BEAT ASSAILANT : Hip Hop Artist

AN AMERICAN SUMMER - PART 1
Auteur du désormais classique Hard Twelve , morceau hip hop aux influences jazz et à la rythmique groovy, Beat Assailant n'en est pas à ses premiers faits d'armes. C'est en assurant les premières parties d'Outkast ou encore de GZA aux Etats-Unis, qu'Adam Turner - aka B.A. - s'est créé un style unique qui s'exprime pleinement dans ses prestations live explosives. Depuis quelques années, c'est Paris qu'il a choisi pour laisser libre cours à sa créativité et à ses expérimentations musicales. Entouré de neuf musiciens et épaulé par Danny Wild, son producteur fétiche, il s'apprête à écumer les scènes estivales françaises avant la sortie de son prochain album qui s'annonce d’ores et déjà comme un "trip to the future".
C'est quelques jours avant Solidays que nous avons eu le plaisir de le rencontrer pour un entretien - en anglais - nous donnant l'occasion de revenir sur son parcours, sa musique mais aussi sur son amour pour Paris...



B.A., where are you from and how did you end up in Paris ?
I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, where I spent pretty much most of my life until the age of 22. At the University of Georgia, I was already doing a lot of music, working with Rowdy Records, my friend Danger Mouse, whom I met in Athens...Then I decided to go to Europe, at first just to kick it, not really to move there. At that time, I had never really been outside of the U.S., and I guess I just fell in love with Paris and decided to stay around for a while.

You've been living in Paris for more than 5 years. Are there any aspects of the city that still amaze and surprise you ?
Well, I don’t know, I feel pretty much Parisian now...

Meaning that you complain about everything ?
Yeah, I kinda complain like everyone else (laughs). Other than that, Paris is so much different from Atlanta, it’s a million time more urban, which I truly like. Atlanta is a big city but it’s really spread out, you’re kind of in the woods. Paris is full of people, energy, movement ; the culture is totally different from the one I’m used to. I really like being here and feeling this different vibe and energy.

Are there some things in particular that you love / hate about Paris ?
I love the fact that you can interact with so many different types of people. Paris is definitely one of the main cultural centers of the world ; you can get inspired by a lot of interesting things happening in the arts, not just in music but really all around. On the other hand, I would say I don't like being far from the people I love. Since I am a big american sports fan, I miss football, basketball, baseball ; I follow as much as I can but you never really get to go to the games.


Beat Assailant ©2009 Jean-Marc Ruellan / mutebook.com

Let's talk about your music. It seems that you have many influences, not just hip hop. How would you describe your sound ?
I guess that, no matter what it is, it's kind of hip hop music. But I believe my music is also much more than that. We play live with ten people on stage, we mix the influences : from rock to jazz, soul or hip hop. My tastes were already eclectic back in Georgia but when I moved to Europe, it really blew my mind ! There is so much stuff that I discovered. For example, I listen to much more electronic music today than I would have ever thought in Atlanta. I often tend to mix the music that I appreciate - whatever it is - with hip hop, and try to do interesting tracks with it. For that reason, Paris has been very productive and inspiring for me.

Is there any artist you’d love to collaborate with ?
That would be amazing to do a track with Q-Tip, who’s my favorite artist and has had a big influence on me.

You released two albums and are also famous for your live performances. If you had to choose between the studio and the stage, which one would you pick ?
In the start, I would have said the studio, but now I would pick the stage. It’s everything, it’s my biggest rush, there is nothing that can replace the feeling you get when you’re rocking out for the people who appreciate your music. There is a real exchange, you feel that you’re sharing something.
Even if my life is my music, in the studio you can have the sense that it’s just you and your computer, which can be frustrating. Before I had a record, I'd made so many songs that never came out, it was cool but it’s much more fun when you get to share what you do with people, you can’t replace all the energy you get from that.

“I like cash”, title of one of your songs VS “I love hip hop” that you've written on your MySpace page...any comments ?
Cash is cool but je n’AIME pas l’argent, alors que I LOVE hip hop. Malheureusement, il faut de l’argent pour pouvoir vivre, ce n’est pas une histoire d’amour comme avec la musique ( ndlr: en français dans le texte). My song “I like cash” really talks about that, as explains the first line: “you need cash, cash when it’s time to eat”...The song is really just about having to work to get cash and live your life, it's not at all about glorifying the money or being rich or anything like that.

Beat Assailant, "Trust", live @Bataclan


What was the music you grew up with as a kid ?
Everything ! Actually, I was a fan of rock before getting into rap music. Until the age of 10, I was basically listening to a lot of pop, and whatever was on the radio or on MTV. When I got older, I got more into hip hop, and through that music, I rediscovered so much things in jazz, soul or rock. When I figured out that producers were using samples and not really making it, I started to dig in my parents’ records and rediscovered older artists. That's how I fell in love with music. Most of the time, a hip hop track is just one part of a masterpiece, two measures played over and over again, but when you find that original masterpiece, the whole song with all the instruments, the solos, etc... it’s just incredible !

What is the most surprising album you discovered recently ?
Probably Chester French , I am such a fan.

If you had to keep only one album in your entire music library, which one would that be ?
That’s a tough question! (laughs)...I could never answer that correctly but I would take "A Tribe Called Quest : Midnight Marauders"

Could you tell us a little bit more about your upcoming album ?
It’s gonna be something different. My first album was a studio album, more hip hop, jazzy and experimental that I made with Danny Wild , my producer. Since we recorded it live, the second album has a sort of rock, 60's, retro feel to it. It’s paramount to reinvent yourself and surprise people instead of just sticking with the same formula that people expect you to do. That’s why the new album will be different, more personal, not so live, more futuristic with some electronic music. In a way, if the last album was a journey to the past, the next one will be a sort of a trip to the future.

Is that because you were fed with Coca-Cola back in Atlanta that you have so much energy on stage ?
(Laughs) I don’t drink Coke anymore so I can’t give credit to sodas for my energy, but maybe when I was young...I actually used to love sodas but stopped drinking it a few years ago when I really decided to get serious about music.


Beat Assailant ©2009 Jean-Marc Ruellan / mutebook.com

I read that you appreciate Oxmo Puccino & the Jazzbastards. What’s your point of view on the French hip hop music scene ?
It’s cool ! I mean if it wasn’t, I would have never stayed here. The French hip hop scene has its own style, sound, stars, and that’s great. We had the chance to share the stage with almost everybody in that scene. Coming to Paris and discovering that hip hop was a really important movement totally blew my mind. A major part of me of being able to stay here, being myself, feeling comfortable doing my things and my music has a lot to do with the fact that hip hop music is everywhere. In a certain way, I felt like I was at home except that everybody spoke a different language and that I couldn't understand a word (laughs). It was an incredible experience to go out in the clubs, I could close my eyes and it was as if I was in New York or anywhere else in the States.

Where were you for the election of Obama and what do you think of his first months as President ?
I was in London that night and it was honestly one of the greatest nights in my life. For the change, time will tell. He’s just a man like anybody else. His election represents a lot to many people but he has inherited of a lot of problems from the previous administration. We can’t expect him to change everything in one day or make miracles. He already extended the hands to a lot of countries, visited Europe, increased our goodwill, and reopened lines of communication. He seems to be willing to work with people; we won’t be the same arrogant country that we have been for the last 8 years. He did some great things right away like closing Guantanamo, changing our stance on torture, but for the rest it’s gonna take some time, and I just hope everybody will be patient.

What are your projects for the next few weeks ?
Last January, we decided to put out a new album this year. Therefore, we had to record new tracks, which we are currently mixing. We are also working on the photos and the design for the cover, rehearsing a lot to get ready for the big summer festivals. It's a pretty busy time of the year for us.


Beat Assailant photographié par J+M+R ©2009 Thibaut Estellon

What’s your favorite neighborhood in Paris ?
I used to live in the 8th and I loved it there. I was really skeptical to move but it’s been a few months I am living in Le Marais and I love it!
Your favorite club ?
I don’t go to the clubs that many often so...I would say the clubs where I played like Rex Club, Nouveau Casino, le Showcase.
Restaurant ?
Wok, rue des Taillandiers, near Bastille.
Music store ?
Urban Sound, they have good vinyls.

Do you miss the States ?
Actually, not so much...I go back enough to get my fix. After a week or two I am ready to come back to Paris. I don’t see myself moving back there, at least not immediately. But eventually, yeah...In fact, I’d like to be more in between the two...

For more information about Beat Assailant : www.myspace.com/hardtwelve

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©2009 Thibaut Estellon / The French Creative Connection
©2009 Photos Jean-Marc Ruellan / mutebook.com
Merci à DJ Yom pour son soutien sur cette interview
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