RS: As always, you found really interesting and new vocalists
for this project - new singers no one's touched before. How did you
find Kudu?
Armand Van Helden: I have a good friend who told me that they've
been doing this party every Tuesday downtown and there's this band
that performs live and are amazing. I think he had mentioned it to me
a couple of times and then eventually I went. As soon as I heard them
I was totally blown away. I don't go out to see bands that much but
even when I checked out other bands, I didn't find one band better
than them anywhere. It just happened to work out that I met them and
became real good friends with all of them, They wanted to do some new
songs and I wanted to do some new songs but we ended up doing a song
that they had previously released but with a new spin.
RS: Back in the 80s, there was that whole period when there were
glamorous female rappers talking trash about each other, and you
totally captured that with Roxy and Nicole. Where did you find those
girls?
Armand Van Helden: Roxy is a promoter in New York who does a lot of
parties so I met her actually through a couple of people. She did a
show opening for Mickey Avalon and I finally got to see what she was
doing. Her show wasn't fantastic but I knew there was something
there. I got just a bit to know that I could do something with her
and said let's do a track. At the time I had made three hip-house
tracks and I just gave them all three for them to pick from.
RS: So, is Jack a good friend of yours?
Armand Van Helden: Jack's a friend that I didn't find until a little
later when everybody else found Jack. I found Jack later.
RS: After doing this album with original productions, are you
working on any remixes right now?
Armand Van Helden: I just finished a remix for Therese called "Feelin Me."
RS: Are you still working with ProTools in the studio.
Armand Van Helden: I've been with ProTools forever, since Studio
Vision, so I'm not planning to change.
RS: Are you spinning out at all?
Armand Van Helden: Yes, I play here and there. I try and keep it
real but down to a minimum as best I can.
RS: This doesn't relate to this album but I was curious about
"Je T'apelle," the French version of "Hear My Name." Were you involved
with that?
Armand Van Helden: That was something to do with the label in France
convincing the label in the UK that if they made a French version that
it would get played on pop radio. I was out of the loop on that
altogether but they asked me if they could do it so I said go for it.
There are Spanish versions of R&B songs done all the time, so I said
why not do a French version of one of my songs.
RS: So what's next for you after this album?
Armand Van Helden: I've been working on original stuff again, not
for another release of mine but to shop to A&R people in the states.
Some of the tracks are hip-hop, some are hip-hop R&B, and some are
dance. I am working towards trying to get tracks picked up for
peoples' albums whether its Gwen Stefani or a rapper. I'm just
usually between and I'm going to kind of see if I can get something to
happen in that area.
RS: Anything you want to say to all your fans out there?
Armand Van Helden: Yes, thank you.
Posted - May 21, 2007
