Q&A with the Captain of Kool Kool Keith November 24, 2003 1. Hiya Keith - congratulations on the latest Undertakerz release, the track 'Party In The Morgue' is currently getting loads of airplay on our national broadcaster Triple J. How long has that release been out in the US - is it still a fairly new release for you? Can you tell me a bit about the Undertakerz project and the idea / concepts behind the latest release and who else is involved? As with everything I work on it is in the past, I have already finished two albums since this project. Its great that it is getting radio play, people really like those fast beats. The Undertakerz is not a Kool keith release. More of a Money D release. Money, No Name, Kelly are the first people I collaborated with from LA. It started out as a rock group alternative funk. Really a new wave rock group like dawn of the dead type vibe. All i really did was spice up the tracks with vocals and some bass lines. Money handled production. 2. You often take on numerous personas/aliases for your music - do you sort of see that as creating new characters in the same way that an actor may get into character to 'step outside of themselves'? I feel as a solo artist I have to make up new things to diversify and to entertain myself. It is always Kool keith but I create with what ever I am feeling from the music, if it takes me to outer space or on a killing spree I just go with it. I don't let myself be directed by anything other than the music. I consider myself like Stephen king! 3. Following on from Q2, even though there is a long history of musical acts (from Parliament to Kiss and Alice Cooper) who create musical personas in a pretty dramatic / vaudeville kind of way as part of the 'entertainment' or show - do you see the aliases you create in the same tradition (obviously many of them have a humorous element), or is there something deeper operating below the surface for you and your reasoning for creating them? It is always just a creative type fantasy for me, a release if you will. Its entertaining, outrageous, fun. I just have fun with it. I am not making songs for the radio or a record label. You see artists nowadays stay with one image, they cant or wont break free. I like to experiment with new things. I just go with the music. Sound tracks are a good example, most of what I hear doesn't even go with the movie, it doesn't fit. I am not tied to one persona or image they are all me extensions of me. 4. How much of creating characters like Dr Dooom or Captain Black is about removing yourself personally from the lyrics/raps that in a sense the character is delivering? Do they then become 'responsible' for the sentiments? No Answer 5. You actually collaborated with Australian artist Groove Terminator a while back - can you tell me the story of how the two of you hooked up and how the collaboration worked? Actually it was Tommy boy that brokered that. I never meet or heard Groove Terminator. Tommy boy licensed a track and had Groove remix it. It was surprising to hear the track because there are so many remixes of me out there, a lot of people experimenting and i usually never here the results. 6. When you look back to your 'Dr Octagonecologyst' release, with people like Q-Bert, Dan The Automator and DJ Shadow - does it seem like a 'dream' line-up now and do you remember the days of creating that album fondly? What are some of the best memories that spring to mind when you think back to that time? Octo was made so fast, really like in 48 hours, when you say 'Dr Octagonecologyst' I think of donuts and Yoo-hoo. It was fun Menilik flew in one of the nights, we just were up in Automators roof recording like two days. so quick. I never saw it as something revolutionary. I just came up did my job laid the vocals and on to the next track. Automator brought in everyone else after I was gone. I did the bass lines and vocals. Its just what came out with the beats we were working with. We were not aiming at success or critical acclaim. I remember going to the drugstore grabbing yoo-hoo cupcakes, I didn't take it very serious. like next track next track, keep it moving. at the end I left with like 15 tracks 48 hours 15 tracks that is what I love. 48 hours straight through. Dr. Dooom, Black Elvis, spankmaster I enjoyed working on much more. People hold to much into Octo, they forget it blinds them to my other albums. Automator, Kurt they do things differently. 75% of all the musical work is done by me. Bass lines keyboards, that bubble sound its me, listen to "Lovely Lady" or "Same Sound" from lost masters. I have been doing that bubbly bass since day one, its me. Who else plays that sound? Automator is more of a loop producer he is not on a 6000 choppin and mixing these are loops creative. He's on some ecclectic loop. Anything with bass lines is me, automator ranaway with the rest of the production. You can see my blueprint everywhere you look. Andre 3000, missy, Tim, Neptune's everyone is doing it. I am not mad , I am on to the next wave I am the new wave always more dynamic and mysterious. Why would I compete against myself. I don't want to take it to the limit, I prefer to create it and let the rest sort it out I am not gonna buck dance, I am in the future. This is why I am again myself Kool Keith People are still making their careers on my back with my name. Everywhere you look people are using Kool Keith to sell their product. Remixes, Features, Re-Releases, it's all been done! 7. How many more albums did you make with this line-up? I went in to the studio again after with no paperwork after octo to record with automator and Tony Isabella would not return my calls no one ever showed the appreciation for building there careers with octo. None again i see Q-Bert on the road here and there. 8. What sort of line-up / set-up will you be touring for your upcoming shows in Australia and what can people expect from the shows? The big guns. News songs, new set, new show. 9. What are your impressions of Australia? I know this is your first tour here, but I'm not sure if you've visited before - have you? Is there anything you're looking forward to checking out when you're not playing? Never been to AU. Looking forward to the geography, yea just put looking forward to the geography. 10. What are you working on now! Any new alias that we can expect to be present while in Australia? I make albums in one day, I am the fastest mix in the business. I do not want to spend weeks on the same track. White label, Don Juan Demarcated, you know I make it faster than it can get to the street. Maybe next I want to do a House album. I have been working on so much you know experimenting with this and that. 11. Have you heard of any Australian hip hop groups that you may have come in contact with in the US, through an album or them visiting? No Answer Home