[Photo by Arianna Lago]
Madlib is all about his music and doesn’t answer to no one. Sometimes you get three albums in a month, sometimes you have to wait a year for new material. He rarely gives interviews. So consider yourself lucky, because at a recent gig in London, Tom Stokes sat down with one of the most eclectic producer in Hip Hop and fired away with questions. You also get to see some live footage from the event. Either way if you do nothing else today, dedicate to this awesome 10min of youTube greatness!
Here’s what Tom Stokes had to say about shooting/editing the footage:
I’ve been a fan of Madlib since the 90’s, so the opportunity to film his show & get an interview was a pretty big deal to me!
As with all live events, there was a degree of limitation and a bunch of unknowns, so on the night we had to be pretty ready for anything.
I pulled favours and got a great camera man (Drew Laurence) to shoot along with me. I also had the audio expertise of Tom Joyce, who recorded sound from the desk – a hugely important part of the shoot. There’s nothing worse than watching a film about music when it sounds like it was made in a wind tunnel!Once I had met Madlib’s manager, Eothen (Aka Egon), I could tell there would be no dramas. He’s such a laid back guy and made everything really easy for us.
I’d love to say Madlib is a male version of Mariah Carey, demanding kittens in his dressing room and a path of rose pettles leading to the stage. But he’s as mellow as I’d hoped. He genuinely seems to be all about music through and through.
He would hear a beat from the DJ playing through the walls, and give a little “WOOoo” of appreciation!At one point I mentioned an 80’s British instrumental record from my memories of my parents collection. He frowned and stayed quiet for a moment. I assumed he didn’t know it or just thought it was lame. Then he reeled off the record label and the colour of the artwork! He was just searching through his empire of vinyl in his head!
I’m still a Madlib fan, and his passion for music will remain an inspiration.
