I2G is here with Sam Krats, how’s it going?
I’m good thanks. Hope you are too!
Tell me a little bit about how you got your start in hip hop and who are some of your musical influences.
I’m from a small town in the Midlands, UK where there wasn’t much of a music scene. This is way before the internet and the only exposure to hip hop was via Yo! MTV Raps or ordering mixtapes in order to hear the music I was in to. I started DJing and experimenting with sampling when I was around 12 years old – using an Atari ST 1040 STE and a pair of Soundlab DLP3 decks. I had a piece of hardware called MasterSound which plugged in to the SCSI port on the Atari. You could then plug an external audio input in to it and sample directly in to the computers memory. Primitive but it taught me a lot. I got the bug for it and as the years went on I upgraded my equipment and continued to refine my sound. At the time, I was heavily influenced by producers such as Lord Finesse, Diamond D, Showbiz, The Bomb Squad, T-Ray, Buckwild and White Child Rix from the Gunshot crew in the UK. >From a rapper perspective, I listened to a lot of PE, Ice-T, Ice Cube, Diamond D, Artifacts, Mobb Deep and Raekwon to name just a few.
Tell me about your new single, Emcees Recognise
The track follows a run of tracks I’ve worked on with El Da Sensei. As a kid growing up, Artifacts were a staple on my walkman and I always wanted to wanted to work with them. I sent the beat over to El many years ago when the late, great Tame One was still with us. El liked the track and played it to Tame. It went from there and I’m really happy with the outcome. Hopefully, the track continues the lasting legacy of everything that Artifacts did for the culture.
Do you have an upcoming album or mixtapes?
The double album, Culture has just dropped. It’s 22 tracks that’s taken me 12 years to put together. It was key that I created a body of work which brings together my shared love of both US and UK hip hop. In the UK, we’re standing on the shoulders of giants, but this album aims to showcase the breadth of talent on both sides of the pond.
Do you have any more upcoming videos or singles?
Possibly a video for Major Damage featuring Ruste Juxx in the pipeline, yes. Culture, Emcees Recognise, The Chosen, 360 and Two Shots all have supporting videos on YouTube.
What are your current thoughts on the music industry?
It’s interesting in that things have changed so much as far as the opportunities to get noticed and heard is concerned. Back in the days, you would need studio hardware, studio time, physical demo tapes and probably needed to be signed to a bigger label in order to get any exposure. These days, everyone can do it themselves and it seems that the need to be signed to a big label are becoming less and less integral to success. Anyone with a laptop can make music, supporting videos and do all of their promo themselves. While this is seemingly a good thing, there is a lack of quality control I think.
What is currently playing on your playlist musically?
I listen to a lot of older music. I’m a bit stuck in my ways when it comes to my playlists – 90s / early 00’s hip hop but also a lot of 70’s / 80’s pre-digital music. I like to try and replicate a more human-rendered feel to my music.
Do you have any shows or tour dates?
I tend to DJ out a lot in and around the Bristol area at nights that I run as part of the Sip The Juice crew. Nothing planned at the moment but i’m thinking about a London album launch.
What is your website information?
You can find me on Instagram at @sam_krats and the album is available from my BandCamp page https://samkrats1.bandcamp.com/
Appreciate the interview, any last words or shout outs?
Really, I just want to shout out all of the artists and DJ’s that worked with me on this album. It wouldn’t have happened without them. It’s taught me a lot about the creative process and how special it is when people just click collaboratively. Also, a shout out to my wife and kids just for their support while getting this project done. 12 years of listening to snare drums at 3am is no joke!
