mynameisjOHn: Lets get right down to business. Where do you think our consciousness comes from?
Richie K: hmmmm - somewhere in bulgaria
mynameisjOHn: Breakfast is an essential element to any day. I take it very serious. What does a Richie K breakfast look like?
Richie K: oooh good one - tbh it depends on what im at that day....i work part-time - so work days - a banana w. yoghurt, 2 slices of brown bread with butter/cheese/jam and always coffee and a cigarette. Staples.
mynameisjOHn: The Wire vs Breaking Bad. Which one would you choose and why?
Richie K: another brainsquasher....im gonna say Breaking Bad cuz of the thundering focus of the narrative - i think i prefer that than the Wire's multi-persepctive layered approach - although thats what is great about the Wire....but yeah the anticipation building towards that finale (in Breaking Bad) was some good TV.
mynameisjOHn: I got to hear some of your collaborative tracks with the vocalist Joni earlier this year, and they're amazing. Whats the plan with this project - releases, live, etc?
Richie K: Joni has a release of 2 of her tracks that i produced plus an Eomac remix of one of them coming early in the New Year - so we are getting a live set together at the moment. She is immensely talented so its a pleasure working with her.
mynameisjOHn: If you could sit down and talk shop with any musician dead or alive, who would you choose to break bread with?
Richie K: Sheeeesh kebabs...if there was a jobbridge internship going with King Tubby i think id jack in my job and dedicate myself to his service. but in terms of actually breaking bread maybe Action Bronson cuz he would probably be breaking some sexy bread..
mynameisjOHn: Where do you see music going in the next ten years? Do you think its headed in a positive direction?
Richie K: Ha. looking into my crystal ball i foresee further cyclical patterns continuing in terms of popular electronic music fashions....maybe proper electro needs its time in the sun again. The backlash against EDM, the fragmentation of genres and the democratisation of the production process is causing some interesting shit to pop up all over the place. So maybe a new IDM type force will emerge that will incorporate more noise/interesting sound design with hybridised dancing rhythms. So South African IDM is where its gonna be at essentially ;P I’m excited with things right now though :)
Richie K: Production-wise what's your set-up?
mynameisjOHn: Nothing too fancy really. Turntables, mixer, records, macbook, Logic, pad controller. COFFEE. Whatever is at hand really. Im less concerned with equipment and software, and more focused on getting the ol' melon in the right place to get something creative done.
Richie K: which do u prefer - DJ-ing or live shows?
mynameisjOHn: Tough one. I love them both. The live-show is obviously good for the extra energy and the potential to go topless and jump around like a loon, but then its a fully rehearsed/concrete show with little room for mistakes or improvisation.
With DJing, there's more scope to go in different directions and challenge people a bit more. I think I've dedicated a lot of time to the live-thing over the last year, and sometimes i forget that DJing is still even an option. It is though.
Richie K: Limerick, from a distance, seems like its hopping with a really interesting music scene - whats behind that?
mynameisjOHn: Good coffee and bad moods. Appearances can be deceptive. I wouldn't say its hopping, but its definitely headed in the right direction. The city needs more venues, but its good to see that the youth are down to support whats going on.
Richie K: Whats your favourite record of 2014?
mynameisjOHn: Clap Clap - 'Tayi Bebba'. Its a record by an Italian producer who goes deep into the concept of mixing african rhythms with footwork. Been listening to a lot of Togo/Benin/Ghana music lately, so the Clap Clap stuff really resonated with where my musical tastes are right now.
Richie K: The live show with godknows is HYPE - whats the plans with that project?
mynameisjOHn: Yup, we're now a three-piece. We've brought Murli into the fold, and we're about to amalgamate everything together to just be Rusangano Family. Murli has a little EP on the way that really shows how lyrical and thoughtful he is as a person and an MC. Once that comes out, we want to go full throttle on this beast, and end up recording an album in LA with Kendrick Lamar and BadBadNotGood in a massive gaff with a swimming pool and my own personal butler who just follows me around and pours fresh coffee into my mug every time I blink.
Richie K: What equipment do you use, and do you have a method to your production?
mynameisjOHn: Pretty simple, PC, little mixer, spring reverb, analog delay, percussion, and little synth. I need more synths by the way, donations welcome, don't hesitate to send a LOT of Money. ;)
Richie K: You can hear the influence of grime, footwork and contemporary hiphop in your beats - if you had to favourite one of them genres which would it be and why?
mynameisjOHn: Nope. I just like music, man. I think when you come from a hiphop background, you just tend to see all styles of music as something you can eff with.
Richie K: I reckon the young people of limerick and clare are pretty darn lucky to have yourself involved in music/production youth work - any hot tips re. upcoming MCs or producers from that world?
mynameisjOHn: Yeah, stop downloading shite quality beats off Youtube and rapping over them. Learn your history. Learn your trade. Have fun with it. Don't take yourself TOO serious, but DO take your self serious. Push yourself to take a different road than everyone else. Buy music, support music, look at art, appreciate culture, be sound.
