Count Bass D

Bescheiden, höflich und rundum sympathisch, so präsentierte sich Count Bass D im Telefoninterview mit ugrap.de – kein Mann der große Töne spuckt und um jeden Preis den Markt von hinten aufrollen will. Vielmehr eine echte Künstlernatur, die sich gerne ins Studio zurückzieht um einfach ins Blaue hinein zu werkeln und mit jeder neuen Komposition auch sich selbst neu zu erfinden. “It’s very random and unfocused. Just wide open” – so beschreibt Count Bass D seine Musik. Den Spruch “Wer viel besitzt wird viel besessen” scheint der Gute auch verinnerlicht zu haben – um Geld geht’s dem erklärten Familienmenschen nur am Rande, Hauptsache die üblichen Rechnungen können bezahlt werden und es bleibt genügend Zeit um mit Ehefrau und Autorin Oriana Lee ein gemeinsames Hörbuch zu produzieren. HipHop, mal ganz anders…

Let’s get a bit into your new album “Act Your Waist Size” – how long have you been working on this one?

I’ve been working on it off and on for about 10 years, I got this one song that I wrote ten years ago. I kinda picked it up seriously when I was finished with the last project and started working on it, so it was about a year and a half.

Your albums really have interesting covers – the new one is quite similar to the one from “Dwight Spitz”. So what’s the concept behind this?

My life is just that chaotic. So I’m livin’ a similar life now as I was with “Dwight Spitz” and so I think that’s the reason why they’re kind of parallel.

What are some of the things you sing and rap about?

Usually lessons learned or phrases and things I pick up along the way. Inside jokes. They just happen to creep in there. I believe that all truth is parallel so if I find truth in a given phrase or saying I try to include it in a lyric in order to spread it around the world.

Could you give an example?

“Don’t judge her if she works at Mickey D’s” – just because someone has a lower level job than you have don’t let classes get into play like this person may not be a good meet for you. Treat all people as people and don’t judge people. “We don’t discrimante because she works at Mickey D’s” is a line that I said – and I think that’s something alot of people should work towards. You know, looking at people as people.

How would you classify your music stylewise?

I think it’s just music from a artistic standpoint. That’s basically the only way I can really describe it. When I make music I have an artistic improach to it. I’m not quite sure what’s gonna come out anytime, it’s very, very random and unfocused. Just wide open.

Are you still in contact with the some of the artists you’ve worked with before, especially MF Doom?

Doom contacts me when he has work for me. That’s the only time I’ve ever been in contact with Doom. He respects me from a business standpoint and I definately respect that.

And who will be featured on the new album?

On the new album I feature Van Hunt, Kid Captain Coolout, also Oriana Lee which is my wife, my manager, the mother of my children, a writer, just an allround, intellectual, brilliant superhuman being. She’s working on her project and finishing that up: a audio-book that will be coming out at the top of 2007.

Tell me more about it…

It’s a book of her writings, she wanted it to be a hard-cover book. But I offered and asked her if I could put a musical landscape to the book and she could maybe just speak her pieces. And she agreed. So we’re making a audio CD with 48 different sound scopes and stuff, I just produced it. I think I’ll appear on one of the songs with some background vocals here and there. But for the most part it’s just a production. But I’ve been working on it for a good while and I’m really excited about the vibe.

Are you even aiming at a commercial breakthrough or is that rather secondary to you?

Well, I mean, there’s a certain amount of commercial success that I have to achieve in order to just pay the bills around here. But beyond that: no, that’s not what I’m achieving. You know, I stayed at five star hotels, I flew first class one or two times, I had a ride in a limousine – all these type of things that have come to me in my life, I just don’t need them on a day by day basis. I’m completely happy with fulfilling my needs and my family’s needs. And that’s it. If a commercial breakthrough comes through big enough, I would stop making music for living and I would just make it at home. If I could have a commercial breakthrough so that I could retire, I would love that type of situation. I wouldn’t really have to slacker that much anymore…

What about your affinity to Japan, why did you drop some records exclusively over there?

Uhm, just because they ask. I deal with who’s dealing with me. I’m not the type of guy that’s going to a club, looking for a girl and say such and such. But at the same time if somebody is interested in me, that’s usually where I am. Japan was dealing with me, it wasn’t a situation where I was running around for the United States to really jump on my bandwagon and say that I’m a good artist. You know, they would help me to feed my family, releasing my records and so I put it over there. I don’t ask to put records out in certain places. But I’m just looking for the money to feed my family, that’s it.

So you also have a huge fan base over there in asia?

Yeah, when I went over there two years ago, the reaction was great. I haven’t received an invitation yet to come back and perform but I do that my records still do pretty well over there. And I’m just grateful for that. I’m willing to come back and perform, I’d love to make that happen.

You’ve worked with different labels – which one of those granted you the most artistical freedom?

That’s a good question! countbassd.com, that’s the only label giving me the most freedom, you know? *laugs* countbassd.com usually has to get into a twist with any label about my freedom. Luckily countbassd.com fights for my rights and makes sure that I can do whatever I like to do. So I think that’s why people can relate to countbassd.com and support my projects. Fat Beats – I’m not really sure how they found out about me. But outside of that it’s just a business relationship.