 |
Tireless wireless
|
by LATEEF MARTIN From “Revolution Solution” on The Richest Man in Babylon and “Amerimacka” on The Cosmic Game to “Vampires” on their latest, Radio Retaliation, Thievery Corporation display a fierce political bite without compromising their inviting music. Over a span of 14 years and five albums on their own Eighteenth Street Lounge label, the Washington, D.C. duo of Eric Hilton and Rob Garza have created their own niche, mixing jazz, dub, hip hop, global sounds and downtempo grooves, garnering the admiration of fans and musicians worldwide. On Radio Retaliation, vocalists Sleepy Wonder and Femi Kuti, among others, provide the counterpoint to Hilton and Garza’s dubbed-out and Latin-ized smoothness. Hilton stole some time from his heavy schedule to give the Mirror a sneak peek of the company flow. Mirror: There’s a new type of energy explored on Radio Retaliation. What made the creation process for this album more challenging than your past works? Eric Hilton: Probably, more than anything, we simply challenged ourselves during the recording process. After making music for over 10 years together, we feel the continual need to grow with each new LP. On Radio Retaliation, we played all the bass, guitar and keys except for rare exceptions. We meticulously chopped beats and percussion tracks and tried to get into what might be called micro-production. We think the extra time and labour was worth it. M: Is your stage set-up much different for this tour? EH: We’ve increased our visual presentation and taken on a few more performers. I think we travel with about 13 musicians now. It’s amazing how much it’s grown over the years. M: Have recent stormy waters of the music industry affected your course dramatically? Is the corporation sailing smooth? H: Smooth sailing. We don’t have any major label sales projections to fulfil and our records can’t get shelved because we own our label. We exist in a little independent sweet spot that suits us just fine. M: You’ve been politically active in the past—any plans to get more involved with this album? EH: The social-political themes are merely the result of our own observations and conversations. Rob and I are constantly searching to understand the deeper undercurrents of society and politics. Radio Retaliation is simply about changing the mental station and thinking for one’s self. The ironic thing is that today, more than ever, we have a scenario that could easily produce blind loyalty. I hope people are still willing to question authority. M: Do you fear that the political messages are just preaching to the choir? EH: No. Certain things need to be said. Frankly, I don’t think more than 10 per cent of the choir even know where we’re coming from on songs like “33 Degrees,” “Warning Shots” or “Vampires.” I hope I’m wrong about that. WITH JAH CUTTA AND DETERMINATION |
