by SCOTT C

Since the mid '90s, Vancouver-based MC Moka Only has probably released more full-length projects than you have fingers and toes, and this guy hasn't stopped in 2005. With three Juno awards under his belt as a result of his contributions to West Coast hip hop outfit Swollen Members, he still pumps out independent and Internet-only releases, content to satisfy only the most discerning of music lovers. His new LP, The Desired Effect, hits stores this week, while Moka hits the road to tour the countryside in support of the record. The Mirror spoke to Moka Only over the phone from his home in Vancouver.

Mirror: Let me start by saying that even though you've got your new record, The Desired Effect out right now, I want to thank you for your last LP, Lowdown Suite. That was a powerhouse production right there, and I'm pretty sure it got lost in the shuffle.

Moka Only: Thank you, man. There's a serious movement out there that a lot of people are contributing to, and I feel like I belong to that movement too. Whether it's Little Brother or Slum Village, or any of the Stones Throw stuff, that's where my heart's at.

M: I love the fact that you produced the whole thing from back to front, and it's strong from start to finish. That's hard to come by no matter what you're listening to.

MO: Thanks, man. Anytime I get to talk about that record, it's a blessing.

M: Now, I just got your new LP last week, and I'm still digesting it, but what I have listened to is miles away from what you were doing in 2003.

MO: What's crazy is that most of The Desired Effect was recorded in 2003. Lowdown Suite was made from beginning to end with a certain theme in mind, but Desired Effect was more of a compilation of songs made over the last three or four years, just to show people where I been at. The songs that I chose just happened to be ones with a little more singing on them. I really didn't notice that until I had a whole track-listing together. I just had to get my balls together and muster up the courage to stand behind something even more different.

Not buggin' out

M: Do you get flack for singing?

MO: Surprisingly, no. People tend to give Swollen Members flack for incorporating my singing into their sound, but I don't personally get it.

M: Is it harder to separate your connection with Swollen Members and your own projects than you thought it would be?

MO: I look at it like this: I knew the Swollen cats, and it was just a good gig, that's all. We had some fun, but musically, I'm on some other shit.

M: So good to hear you say that, man.

MO: (laughs) That's the truth. I'm my own biggest fan. I listen to my own stuff more than anybody's, but I never ever sat down and listened to any of the Swollen Members' stuff. I like what we did together when we did it, but I'm not buggin' out to it.

M: I know that I've been very happy to see MF Doom coming into his own and getting the respect that he deserves over the last few years, so it must have been a trip for you to work with him on the new record.

MO: Definitely. It's kind of funny, but I was so caught up with all the other things going on then that I never actually took time to celebrate the fact that I did a song with one of my heroes. As soon as I heard him on "The Gas Face" with Third Bass, it was over. I even remember them performing that song on Arsenio Hall, and Doom was there! I remember that shit. Doom has been on Arsenio Hall! I'm just so glad we were able to make that happen.

M: It looks to me like you're making the most of your Myspace.com account. Is something like that helpful to you?

MO: Everybody's up on that shit, it's crazy. Everything is helpful man. When kids go online and illegally download my shit, that's helpful too. I encourage bootlegging. Go ahead, take it, steal it, share it - as long as you come to the show. That's all I care about. As long as you come to the show, and may feel compelled to by an exclusive album directly from me, feel free to take that shit.

With DJ Serious, the Quartertones at Main Hall
on Sunday, Aug. 21, 9 p.m., $12

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