The Neurologists

Ende des Jahres soll mit Mr. Boody’s “As The Dark Settles” das erste Großprojekt aus den Reihen des New Yorker Produzententeams The Neurologists ercheinen. Gäste wie unter anderem L.I.F.E. Long, Mista Sinista, Lost Children of Babylon und Vast Aire versprechen gute Unterhaltung – die erste Single “The Staff Of Ra/Pagan’s Helmet” mit Lil Dap und Killah Priest ist bereits auf dem Markt. Wir sprachen mit Mr. Boody über das Album, seine besondere Beziehung zu Deutschland, weitere laufende Projekte und den aktuellen Stand der Dinge bei den Neurologists.

The Neurologists changed their line-up several times. What’s the current state of facts with the group?

First off I’d like to say hello to Germany from one half of the production duo. The group’s original line-up started in 1997 with 2 producer /DJs and one MC called Onedae. It was around 2001 when the Neurologists were left to be a production group. DJ Paws and myself, Mr. Boody aka Heffadamus the Slop Regulator have been working on solo ventures for the past 3 years as well as Onedae working with different producers. We are all still good friends and in contact with each other but the vibe has been different for each member. I have been staying in the Abstract Underground Hip Hop field releasing a couple of solo material 12 inches with different MCs. I am planning on releasing my first solo album “As The Dark Settles” later this year. Paws wanted to take a break from working with MCs and focuses on instrumental compositions. He scored a few indy films and has licenced some of his tracks to Cartoon Network. He also has been making his own keyboards and selling them on Ebay. Onedae has been releasing mixtapes with a more current Hip Hop sound. Last I heard he did some shit with Sean Price and is recording his new album. We do plan to link soon and work on some new material as well as mix down some our older stuff. The line-up usually changes each project. I also did an album with New York underground legend Steve Austin last year. He usually hosts our shows and is considered the spokesman.

Can you still feel your very first record “Systematic Sensitization” from 1998?

I can still feel the record, I just wish it sounded better. We wanted to release a record at the time and we ignored the importance of mastering and premium vinyl prices. It did open the doors for us and first got us distribution with Landspeed. We had it up on undergroundhiphop.com in the early stages and had the number 2 spot which drew alot of attention. For me my first official produced beat is on that vinyl, “Iron Fist Dynasty”. Paws produced “Artificial Intelligence” and that was Onedae’s first record as well.

Do you plan to release further records with rapper Onedae?

Onedae was on the Electric Fence(Steve Austin + Neurologists) “Ferocious/Orator” 12″ that we released last year.(2005) That was the first time i recorded with him in a couple of years. We have talked about doing some new stuff and he is supposed to lay a verse for the “As The Dark Settles” album. You can peep that record at undergroundhiphop.com – copies still for sale!

You released the first single of your announced album “As The Dark Settles” recently – how did you get Lil Dap on “The Staff Of Ra”?

We opened for Group Home and Artifacts back in 2000 in a Brooklyn club. I have stayed in touch with his road manager MC 3D (Polish MC/Show Promoter) and did alot of shows with him and Steve Austin the last couple of years. I kept asking him to get Lil Dap on my album but he would play the violin. I didn’t think it would happen. He had a strong G Clef. One night he called me and said Dap was at his crib and I went there with the Staff Of Ra beat on CD. When we were in the car I played it and asked him to jump on it. He replied, “i will kill this shit.” A couple months passed and he came to the studio. He requested a bottle of Jack and went in the booth with no paper and killed it. That was big for me. “Livin Proof” was one of the best Hip hop albums of the Golden Era and I was listening to that shit since i was in High School. Listening to Gang Starr in 6th Grade. Group home is classic shit!

Speaking of this 12″: one can hear that you try to bring something new to the table. Can you put into words words what that is?

I always try to sound different. I wanted to get Lil Dap on the type of track that he usually wouldn’t rhyme on. I left the doo rag under the coffee table and brought the punishment of the Staff Of Ra . When Priest came through I told him I wanted some different shit and he asked if I wanted Mummies. I played a beat to him and he told me that it was the Cellar Offering. He heard the beat and knew exactly the type of track I wanted and he wrote it in less than 15 minutes. They were both professional and knew how to record. It’s different than working with the local jackass that does 48 takes. On the b-side of the record I have an instrumental track called “Widow” which is pure psychoticness. I had to throw that in there to open the humans up to something different.

So when will “As The Dark Settles” be released and what can we expect from this album?

Hopefully it will be released by the end of the year. I’m trying to shop it around first to some labels. If they don’t bite it will come out regardless and be available everywhere. You can expect a half instrumental half MC album with a dark nightflight vibe. It will reflect the mood of when the sun goes down and the nighttime activities start. All different vibes on there. You got the single already – peep the archives on Undergroundhiphop.com! Almost like every track is a short story. You got Lil Dap covering the “Staff Of Ra”. Killah Priest covering the “Pagans Helmet”. The Lost Children of Babylon pop up and bring forth the “Rubix Cube”. That shit is ridiculously sick as fuck. DJ Mista Sinista comes with some scratching on a bonanza sounding track with horses called “The Sick Individual”. L.I.F.E. Long and Tes are on a track together called the “New York Slashas”. I got word from Vast Aire that he’s gonna jump on that to complete the song. Kool Kim of the UMCs is supposed to jump on the album. A few more surprises to come. The instrumental stuff is complex and dark. Good album overall. It will be considered classic like Fleetwood Mac.

Tell me more about your current label situation…

Traffic is handling the distribution for the single. It is available at the vinyl spots worldwide and in Fat Beats and local Manhattan stores. Alot of that I have to do on consignment. I wish i was on a record label that took care of all this so that I could just focus on making music. We as independent artists have too many hats to wear and it requires alot of time. I had no choice but to put these records out on my own and start my own label. Starting a label was not something I wanted to do but for the meanwhile it is the only way to make my music available. The label is called Edified Gems.

What else are you working at right now?

Right now I’m working on promoting this single. I am also working on finishing up the album. All the beats are finished. I am trying to situate the collab tracks and start the mixdowns. There is also an album with L.I.F.E. Long and Rhymulous in the works called “Cornstalk Slashas – Lost Treasures of The Ancients”. We are taking it to the cornfield on that one and turning heffas into porkchops. For L.I.F.E. Long fans that want to hear some crazy abstract shit: this is the album to check for. Me and Paws are reconnecting soon to mix down some old material including the full “Systematic Sensitization” LP. We get alot of requests for that so we have to make it available for the true fans.

You’ve been to Germany in 1999 alongside Matrix and Freestyle from the Aronists. How did you experience the daily tour routine?

Onedae and Matrix did over 9 shows in sold out venues throughout Germany. They were on the radio out there and absolutely killed it. They also collabed with Roy Marquis II and appeared on his mixtapes. Overall the tour was a good turnout.

You even supposed to get signed to a german label but got dropped – what happened?

We had alot of BS label situations through our run. We were set to release a single for Lighttwister (Onedae and Matrix with DJ DP One on cuts) and the label folded in the middle of it. We were jaded and decided to move on and that song became old. It would have been the perfect single for that time period. We started our own label after this because were tired of these situations. Even with the Priest and Lil Dap single I experienced the bullshit. I had a couple of labels interested that said they would release it but it would take two years. I don’t have time for that bullshit. I wanted it out quick so I did it myself and got distribution and radio play on my own terms. We did have a another release on a German Label called Subversiv and Vinyl Kingz distribution. Steve Austin is on the new Roy Marquis II “Battle of the Words 2″ (Groove Attack). The german connects have always been strong.

How important is the european market for you as an upcoming rap artist from New York?

Europe is a better market for our material. They are more open to different types of Hip Hop music. Everyone thinks we are nuts in the states but we still have our connects and DJs that support us!

Let’s hope you’ll be back over here real soon. Thanks alot for taking the time. It’s still enough time to get some final words out to the people..

Pick up the single and support! Check out the Neurologists at www.myspace.com/neurologists
Peace to Ugrap.de, Ben and all of Germany. If it has more chin then shoot it! Slop is not tolerated in 2006!