It's been three years since Dan Le Sac booked Scroobius Pip to play at Reading’s old Fez Club and in that short time they have forged an alliance that resulted in 2008's 'Angles' album that produced the grassroots sensations that are 'The Beat That My Heart Skipped' and THAT song 'Thou Shalt Always Kill'. For a duo whose debut record starts with the words 'I'm not going to take it anymore', you might imagine that they would be people who don't suffer fools or mediocrity lightly, and grabbing a few words ahead of the band’s performance at this week’s Turning Point Festival at the Roundhouse, Spoonfed grabbed a few words with Dan Le Sac as he proves exactly why he is one half of one of hip-hop’s most exciting line ups currently working. There are moments of joyous controversy when Dan informs me he hopes one artist joining him on the bill brings a certain chat show bothering friend of theirs and that travesty befalls their dressing room. But celeb-baiting is quickly brushed aside by far more intoxicating talk of new songs, and new directions.
‘We played Roundhouse once before actually, supporting Billy Bragg, and I saw the Fleet Foxes there recently. It's a cool venue. I'm looking forward to playing.’ begins Dan when asked about Turning Point. ‘Actually Billy Bragg was really cool. He started talking about us to the crowd, so that was cool to know that he actually knew who we were.’ Following the success of 'Thou Shalt Always Kill' and the 'Angles' album it seems unlikely these days that anyone could be unaware of the duo, if not by name then certainly by sound. The band has now been turning thoughts to their sophomore record and have been working on new tracks. ‘We’re not going to rush it. Before the last album we’d been playing the songs for a good year live, and we want to do something similar this year, so that’s why we’re doing Turning Point and a lot of Euro festivals to try and get those out. We’ll be dropping the covers from the set. I think we’ve run our course with The Sugarbabes,’ he says with a wry chuckle before continuing. ‘We’ve got new songs now so there will be a lot of those creeping into the set at Turning Point and over the summer.’
Even better news for fans is that the new material is their strongest yet with Dan feeling that the band’s intuitive relationship has developed immeasurably since the first album. ‘On the first record it was more the case that I’d come up with some beats and then Pip would work out some flows over the top and that was how we worked. With this record it’s much more collaborative on the sounds; we’ve been involved in each other’s parts a lot more.’ In terms of direction it would seem that the new material has jumped to another level as the duo has become more of a symbiotic whole. ‘Pip’s new flows are a lot more complex on the new stuff; there’s a lot of multi-layering going on and we’ve been processing some of the vocals in interesting ways. Beats wise I guess I’ve been using a lot of rimshots on the new stuff so there’s a little Dubstep influence in there…though that’s the ONLY thing I’d take from Dubstep!’ he states with another hearty laugh. ‘We’re probably looking to get the record out sometime around the end of the year maybe, but it won’t be out until it’s ready. I want to be able to say that there is nothing I could do better at this time when the record comes out. That’s what we’re aiming for.’
In terms of new music, Dan Le Sac is in a typically outspoken mood. ‘There are just always so many undeserving bands that get success that is mystifying. I could sit here and give you an endless list, but I’d rather talk about what’s exciting. Michachu is one of the most talented people in music right now. I just can’t see how anyone can’t be excited about Michachu because it’s just so raw and she makes so much noise when she gets on stage. Michachu is so exciting.’ he enthuses before turning his attention to artists sharing the bill at The Roundhouse for Turning Point. ‘Kissy Sell Out’s playing, right? Yea I find him really interesting. I remember seeing him just before he got big and got onto Radio 1 and everything. I love the fact that his manager said to him: ‘right you are going to go to the shittest club in the shittest part of Camden and DJ for a year and no-one is going to come and you are just going to learn your trade’, and now he’s got the success it’s all paying off. Kano’s one that Pip finds really interesting. He really loves some of his Flows. The Noisettes I saw and their drummer was just insane. They finished playing and he just carried on! So yea, there’s plenty to check out.’ And with a line up that should see three days of raising the roof at Roundhouse, the only thing to add is that Dan Le Sac and Scroobius Pip themselves will undoubtedly be one of the standout moments of the weekend. See you there.
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