Delta Ellisor interviewed Schwarz Dont Crack for us and discussed their inspirations, gigs in London and their fashion interests.
The Sampleface team recently reviewed Berlin/New York duo Schwarz Dont Crack’s unique debut offering ‘Charade’ and fancied getting to know the guys a little better. Kitsune Maison’s latest stars were recently in London for two showcase gigs, and took five minutes out of their busy schedule to give us the lowdown on their formation, future and musical favourites…
1. How did you guys meet and what led you to believe that making music together would be a good fit?
Sebastian (Production): Ahmad had an ad on Craiglist saying that he was searching for a producer to collaborate with. I came across his ad and really enjoyed his singing style. So, I wrote him a mail, we met up in the studio the next day and instantly started writing our first song, ‘Day By Day’.
2. What inspired your debut single ‘Charade’?
Ahmad (Vocals): The song isn’t written about any particular girl, although I imagine there are tons of girls who can relate to the lyrics.
3. Your music is quite hard to define in terms of genre, what category would you place yourselves in?
S: To me it’s a mixture of RnB and electronica. We both like lots of different music and try to incorporate all the influences into our songs…actually when we first met we talked about doing something between James Blake and Ginuwine, but I think it sounds a lil different in the end.
4. What attracted you to Kitsune?
S: It’s just a cool label! We really like a lot of the artists that had releases with Kitsune. So when they asked us to release a single with them, we were sure that we wanted to do it.
5. Do you see your partnership with them being a long term one?
A: We will just have to wait and see.
6. Are you working on an LP at the moment?
S: We have enough material for an LP but as of now, we’re not sure when and how it will be released.
7. What excites you most about the recording process?
A: The writing and also the exchange of ideas Sebastian and I have.
8. Which artists inspire you and why?
A: Prince
S: I’m obsessed with the Rolling Stones! Mick and Keith singing Dead Flowers into one mic is the definition of Rock n Roll to me. No other band achieved what they achieved.
9. You recently played two Kitsune showcases in London, do you see yourself coming back in the near future?
S: Yes definitely! It was great fun to play these shows and I really like the vibe of the city.
10. Who are your favourite hip hop acts?
S: I love Kanye’s stuff and, of course, Kendrick Lamar, but my all-time favourite is still the Wu Tang Clan. RZA is such a genius. All the records they did up to Wu Tang Forever are masterpieces and they’re still doing some great stuff.
11. Kitsune is a label which puts an emphasis on fashion and art as well as music, is that something which interests you?
A: Definitely cool to have fashion and music together. Don’t know much about fashion but I definitely like to look good.
12. Would you say the influence of New York or Berlin is heaviest in your music?
A: Although it’s RnB and Berlin is a techno heavy city, I definitely feel that our sound has a European flavor about it. So, for me, the influence is not necessarily Berlin.
13. What are your plans for the next 12 months and what are you most proud of from your first 12 months of putting music out?
A: Plans, to tour and make way more money! I’m most proud of the effort we put in to getting with Kitsune and putting out our first EP.