words: Ashes 57 & Rippy Ripperton

In some ways, it is positively startling to realize that The Music Scene is Blockhead's fourth instrumental album. Considering the seven albums he collaborated on with Aesop Rock, the work he has done with other MC's and the various unofficial releases. That adds up to a whole lot of discography in a scant ten years. All his work is defined by a devotion to the art of sampling, but as many an Aesop fan has discovered, Blockhead's instrumental albums are a whole different animal. We took few minutes to ask some questions about  “Attack The Doctor”, a track from he Music Scene that particularly appealed to us.



What does the title Attack the Doctor mean?

To be honest, the title was an afterthought. It was the last song that I  titled on the whole album and once I added the vocal sample at the end that says "da dip dip da da” sounds sorta similar to if you said 'attack the doctor'. I’d like to say it's got some deep connection to the health insurance issues going on but, sadly, it does not.

What was your inspiration for this song and where did you start in creating it?

I never really work from inspiration. I tend to just start somewhere and eventually end. What happens in-between there is really just random. This song was the sum of three parts. It's basically three separate beats that I thought might sound good together. Once i figured out how to get them to work together, I took them all apart and rebuilt all three of them into one longer piece.



How long did it take you to finish?

it's hard to say. The three beats it's made from were made at different times and it probably took a day (3-4 hours) to make each one. The blending and restructuring of those three tracks was another story. Honestly, I don't really keep track of how long things take to make cause most of the time they're done in intervals with long breaks in-between.

Is clearing samples more or less of a hassle now that the music industry is suffering?

About the same. I’d say I'm more likely to get sued now cause everyone wants their money but it doesn't really affect how i approach making the music. I just try to go as obscure as possible.


Is there a difference in how you approach to your instrumental work as opposed to your work with MC's?

When working with MC’s, it's their job to fill in the blanks. i get two 16-24 bar parts of space that's pretty much taken care of by the rhyming. i add things in those parts but it's much less obtrusive than what i might add in an instrumental track. In both cases I'm looking at how i structure the song. With MC's, it's more standard, verse, chorus, verse chorus, maybe a bridge in there. But with instrumental stuff, I have free reign to do whatever I want. It's more spacious.

You seem to be one of the last devotees of the ASR-10, how come you never turned it in for the MPC? What additional equipment do you use?

Because I’m lazy and hate learning. The ASR has served me well. I have no need or interest in learning a whole new piece of equipment.  The last few years I’ve been adding Abelton Live into the mix. It’s simplified a lot of things for me. Other then that though, everything else has remained the same.

If you were going to put a rapper on this track, who would you pick?

Hmmm…that's tough. I'd love to hear Rakim circa 1990 on that track.

So tell me about the album, The Music Scene, and why you chose that title?

There are a few ways to look at it. Basically, the way I see it, any real music scene is dead. Music is simply no longer made or listened to like it used to be. So, on one hand, I call this album "the music scene" ironically cause, like I said, there isn't really a music scene anymore.

Another way to see it is that my album is pretty much every genre you can think of smashed together into something unrecognizable. That's a music scene in itself.

The third way is to view the albums artwork. It depicts a run down, animal infested shell of what used to be New York City. To me, that's what the music scene has become. A hollowed shell of what it once was, being run by animals.



How do you think music is made and consumed now, if you feel that the "music scene" is dead?

I mean, I'm generalizing here and it's not all like this, BUT, for the most part, music has become all about the single. An actual album is an afterthought. This leads to people going out of their way to create some watered down bullshit that may or may not happen to blow up based on who pushes it and who gets behind it. It's no longer about good music. It's find the fad, copy that fad and run with it till a new fad pops up.

As for consumption, people download everything. and I'd say the majority of the people out there, download an album, listen to 15 seconds of each song and judge albums based on that. i don't blame them though...music is pretty shitty right now. I wouldn't wanna sit through most of these whole albums either.

How have your own habits changed?

I stopped caring about most new music a long time ago. I mean, there are exceptions, but i checked out around 2004/05. Be it rap, rock , soul or whatever, I just don't follow it unless something jumps out at me. Nowadays, i pretty much only listen to old soul music and rap from the 90's.

Speaking of the album artwork, we really like it. Who designed it and who conceptualized it?

My boy Owen Brozman (AKA Omega One) did it. It was actually something he had already done and I loved it. It was a series he did. When it came time for me to figure out my angle for the new album, his work immediately jumped into my mind. It just matched up perfectly.


Listening to this, a lot of images come to mind, can we expect any videos?

I believe a video for the albums title track is in the works as we speak.


http://www.myspace.com/theblockishot

http://www.ninjatune.net/blockhead