Interview: Grandmaster Flash

It’s not every day that a living legend suddenly materializes in your South Delhi backyard, thousands of miles away from where he would normally be kicking it – around 520 Sedgwick Avenue, Bronx, New York, aka the exact birthplace of hip hop. It was over 35 years ago that Grandmaster Flash started manipulating vinyl records on turntables in unconventional ways, pioneering the cutting and mixing techniques that would form the foundation of hip hop music for decades to come. True, the dirty, controversial truth is that Flash isn’t technically performing on a number of early ‘80s crossover hits bearing his golden name like ‘The Message’ and ‘White Lines’. Still, any doubts of his skills are eclipsed by 1981’s 7-minute scratch-happy classic ‘The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel’ that samples Queen, Blondie and others into a feast of funk that is still feeding famished breakdancers today. So, in case you didn’t know, now you know; and you can understand the bubbly zeal with which we linked up with Grandmaster Flash for the low down on what brings him to India to throw down.

So Flash, what the fuzz brought you all the way to India to drop the dope jams?
Looking for sounds… I’ve been to many countries and every now and then I just get a whim to see what’s going on over here, what’s going on over there, so I set up a situation with a friend of mine and my agent to come over here to just sort of take a look, just to see lyrically and musically what’s over here… I’m gonna check out some shows. Indian instruments here are somewhat different – they don’t have a guitar here, it’s called something different and it sounds different. The drums – they sound different. The sounds here are very interesting. I just wanna hang out here, see the clubs here, see how the vibe is here. Because perhaps I might be able to add some of it to my next album that I’m working on now… It won’t take me very long to find what I need. And I’ll be back pretty soon.

Do you operate any differently when you spin abroad versus gigs on home turf?
There’s no set program. Every time that I play in a different country, it’s something new, something different, I’m constantly testing and that’s what keeps it new and fresh. (In India) this will probably be my biggest test because I’m in a region that I’m unfamiliar with and that’s great.

You brought your vinyl out with you?
I carry my vinyl but I also use Traktor. It allows me to bring a vast array of music with me to different countries. It’s almost impossible to bring 10 or 15 boxes of records with me – it becomes very expensive. And also the handling (is poor), you open up the boxes in the hotel and the records are broken. The digital aspect of it is a big help.

Has it been a challenge to upgrade from the techniques you invented in the analog world to the digital environment of making music today?
I’m a scientist first before I’m a DJ. I was ahead of my time when I created the turntable science 35 years ago; I was way ahead of my time.

What about kids these days who’ve never even seen a turntable or a vinyl record in their life and go straight to “mixing” hip hop on CD-DJ decks?
I don’t understand how it works but it’s okay. I couldn’t play on a CD deck personally, but that’s not to say that it’s bad. It’s okay.

What about young MCs these days? Sometimes I start wishing kids wanted to grow up to be doctors and engineers instead of pimps and gangsters…
I don’t know nothing about that. I’m a DJ. I play hit music… I play hit music for adult people, over the age of 18.

Way back when you were starting this whole hip hop game, did you ever imagine it could become so huge, so important to so many people all over the world?
I did not sit back and think and say, ‘I’m gonna do something the world loves’ , I was just trying to play some different types of records: rock records, funk records, jazz records, blues records. Just the records that have the breaks in them. I didn’t look at it as no major responsibility it was just something I did, not realizing, of course… Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would work. Never… I’m glad it did though!

Tell us about your current album, The Bridge: Concept of a Culture, that came out earlier this year. What was it like back in the studio after all these years?
It was a wonderful experience. It gave me a chance to re-establish my credentials as a producer. And it gave me a chance to reach out to other MCs from different countries and put them on my record. It was really good; you know I’m working on the next one now.

Well, you got quite a line-up of MCs – Kane, Q-Tip, Busta, Snoop. But who are these foreign cats you speak of?
A Swedish MC, a French MC, a Japanese MC, South African… They’re rapping in their language. Hip hop is a global cultural art form so I’d rather approach a person and tell them to do it in their language. This next project is gonna be much more of that.

No signs of slowing down the wheels of steel huh, you’re already thinking about your next album! How do you keep up this energy and stay fresh?
If you love what you do, it takes care of you.