Humpjones

An Interview with the Elusive Adam Kadmon

Posted Jun 13, 2007 4 comments

As I have recently told a large number of people, my favorite rapper on the planet Earth right now is Adam Kadmon.  I can’t really describe him without making him sound like a comic book character. 

He is a comic book character, let’s start there.  He sings and he raps and he plays every instrument he can get his hands on and produces The Hot Newness pretty much full-time.  He also has a sketchy job working for nameless agencies.  He also makes his own electronic devices, many of which are used to record his singular music—the rest of them are used for altering human biorhythms and triggering “peak experiences” for large masses of people, all without being detected.  He does many neat things.

He’s also generous enough to sit down for an interview even though I called sometime after 3 AM and I was obveeyuthlee drunkh.  He’s a giving dude. He can be difficult to understand at times, much like Hemmingway.  Thanks to Modemspy for recording the conversation:

HJ: What gets you out of bed?  What is your overall life mission?

AK: Man, thats a good question. I get out of bed because it means that I woke up, and if I woke up that means I’ll have to take a leak, and that in turn leads to eating and all that other minutae you have to do if you wish to continue waking up...so its something you just have to do. But thats different than my overall mission, I imagine. Overall I’d like to keep myself entertained and maintain a sense that I’m getting better...nurture that feeling that I am changing myself and the world around me for the better. How exactly...who knows.

You have a reputation as an intergalactic pimp of sorts.  How should I approach that topic in question format?

Well thats a slippery slope...when asking things of an intergalactic pimp you must choose your words carefully from the akashic dictionary ...you must use many different kinds of esoteric punctuation that may seem strange and threatening to you. You must look within yourself...then add a question mark.

Are you working towards a studio setup where you’ve hand-made each component?

Yes I’d like to build or at the very least modify every component of my dream studio, and i am working...always working towards that dream studio with fancy pyrotechnics and and drunk 18 year olds splayed lewdly about. I’d much rather build something than buy it because when you have an intimate knowledge of your hardware, you are able to tweak it in all manner of ways that are fucked up.

What is your most recent invention?

Well, right now I’m working on the second prototype of a bowed stringed instrument, the body is made of resin and local grasses ...like a sort of paper mache. The first was based on mache and a plastic membrane with sympathetic strings, but now I want to try a sort of piezoelectric feedback system, which i think could act as a sympathetic sort of weird sustain type...well yeah you get...it just may work.

Would you consider moving to Vermont if we built you an underground lab and/or workshop?

No, i would definitely move to Vermont if you built a laboratory...especially if it was in some sort of dilapidated high school ...that’s my dream...vines, high voltage, Bunsen burners and broken windows… off in the overgrown Vermont outback all romantic and decrepit.

Has it been difficult working with the infamous hippies of World-Around Records?

Hippies work now? Man. World Around Records is really tailor made for me and hopefully vice versa.

I heard your computer got fried completely.  Was sabotage or treachery involved?

The first time it happened i suspected Al-Qaeda, but its all me. I don’t believe in letting anything run according to the manufacturers specifications. I like to tweak things… make things to plug into other things. The result of all of this creativity is some nifty inventions, but also expensive technology in constant peril.

What does the summer hold for a heavy customer such as yourself?

Well I can’t pretend to know, but it will involve music.

If you could eliminate any color in the spectrum, what would you choose
to do?

Hmm well i’d make threats....for instance “if you ever want to see chartreuse again you’ll buy that algorythms record”...I’m a tyrant at heart.

Further Reading for Curious Primates

Start with Adam Kadmon’s official website, which is not a MySpace page despite looking like one, and being generously hosted by the MySpace servers.  Big dog shout to Rupert Murdoch—good looking out, dude.

He’s also done up DIY tutorials on making your own MIDI Control Surface, and a highly unique sustain pedal.

You can also catch some exclusive Kadmon downloads over at Essential Hip Hop.

Filed in: The Music

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