No sleep till Brooklyn

>> Waking up to producer/MC El-P’s new LP,
I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead

INSOMNIAC: El-P

by SCOTT C

I really don’t think that Brooklyn’s El-P, aka Jaime Meline, gets the respect he deserves, either as a producer/MC or as a label head/A&R guy. As part of seminal underground hip hop group Company Flow, and the man behind the Defintive Jux label, El-P (a contraction of, appropriately, El-Producto) was calling shots a long time ago, but it’s his solo releases that have separated him from the growing creative void that seems to be plaguing hip hop.

Not only did El-P give birth to one raging fury of an LP, Fantastic Damage, in 2002, but he also gets kudos for having the good sense and foresight to sign guys like RJD2 and Aesop Rock, giving both the label and the artists ample room to grow. Def Jux has always carved its own path, giving the likes of Cannibal Ox, Cage, Hangar 18 and Mr. Lif a place where they could really create and experiment with their sound, without the worry of conforming or cranking out hits.

El-P has just released I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead, an album that continues his penchant for lyrical juxtapositions and inspired production. Calling on names from the alt-rock realm, like the Mars Volta, Trent Reznor and Cat Power, to collaborate, he’s abandoned any notion of fitting into the urban landscape, having traded that in for recognition as a consummate musician, producer and lyricist—and a busy one at that. Caught in the flux of a 30-date tour to support the record, El-P took a quick moment to catch up with the Mirror via e-mail.

Mirror: I went to see Nas recently and was excited to see him encouraging heads to wake up on so many levels. What’s your take on the whole “hip hop is dead” concept?

El-P: I think its a good marketing strategy.

M: I think what I like most about your productions is the overwhelming sense that I’ve entered into a world of music that’s hilariously sinister and cynical. Is this a good description of your inner self?

EP: It’s a fairly decent description of my writing. Not my personality on the whole. I’m not particularly sinister.

M: Do you put any faith in reading your horoscope to see what the stars have in store for El-P?

EP: Good lord, no.

M: Did you manage to catch any of VH1’s The White Rapper Show, and if so, what did you think?

EP: I loved it. That show was truly addictive.

M: Any plans to re-release Company Flow stuff with some unreleased tracks and all that, or is this something that is behind you now and won’t happen again?

EP: Yes, we are planning on releasing the 10-year anniversary edition of Funcrusher Plus.

M: What’s the single most time-consuming thing that you devote your time to outside of music?

EP: Sleeping

With Slow Suicide Stimulus,
Yak Ballz and Hangar 18 at le National
on Wednesday, May 2, 9 p.m., $20