Mixy
Illterviews
– Mixy
Mixy is a rapper and spoken word artist. We catch up with him to talk about his work with Mark Grist, Don't Flop, his past projects and much more!
Mixy, introduce yourself; How did you get your name, how long have you been rapping?
Mixy, introduce yourself; How did you get your name, how long have you been rapping?
My
name is actually pretty irrelevant you know (I’m sure you can tell)
it’s just an old nickname that stuck, I’m not even too sure how
it came about to be honest. My names Michael so I guess it came from
that, but… people that don’t know me for music always ask if I’m
a DJ so I can’t help feel I should maybe scrap ‘Mixy’ for ‘Mic’
but as I’ve been writing and rapping with that name for… around
15 years? I feel I’ve done a bit too much to change name now and
confuse people.
What
projects have you put out in the past? How have they been received?
Well
I’ve featured on numerous bit’s and pieces here and there but
solo projects wise.
2008
– Bootleg Bar 1 EP
2009
– MMIX Mixture Mixtape
2010
– MMX
2011
– MMXI & The Experiment
2012
– Assonance Is Bliss
All
of which are available bar the 2008 EP, not that I’m hiding it,
just haven’t put it up for download. The 2009 – 2011 projects are
all available for free download at www.locality1.com
the ‘Assonance is Bliss’ album will soon be available on itunes
and other digital stores thanks to Leicester based label ‘MUD’
big them up, I also have hard copies people can buy if they catch me
at a show. I’ve had mostly positive feedback on all of them, the
only project here that really stands out is ‘The Experiment’ I
consider it to contain some of my best writing, it’s a bit marmite.
Where as the other projects are mainly hip hop the experiment is 6
tracks of me rapping/reciting over piano key’s an nothing much
more, I found 6 pieces of music I really liked and wrote to them
while trying to keep a running theme and making no edits. Some love
how different it is but I think a lot find it too mellow. There is
also a ‘Dead Poets’ album (available at locality1) and very soon
to be an audio book of the whole dead poets show recorded live at the
Soho theatre in May 2012 (available in stores, digital and physical)
You
also do spoken word projects with Mark Grist is that right? How did
you get into that scene? Is it very different to a purely Hip Hop
writing style, or is there a lot of crossing over?
Yeah
me and Mark do the dead poets show and work together on many
projects. The dead poets show explains our meeting but basically…
I’d been spotted rapping in Peterborough and was asked to support
Scroobius Pip. I’d never had any involvement in poetry or spoken
word so went to check out the event a month before my booking. While
there I managed to lean back on a candle and set my hood on fire
(massive dick move I know) me and Mark got chatting as he was
involved in the event, he’d heard of a competition to link poetry
and music so suggested we tried working together and enter the
competition. At that stage I was strictly a rapper and mark was a
strict poet. Long story short we won the competition and carried on
with the show, which resulted in me entering more poetry
competitions, and Mark taking part in rap battles. I think my writing
has evolved since being involved in spoken word, I always liked
performing acapella and being able to hold a crowd with nothing more
than my words. Far as I’m concerned there is very few differences
in poetry and rap, a lot of my spoken word material works on beats
and pieces wrote to beats work as spoken word. Fans of either style
normally know what they like, whether that’s comedy, depth, lyrical
gymnastics or whatever else. Obviously a beat can be a slight
restriction at times where without it you can more easily add pauses
and break the performance for crowd responses. Still I feel very
middle ground with my style at the moment, I’m unsure where to
bracket myself.
You've
also battled in Don't Flop. How do you think the battle scene impacts
upon the music, and how do you rate the battling culture at the
moment?
Yes,
gotta big up Don’t Flop. I think it’s great what they do, when
Eurgh contacted me to battle I was slightly sceptical but am very
glad I got the opportunity to be involved. I think the battle scene
is great, I used to battle when I was a lot younger, back in the day
when it was all freestyle, and I think the written format is great as
it allows people to show their ability therefore the standard of
lyricism is higher. One thing I’d say is a lot of battle fans may
not be as interested in the artists music, I think battles are
amazing entertainment and should always be kept going, but watching
two artists insult each other will always be very different to
kicking back with some tunes. Still it’s a great platform, I’m
sure it’s gained me a few supporters along the way. I think the
battling culture is looking pretty strong, at the same time I’m not
as impressed with every battle I see. There is still the odd classic
that comes out but I don’t get as excited as I once did. I guess
everyone has a different opinion of what rap/hip hop/battles/music
should be. Which is fine, everyone is entitled to their opinion…
long as they know I’m right
Where
do you see yourself in 5 years time?
Well
I’d like to see myself still working hard, still improving, and
still gaining support. There are a lot of exciting things on the
table at present that unfortunately I can’t really talk about.
However I’m not resting my hopes on them, I’ll just keep pushing
forward and as long as I can maintain or increase my levels I’ll be
doing fine.
Alternate
answer: on a boat mother fucker, boats an hoes.
What
other artists have you worked with in the scene?
Define
the scene? I’ve been slacking for collabs recently you know, bar
the stuff with Grist that’s always on going. Most of the people
I’ve worked with are artists from Peterborough that I know from
around the way. Actually my MMIX mixtape is 21 tracks with about… 9
different artist features. But again, pretty much all people local to
me. I’m planning to get back on the collabs but just been so busy
and it can be tricky to pin people down. Still I’m quite eclectic
with my style, I’ve worked on pretty much all styles of rap as well
as rock, folk and other styles I’m not even sure what to call.
Versatility is the key.
Who
would you like to work with in the future?
I
dunno you know… There’s a lot of guys I like but without meeting
or speaking to them I wouldn’t state I’d like to work with them
because, regardless of ability, if you’re a twat I’m not fussed.
However, some of you I look forward to meeting. I won’t name names
but if we’ve met and get on, let’s work on something at some
point when the time is there to do so.
What
are you working on at the moment, any mixtapes or EPs etc? When can
we expect them to come out?
I
have just finished a solo spoken word show called ‘Content’ that
I will be running at the Edinburgh fringe festival throughout August
2012, come check it if you're about. I’m always writing but not
sure what my next project will be… may get on some of these collabs
I’ve been too busy for.
Any
shout outs?
I
usually steer away from using names to avoid forgetting and upsetting
people, but those who I currently work closest with and have
supported me over numerous projects to help me reach this point.
Juxta, Klimeks, Grist, Nyces. Plus, EVERYONE else that has supported
me along the way and continues to do so. Much love all, always
appreciated.
Let
us know where to get in touch with you, and any links you want to
promote!
Twitter:
MixyRic
Wastebook:
Mixy
A
few random youtube vids:
Bars
in the booth 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdfxubixwkQ
Windowsill:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9w-EHCJfUc
Interview
By Precinct Phantom
@TheRealPP
