
CARIBBEAN
EUROPE
LATIN AMERICA
US/CANADA
-Features
-Reviews
-City Guides/Events
- - - - - -
FLY VIDEO
FLYkr GALLERIES
FLY CD SHOP (UK)
FLY CD STORE (US)




world music ring


WOMEX


www.flickr.com
This is a Flickr badge showing public photos from flykr. Make your own badge here.

The Angel

The Angel is one of the most talented new producers on the US dance scene today. She has remixed for the likes of the Pharcyde, Spearhead, The Brand New Heavies and Donald Byrd.

theangel.jpg

Please note this is an old page and Fly Global Music has now moved. Please follow this link and search for the entry in the new site.

She has worked with the likes of jazz legends Brian Auger and Jackie Terrasson, alongside cult drum and bass producers More Rockers,and not to mention a plethora of other talented musicians including Monday Michiru and MC Navigator. Her styles range from abstract hip hop,to jazz experimentation , to Brazilian carnival flava's, and through to the street energy of drum and bass. She has just recently started to break into scoring contemporary movie soundtracks. In her own right she has produced some sparkling underground gems and is in the throws of putting together what promises to be a stunning debut album. In a word she is happening ... oh yeah, and she also has a great voice!

Fly: What/who influenced you to first start laying down tracks of your own?

A: I was mostly influenced by the gear.... once samplers became affordable, I found that I could put together any kind of craziness that I could conjure up... and there is still plenty of that. Lots of my friends were making music and encouraged me.

Fly: Did coming from New York have any effect on the musical direction you followed ?

A:Definitely. I've been into hip hop and rap since it's inception and I've always been a beats junkie... New York has always been the hot bed for both jazz & hip hop. From that standpoint they have both influenced me tremendously... and coming from Brooklyn has certainly given me that "underdog" edge.

Fly: Does being a female producer, in what is a very male dominated scene, help or hinder you?

A: It's hard to say. Most people see my credits and assume I'm a guy. Those in the know are usually bemused. The stigma is so intense that even when people know what my skills are, there is often still this question mark about whether or not I was just "the singer" on the project and that's only because I'm a woman. Even in the case of Jaz Klash, just because I sang a couple of lines on a couple of tracks people immediately jump to the WRONG conclusion! That's why I play down the vocal thing so much, because it detracts from what I am most proud of - which are my production and technical skills. This is a fact that all women are up against in this business... ya gotta work twice as hard to get half as much recognition. There is definitely a bit of an old boys club that exists especially in the DJ world and ultimately - what can I say - it's a dick thang.

Fly: To me, there is a real jazz element in your production work...ie an abstract, freeform feel to the tunes right through to samples etc..... Are you a Jazz fan? does jazz have an important part to play when you're setting down and producing tracks?

A: I'm a huge Jazz fan and my approach to arranging music is heavily influenced by that flow... I've been fortunate to have worked in the jazz arena, being able to reinvent and rework the jazz into some otha 90s flava. Remixing Donald Byrd's "Kofi" was a truly deep experience - all the way through to bringing in Mystic, who flowed like butter all over the piece. I felt like a kid in a candy shop - cause for once I was told, "Go and sample to your heart's delight" and the performances on that tune were incredible. Working with players of Jacky Terrasson's caliber was a real eye opener and an inspiration. On "Mixed Feelings" he and Gift of Gab and I just vibed that piece down like we were all a bunch of jazz musicians. I always have that wacky vision for a piece of music, regardless of the genre I'm working in. I guess, in that way I borrow a freeform approach to the construction of a piece from what I perceive to be the jazz ethic. Purists might disagree (This I've learned from Brian Auger because throughout our recording sessions, he has imparted an anecdote or two that have really surprised me about the narrow-mindedness of the "Jazz purist").

Fly: Are you a control freak when it comes to your music?

A: Put it this way, I know what I want... and I know how to achieve my goals without any outside interference. Fact is, if a person has a knack for production it means that they have a vision and a direction for the music they are creating. I don't believe in a heavy handed approach to the creative process. I'm not interested in just satisfying my own ego - I'd be limiting all possibilities. My philosophy is simple - I have serious RESPECT for everyone I work with whether they are a musician or a vocalist or another producer... and because of that I generally tend to get the best out of everyone. I like to create an atmosphere where everyone involved can walk away feeling really proud of themselves and special about their talent.

Fly: After having worked on tracks for Gridlock'd and Playing God, would you like to get more into working on soundtracks... even eventually doing whole scores? Also what kind of film do you think would best suit your work?

A: I scored about 1/3 to 1/2 of "Gridlock'd" and scored a batch of cues for a film called "Till There Was You". My agent (how Hollywood!) already has a bunch of scoring projects lined up for me, some for whole films and others for set cues. This is something I've always wanted to do and it's one of the hardest things to break into. Working to picture is a completely different creative process to writing & producing songs. "Playing God" was a different story. I produced & co-wrote a song with Angie Hart called "Anything", which we licensed to the film (starring David Duchovny... X-Files fans check for this), out Oct. 17th in the US.

If someone were to make a film that could touch Fellini's "8 1/2" -- I'd be there.

Fly: Will we be seeing more drum and bass tracks from you in the future?

A: I'm sure... I was talking to Rob (Smith) not so long ago about starting a 2nd Jaz Klash album and in the meantime, I'm cross referencing rhythms like mad. The influence of d&b is inevitably showing through in my work and vibing me up to no end.

Fly: So what are you up to at the moment? .... tell us more about your new 60channels project (ie the collaborations etc)?

A: 60 Channels is my playground. I'm in the process of mastering an album. Besides myself, there are a diverse bunch of vocalists that I just had to collaborate with including (Cokni O'Dire, Angie Hart, MC Navigator, McMad etc.) I take a fairly detailed finesse-like approach to building up tracks. The musicians and vocalists involved understand my abstract approach to songwriting and production and get into it because they know that in this environment they are encouraged to do all the things that they would normally be ragged on for trying. As ever, I'm mixing and matching up styles, beats and atmospheres and presenting them in a way that people define as "aggressively adventurous". Nothing polite about it, mate.



Visit Fly's new Amazon shops:
Fly Music Shop UK / Fly Music Shop US
CC Some Rights Reserved FLY 2012 || add to del.icio.us Add to Del.icio.us