Lisa Reinisch

Interview: Mr Dero & MC Klumzy Tung

Their shows are heaving, jumping affairs that bring together all that is good about Hip Hop, Soul and Reggae. Their style is eclectic and off the cuff, hinging on improvisation, humour and crowd interaction. Thankfully, not much of this vibe was lost when Austrian DJ Mr. Dero and British MC Klumzy Tung translated their live act into vinyl.

Their first EP, The Little Things, is a keeper. Their influences range from The Roots to Elvis, the production is tight as Spandex and some of the lyrics are funny as hell. As in their live shows, there is a strong element of comedy, interspersed with more sombre material. Singer Farina Miss and drummer Dr. Pheel add drama and oomph to the mix. There are at least two things we like about Dero and Klumzy. A: They don’t seem to take themselves too seriously, which is a relief in a scene that often turns ego-tripping into an art form. B: They are clearly having a whale of a time, which is audible on every track and makes the energy and optimism of their music infectious. The Little Things is a great antidote to all the doom-and-gloomism of late.
LR: How did you guys meet and what was it that made you want to work together?

Dero: I heard Klumzy on some of the tracks he had made with Beardyman as The Gobfathers, which I liked a lot so I invited him over to Austria to record some tracks. Then we spent some days in the studio and some on the slopes snowboarding. From then on we connected really well and became very good friends. In the last two years we’ve spent a lot of time together, making music and playing out.

Klumzy: Last year I spent about one week every month in Austria. When Dero got his studio together we made The Little Things. We did a first version that was seven minutes, which we loved. We were like ‘Yeah, it’s got to be seven minutes!’ But we ended up spending two weeks hating ourselves and cutting it down.

CO: You just released your first album, how did the recording sessions go?

Dero: It worked really well. We’ve developed kind of our own working flow. Since I have my studio at home and we can record on a professional level without having to consider precious studio time, we can build tracks more creatively.

Klumzy: We’ll go through some ideas Dero’s been working on musically. Then I’ll go in the booth, stick the headphones on and freestyle for half an hour. Normally, when we listen back, there will be flows, or good ideas lyrically, or really strong melodies. Then we take those ideas and keep working on them. When we’re recording I’ll probably freestyle again. I have a habit of going off on random freestyles. There’ll be a couple more good ideas in there and then we’ll end up with, like, four hooks. It’s quite open, really.

CO: On the album you collaborate with the singer Farina Miss, how did that come about?

Dero: I was always looking for a female soul singer with her style and attitude to work with. A bit more than a year ago I heard of her and simply called her up. There was a really good connection right from the beginning - musically and as friends.

Klumzy: She’s not scared, she just gives something a go and she brings a kind of Soul side to it, which is great. We also work with a drummer, Dr. Pheel. We first played with him at Spring Festival and the drums added a sort of energy. He can play for ten hours and not get tired and he can improvise, which is a key factor. The crowd really responds to that. I quite like to switch to drum and bass, especially with a drummer, because he can just double-time with a hip hop track that Dero is playing.

CO: What do you enjoy more, working in the studio or performing live?

Dero: Both, really. In both situations you enter a certain zone where you are really feeling the music you are making or performing. I generally enjoy being part of a musical process.

Klumzy: I like the progression in the studio, when you hear a song come together and the thing grows. You can tell if someone goes into a studio and just gets given a beat and told to drop a rap over it. It sounds manufactured. But what we’re creating are actual songs, they are whole. But then you can’t compare that to a good live show. If you got people cheering, I mean, that’s what it’s all about. It’s quite nice when you can take the stuff from the studio and do it live. When we took the songs from the EP live and people really went for it.

CO: What’s planned for 2009?

Dero: A lot, actually. Mostly we will be working on our albums, Klumzy´s, Farina´s and my own. Plus we will be playing live as much as we can.

Klumzy: I’ve got, like, 50 songs I’ve made and I haven’t got an album! So this year, the one big aim is to get the album done. And then I’m learning to play the guitar and learning the ropes of production. But a friend told me that to be genius at something, you have to invest 10,000 hours. I’m just locked in my bedroom since New Year’s!

CO: Which one is your favourite track?

Dero: This EP is a collection of tracks that have a lot of time and heart put into them, each of them with a special story behind it, so I can’t have a judgement on that. I love all of them and I am proud of each one. They are not just tracks to fill a record or something. They are all really true.

The Little Things EP is available from iTunes as well as at Wyld Pytch Records (51 Lexington Street, London W1F 9HL) and Sister Ray Records (34-35 Berwick Street, London W1F 8RP‎). To find out about upcoming UK shows, see www.myspace.com/klumzytung.