ConRank is a producer set for big things in 2010. Combining his influences of hip-hop, dub-step & drum & bass he creates a fresh new sound that could fit into your friday night or even your sunday morning. Also ConRank is now working with DMC’s good friend Killa Kela on a project they are calling “Kela & ConRank”. On top of all that ConRanks debut single “Hold On” has just hit Itunes and so DMC decided to find out a bit more about this mystery addition to the UK dance scene with an email interview and a free copy of his Big L bootleg (link at the bottom)…. and ACTION!
Tell us a bit more about what your doing musically?
Well this is one of the most exciting projects i have ever worked on due to the fact that im under no pressure to deliver anything… no guidelines, deadlines, specifics , whatever i decide i like the sound of i put out there. Im absolutely loving what d-bridge and instra:mental are up to with the whole autonomic podcasts and i’m really just trying to bring my own take on that, to the point that i have stopped listening to the podcasts just so i really do take it in my own direction., lol. Added to that im now working with a long time friend and one of the hardest working & talented beatboxers out there Killa Kela and we are basically collaborating to create a series of podcasts called Kela & Conrank.
OK so you mentioned Dbridge and Instra:Mental, what other influences have got you to this point?
Well you can add Blu Mar Ten straight off the bat …. I have so many past influences , i love my hip-hop especially the classic 90’s shit like Big L and Primo, i’m really into dub-step and i also went through a massive Ltj Bukem period which never really ended… for me “Horizons” is one of my all time favourite tracks. I will always remember the first time i heard it , i was listening to a cd i had just burnt off a friend with loads of bits on and it just took me away , i was sitting waiting for a train and actually missed it because i closed my eyes and completely closed off.. he’s an amazing producer. Then you have DnB artists like High Contrast , Andy C , Basher and Goldie … i mean the list goes on hahaha, when you have grown up in the UK you are blessed to be surrounded by so much music and so much talent. From an early age i was surrounded by music , my mum was really into her music and introduced me to the Doors and the Stones and my dad wrote musicals and was really into his swing and jazz and played a load of different instruments … so i’m sure everything i have heard from that point till now has had a big effect.
So you are now working with Kela… how did that come about?
Well he has been a close friend of mine since i was 15 , we both worked in a petrol station in Horsham and he taught me to beatbox , we used to use the tannoy as a PA amp and scare customers off on a regular basis with distorted beats! anyway… since then we have been doing our own things but still stayed close….. then one day he called me up with the idea of creating these podcasts that are like mini mixes , 4 or 5 beats in the space of 5 minutes and Kela & Conrank was born.
Ok so whats you next step , short & long term?
Well short term im gonna be really concentrating on studio time. Right now i have a great agent and some great people around me that can put shows and tours into action, when the time is right, but the most important thing for me right now is getting tracks out there whether they are bootlegs or originals , i mean my soundcloud gets updated regularly and im looking to release another single in May followed by an E.P in July. Im also releasing a series of mixes on mixcloud.com called Rankadank ,….. volume 1 is up already and there will be more to follow. Longterm im really looking forward to getting to grips with the shows , i wanna bring all of my influences into my sets as well as banging out my own stuff. Then theres the Kela & Conrank stuff ,… thats gonna be crazy i mean who knows where that will go, but we have some pretty exciting idea’s for shows , tracks , compilations and general ear pleasing material.. so keep your ears peeled.
So is there anyone you have seen on your travels who we should be looking out for?
Umm theres so much talent around , out in Shanghai there is a producer called R3 who is definitely on the way up , UK wise theres a talented guy called Big Angry Bear to look out for, but my main pick for 2010 has to be Kastle also known as B.Rich, he has some amazing stuff coming your way this year… trust me.
So as we saw before you have a lot of influences … who would you really like to get the chance to collaborate with?
There are so many but … ok , if i really need to pick a few i would have to say Bukem first off , which was kinda expected, Kastle, Big Bud, Soul II Soul and finally its gotta be Primo… he is just such a legend.
Ok 1 last question , if you had to listen to 1 track on repeat for a whole day what would it?
Eminem – Infinite…. if you haven’t heard it go listen on youtube… one of his old school gems… so inspiring!
Nice anything else you wanna add?
Well firstly make sure to check out some of my links:
www.soundcloud.com/conrank
www.msypace.com/conrank
www.killakela.com/podcast
www.mixcloud.com/conrank
Also I would like to say a big thankyou to Kela, GGG , Stevie Mac, Sally, Rob, Big Angry Bear, Midge, Wen Wen, Mixcloud , Rita Begum , Reggie (R3) and everyone else who has supported me along the way. Also a massive thanks to Faze2 and the whole DMC massive.
So as promised… here is “Shut The Nine” a bootleg by ConRank sampling the Public Enemy classic , “Shut Em Down”… enjoy 😉
