Interview: Kode9
By Morgan Short, Jun 5th, 2009 | In Nightlife
As both as a dubstep artist/dj, and owner of the influential Hyperdub label, Kode 9 is at the center of the dubstep world. (That's -- generally -- the slow, slow one, with massive, whoomp-whoomp-whoomp basslines, and skittering electronics scurrying over the top. A bit like half-tempo jungle.) He's also one of its innovators, not being tied down to a formula. His latest release, Black Sun, skips the scary slow dubstep formula for a freaked-out hybrid of dubstep and broken dance music. There's a nice sample of that one here.
Basically, he's one of the guys setting the pace in the world of electronic music these days, either with his own work or the other artists on Hyperdub's roster: Burial, Zomby, Joker, The Bug, and LV. In his spare time, he's gotten himself a Ph.D in Philosophy and written a book that takes an academic approach to music, and the physiological effects of sound called Sonic Warfare: Sound, Affect, and the Ecology of Fear. He's rattling the bins at The Shelter on Saturday night.
SmSh: So this is your second time in Shanghai. So have you seen the city change since you've been?
Kode9: Yeah, second time playing in Shanghai. 2004, I think, was my first visit. I don't know, it looks like a city that is always changing. There's a new biggest skyscraper every time I get here.
SmSh: So last time you were here you played at Bonbon with DJ Jazzy Jeff. How was that?
Kode9: [Smiles.] Yeah, me and Jazzy...
SmSh: Did you meet him? He seems like a really nice guy.
Kode9: No. I don't know... I was in the backroom and he was in the main room. I couldn't really hear the monitors so I couldn't really mix. I was just playing records. But I enjoyed it...
Kode9: I was surprised how many people stayed considering I was just playing records.. it was like 40 people something like that.
Kode9: More house. More synth. Synth driven stuff. Yeah that was back in 2006, so dubstep hadn't really blown up properly and even now a lot of places I go to, people aren't really getting it. Generally people are more responsive now, from what I've heard about The Shelter's parties...
Kode9: I tend to play what I want and I've always done that to a certain extent, but it was only really recently that more people seem to come with me when I do what I want.
Kode9: It depends on where you are going and what people are like and what the gigs are like. I've really enjoyed the last two or three months. In February and early March, I was having really boring and technically disastrous sets and I was hating it. I was so... I was about to hang up my headphones.
Kode9: Just turntables. And CDs. I think with turntables these days the more digital clubs go with Serato, the more people are increasingly neglecting the way turntables are set up. So you go to a lot of places particularly festivals where they haven't really even taken into account that there's a lot of bass and feedback will come up through the decks. At a certain point I felt cursed with feedback, spoiling my mix.
Kode9: When I see it, it's nice. I used to hate playing in London but it's gotten a lot better recently. Again, it's more people seem to understand what I'm doing a bit better now.
Kode9: Yeah, the book is about violent sounds, disturbing sounds, aiding military research... and music.
Kode9: Yeah, briefly... the book is more about theorizing the relationship between sound and body. Military research I mention some of the stuff -- subliminal messaging in music -- but really I think its bullshit and I don't take it too seriously. A lot of stuff, to be honest, a lot of stuff about sonic weapons, from a military point of view, is press release marketing hype, adolescent bullshit, or fantasy... so I sort of steer around that stuff.
Kode9: To simplify, the book is kind of about on the one hand military research and on the other hand, soundsystem culture. I'm more interesting in Jamaican soundsysem culture as a mode of using sound than I am about noise music, which seems really elitist and sado-masochistic... I'm more interested in bass culture.
Kode9: Well I make a distinction because what I write about doesn't necessarily relate to what I do as a producer. I'm not so technical as a producer and it's not like I have a certain frequency that makes people feel ill...
Kode9: Yeah, but he's really in that noise tradition and I'm really not. I like the big gaping holes in the mid range and everything as much as possible low down and like... drums.
Kode9: Yeah, more fun. Because there is some kind of audience now. And we're pulling together a compilation, an anniversary compilation. We're getting all the tracks in. It's two CDs, one CD with new stuff and one CD with... Hyperdub's greatest hits.
Kode9: Um. Low point is probably Burial... the whole Burial having to reveal himself so to speak. It was just irritating. Really irritating. The Sun newspaper was trying to "out" him and ran this campaign of printing his phone number and asking people to call up and reveal him... bit like fascism actually.
Kode9: Dunno really. That's a hard question to answer. A great memory, looking back on all the Burial stuff, and just thinking of the five or six months before that album was out and just getting up in the morning to work, getting really pissed off listening to that album on the way to work. [Laughs.] Before there was any drama or tension.
Kode9: It's trying to do something different with every track. I'm not too sure I can hear too much consistency with my own music. A lot of producers have a "sound" -- I can hear the track and say, 'that's so and so'. I just try and start from scratch every time.
***
Kode9 plays The Shelter this Saturday. Support from Lon (live), Drunk Monk, Deville, Sickstar, dji, MC ChaCha, MC Didje, MC Esia, MC Arminda. Cover is 50rmb. Starts 10pm.
More on Louder.cn (in Chinese) here.
SmSh: How was the crowd?
Kode9: I was surprised how many people stayed considering I was just playing records.. it was like 40 people something like that.
SmSh: So how has your DJing changed since then? What sorts of stuff are you playing these days?
Kode9: More house. More synth. Synth driven stuff. Yeah that was back in 2006, so dubstep hadn't really blown up properly and even now a lot of places I go to, people aren't really getting it. Generally people are more responsive now, from what I've heard about The Shelter's parties...
SmSh: So how much of your set is prearranged and how much is improvisational? Are you playing to a crowd?
Kode9: I tend to play what I want and I've always done that to a certain extent, but it was only really recently that more people seem to come with me when I do what I want.
SmSh: How do you like touring? Is it stressful? Or do you look forward to getting out traveling around?
Kode9: It depends on where you are going and what people are like and what the gigs are like. I've really enjoyed the last two or three months. In February and early March, I was having really boring and technically disastrous sets and I was hating it. I was so... I was about to hang up my headphones.
SmSh: What kind of set up are you using?
Kode9: Just turntables. And CDs. I think with turntables these days the more digital clubs go with Serato, the more people are increasingly neglecting the way turntables are set up. So you go to a lot of places particularly festivals where they haven't really even taken into account that there's a lot of bass and feedback will come up through the decks. At a certain point I felt cursed with feedback, spoiling my mix.
SmSh: How's London these days?
Kode9: When I see it, it's nice. I used to hate playing in London but it's gotten a lot better recently. Again, it's more people seem to understand what I'm doing a bit better now.
SmSh: So I was going to ask you about your book, Sonic Warfare: Sound, Affect, and the Ecology of Fear, I know you've talked about it extensively in other interviews. So hopefully it's not too much of a pain in the ass to talk about again.
Kode9: Yeah, the book is about violent sounds, disturbing sounds, aiding military research... and music.
SmSh: And you talk about specific circumstances where sound is used as a weapon like in Waco...
Kode9: Yeah, briefly... the book is more about theorizing the relationship between sound and body. Military research I mention some of the stuff -- subliminal messaging in music -- but really I think its bullshit and I don't take it too seriously. A lot of stuff, to be honest, a lot of stuff about sonic weapons, from a military point of view, is press release marketing hype, adolescent bullshit, or fantasy... so I sort of steer around that stuff.
SmSh: So the central ideal is that the physiological reception of frequency goes deeper than ideological or political conceptions of the person. Is that over-simplifying it?
Kode9: To simplify, the book is kind of about on the one hand military research and on the other hand, soundsystem culture. I'm more interesting in Jamaican soundsysem culture as a mode of using sound than I am about noise music, which seems really elitist and sado-masochistic... I'm more interested in bass culture.
SmSh: Do you find you thinking about frequency in your critical work informs your music making? As in "this frequency has this effect"?
Kode9: Well I make a distinction because what I write about doesn't necessarily relate to what I do as a producer. I'm not so technical as a producer and it's not like I have a certain frequency that makes people feel ill...
SmSh: Yeah, that's why I wanted to ask because I saw an interview a long time ago with Atari Teenage Riot and Alec Empire was saying that all they do in their music is push the mid frequencies because it makes people puke or revolt... or puke and revolt.
Kode9: Yeah, but he's really in that noise tradition and I'm really not. I like the big gaping holes in the mid range and everything as much as possible low down and like... drums.
SmSh: So it's the five year anniversary of Hyperdub. How's that? Still fun?
Kode9: Yeah, more fun. Because there is some kind of audience now. And we're pulling together a compilation, an anniversary compilation. We're getting all the tracks in. It's two CDs, one CD with new stuff and one CD with... Hyperdub's greatest hits.
SmSh: What are the high points and low points of the five years?
Kode9: Um. Low point is probably Burial... the whole Burial having to reveal himself so to speak. It was just irritating. Really irritating. The Sun newspaper was trying to "out" him and ran this campaign of printing his phone number and asking people to call up and reveal him... bit like fascism actually.
SmSh: What about the highlights? The happiest times?
Kode9: Dunno really. That's a hard question to answer. A great memory, looking back on all the Burial stuff, and just thinking of the five or six months before that album was out and just getting up in the morning to work, getting really pissed off listening to that album on the way to work. [Laughs.] Before there was any drama or tension.
SmSh: When you look back on what you've done would you say your building a body of work? Or is it like constantly looking to reinvent?
Kode9: It's trying to do something different with every track. I'm not too sure I can hear too much consistency with my own music. A lot of producers have a "sound" -- I can hear the track and say, 'that's so and so'. I just try and start from scratch every time.
***
Kode9 plays The Shelter this Saturday. Support from Lon (live), Drunk Monk, Deville, Sickstar, dji, MC ChaCha, MC Didje, MC Esia, MC Arminda. Cover is 50rmb. Starts 10pm.
More on Louder.cn (in Chinese) here.
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