How can we still make it artistic and fresh? You start talking in concepts instead of notes, and it becomes more interesting. Even with somebody who’s a non-musician, you have to approach in a totally different way. You’re not searching for precision or notes. You’re searching for something totally different out of a take. Jake : As a producer, I love working with singers who aren’t true singers. My poor engineer, he just had to listen to so many unlistenable takes. But that was back in 2009, and I kind of put it away for a bit, and I really wanted to focus on it this time. Naeem : I think doing that collab, that kind of tipped me into the zone of wanting to write more melodic songs. Jake : For the good of the universe, I should stay singing. Naeem : I’m sure you’ll be rapping in no time, Jake. Jake : I think singers only sing because they can’t rap! I’d love to be able to do that. I think rappers only rap because they can’t sing. I was really excited to sing in this really deep, crooner, rock ‘n’ roll voice, this menacing voice. It’s called “Gumball Joe” or something like that. Naeem : The first song I really sang on was this song I did with Andrew WK. Jake : Was there a point that you started writing more melodically? Like, did you just start rapping more melodically and then that worked into the singing? What’s your relationship with singing? I got to make people want to believe this somehow, you know? Naeem : I had to rely on emotion because I couldn’t rely on hitting notes. Every time you vocalize it, every time you’re singing, there’s so much emotion and expression. And then there’s phases where I’m like, “Oh, that’s so fucking boring.” I really admire how you use it in the most expressive way, especially on this record. Jake : I’ve definitely gone through phases where I was really into the idea of singing, and taking care of my instrument and practicing a whole lot. With every song I was just trying to write from whatever feelings and whatever my voice was at the time. Naeem : It’s really good for me to hear that, because I was trying to be the most myself possible, and hearing Spank Rock in there means that that music was really genuine as well. Spank Rock still exists within this thing, but… Did you think about that consciously? I almost hear like that Spank Rock voice, like when you’re rapping, and the Naeem thing when you’re singing. Jake : There are two distinct voices that I hear. And then when it was done, it kind of just became really clear, I guess. I had been thinking about it for a few years, but I didn’t really want to. I was really wrestling for a bit if I was going to use my own name or not. Naeem : It was after the project was done. I was like, “Is that coming on under Spank Rock or what?” And you’re like, “No, I started this new project under my own name.” Did you decide to put it out under your own name before you started the project, or was it after the project was done? ![]() Jake : I remember asking you about that “Startisha” song. Last time I saw you, we shared a hot tub together. Jake Luppen : Of course, thanks for putting out one of the coolest records of this year. In stepping away from their other gigs, each gained the freedom to explore their personalities more intimately. After years fronting the indie-pop band Hippo Campus, Luppen just released a self-titled album under the name Lupin. After years as the driving force behind Spank Rock, Naeem recently released a left-turn of a solo album called Startisha. ![]() Both spent time in Minneapolis and share friends there, including producer BJ Burton, who comes up in their conversation. ![]() ![]() They emerged from different scenes, but Naeem and Jake Luppen go way back.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |