Monkey Steak

Interview

- Can you tell us a little bit about yourselves?

A: I’m from Bristol and Hanuman is from London. We met in London 6 or 7 years ago but we actually come from very different musical backgrounds. I came from a more electronica and jungle background and Hanuman has more of a Jazz and World Music background. We tried to find a meeting point between the two styles. Originally, we were listening to a lot of pirate radio stations in London, especially Grime, Garage and Ragga, so we wanted Monkey Steak to be a melting pot of all those sounds; maybe using Garage for the main springboard of what we do.

- What record label do you guys feature on?

H: We have released tracks on Werk Records and Death$ucker, as well as a new label called Punch Drunk. Werk was the first though as we were involved in a project called ‘The Grim Dubs” which was basically a series of 5 records that were anonymous and we did Volumes 1 & 5. It was a more wonky/crazy version of the Dub tracks that Rephlex Records had released earlier.

A: Yeah, they were Grime tunes with other, really crazy and harsh electronica sounds, with a bit of Breakcore mashed in together. It was good because it got people speculating about who the artists could be and that gave us a good starting point to follow up with other releases.

Beatport Player

Download music or get this player

We have released two EP’s with Death$ucker Records, from Bristol because we also write a little bit of Jungle. One side of the record was Jungle and a little bit of Breakcore and on the other side was a more Grime & 4/4 Garage-type tracks so it really showcased our different styles but on one EP. We also released a track called “Lighthouse Dub” on another Bristol-based record label known as Punch Drunk with which DJ Pinch did a remix on the flipside of the record. So actually, we are all over the place in terms of our styles.

H: We should also definitely mention that Monkey Steak have been using a great MC, called Renee Silver. She has a Hip-Hop background and is a purely freestyle MC. We originally met through friends of friends and she ended up doing a track with Atki2 for Shadetek Recordings.

Even though the music was more Breakcore and Grime-based, she laid down more of a Hip-Hop style vocals on top and it was a really good mixture of sounds.

- So what kind of Software are you guys using?

H: Aaah, the Geek question! We are both using Ableton for performances and in the studio, we mainly use Sony Acid or Sonic Foundry Acid to write in.

A: Our main approach to writing is chopping up sounds. So we may use a few synths but the main thing for us is sourcing sounds in WAV formats and ripping those to shreds; a big cut and paste job basically.

H: We also like to use field recordings. For example, in our set at the Glade festival, we used the recordings I made in Marrakesh last New Year of the call to prayer and some Indian vocals.

- So this is a good example of how your different styles can be combined?

H: Yes, I think so many different sounds can be made into music/beats and be blended to make people dance. Even if it is some Indian vocals and goat bells; why the fuck not?

- So if you (Atki2) live in Bristol and you (Hanuman) live in London, how are you collaborating to make music?

A: Because the music we are making is mainly sample-based, we can swap all the files over MSN or we also end up spending a lot of time going to each other’s cities to meet.

- How do you think the internet has helped to spread the name of Monkey Steak?

A: A huge amount; particularly with the “Grim Dubs” release. In terms of people talking about and speculating in forums, it has had a massive effect.

H: In general, the internet has really helped to maintain awareness of new genres of music and helped to spread the word and make new fans of certain types of music too.

- Any future plans?

A & H: We both really want to visit Japan and play out there, so if you have any connections in the club scene, please hook us up!

Monkey Steak : Atki2 and Hanuman
myspace : www.myspace.com/monkeysteak

Written by Selph