Formerly known as DJ KID K.U.T. in the 80s, leader of the Atlanta super group K.I.N. in the early 90s and DJ and producer for the Further MCs in the mid-90s, CX KiDTRONiK is truly a veteran of the underground hip-hop scene. After working with some of the scene’s best over the years, CX finally made his solo debut on wax earlier this year with KraK AttacK, a brilliant concept record that’s every bit as poignant as it is raunchy. This week, CX is embarking on a virtual mini-tour of Chicago, starting with a gig tonight with Flosstradamus and Kid Sister at the Sub-T. RFC caught up with CX last week via email to discuss more.
So, what's up with all the "krak" on your record?
Have you been outside lately? Somebody had to do it!!! The time is crazy. Krak is the iller killer, - the thriller...and the C.I.A. and the destruction of society and the mind is the more obvious motivation for the theme. Krak's taken over the world! Plus, everybody and they moms is rapping about crack now, and it's the hot new slang word that just sounds great when you say it. So I just had to flip it and salute, as well as question the ladies of low-rise wordwide - "the new cleavage" - and the feeling you get from viewing it, licking it and/or smoking it.
You've got some seriously hardcore beats, frenetic cuts and samples, and even some dissonant noise on this record. Do you have a name (or at least some descriptive words) for your sound? I've been having a hard-time finding the words to describe this record to other people. Also, what's the recording process like for a record like this?
My partner EKG and I call the Deuce Gangsta (my band) sound "punk-rap," but if you have had a hard time describing it to people, that's cool too, and it should be just called the sound of KraK attacKING.
Most of the album was just me bringing in beats to the studio on a homemade CD, and then cats would yell on 'em, and we would add and chop up shit from there. I also tried to bring some of the lovely ladies of krak world in the studio to help the rapper's themes stay on course, but that didn't always work out too well.
This is your solo debut on record, will this be your first solo tour as well? What is the live show going to be like?
No, this is not my first solo tour...I have toured with my Tortoise family and my Antipop fam solo, but this will be one of the first with EKG/Deuce Gangsta and the KraKANAUTS - the female bootyKraK dancers. The show will be crazy. I use a K-Station synthesizer, an MPC 1000 beat box and my infamous secret weapon: The Coby CX FX Cassette Walkman - made famous by Isotope 217 with the album title, "Who Stole the I Walman" after I did a crazy tour with them and The Eternals.
You've got a looong list of collaborators on this record...how do you know them/who are they/where do they come from, etc.
Most of the cats is friends or old crew - like Zion I, Tchak Diallo and EKG are all from my Atlanta days, as is Saul Williams. But Ramm:Ell:Zee is a rap pioneer who I have always wanted to work with, and I was lucky to get the routine "Tricky Dick" on my album, which is an old routine from the Bam and Flash days.
Tell us about some of your other projects
I want to make an alternative soundtrack album to the movie Miami Vice with Jan Hammer- like on some Pink Floyd/Wizard of Oz-type shit. But for now, my partner Saul Williams and I are finishing up his next album- mostly produced by Trent Reznor with me adding 808 boom bass to joints. And me and Trent are also going to do a new version of my favorite Nine Inch Nails song, "Mr. Self Destruct, Part 6," for the next KraK attacK album: KraK attacK 2: Back KraK with a Vengeance.
Anything else coming up in the future?
I will have a quick U.S. tour jumping off with Zion I in late November/early December, so watch out for that by staying tuned to my Websites: CXKiDTRONiK.com or MySpace.com/CXKiDTRONiK.
I've also got a candid photo contest going on now for the next album cover so people from all over the world can become KraK reporters and send in photos.
In addition to tonight's show at Subterranean, CX hits the Empty Bottle Saturday night opening for current Blog darling Girl Talk and then darts up north to The Abbey on Sunday for a headlining gig with Kid Static.
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