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Interview: MC Lok-I
Friday 2nd November 2012 | Laura
Lok-I is a well-known MC in the drum n bass scene. With 14 years experience, his authentic and powerful chatting, inspired by his experiences in urban London, is the trademark of underground raves all around the UK.
You started MCing in 1993, how has the drum n bass scene changed since those years?
There is a lot of ways in which has change, good and bad. But for me, back in that day, the music was jungle, which was orientated on the raga vibe, and the hip hop vibe, a bit more underground. And as it’s come through and progressed, the music is a little bit further out there. Other genres of music being played in drum and bass, which might make it more acceptable to other people to come and listen to in a party and getting involved.
Was it harder or easier to make yourself a name back then?
I’m talking the truth about drum and bass, 2012. Basically you have lot of help now because you have the internet, when I started, I was 13 years old, and I had to phone up to the radio station and say who I am, and they will say “Ok, chat some lyrics. What are you about?” I would have to sell myself to them. But nowadays, you can pretend you’re big and put it all on the website, but nobody really knows if you’re big or not. Just look at your page, and if your page looks like you’re doing well, then you’re big worldwide. But back in the day, you have to sell your soul not going to school or have a girlfriend. You need to find out who are the people you need to get in contact with, and go to their doorstep or turn up at a rave. If you're not doing that, people get big for doing one video, they put in you tube, and suddenly they explode and they are massive. Doesn’t happen to everybody, just luck of the draw. That's the future these days.
What experiences led you into the drum and bass scene? Who helped you along your way?
It helped that my neighbor was Mampi Swiff, he was from Kool Fm Radio, and he first introduced me to jungle music. He took me to a rave, were I should not have been going, and told my mum that I was sleeping at his place. The rave was in Peckham and it blew me away. I was only 13 years old and it was so much to take in! When I saw the MC’s chatting , you could feel the reaction from the crowd, and what the MC was doing, it just took me all in. I was meant to be on there, that was going to be my platform. You know when you’re young, you know wherever you are going to go. And from there I knew, “Oh, I’m going to be an MC”, doesn’t matter what happens in life now, that’s what I’m going to do. And I’m here now.
Where does your style come from?
The music when I grew into was drum and bass which was formed through jungle. There was very raga orientated, very hip hop orientated, and that was what draw me into liking jungle: the lyrics, the flows, the different patterns, meeting people I’ve never met before, go to someone’s’ house and having chicken curry and rice, this kind of things. Open new doors, and new ways people, and new ways of people living. That was my format. If anybody knows Lok-I, I sort of that street white reggae guy who loves reggae, hip hop of that era. But if jungle music has never been about, I wouldn’t have connected the way I’ve connected. So no props for that for real.
What’s the most difficult part to free styling?
People always tell me: “Lok-I you are de maddest freestyle and you’ll always be freestyle”, and you know what? I used to freestyle only because there was a lot going on in my life, nothing bad, but I’ve seen a lot, I’ve done a lot and I know a lot, and my brain is constantly moving. I know stuff about girls, food, music, life. if you live on the street, things can happen to you, it can be the last time you say goodbye to your mum, and because the love of the music, I can translate that at any time and any place. Sometimes you’re in a party and the microphone comes out low, and you’re freestyling a bit, but it doesn’t come out because you can’t hear yourself, and If you already got written lyrics, you know them word from word, I can chat the lyrics word from word, I can do that driving a car, riding a horse, etc. But if you’re doing freestyling, and you nail it, it smashes everything apart. That’s why freestyling can be so big, it’s so spontaneous, it comes straight from your brain, you can chat something that nobody thought about, it’s coming from your heart, it’s like you’ve opened up a trap in your brain, the information like the black box in your brain, and you only bring it out in a freestyle, that’s why it's so powerful, but hard to do at the same time.
How do you know what people expect from a party?
I feel the beat, I can look at the crowd, and say “right, this crowd is on a party vibe, this crowd in on champagne and jackets and hats, and as you go through the scene, you work out what crowds are what crowds, and you can think ahead. But I came from a pirate radio station and raves that are very underground, and holds thousands of people, and a lot of people know about the rave scene. These raves are going on all weekend, sometimes I’m out four nights, four times on a Friday, three times on a Saturday, I’m going to all sort of clubs, some of them are posh, some of them are really dark and dingy, some of them are really underground, and that's how you get to know about the party vibe.
Could you tell me about your time on leading drum and bass station KOOL FM?
That was wild and crazy, big up east, flirt and shocking. Legendary pirate station. I remember one Christmas time my mum asked me why I was always listening to the radio, and I was like “this is Kool Fm drum and bass radio station!!” For years I wanted to be on the station and following the path Kool FM went down. I remember the day I went to Kool Fm it was unreal, it was like winning the lottery for me. It just felt so amazing, it was like your dream come true, accomplish something. For me it was so big. Everywhere you went, people knew of KOOL FM, had the sticker, had the jacket...KOOL FM was like a magnet for ravers.
On your new album you dedicate some tracks to London and Jamaica. How is the album going?
It's going good, selling worldwide. I have 13 tracks drum and bass, hip hop and ragga. In London so much is going on, and I’ve been a big part as London moves along. I’ve seen a lot and that helped me to be who I am as a person, and the same about chatting my lyrics and reaching goals. In London you have to reach your goals, if you don’t reach your goals, there is plenty of sewers and lanes that you can get run down, and you see it everyday, so it’s a reminder that you need to be good, you need to be better. London for me is the main vibe, the main heart, it breathes, keeps on going no matter who is here or whose not. So I'm being me just doing my album.
Your album is called, On The edge of dark. How does it feel to record an album?
I’ve been chatting everywhere, but I think: “if I don’t wake up tomorrow, what have I got to show for as an MC? What is of me, MC Lok-I?” .I’ve got nothing. And I played in every club all around the kingdom, Canada, France, Switzerland… and I still have nothing to show a part from some people who would say: “I’ve recorded him or heard him on a cd or a tape”. So I said I want to do an album, so it’s on my wall, in my brain, and it’s a part of me, it’s my right hand. I'm proud to show my mum. So you can listen to my album and get a feel of what I’m about. What my experience of my life has been, the music way. It’s a big achievement for myself.
Are there any funny stories that you can tell us from your performances?
People come to you and they say they love you. My girlfriend says: “I can’t believe he comes to you and tells you that he loves you!”, and I’m like, “he’s not telling me that he loves me, he’s telling me that he loves my music and what I do”. Some want to take you home, or sign her t-shirt. I’ve been MCing for 14 years everywhere, but one night we were driving at three in the morning and we saw an alien ship. I swear, we have a few friends in the car, we have it recorded on camera, and you can hear my friend’s girlfriend screaming, going crazy, you can tell it’s not a fake scream. That’s something to experience. I’d already done 2 parties, I wasn’t into drugs or alcohol, for me it's business. When I was younger I dibble dabble, but at my age now it’s about money and business. We tried to send it to the news, but they say the video wasn’t so good, and that we could of edit it. I’ve seen cars crash, people running down the road naked, but never seen an alien ship before. And I have four witnesses to poof it, so I'm not crazy.
You have loads of events coming up, such as Back to 93 LittleJo Birthday Bash in Collussium Vauxhall and Sly & Shaydee Birthday Bash in Bristol. also NYE Random Concept in North Hampton. What is it that makes your shows different?
Sometimes it depends on how promoters want to run their raves, you have to figure it out. If it's a jungle vibe, you catch me on a ragga muffin tip. If it's up front drum and bass, more of a party vibe. Also there is the dark side, where you catch me getting real MC inygritty. I'm very lively when I perform, remember if you see me in a rave, don't get too close, I'll be dripping with sweat. It's all luv and energy.
By Jenny Allbrook and Laura Vila
