Interview: The Allergies & Andy Cooper
The Allergies are back with their third studio album “Steal the Show” and they have accompanied its release with their first series of live shows. 25ThC spoke to Roy (Moneyshot) and Adam (Rackabeat) and their main collaborator, Andy Cooper, from the legendary hip hop crew Ugly Duckling:
It’s been just over a year since we last spoke and in that time you guys have been very, very busy. Let’s start with your fantastic new album “Steal the Show”. This features a lot of great collaborations. How did you go about choosing who to work with and why?
Roy: Glad you like it. Yeah, it was pretty much a year in the making; from the last one being handed in to starting this one was probs a three minute window [laughs]. When it came to the guests it was a case of who do we love and who do we know. Andy Cooper is one of the family now, so we asked him to sign up again immediately. Skunkadelic was on a really early EP, and we’ve known and dug him for years, and always wanted to get him back on the mic, and the beat just fit him like a glove.
Adam: Yup what he said!
Andy, when did you first become aware of The Allergies and what was is it about them that made you want to collaborate on their tracks?
Andy: I met The Allergies in 2013 when I was on an Ugly Duckling tour that went through Bristol. We collaborated on a remix of one of my solo songs (Bring It To Me) and I liked what the boys did with the track. Plus, I really enjoyed the experience of going back and forth on the production because Roy and Adam are such pleasant and creatively open-minded guys. Not long before, I’d gone through a difficult exercise of dealing with another producer who, for whatever reason, had a hard time with collaborative criticism and, as The Allergies could tell you, I’m very serious about getting it right so, at that point, I truly valued that Adam and Roy were about the song, not their egos because that’s something I deeply believe in. After that, the boys started sending me more an more stuff to check out and I’m always excited to get those emails!
Andy, you feature quite heavily on the album. Last time Roy and Adam explained to me that you are fully involved in the production of each track. Is that still the case and do you all physically hook up or is it over video conferencing?
Roy: Mainly over the “Internet”, which is this great new thing for posting pictures of your dinner and hooking up with rappers. We ping ideas back and forth, email, and send stems of loops and beats until we get something going. We do link in the flesh a bit more now, as he’s often over to rock shows with us.
Andy: It really varies from song to song. In some cases, they send me a track that is 99% finished and I’ll simply adjust the arrangement for my vocals and record. Other times, I’ll add some instrumentation or composition and we go back and forth with them until we nail the song concept down; I may not even be the vocalist. Obviously, the boys don’t need me to make a good tune, they’re perfectly capable of doing it on their own but I think they value a certain skill set that I bring to the table and they utilise my abilities when its appropriate for the material.
Adam: Yeah I mean thank goodness for the internet, so lucky really. Must have been so hard before for artists to collaborate. Certainly would be even easier if we were all in the same room more often though. Perhaps we’ll move to LA one day?
June saw The Allergies Funk ‘N’ Beats mix volume 5 on the Bomb Strikes label with a superb selection of tracks many of which have been released on 7″ vinyl. How did you go about selecting what to feature on the mix?
Roy: We put together a “wants list” over a coupla months, and the label got to work contacting the great and good on there. We wanted to strike a balance, rep the old and new, and think how a possible chain of tracks might fit and build together as a mix and compilation.
Adam: Yeah we certainly had a handful of stuff we knew had to be on there, the hard part is whittling it all down. There was some other stuff we wanted on there but couldn’t seem to licence, which was a shame.
In August you played at the legendary Shambhala festival in Canada. It’s on my bucket list to go one day. How did your set go down, which artists did you check out and what can you tell us about the overall vibe of the festival?
Roy: Bonkers. Anyone who is anyone was there. I bugged out just seeing Z-Trip in a hotel car park! The highlight was the Fractal Forest 45 funk session which we got to spin at and then drop a set after.
Adam: Yeah ‘The Funk Jam’ as they call it, we dropped beats with Skratch Bastid, A.Skillz, Fort Knox 5, Krafty Kuts, The Gaff and a whole bunch of other cool cats we got to meet. The people are super friendly and there sure is a lot of dust and smoke from forest fires!
To top it all off you have also just completed your first series of live shows. Can you tell us about how you perform, the artists involved and how the gigs have gone down?
Roy: It’s and me and Adam running the decks, and he’s linked up to the projector syncing video with all the tracks. Then Andy Cooper on raps, and Marietta Smith on vocals. Bristol sax legend, James Morton, has been tooting his horn, and then Andy also plays keys and various percussive instruments. It’s as much a band as we’ve ever been, and it’s been a learning curve coming at it as just DJs but the rest of the gang make us look good [Laughs].
Adam: Yeah I think it took us 5 shows to find our feet together, but the final show in Bristol went off with a serious bang. We packed out The Colston Hall, and it will be a gig we never forget. There’s a unity and a family vibe when you are with a bunch of people on the same mission.
What advice can you give to other DJ’s who may wish to incorporate some live elements into their gigs?
Roy: Hire rehearsal space and get that show tight! Besides that, hire talented people who do this ish for a living and you can’t go wrong. Oh, and remember all your scratching cues – That can whizz by if you’re too busy dancing behind the decks [laughs].
Adam: Yeah I’m not sure we are worthy of giving advice on this yet. Just experiment and practice, you won’t really know if it works until you take it on the road.
Andy, you seem to be in the UK a great deal for live shows including the most recent ones with The Allergies. How does the UK music scene differ from the US and why does it keep drawing you back?
Andy: I’ve been working consistently in Britain for nearly 20 years so I don’t even think of it as a big trip anymore. From the perspective of the type of music I love (classic hip-hop, funk, soul…), UK audiences seem, both currently and historically, to have a bit more appreciation for the art forms I hold dear so that’s probably the main difference. For whatever reason, I also feel like my sense of humour works better with UK crowds but, that said, I have had great experiences with audiences everywhere around the world and I’m happy to perform for anybody who will tolerate my mediocrity.
I am big big fan of Ugly Duckling and try and catch you live whenever I can. Dizzy and yourself seem to be doing your own solo material at the moment. Is there any new UD material or live shows in the work?
Andy: Thanks for the kind words. We don’t have any current plans to record new music or perform live. A few years back, we decided that it would be a good idea, both personally and artistically, to explore other creative outlets and I couldn’t be happier with that decision. Having been very dedicated to the group since the age of 18, I desperately needed a chance to grow in other areas of my life so these past few years have been a real blessing for me. That said, I really appreciate all the people who love Ugly Duckling and I take our legacy very seriously.
I see that like myself you are still buying lots of 7″ records. How do you combine these into your DJ sets and what records have you picked up recently that you’d recommend?
Roy: We mainly do all 45 sets when we DJ out now – It’s just more fun. We go back to back and try and out smash the dance floor, so it keeps us on our toes. Check out Juno Records charts every month for what we’re digging, and peep our podcast – We normally spin all the cool 7″ that tickle us that months. And if that’s too much trouble, check Nola Breaks, Disco Bits, 45 Live, Dusty Donuts, Dinked and 5 Borough Breaks.
Adam: Yup, what he said!
What do you have planned for the rest of year and into 2019?
Adam: Currently planning 3 more live tours, one in Europe, another UK tour in May and a festival tour in Summer. Or course we’ll be DJing up and down the country in between and working on our 4th album I guess!
…
You can pick up the new album on digital or vinyl from https://TheAllergies.lnk.to/StealTheShow or https://theallergies.bandcamp.com/album/steal-the-show
Interview by 25ThC. Photo by Khali Ackford.
