Habitually Diligent

Written by Editor Thursday, 01 April 2010 05:15

Lazy Habits gives you the low down before they mash up Spring Scream

The first question always has to be why hip-hop? What got you involved in the hip-hop scene? Who/What are some of the influences in your music and life in general?

Hip-hop is something I grew up with but never really felt a part of. I always loved music full stop. I grew up singing in bands and loads of different instruments but MCing just at jams and at home, I wrote rhymes for fun. It wasn't until I heard British hip-hop with its own identity, accent and culture that I really though it was something I could do at shows and on record. I havn't looked back since!

You seem to be doing a lot of shows and traveling around, which doesn't really make you lazy at all. So why the name Lazy Habits?
The name? It's a reminder really. I used to be like that and took the name so I would be constantly reminded that having lazy habits gets you nowhere, it was originally just my MC name. I slowly built the band around that over a few years and eventually it became a different beast entirely. No we are def not lazy these days, although I kept a few of the habits for my days off.

I see that you perform with an eight piece band sometimes, but you are coming over to Taiwan with an MC and a DJ. Tell me about the sound that you will be bringing with you and how that differentiates from your normal sound.
Logistically getting 8 people out to Spring Scream is difficult. We will be back with the full crew I'm sure but having someone in the crew like DJ Itchi makes it easy for the 2 of us to come and rock shows. I always wanted to keep doing the DJ/MC shows as this is where hip hop originated from, the approach to making beats, etc, is very different and the kind of music you can MC over is limitless. We know a lot of amazing producers who we work with in the UK and we are really looking forward to playing some brand new stuff we have been working for a while, some straight up hip-hop for sure but we also have some electro beats and maybe even a little waakao Dubstep up our sleeves, we are really interested to see how people will feel the different styles of music we will be incorporating into the show.

What has been the stand out show in the career of Lazy Habits? Why? What has been the worst? Why?
There have some really great stand out moments for us but personally the first time we played Glastonbury was very special because it's the best festival on Earth and I have loved it as a member of the audience for so long. Hosting the Jazz World stage there comes a close second, I get to introduce some huge acts and keep the crowd entertained a little in between sets.
The worst I thinking back has to be the drummer thing. We were blessed with one of the most gifted drummers I have ever met when the band first came together and then as soon as we got some heat he was snapped up by the Klaxons and went on to win a Brit Award and Mercury Nomination within a year. He was so good it took us around a year to get over and find someone who could fill his boots properly. Then they got snapped up by a huge deal too, again it took time to sort out but for the last year we have found our feet again and it feels better than ever. It felt like the end back then but I feel better about it now than I ever have before so I think it happened for a reason.

Why did you decide on Spring Scream? What made you want to come to Taiwan? What are you expecting from the show? How long will you be in Taiwan?
waakao I love Taiwan. This is my 4th time here and im lucky to call Pintung my second home after London. I love the people here, the food, the culture. Obviously the weather is much better than England but it is in most places. Its also good to see a place where politics actually means something and people of all ages know a lot about it. I feel in the UK people take the right to vote a little lightly sometimes although I understand it a little too when you see there really is no difference between our political parties. I have been unlucky and missed Spring Scream in the past but have always kept my eye on it and kept in touch with the organizers about the progress of Lazy Habits and the possibility of us playing there one day and it's finally come round.

What can people expect from your live show at Spring Scream?

At Spring Scream we hope to give people a little something new, something they can dance to and go nuts..

What is up next for Lazy Habits?

Well after Spring Scream im going stay a while and enjoy myself, relax and recharge the batteries before we head back to the UK to start touring as main support for MOS DEF. After that we are flying out to the Alps to play some snowboarding festivals and then back in the UK for our own tour. We have a single out on May 31 called Memory Banks and after that will be releasing our first full studio album. We have been working on this for a while and can't wait to get it out there.