Madlib

Madlib

Born Otis Jackson in Oxnard, CA. Began his career making beats with the Lootpack, created alter-ego Quasimoto, started his own jazz band entitled Yesterday's New Quintet-in which he plays every instrument himself, was asked to remix the jazz standards by legendary Blue Note, linked with the MC, MF Doom, and became Madvillain. Describes his latest, The Further Adventures of Lord Quas, simply as "basic psychedelic hip-hop."

What are your first memories of music? Being in the studio with my pops [soul singer, Otis Jackson, Sr.] making records. Maybe that's why I love the studio so much, because I grew up in the studio with him.

Where were your beginnings in DJing? DJ Romes was the first kid in my neighborhood with turntables that I could go get on. I used to always go over there and hop straight on them. I'd be on them all day.

Coming up, describe your circle of friends. They were cats like me that dug the same music. I wasn't really into that gansta shit; I like the music, but I wasn't really living that life. I listened to cats like 45 Kings, Bomb Squad.

You reference the most unique musicians. I'm thinking of the album you made for the late jazz composer, Tribute to Weldon Irving. I just listen to different things. When you grow up, you learn to be more open-minded. I used to only listen to jazz and hip-hop; now I realize there's goodness in everything.

What's changed since you started out? Shit, I don't think it's changed. I still put myself into it, my soul or whatever. Plus, now I bounce ideas off my cousins; Doom, Dilla. All of us trade ideas.

What determines which beats see the light of day? Peanut Butter Wolf [founder of Stones Throw records in L.A.] lets me put out whatever I want, but I don't show everything. I just put out things I think cats will understand. I'm just trying to be like Quincy Jones, and put some soul in.

How do you know a track is done? I'm a basic cat, I like a basic beat. It doesn't have to be complicated; my shit is like freestyling. I spend like 10 minutes per beat. I gotta move on, I can't sit there with the same shit all day.

How much of your music is tied to improvisation? Everything is one take. That's the essence. If you stay on it too much, it's gonna flip and change. I just want it to sound like it's been recorded on the moon.

You've said your connection to MCing is secondary to beat-making? How do you write? Do you have an idea in mind? It's just talking to you. I talk about some shit I saw on the news, or something my homeboy said, something I read.

How do you sculpt an album from beginning to end? For the Quasimoto album, I just recorded like two albums' worth and picked out what I thought was cool. I try to piece it together like a movie, and make it a little different. You know, sit back like they used to do in the 70s when the A&Rs wasn't tripping and make dope albums. It's business now, but luckily we have Stones Throw and a few other labels that keep trying to support. 100 percent creative control. That's what every artist should receive.

-Steven Psyllos