Trying. Breathing. Living.
Mike D. talks about Thank Youhis first album as a soloist, about the luxury of time versus ephemeral music and why he prefers to play in places where no one expects to find him.
Mike D. was for four decades a third of the Beastie Boysone of the groups that redefined what hip hop could be. Thank Youpublished on August 28 via Capitol Recordsis his first album as a solo artist: recorded in his home studio with his children Skyler and Davisbuilt with the same ’80s analog gear and a zero-pressure philosophy. The album is a lo-fi explosion of synthesizers, drum machines and beats industrial, with irony intact and the most honest lyrics of his career. On August 13 he played in Mexico City, in Bluebearda historic salsa hall, as part of a series of concerts in spaces where no one would expect to find it. He spoke with Indie Rocks! on the road.
Indie Rocks!: Where does inspiration come from? Life itself or did you take a specific topic and start working from there?
Mike D: There was no specific topic, it’s a bit like you say. I had the luxury of time, so I was able to take in what was coming thematically, a lot of internal things that I was feeling. And musically it has always been that way for me. It’s music that comes from everywhere: I hear this idea, I hear that one, and I get in my head how I want to make something inspired by this, or have something that sounds a little like that but totally different.
And one of the things is the luxury of digital. I’m very happy because we have this combination: a lot of old analog gear, synths, processing, drum machines, pedals. We like to use it. Many accidents happen, many unknowns. Many times we love the way a synthesizer sounds, we take a dinner break, we record something, we say: this sounds amazing, we go to sleep, we come back the next day after coffee, we turn it on, or we don’t even turn it on because we left it on from the night before, and it sounds totally different. That’s the magic and the curse. It’s the blessing and the curse: you get frustrated in the moment, but that’s what keeps everything exciting and honest. And then the luxury of digital is that we can capture it all and keep coming back to refine and edit and change.
GO!: And do it at home, without having to go to big productions. In these times of artificial intelligence and so much ephemeral music, capturing that homemade sound feels very endearing, like a way of saying thank you for making music with your heart and time. On that note, why did you choose “Switch Up” as the first single?
MD: I think we choose “Switch Up” Thematically, I liked the idea. I feel like the album is a bit like a switch upa change of different styles, a change of what is perhaps expected of me. And that song was born when we were actually finishing a bunch of other songs. We left our studio for a while to finish songs and so that I could do the final vocals, we went to a studio called Shangri-La. We had a room where I did vocals and another where we finished and mixed. But we didn’t want to stop making new music, I didn’t want to let go of that, so we set up a whole studio in a kind of living room there. AND “Switch Up” It was something we did on one of those days, something completely new while we were in that room. For me it had that energy, and that’s why I wanted to start with it.
GO!: You were bringing together all the services in a single house, in a single building to work.
MD: Yes, yes. It was like a small factory, but in reverse. A very chaotic factory.
GO!: I recently saw a quote from you where you said that this album is musically immature but lyrically more mature. What does that mean after more than four decades making music?
MD: I guess it means that musically it still feels like a totally new adventure. And I feel very lucky because I can still try a lot of new ideas and see what works. And lyrically, what I’m trying to say with more mature is that it would be fake, it wouldn’t be authentic, if I was rapping about the same things I was rapping about when I was 20 years old. It’s different. You have different time, life feels different, your priorities and the things that matter to you change. So lyrically it was important for me to keep some authenticity in there.
GO!: In that journey of authenticity there is a lot of process from the 80s: synthesizers, drum machines. But now you have new voices, new techniques. Skyler and Davis worked on this album. What does it mean to you to work with the new generations in this new adventure?
MD: It means a lot of different things, like the freedom to be able to do what you want, do what you want to do. And also, I don’t know if it’s like that for everyone, but I know that it’s important for me to stay creative. And the fact that I can still do it, that after all these years I’m still given the opportunity to do what I want to do, I’m very grateful for that.
GO!: Speaking of creating the music you want and when you want, I think it is very important to continue talking about what is happening in the world and not follow a dictated agenda, like many pop stars. “Crypto” talks about greed and pride, but with irony. What is the value of continuing to talk about what is happening, about social issues?
MD: I think it sucks when people talk about social issues because they feel like it’s what they’re supposed to do, but it’s not what they really want to do. For me it’s a bit difficult because we are in a very strange world. “Crypto” It’s one of those songs where the theme is… I never imagined being in a world like this. There has always been this thing about putting rich people on a pedestal: kings, queens, whatever. There has always been something of that. But now it seems more exacerbated than ever, where the value is placed on this great success but without the idea of taking care of everyone else. Where is the joy of having so much if so many other people are suffering? There is a form of selfishness in that vibe that is not okay.
GO!: In it tracklistmy favorite song by far is “Here We Are.” How was it born? What were the first steps?
MD: It’s funny that you mention it because we suffer from that song. There are songs that arrive very quickly and take shape immediately. That was the opposite. It started when I was working with a producer with whom I made a lot of the album, Carter Lang. Sump He comes from Chicago and I sometimes get obsessed with him. footworkwith DJ Rashad and stuff like that, very up-tempo music. And I said: “Sumpyou’re from Chicago, we gotta do something Chicago, let’s do a beat up-temposomething crazy. We started with that, with a crazy beat.” And I was rapping over it and it didn’t feel right. I didn’t feel like I was the right version of myself. And then I had these lyrics from “Here We Are”. I said, “let me try these,” a totally different approach. And there we said, “that felt more authentic.” We started to fill it musically, but it was still difficult.
I’m proud of that song because it wasn’t easy. We had to put a lot into it. It was a bit more of a stretch for me. There are other songs on the album where I’m just rapping, and I’m proud of them, but it’s what I already know how to do. “Here We Are” It’s almost more like being on the edge of seeing what I could do, pushing myself to see what I was capable of.
GO!: What is the difference between Mike D in the studio and Mike D in a live show?
MD: What’s similar between live and studio is that there’s a lot of overlap of the same musicians that are on the record and in my live band. And there is still that feeling that we are all in this together, seeing what happens, being open to the fact that not everything is so defined. What’s a little different is that in the studio we have the luxury of literally starting from nothing and seeing what happens. In a live show, obviously we have to have some structure. And within that structure we have the freedom to interpret and bring the fun and chaos.
GO!: In your shows you are choosing particular places, like Bluebeard, which is more of a salsa lounge. What are you looking for when choosing this type of venues And how do you feel about playing in Mexico again?
MD: The plan to play in all of these venues different, heading towards the release of the album, I had it in my head. One thing is that, for the music to make sense to people, I felt like we had to be in a room together, us playing the music, and have that experience. So it makes sense. Otherwise I’m just sitting here telling you about it, and that’s coolbut it is limited in what it manages to convey.
And then I thought: instead of just playing the usual places. People are so used to consuming music in so many ways: they wake up in the morning and check their playlistor listen to it in the car, everyone gets stuck in their routine. So I said, how do we change that as much as possible? Let’s play in places where people have never been, so that they say: where is that? Why are we going there? It is part of the same journey of discovery, of the first times. It’s an extension, in the same way we try to be open to different ideas in the studio. It’s like an experiment: how do we keep the public open to what’s going to happen?
GO!: For someone who has never heard you, what would be the best song of yours? Thank You to enter your new adventure?
MD: That one is difficult. I feel like each song has different aspects, each one represents a different aspect. I almost feel like choosing one would be misleading. You need the combination of the songs to carry you. It’s more of a journey than a one-song answer. The entire album.
GO!: And from your entire discography, if you had to choose just one song.
MD: From any song you’ve worked on? I don’t know. Honestly for me it always changes. Even with the new album there is a song where I say: “wowthat cool“. And that is going to change. And with the Beastie Boys It’s also going to change, because I completely forget about the songs. Then we hear something and I say: what cool that we did that.
GO!: In closing: Describe Mike D in three words.
MD: Three words. Let’s see. Trying. Breathing. Living.
