Interview: The Dead Science

by planbmag on Mon, 2009/02/09 - 1:08pm Post to Twitter

Sam Mickens sounds inflated with conflicted emotions, contradictory impulses turning gaseous and exploding. He’s singing a song called ‘Wife You’ on The Dead Science’s third album, Villainaire, and we’re on the climactic third verse, his voice swooping to climaxes at the middle and end of each line: “I want my thoughts to ring throughout your BODY/I want my VI-O-LENCE to make you SAT-IS-FIED!”

The voice is singular, even as it evokes its distinguished rock heritage of white folk brave (or damaged) enough to tackle the power of soul to express hurt through ludicrous exaggerations – the way Bowie ripped off James Brown, for example – an affected holler that flies above a veritable slick of refined testosterone. The music of Jherek Bischoff (bass, electric and acoustic) and Nick Tamburro (drums): agile yet necessarily brutal rhythms, sure hacksaw guitar like choreographed epilepsy. The sound of people learning to control their bullshit.

“There’s a lot of trying to have mastery over your own violent energy. It spills out,” explains Mickens in much calmer, conversational tones. “I definitely feel a lot of violence. But I haven’t really exercised it since I was young. I made a conscious decision not to. I fought a whole lot when I was a little kid.”

You started fights?

“Not that I started fights. I grew up in Los Angeles, everyone fought a lot. But in ‘Wife You’ it’s more hopeful, trying to find outlets that are not harmful. It’s kind of more sexual, I guess, trying to channel that energy where it can be power instead of…” He trails off and rethinks: “I mean it can be good energy instead of it being real chaotic and damaging.”

The thanks in the CD insert ends with the legend ‘Dedicated in word and deed to the Wu-Tang Clan’; Villainaire oozes hip-hop. Or, as Mickens sings on ‘Make Mine Marvel’, it’s “Dusted with the pollen of triumph” (‘Triumph’ being the gloriously exultant lead single from the Wu-Tang Forever LP).

In their own way, The Dead Science present as valid an update of r’n’b for the third or fourth hip-hop generation as Mary J Blige and R Kelly did for their respective peak years, working in much the same way. Dealing with the same issues, living in the same world, loving much of the same things – but patently the spawn of another culture with a whole other set of idols.

“The goal of the album wasn’t to be referential to hip-hop. It’s going to appear naturally. We listen to a lot of music. Lots of classical and jazz. But probably what I listen to the most day to day is rap music, for sure.”

What’s the appeal of the Wu?

“It’s like, Method Man…the architecture of his verses are really great. But then I think he’s also just super-comfortable, stylistic, beautiful,” he laughs. “And whatever ‘swagger’ is.”

Is that something you’d try to emulate?

“I don’t know about emulate. Just as much as those guys in the Wu-Tang Clan like to feel like characters in a kung fu movie, or samurai, or comic books, I feel like maybe – in becoming a character – you are professionally calling on these spirits, letting them race through your blood and…blow you up a little bit.”

When people outside of hip-hop are influenced by it they tend to literally take the beats or copy the flow. Talking about the spirit is more interesting.

“That’s good. Their conceptual ambition is what’s inspiring – they had a real boundless vision. A lot of these people today are like, it’s like absolutely explicitly their only desire is money and their only measuring stick is money. There’s no other criteria for who’s the best rapper – it’s just whoever sells the most. Obviously the Wu-Tang Clan wanted to make money, but also power across the board.”

Is it a fantasy in the same way theirs is?

“It’s about the interconnectedness of absolute reality and appearances. Think of comics or movies that give a mythology to kids that came up in real poverty. It’s like connecting to this weird ascendant energy in your life, maybe the idea of destiny – or something like Luke Skywalker. People from a real lower class background taking mythology, and fantasy, and allowing it to buoy them. Myself, or the Wu-Tang Clan, or a lot of people in the States.”

www.thedeadscience.com

Originally published in Plan B #38: back issues available here.