Interviews
Read below about some of the biggest artists in the business before they come to perform in Hong Kong and Macau.
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âI only made Problems dâAmour back in the 80s because someone suggested to me that I write a dance tune in that genre because there was a lot of money to be made. He told me even crap electro-disco tracks would shift 10,000 units then ironically Problems dâAmour sold exactly 10,000 copies, a pure coincidence that convinced me the track was crap after all. After that experience I decided to leave dance music completely behind, also because I couldnât speak English.â
20 years after he first released Problemâs dâAmour avant-garde electro artist Alexander Robotnick still prefers to do interviews in Italian though his English is much better and Problems dâAmour is finally acclaimed as an italo-disco classic. Heâs also a fast-rising name on the still-growing global electroclash circuit, in marked contrast to his earlier 80s electro-disco career.
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Arthur Baker & Returning to New York: Thereâs Not One Good Club There
âWe thought Arthur Baker was going to be this technological genius creating these dance records and really he was just a punk let loose in a recording studio who didnât know what the fucking hell he was doing â he was just pushing sliders up and down.â
Chatting to Skrufff a couple of years back, New Orderâs bassist Peter Hook admitted that they were surprised when they first met New York electro pioneer Arthur Baker in the early 80s in New York.
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DJ Hyper: Marriage, Money & Becoming Fatboy Slim- Iâm Not Interested.
âIâm not interested in becoming Fatboy Slim, I might be interested in the money he makes⦠but thatâs because I just got married. Mine is a wonderful job and I do it because I love it.â
Though British breaks don Guy âHyperâ Hatfield continues to position himself firmly in the leftfield of todayâs mainstream pop world, heâs increasingly remixing its biggest central stars, including manufactured popsters Sugababes and US pop icon Pink. Not that it means heâs selling or even making him a fortune in the process, he insists.
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Being invited to come and play live over here, Paul Arnold is educating the people of Hong Kong, especially those who just canât get enough of breaks and drumân bass, how he started, how he did it, and how he can still do it. Nick and Alyson from HKClubbing.com chilled out with the man right before he left town for a chat, finding out how he feels about the town, and London, and Australia, and more. Read more...
N: Nick
A: Alyson
P: Paul Arnold
A: Welcome to Hong Kong? Howâs it going?
P: Pretty well, thank you.
A: First time here?
P: Yeah, yup, first time being over (here).
A: How dâya find it so far?
P: HOT! Very hot! Not used to the temperature but ah⦠itâs been good, been good fun!
A: Have you seen anything special while youâre here in Hong Kong?
P: Um⦠the buildings! The buildings themselves are pretty special. Itâs all that high riseâ¦
A: Is the vibe pretty much the same of what you expected?
P: Yeah! Theyâre into it! So⦠you know, theyâre keen, and theyâre interested and they know what it is⦠and know the music Iâm playing and stuff⦠so yeah!
A: How about the city itself?
P: Um⦠itâs been busy, just packed! Everythingâs really small! It just squashes you everywhere!
A: (LOL)
P: Weâre going up to the Peak before we go, so weâll have a look down to the city, so thatâll be cool!
A: And I heard over the other side of the city by ferry, so youâve got the chance to really look around!
P: Yeah yeah! That was good.
A: Cool! Done some shopping as well?
P: Yeah⦠trainers and DVDs⦠(giggles) loads of DVDs!
A: I know that youâve been invited to Salem Innovation Session, what made you decide to come and perform at this event?
P: Ummm⦠coz I was asked! And Paul Wong is actually an old friend as well. I think he was one of those whoâs been getting some Dj for a while, but nothingâs been suitable for what heâs done, or likes⦠so itâs good opportunity for him to get everyone like me to come over. I did have a tour before, but it got cancelled, while I was in Australia. So itâs a good start. Iâve done a bit of press as well, so hopefully, weâll build a profile and come again. Next time Iâll go to Australia, probably as well.
A: Sure! Tell us how the party went!
P: Itâs very interesting, weâre also doing an illustrations and I was told about his drawings, which I found really interesting as well. So everything was really good. And then ehhh⦠played some records and it was good. Everyone got very drunk and danced around.
A: Thatâs nice! Now I know that youâre being a DJ, youâre also the founder of Chew The Fat! And Certificate 18 at the same time, you must have a busy life!
P: Itâs been pretty busy! Itâs full on, I mean, itâs just⦠I started Certificate 18 when I was quite young actually, so itâs been going for about 10 years. And Chew the Fat! Came along, itâs actually almost a side thing, itâs more fun. I was doing it really hard on the labels for Certificate 18, and then at the weekends I go and do my Chew The Fat! Gig, which is breakbeat. I wasnât releasing the same sort of stuff on Certificate 18 as I was playing at Chew the Fat! So I can just go out and⦠you know, that was a completely different side of it. And that just sort of built and built and built⦠Iâve actually wounded down on Certificate 18, and now Iâm just focusing on Chew The Fat! And Fat! Records, and Djing, and managing a few of the artists in the label.
A: Now I have to ask you this⦠Do you prefer the intimacy of spinning in front of the crowds, or being the boss, just sitting back there at the grand office?
P: Ummm⦠(LOL) Grand office!! With just packed full of boxes of records all around you! Youâre lucky they donât fall on you! (LOL) Ummm⦠I love Djing, I love totally⦠the feed of it! When you do play a record, they crowd start jumping around, or you can see them lift, lift the crowd⦠thatâs an amazing experience. I played last year in Australia on a tour, we did there, in front of 8,000 screaming Australian people, and I was just having shivers going down my spine⦠you know when you hear what the music⦠what excites the people, then you know what to release, so they work really well together. Djing and releasing a record.
A: Hmmm⦠So tell us which is the hottest song you heard so far?
P: (Thought for 10 seconds) Oh, I got one of my artists, Friendly, heâs on the label, heâs Australian, actually as well. Breakbeat is massive in Australia, but he moved over to London, and he started releasing stuff on my label. And he just done an album, thereâs a track from there which is called â2Black2Gayâ, which is a monster. Itâs a big big big tune!
A: Alright, so we gotta check it out here, yeah? I know you have collaborated with quite a lot of big names, like James Lavelle, Steve Lawler, Fabio⦠who works the chemistry best with you?
P: It depends on how you program the night. How the night goes. Whoâs playing before and after. And theyâre all⦠sort of fit it in to the night somewhere, so theyâre all in their own way, and do their way really.
A: How about producers?
P: Umm⦠I donât actually make music myself, I kind of just release it. So Iâve gone and seen a lot of guys to do a remix for me and work for me. So yeah⦠Iâve done a lot of different styles through Certificate 18 to Fat! Kinda tried. I mean Certificate 18 was very⦠whatâs the word⦠ummm⦠it was just new, drumân bass was just the newest form of music (thatâs) been around since Punk or something, so itâs really exciting. But I always try to do it from a different angle, by getting other guys to write⦠Our influences are like plattered, to encourage them to just do remixes of drumân bass, to take it the other way around. Instead of us (teaching) the sound of making drumân bass, give them a chance to do something different really. So weâre very sort of innovative⦠if that is the word⦠(Giggles)
A: Meat Katie was here by the beginning of the month, any particular artist from your Fat! Records, apart from Friendly, who you mentioned, that you would like us in Hong Kong to pay more attention to?
P: All the breaks guys are kind of pretty on at the moment, I mean, like Adam Freeland, Iâm sure heâs been over here. (Niknak: A lot!) Yeah, okâ¦
N: Lee Coombs is coming back again. Pretty much everyone from Fingerlickingâ¦
P: Is he? Right right⦠yeah thatâs huge, as well as the Plump DJs⦠itâs massive. Anyone small but worth checking out⦠there are so many of them in London, there are hundreds of hundreds of DJs and artists now, coming through, but⦠Meat Katieâs been really busy, heâs in a lot of stuff⦠heâs just about to release an album, which Iâm sure would be superb, his stuff are really good.
N: He just came to do the launch of the CD, thatâs what the party was forâ¦
P: Oh really? Excellent!
A: What do you look for in a new artist? What makes you determine that this is potential?
P: Just originality, just⦠I really like some of the raw sound, something like really⦠it doesnât have to be made in a really good studio, just something with a raw element come through, just original, and something different. Yeah⦠anything like that really. And then you can take them, and develop with them, and if they have that edge, that original edge, you kind of⦠as they go on⦠the first recordâs gonna be good, everything will get better. I hope.
A: Being on the road, traveling from countries to countries, would you be a little bit home sick?
P: Urghâ¦Nothing like home sick, I HATE airports though. I absolutely hate them, I just hate sitting around at the airport. And Iâm always really paranoid that Iâm always gonna miss the plane. So I get there really early. I try to if Iâm not late. But⦠I love traveling, itâs just the airport⦠drives me madâ¦
A: What do you miss the most when you get on the plane?
P: From London? I love going back to London, wherever I go, I love London. Itâs just a pace of live there, the music scene is amazing. Thereâs so much to do. So when I say Iâm going around to Australia to do a 7 week tour, when you go back, you just sink back into it. Itâs really really nice. Just the pace, and the vibe and all sort of stuff.
A: Before we let you move on to your next stop, tell us what your planâs like for the rest of the year!
P: Itâs Chew the Fat!âs 7th birthday in October, Iâm trying to work out a different venue, trying to do something different for it. I havenât sort of sorted that out yet. In a new venue, or just something a little bit different. With that, weâll release a double album, a mix album. Iâll do one side and Friendly will do the other. Thatâs about it really. That will keep me busy enough. (Giggles) There are loads of other releases going on, and Iâm hoping more DJs, there are so many more DJs, and getting a studio myself actually, thatâs what I wanted to do. I just never had time.
A: Thank you so much for joining us today. Hope you had fun in Hong Kong!
P: Sure we had! Brilliant!
Find out more about Paul and what he is up to at:
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The moment has finally come! The one night that Hong Kong has been waiting for, which stars Linkin Park on our own stage, was short, but explosive. Though a few fans couldnât feel their music totally as the sound wasnât loud enough, but for those who got up front at their feet were jamming it with every single word of their songs. To get more up close and personal to the band, weâve grabbed the main-brain, Joe Hahn, to speak to us on his own movie project in London, his âpirateâ fans and more!
A: Alyson
J: Joe Hahn
A: Welcome to own town!
J: Thank you!
A: How you feeling?
J: Wooooooohooooooo~
A: (Laughs) All excited?
J: Yeah! Sure!
A: I remember last time, weâre in Singapore, I asked you, âWould you ever come to Hong Kong for a concert?â And you said you would love to do a movie here. Do you still wanna do that?
J: Yeah! Maybe here, or China, or something⦠yeah! The movie that Iâm talking about that Iâm doing right now, it actually takes place in London, so that one wonât be done here, but I do have another idea that⦠maybe I can work something out.
A: So tell us about the one happening in London! Or is it a secret?
J: Uhhh⦠well itâs not a secret, itâs still getting worked out, the deal is getting worked out. But itâs based on a book called âKing Ratâ, by China Mieville. And uh⦠itâs about⦠itâs modern day London, hundreds of years after the Pied Piper came to Hamelin, and drove the children into the city, and the Pied Piper is still alive, along with King Rat whoâs the leader of the Rat Kingdom, along with the Spider Kingdom⦠it all takes place in modern day London, to the background of drumân bass music⦠kinda like where drumân bass music was in the mid till late 90âs⦠a little out thereâ¦
A: Now as youâre here in Asia, I guess Iâll have to ask you this. Is there any Asian band that you heard, that you think, âWow! That sounds really amazing!â? Say the band who is opening up for you for tonight!
J: Yeah! The thing with the band opening up for tonight, they opened up for us in Korea, and we liked them. So the opportunity came around, and weâre like, âHey, you wanna open up for us?â and theyâre like, âOk! Cool!â
A: Yeah? Is there another band in particular that you think sounded good?
J: Ummm⦠one time in Japan, we played for the band called âUzumakiâ, theyâre pretty cool⦠ummm⦠what other band⦠Jackie Chanâs ehh⦠solo singing project?! Thatâs pretty cool⦠what else⦠yeah!
A: (Laughs) Talking about technology⦠if a fan comes up to you with a CD-R, saying, âOh! Iâm your #1 fan!â Would you still sign that CD-R?
J: Well⦠a lot of times I donât wanna sign it, but Iâll sign it anyway coz⦠I donât wanna be mean! Some people just donât know⦠what can you do⦠PLEASE STOP! Thatâs all I can say⦠Effectiveness of that? I donât know⦠(Giggles)
Considering âNu-metalâ as a dumb name, Joe Hahn and the fellas of Linkin Park have been trying to break through the boundaries of different genres of music, but somehow ended up being categorized by a new name. Also realizing âthe Internet is the future, thatâs where everything is going, and itâs changing things, while the only choice they have is to evolve, as technology evolvesâ, Joe stays true to the fans, even for those who just download them illegally! Guess theyâve all got a bit âNumbâ about thatâ¦
Apart from meeting Joe Hahn, HKClubbing.com also got the chance to meet Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington. As usual, wherever they go, fans, even the press would be asking for their autographs. While Chester was busy signing, a voice came in asking, âChester, youâre sure you wanna do this?â The answer? Just a cold, âItâs just gonna take a minute.â As the tension was reaching the breaking point, a familiar face came in with a magazine, asking for an autograph. Itâs Mike! Now that broke the ice, and we all ended up with laughter since Chester insist to sign on Mikeâs face⦠Rock stars? Sure, but attitude wise? Theyâre more like big kids trying to have some fun.
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Since the dramatic, melodic music-makers Rialto disappeared, the fans have been waiting for some new excitements from the individual band members. The front-man have not been forgotten, as his talent is still in its prime time. Louis Eliot brought his own solo music to Hong Kong by putting on a show that attracted 400 keen listeners. HKClubbing.com takes you on a ride, from his past, his present to his future.
A: Alyson
L: Louis Eliot
A: Welcome to Hong Kong! You had a late night?
L: (Smiles) Yeah⦠we went to umm⦠Dragon-I, and that was alright, we went looking for somewhere else, but it wasnât opened, so we ended up at some weird kind of karaoke type of place called Hardyâs, so thereâs a band playing, and people get up singing, I didnât get up and sing, it was Julian who plays with me did. And ah⦠(giggles) itâs funny, very funny⦠and then we went to some public bars in Wan Chaiâ¦
A: Ah! Cool! So how was the gig last night?
L: It was great! It went really well. The crowd was really ermm⦠just a really lovely crowd actually. Didnât really know what to expect, but ermm, it was a great turn out, just a really warm reception.
A: Is this the first time youâre in Hong Kong?
L: Itâs not, no. But I havenât played in Hong Kong before, but Iâve come through doing promo and yeahâ¦
A: Alright, so this is like⦠finally get to meet the fans! How dya find them?
L: Very polite (Smiles), which is great! You know, theyâre really intensive in these sort of quiet songs, you know, in England you get a little bit more aggorant and stuff like that⦠you know, good nature and everything, but here, theyâre very⦠theyâre listening and they handle every word, itâs really nice.
A: Yeah, most of the people they come to Hong Kong, they would find the fans a bit quietâ¦
L: Well, theyâre only quiet sort of while youâre playing, and then you finish the song, and theyâre really noisy, theyâre the perfect fans! They behave just as youâd like them to!
A: Excellent! What have you been doing since Rialto?
L: God! I donât really know! (Laughs) Iâm sort of just kind of getting myself together a bit. Ummm⦠Rialtoâs 2nd album came out I think in 2001, so you know, we did some work on that, some promo and stuff, and toured it, but the last couple of years, Iâve just been writing songs⦠I went to America for a little while, did some recording, it didnât really work out, but that was kind of the initial spark of doing my own record. And then just getting a bit at home, but really just⦠things take a bit of time, (giggles) especially if you take the long way around, which is the title of my album.
A: Now ever since the song âMonday Morning 5:19â, it is certainly the song that brought everyoneâs attention to you, would you get a lot of pressure whenever you write, youâll go like âOh, I gotta top that!â
L: I donât look back on that song and think âOh, I must top itâ, but perhaps I should be doing that! (Laughs) Coz it always goes down so well, and I havenât actually played it for a while. But coming out here, everybody knows it and wanted to hear it and stuff⦠so it goes down very well here, yeah, so⦠but I try not to think about it, I think that would make life pretty difficult if you try to⦠if youâre too backward-looking, youâve gotta look forward and just write about something thatâs exciting at the time.
A: So letâs not look at the past and look at the present, NOW! As youâre a solo artist now, do you find it more difficult being solo than in a band?
L: I donât, no I donât find it more difficult. Ehhh⦠Rialto actually got on really well as a band, and that was one of the things which is very important, when we got on a band, me and Johnny, the guitar player, started the band, and one of the main requirements was not just like whether this person can play well when we were auditioning, and getting people into the group, it was also like would we be able to stand, sitting in a transit van together and driving up to Glasgo or going on long journeys together and hanging out. So you know I guess for some people in bands, you know the politics in bands gets too much, and thatâs why they wanna go solo⦠but it wasnât really the case with us, you know we all got on well, and we still do. But I suppose whatâs good about being solo is⦠you get to be the boss! (Laughs) You make the decisions you know⦠So far⦠so good, being solo⦠but who knows, maybe Rialto will even do something again togetherâ¦
A: So would you rather started off as a solo artist?
L: No no⦠even though I have always written the songs in the couple of bands Iâve been in, umm⦠I think I really wanted to be a part of a group, a part of the gang, really. Maybe that was lack of confidence, or I donât really know why, but now I feel quite happy to be solo, but I really didnât wanna do it when I was starting out, I wanted to be in a group.
A: Alright. Tell us about your new album!
L: Well, itâs called the âLong Way Aroundâ, and itâs⦠I guess the difference between the new album and the old Rialto stuff is that Rialto had this big sort of film-making, cinematic sound, and my new record has got more intimate sound, itâs more⦠I think itâs a bit more human sounding, itâs probably closer to the way that I write the songs, you know, to the sound of the songs when I write them. Coz I generally write songs on an acoustic guitar. Itâs quite a lot of that on the new record, acoustic guitar, sort of humble⦠quite homely instruments⦠I think the record has just got more of down homeful feeling, and then a kind of folky-ness.
A: Very nice. Is there any song you heard recently that made you go like, âDamn! I wish I wrote that song!â
L: (After 10 seconds) I donât wanna sounds smart, but no⦠(Laugh) There isnât, there hasnât been recently, but itâs great when that happens, coz itâs truly inspiring, but I havenât heard anything recently which made me do that⦠but thereâs people I really admire, you know, I really admire Mike Skinner from the Streets, I think he writes great lyrics, itâs quite different sound to the sound that I make, but heâs just really good at the tiny details, so I think that really brings⦠the picture is painting to life! I think heâs a really talented guy.
A: Now weâve looked at your past, whatâs happening right now, letâs look at the future. What are your expectations for your career letâs say!
L: My career, well I hope things carry on going well here, I mean so far itâs been great, this trip around Asia, the album gathering sort of momentum, so Iâd really like to come back as soon as possible, do some gigs, maybe with a full band this time, this trip Iâve just been doing⦠you know, itâs just been acoustic shows, so itâll be great to come back with a full band. Apart from that, Iâm just going home to the UK to do some gigs, and promote the record there. And then itâs off to Europe for more of the same, which is all really good, itâs a nice way to see the world. (Giggles)
A: Sure, now some artist they like to go multi-dimensional, they donât just sing or write songs, they wanna do acting, or they wanna have their own fashion line, or record company⦠do you wanna do something like that?
L: Ummm⦠I canât see myself doing a clothing line⦠Iâm not really⦠I think thatâll take somebody very kind of business-minded⦠Iâm not hugely⦠I⦠acting⦠when I a kid, when I was at school, I hated acting, anything to do with getting up in front of anybody else⦠god! I used to dread it! Even like you know when they ask you to read out, you know reading class, like stand up and read, I used to really dread that, I hated it! But now, I think maybe itâs just having performed music for quite a while, done videos and stuff, the idea of acting, itâs funny, itâs sort of just creeping up on me, it does appeal a bit. So you know, who knows! But obviously Iâm not going out actively, seeking it, but if somebody wanted to offer me a little part or something, Iâll definitely consider it, yeah! (Giggles) But, my main thing is carry on being music you know, maybe a bit of production⦠Iâd love to do a song for a movie, thatâs something Iâd really like to do, something like⦠I love Charlie Kaufmanâs films, you know like, âSpot this mindâ, my favorite film of his is called âAdaptationâ. But⦠Iâd love to do a song for one of his films.
A: Great! Iâm afraid I canât keep you for too long, but good luck with all the plans happening, and hope to see you soon again!
L: Thank you, take care!
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Sasha- Chechen Suicide Bombers Nearly Killed Me
âI was staying in Moscowâs National Hotel just before Christmas when two Chechen suicide bombers blew themselves up right outside the hotel. I was in bed at the time asleep, about sixty or seventy feet (20 metres) from the explosion.â
Chatting down the line from his West London home, Sasha sounds calm as he recalls the moment he almost got blown to bits on his latest visit to Russia.
âThe whole room shook, it blew in all the windows of the hotel reception, I think five people were killed in the attack,â he continues.
âI ended up staying in the hotel room for 24 hours, because they kept setting off little explosions all day; I didnât realise they were those controlled explosions, it really felt like Moscow was under attack.â
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Candi Staton on the KKK, Studio 54 & End Time: The Signs Are Everywhere. "Picking cotton was very physical work, thats one of the reasons I wanted to sing, I thought âthereâs got to be a better way. You'd be in the hot sunshine all day long filling a sack on your back and once it was full of cotton, youâd go back, empty it then start all over again. Read more...Your back would be breaking and all the time Iâd be thinking âGod, Iâve got to get out of this country; Iâve got to do something else, because this is not me.
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Whence He Came Interview
One of the most recognizable bands in Hong Kong, Whence He Came, is releasing a brand new album, âThe Shorter Storyâ. As we talk to lead singer Joshua and lead guitarist Ephraim, to catch up with what theyâve been doing through the years, and their advice on young-hopefuls in Hong Kong. Read more...The people in the Interview room are as follows:
A: Alyson (HKClubbing.com/CityVibe)
J: Joshua (Whence He Came)
E: Ephraim (Whence He Came)
A:I remember the last time I saw was at the Starsailor concert, but the last time I talked to you was when you were promoting âStill Amidst The Trafficââ¦
J:Wow! 3 years ago!
A:What have you been doing for the past 3 years?
E:Recording this record⦠(giggled) I guess like playing shows and stuffâ¦weâve done a couple of tours outside of Hong Kongâ¦
J:Done lots and lots of shows⦠we started recording the new album last September⦠and yeah, itâs coming out next month!
A:So where did you guys go for the last couple of tours?
J:We toured Japan twice, and weâve done Singapore a couple of times, but Japanâs been the biggest for us, every single time weâve gone over, weâve got more and more⦠like bigger and bigger response. We donât even understand why people like us, because bands over there are so goodâ¦
A: So what do you think of the fans in Japan?
J: People that come to our shows are really really supportive. I mean itâs just really amazing playing for Japanese people, coz theyâre really appreciative, except, in between songs itâs dead silenceâ¦
A:Really?
J:Yeah⦠at the Japanese shows⦠I mean itâs loud and crazy, and then they applause, and then if you have too much of a gap in between, then itâs complete silence, nobody says a thingâ¦
E:I donât know if thatâs such a respect thing, or⦠just that⦠they probably donât like us⦠(LOL)
A: Tell us about the new album!
J:Itâs called the âShorter Storyâ, it will be available in stores starting from the 1st of May.
E:It runs for about 40 minutes, and songs that weâve been playing them through our shows in Hong Kong for about 2 years now. Most of them are new songs⦠I guess itâs a lot of big stuff compared to âStill Amidst The Trafficâ, coz weâve progressed a lot. Like weâve got 2 new members for the band. And yeah⦠so much better than the first one!
J:We were able to get a really amazing producer from Holland, his name is Martin Groeneveld. And heâs worked with bands like This Beautiful Mess, and The Spirit That Guides Us⦠some incredible Dutch bands and European bands, so he flew over here and produced the album, and we mixed and mastered it in Holland. So⦠itâs an amazing experience.
A:Do you feel like sometimes itâs hard to put your own experience into the songs?
J:Yeah, totally! In fact, I havenât written a single song for Whence He Came which used the word I in it, coz I just feel really weird writing about myself or writing about me.. so I usually try tot make all the songs stories of somebody else, maybe me, or may not be me⦠at least it doesnât sound like Iâm arrogant and writing about myself.
A: How would you encourage people, especially young people to stand up and do their thing like you did?
J:Phew⦠thatâs an interesting questionâ¦
E:Go for it! I guess⦠do it while youâre still young⦠and just grown you get old, and you have a family⦠how much of a choice of doing it coz youâll have to sacrifice a lotâ¦
J:Like you said were still young, we still live with our family, we donât really have⦠you know, not really have entered the whole real worldâ¦
E: We donât have mortgage and rent and all that stuffâ¦
J:Just go for it⦠if you enjoy music, do it. If you enjoy art, do it. Hong Kong is pretty hard if youâre doing art stuff, but as long as you enjoy it, then just do it.
A: Have you ever got to a point where youâll go, âUh, I regret doing thisâ¦â?
J: To be honest? Not really.
E:No, never.
J:I can say firstly itâs been the biggest step in my life, the most life changing experience, like starting a band and getting elsewhere and stuff. I never really pictured myself when I was 18, like⦠you know⦠touring places and playing shows and playing for fantastic people. Iâve been having the ride of my life.
E: Yeah!
J:I think one thing that Iâll say to most kids is that, figure out what you really love in it. And if you really love it, then give everything for it!
The new album is in stores from the 31st May, while the band will be doing more touring in Europe later this year.
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Just like the Boogie Night Crew, this is the first time for Andre to leave his hometown of Paris for the beautiful city of ours. Apart from buying mobile phones, watches and crazy stuff, Andre bought the peopleâs love by his cute graffiti of Mr. A!! Here, we bring you the interview with this smooth criminal who would go to court, just to declare his love on the walls!
Alyson: Hey Andre, how you doing?
Andre: Good, ready for tonight!
Alyson: So youâve just arrived, or have you been here for a few days?
Andre: Oh I arrived 4 days before, first time here, Iâm so happy, Iâve just discovered the city, I really felt in love with HK.
Alyson: Tell me where you went!
Andre: Like⦠not really far from here, Mongkokâ¦
Alyson: Oh! Youâve probably went to the street market!
Andre: Yeah, I went to that park thatâs errr⦠all the fake stuff, thatâs too much for tourists⦠I didnât care about that⦠Nah I went to all the small malls⦠where all the young people from Hong Kong go to⦠those small shop, very specialized shopsâ¦
Alyson: Before you arrived, what did you expect?
Andre: Something like this⦠but not as crazy, I like thereâs a kind of mix between like⦠modern things⦠old things⦠for me itâs kinda like the future will be like in Hong Kong.
Alyson: I know youâre really good at what you do, which is graffiti arts, how did it all started?
Andre: Oh it started when I was like about 13-years-old, was like the middle of the 80âs, I was just a kid you know, I had some spray cans and some markers, I used to walk around in Paris, and draw on the walls, just draw my name! And it was kind of a game, just write my name everywhere, in most places I could get.
Alyson: Wow! Did you get caught for it??
Andre: Ahhh⦠yeah, many times, was in court, I tried not to get caught, but sometimes, it happens.
Alyson: Well, what motivates you to stick to this?
Andre: I donât know! You know, the 1st day I just draw on the wall, I felt something like.. I donât know⦠itâs about freedom or something very powerful, I couldnât really explain but I just had to do it. Even today, 20 years later, Iâm still doing that, Iâm still drawing on the walls outside at night, you know⦠itâs part of my life, I need it, itâs my energy!
Alyson: Tell us whatâs your trademark!
Andre: Yeah, I have my icon itâs called Mr. A, who I usually draw a lot on the walls⦠but I also have many different work!
Alyson: Iâm looking at this gallery book of yours, every one is so different, and itâs all like names!
Andre: Yeah, it was a project I called âLove Graffitiâ, and I used to be like⦠a public writer, and people can order from me to write the name of their lover, so I used to go and draw the name of the girl or the guy, just nearby where they live, so when they get up in the morning, theyâre up in their window, and they saw their name, in huge brightful colored letters, and that was a kind of declaration of love, and that was doing part of all the projects I made, I made about more than 100 different names, and that was a work!
Alyson: Now with all your experiences, thereâs gotta be one or two pieces of work from yourself which you can just not forget, or you can just take that one out and be proud of!
Andre: Yeah⦠Iâm proud of about everything I make⦠thatâs good, yeah!! I make some crazy things, I made like⦠I painted the wall, that was like 400 sq meters big, all by myself, it took more than one monthâ¦
Alyson: Wow!
Andre: I KNOW! And I made a Mr. A giant! Was like one the building, and (that) was like more than 20 floors high⦠in Paris⦠all illegal⦠(giggle) thatâs doing part of graffiti, I have a few⦠different things like this that are quite bigâ¦
Alyson: Youâve done crazy things like these, do you have anything in mind that you still havenât done, but youâd die to do it!
Andre: Yeah! Paint a plane, up-going⦠that would be one of the great things I would love to do, I would also love to paint a really really big wall on a really high building. Thatâs gonna be somethingâ¦
Alyson: I see youâve been doing a lot live events, which combines your graffiti to music.
Andre: Yeah, I do that sometimes, I made it for HK, I used to do it when I was much younger, nowadays, I donât always have the time, but for this occasion, Iâm good to do something special.
Alyson: Speaking of music events, do you like music?
Andre: Yeah, actually I produce some music in Paris, and itâs part of my life, graffiti is always about music, dance, itâs about todayâs life, itâs not just one thing, itâs not just art, or drawings, itâs just a complete universe.
Alyson: Itâs like a whole culture.
Alyson: Now, before I let you go, everybody from our website theyâve all been waiting for this moment, they all want me to ask you to do something for our HKClubbing Radio⦠would that be ok??
Andre: Of course! I can do a small drawing for you!
