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MC LOWQUI INTERVIEW
Big up Mr MC LOWQUI! Please for those GTA viewers who might not have heard about the mighty LowQui, please can you give us an introduction to yourself?
Basically I'm an MC/vocalist, covering drum n bass (in all its amazing forms) Nu skool breaks and old skool. I've been hooked by electronic music since the age of ten and have been fortunate enough to have worked with a lot of my musical heroes over the years, artists such as Goldie, Andy C, Fabio, Storm, Bailey, Artificial Intelligence, Zinc, Nookie, Klute, Blame to name drop just a few. Currently I'm a Metalheadz resident and part of their 10th Anniversary tour. I also hold down residencies at Essence of Chi, Traffic, Desire, Technicality and various guest spots around the UK and europe.
2004 was a good year for you man, getting great profile from the likes of knowledge, D&B Arena etc, what have been the highs and lows of the passed 12 months?
Highs:
Getting brought into the Metalheadz Camp, to work with one of the labels that inspired me all those years ago is a great honour! Artificial Intelligence asking me to host their ATM cover cd (issue 61) Getting to visit new countries and see how they party! Countires like Poland, Estonia, France, Germany & Dubai all have very different scenes and the crowds react differently to the music, which is all good as it shows the music is fresh!
Lows:
Lack of sleep! Playing anywhere up to 8 gigs a week can ruin your body clock! Spending too much money on hotel mini bars!
What is you diary looking like over the next month, where you playin, with who????
Here's a few I can think of...full list is available at http://www.lowqui.com
03.03.05 – DNBA/1xtra, Sheffield (live on 1xtra) With L Double
04.03.05 – Dread Records @ herbal with Ray Keith & more
11.03.05 – Traffic
12.03.05 – Technicality All Nighter
14.03.05 – Ministry of sound radio – Interview & guest slot
17.03.05 – Bassbin Recs @ Plastic People
19.03.05 – London Zu /EOC @ Scala with Zinc, Calibre, Friction & More,Check full line up here: http://www.essenceofchi.co.uk
24.03.05 – Coven, Oxford with Ray Keith
25.03.05 – Metalheadz, herbal
02.04.05 – Metalheadz, Graz
06.04.05 – Rotation, Guildford with Red One
So what in your eyes makes a good MC?
Someone who really loves the music they chat to. Someone who understand that what a DJ and the crowd need can be different at different times throughout the night. Also MC's need to be able to adapt to changing situations, crowds and musical styles.
Who as MCs did you aspire to when you were growing up and why?
Stevie Hyper D (RIP) & GQ. They both influenced me massively from a young age, Stevie Hyper D for his sheer energy and charisma, and GQ for being able to roll and roll and roll. In my eyes they are still the best.
Now I hear not only do you MC but you also produce! How long has that been happening? Working with anyone we might know? What gear and software are you using?
I am primarily working with a Producer and old friend called GooRee, we use a PC, Cubase SX, Reason, Kontakt and various plug ins. Spirit 2 monitors (that we are in process of upgrading) and an EMU sampler.
What are your top 5 tunes from an MC'ing point of view at the moment???? Why?
Desparado (Artificial Intelligence) V
Against The Grain (Hive) Metalheadz
Carefree (Sabre) Emcee
Second Sun (Calibre)
Its Ok (the kox) CIA Four Seasons EP
What can we expect from yourself over the coming few years??? What are you striving to achieve?
In the near future watch out for a online mix with some heavyweight producer dj's that i'm very excited about. I'm very lucky in that I have already achieved a lot of my original goals as a performance artist, now my horizons are more focused on production. I'm working on tunes at the moment, I'd really like to get some vocal tracks out there and see how they go down. Apart from that I just want to keep hearing good music, and be a part of the scene that I love. I have no world domination plans at the moment!
If you are a betting man, who would you put your money on to blow up this year? DJs or MCs?
DJ's: T1, hEaling Crew, Logistics
Mc's: System
Now everyone and there dog wants to be an MC these days, what advice can you give to them?
Just be yourself and stick to your own ideas. I Don’t think you should follow fashions, because as we all know they change. Its better to start your own trend and have others follow you. Also you should listen to feedback about your performances from your mates (and people you don’t know), don’t let them say "yeah man that was heavy" after everything you do, ask what they liked, what they didn’t, what you can improve on. Criticism can hurt but it definataly improves your skills. Only other thing is work very very hard and don’t expect to blow up overnight, there are a lot of skilled people out there so you have to do something pretty impressive to even get noticed, let alone get brought in to prime time.
original >> http://www.grandtheftaudio.co.uk/mc_lowqui.php
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