Amp Fiddler - interview: on teaching J Dilla how to use MPC; touring with George Clinton; Prince

Okay, I'm filler Congrats, on the great stroke here in the world so thank, you we're glad you say that we're, sitting backstage it's like the, walls are shaking so, much bass in this club. And. Actually. We, have already met 12, years ago when you were performing in, Warsaw it summer, music, festival, do, Paris is that what we were, I. Think we met backstage after, the show, also. Yeah, yeah and I got a fixer from. The time. Wow. 2006. Wait did. I have my band playing here I think so yeah thank you with, the band it. Was me and my brother. Yeah. My. Glasses all that. Well. Just for me yeah. You can keep it so. Dog yeah, and. That was 2018, and you're back in Europe during yeah. How. Do you feel what is it like I really feel good it's. Amazing I mean. It's. Rare that you get a chance to repeat and come back in so many years you know I was, 2006. When I was here that. Was when we were outside on that field in Warsaw right remember it, was a big huge, complex. Yeah. So. Um. Yeah. That's over ten years you know I think. So yeah. So I. Feel. Really good I'm thankful. That I'm still, able to come here and perform and healthy and have new music and. It's. A great feeling. That's. You yeah, that's me and that's my brother, and. I remember you said we look like twins yeah, your. Brother how's he doing he's, good he's great he's actually, like. The main editor-in-chief. At our website papa it's. Almost along. And. He's today at the games concert because the game is performing, here as, well oh no they the, same game, the game. 2006. Changed. Me a little bit I probably looked a little different. Okay. So since. Your friends came in the game is in she released her first solo albums, the. Music industry has changed tremendously. But. Since. She came back a, couple of years ago with bass mentality, to EB it. Seems like your loyal fan base has resurfaced. And you're getting a lot of support independently, as, an artist so. What. Do you think was the key for you and what was the hardest thing and coming back to the game after a long break, I think. The key was. To. Release, more music, of course and, I. Think the hardest thing was to find a place to, put, the music to release it and, I. Think, band. Camp is amazing, and that helped me with the best mentality, too and now. I think with. This. Release. For. Motor. City booty with my friend Yambol. What's. Amazing for me and now, I think it's, new record with, moody, man it's also made it for me so it's just great that I've been able to consistently. Release. Records I think that helps now that I can release. New music that people could have access to and. Different, things you know everything's, not the same so it's nice that. It's. Different you know people get people can buy some new music on that fiddler I think that helps me. To come back here if I didn't have the new music I don't feel like I would be, yeah. And in, November last year you, released your fourth, studio, album MDOC. Nights right, what does this album mean to you and what. Is the meaning behind the title because I couldn't figure.

Well. With. Moody man released we released some, songs as singles, of. The new name ham dog nights. And. There, was a nickname, that he gave me that he liked that. Kind of stuck with me. And. It. Refers, to a knight, in shining armour and, I. Am dog is like my. Brother you. Know, when. Someone in the state says yeah you might that's my dog that's. My brother you know so it's. Like my brother the, shining, armor has come to light so. That's what it means to me and. What. Was like working on this record because I saw one interview, where you mentioned that the music that you're releasing now it's, music that you recorded, years, ago and you're just trying to get rid of all the older music to make place, for the, new one so was. That the process behind this album, yeah the process, was that myself. And moody man would, sit at the computer and, four songs that. I was sitting on a computer and. What. Happened, is that, once, we pulled the song I have to update the songs to. Bring them chicon so. Even. Though they're all the songs I have to work on or more and. Make them. Complete. So. I think that was the most process, and then we did some remixes, on the songs and. And. I really love this record because it means, a lot to me because my brother Bub's passed away in, 2016. And he's on the record and I, have dill on the record and, those. Are. Two. People who are important, to me who are loved and who. Contributed. Tributing to this record who. I'm. Not here and body, and soul burning spirit in mine. So. It's really cool it means a lot to me and. From, the 80s and 90s you were a part, of the legendary. Bands. Funkadelic. In Parliament, how, do you look back on the whole era and that experience, from. Thymes perspective. Well. That. For me was a dream come true because. My. Dream was to always play with parliament-funkadelic. I loved. Jazz and. Hip-hop. And, soul and. Bebop. Reggae. Afro. Beat, salsa. Calypso. Reggae. But I. Felt. Like funk, was always in my soul and I always wanted to have the, job playing keyboards, to George Clinton's, so. To get that gig was the. Ultimate high for me at, the time and. I. Wasn't happy when I got that gig and and. George was so cool that I learned. A lot from him, about, the. Process, of, being. In the music industry, from. Everything. From making. Merchandise to, business, to. Producing, to, writing. The. Whole process. So. That, experience, has meant a lot to me and a lot of the musicians that were there when I came, were amazing. They. Were the people, who George came to Detroit with from Newark New Jersey and some. Of them that came from Washington, DC. The. Younger generation, that were amazing, musicians, that I learned from so. The whole experience was a, school, for me. And. I, think for all the hip-hop fans one. Of the most interesting. Chapters. Of your career. And your, whole legacy is that you are basically like a mentor to the young JD, J Dilla and. And. Do. You remember it. Because he taught him like the basics of mp3, how to use it that's what yeah, and you remember your first impression, of Dilla and we have any favorite memories from those times I, remember. Like it was yesterday because, I. Had. Purchased. The MPC, from a demo, deal that I got from Polygram, records and, I got an MPC 60, and, he, came to the house with, the rest of the rappers that wanted to record. From. My neighborhood they were all kids in high school. 16. 17. So. I remember distinctly, that, I. Told. Them that I couldn't make. The beats because I didn't have that much time so, I could help them but they needed someone who could be more creative in the process. For. Them to work as a unit together and they said all that's cool we. Have James, when. They brought James. He. Showed me how he had sampled, from cassette, tape to cassette tape cassette, tape cassette tape said tape over the up cassette tape over the devil in another cassette tape or whatever beep on another cassette it was amazing.

So. I said. This, is amazing I don't know how you doing this I said bring. Me, the. Samples. And we're gonna make them in. The music from the MPC, but, what was amazing was that. Diller, heard, everything you know the, intro, diverse. The chorus. The. Vamp. Everything. Was, all in the arrangement. And all the samples were different, for one song so he, was a genius and all the samples were relative, and key to each other so. He was already a genius, when he came to my house all. I he needed to know was the technical, aspect, of the machine and, once he learned that which. He came to my house just about every day after that it. Was amazing. So. It was it was very, inspiring, to see a young kid with so much talent. Before, you. To. Come into fruition. By. Your teaching, of. Technology. No soon, school so, you're already saying that he was going to become huge and it was just a matter of time I already knew that it. Was just that they. Were they weren't patient and they, wanted to be successful fast. So. They went to Barack records, the RJ rice and and, if. We're dealing with John Salley a basketball, player and I said no are we gonna go with him because they're gonna get us on faster, but, it took some time I, mean I mean, it would have taken time for them eventually would it happen but it would took longer for them as long as for me so. I said I'll. Let you go and do your thing and when I call you be ready. So. When I was on tour with Lollapalooza, with. George. Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic and, so. I called class I knew, that, I needed to connect, to tip. With. Dilla I knew that q-tip could be the, liaison, to help, Dilla and once. I introduced Diller to Kuchar it. Was a wrap and I knew. It was gonna happen because I, knew, that they. Had so much in common because I knew. That Diller was a big fan of q-tip, you can hear it in the music you, can hear it you can, hear the music. That. They were making that was so. Much in relationship. To Tribe, Called Quest. So. It's a perfect, intervention. Perfect. Timing yeah it's probably timing, is well, and chip was cool he loved them all, and. And, one of the interviews, I read with you, you, said describing a record collection that music, is our sanctuary so, regardless, of how you feel you can always come home listen to records and feel better so. What. Have been your go-to, records, like when you're going from some hard times and you need to find some peace of mind do you have any albums, that you just escaped, I do I do my sister, passed away in 2012. And I have a record collection and her record collection, along with my brothers, were. The music, that molded, my life and I. Have, that collection with, my turntables, and I can, go home and put those records on and reminisce and I really, get grounded, again still. Balanced. So. It's nice to have records, it's, a beautiful thing I think that, was what was cool about Dilla that he had records at home from his parents and he had a lot of records for me that my library was big until. I had a flood in the basement. And. When I felt Dane Funk a couple of years ago I think two years ago he. Said that's my only goal it's to have fun to be respected, again funk, is not a joke I'm very attuned, to the way that some of these circles, don't respect the funk so how do you feel about the state of funk music in 2018. And its evolution I love. Dave bones. That's. My boy, amazing. We met for the first time last, year so, I'm. A big fan of him. I. Don't. Care what people do. When. In regards to funk because I know it's always gonna be here I know. That the. Many, of us that carry the torch and. Then, it's exciting, become all of our here to Warsaw, and. CP. Unity, playing phone tonight so I think that.

It's. Always gonna be here and I'm not working about that I know. That they're, always gonna, be from disciples. Always. There's always gonna be somebody carrying that torch. And. In, the past, couple of years it is, also been like a smaller, resurface, of funk in the hip-hop like thanks to Kendrick Lamar King Kunta, but. Do. You think that it might continue, like. Because everything, goes in circles, as, well as in music so do, you think that funk will have like another huge, wave like, and go. Through mainstream I think even Bruno Mars also. Chugging it back, always. Always. Punk, will always, recycle, itself. Funk. Is always its own reward, someone. Will always reap, the benefits, of that feeling. In this and their heart and bring. It back, it's. Never left. That's. What people fail. To realize funk, is never left it's always, been it, will always be here, and. You. Talked about George, Clinton, but also another legend. That you had a chance to work with it's Prince, so. How would you describe his influence, on he was an artist and you, also met him in person so, what. Did you admire, the most about him as a person as, an artist I just. Think he was an amazing. Musician, an. Amazing, producer. Amazing. Artist, and, and. One that we can be always inspired. And motivated by, he's always, go, back understand his music and say, forgot. About this damn this. Little, was amazing. So. I think that, will always sit, in my heart I will always be inspired, by Prince. Like. Junie Morrison, you know from Ohio players, people. Don't mention him that much but he was, amazing. Musician. And a. Very good friend of mine that passed. Away that I'm. Very, thankful to have had a relationship with, before he left so. And, Jerry, Scheider or and. Eddie. Hazel was in the band when I got. Into P phone so. The. Musicians, that were there when I joined, people are well. I'll. Call it amazing. So. I would never forget that a lot. Of prints and all the others and I'm still thankful that George is here and I can, call him up and say yo what up dude what a bad. What's. That. He's. Just he's just always, fire. I. Always. Get power to the amplifier, for dueling power to the amplifier. Cool. Touring, with him because he's gonna be performing, in joining worse me. Too. Really. I think, I'm gonna be here with him with the will sessions, I didn't. Tell you but I don't know do you know about Wilson.

As. I automatic, oh and, I. Saw that you played keys on one of the. But. You haven't one of the songs that I've done we will sessions, yeah I don't think I played the very, first song on the set tonight was. A song. With recesses in am filling we. Have a new album coming out, if. You've heard Motor City booty you've heard the Damian Brown so. The Dames Brown is featured in myself we've. Collaborated on a record so it's gonna be really good so, look. For that it's gonna be really funky, so it's just carrying on the funk and it's really hardcore, traditional. Counterparts not, like, modern. Is kind of old-school and, its, really go. You're. Known for mixing. And blending a, lot of music. Genres like from. Funk to soul R&B. House. Electro. Some. Techno music, reggae. Like. And we can hear it on Motor City and Motor City booty we can hear it and inspiration, and information albums. So. Are there still any like. Experiments. Musically, that you've always thought, of doing but but never kind of got around to like. Any ideas, detailing your mind afro struck was my idea, about afro bean and Michael, color came from people and introduced me to Tony Allen and. So. On I've. Always been a fan of, Afrobeat, so it's amazing to work, with Tony Allen and. I. Think. That's been one of my. Big. Ones that people. Don't recognize that, enough in the world I think especially. In the States people don't know about afro, beat like they should they. Don't know who Tony Allen, is so I'm, looking forward to doing more things with him and a solo, chip and, I. Just. Try to jump into whatever I can, that's. That's. Possible, to, to you. Know stay. Innovative. Okay. And what, would you say has been your biggest musical, achievement, thus, far my, biggest what your, biggest musical achievements, as far as. Dog. Nights of. Course. Because. The past is cool but. This, preacher is everything, and I'm living right now right. Now my biggest record, is AB dog night that's director, then, I'm working on. Working. With, promoting. And. Dog night that's, it okay okay, so do. You have any other, less words for the fans in Poland um I, am amazed in a love poem it's been too long since I've been here I want. To thank everybody for coming out to the show tonight supporting, me and surprising. Me because I had no idea that I had so many fans here I love. All my fans now, I just want to know that okay. Thank you very much Rosanna.

2019-02-11 18:19

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