Man around town Silas Greenback from NSB Radio managed to flag down the passing Escalade of the Bodysnatchers the other day, and managed to get some answers out of them about their new album "Feeling Good, Looking Nice, Smelling Right" on Passenger...



Well after teasing us with a few singles you've finally unleashed the long playing fury with the release of "Feeling Good, Looking Nice, Smelling Right" on Passenger. Where does the title come from?

Man the title came from a special place ya feel me? Real deep. You know, you step to the club and you gotta be Feeling Good. Or else why would you go there? Your game gonna be scuppered from the get-go if you aint Looking Nice - you gotta be blessin the club with a top-end fur coat and some nice chains. And if you finna head home with a lady, well it goes without saying you gotta be smelling right. Females have very sensitive nostrils; that's why when you take em out for walks they always stopping to sniff stuff. So they can easily tell if you're not dripping in a fine cologne, say Brut or similar.

Essentially the album title is both a dictation, and a definition, on how we living.


When you say "Smelling Right", define the smell of right.

The Smell of Right is like the Look of Love - you only know it when you get it. Got it? Good.


The album is a surprising step away from the breakbeat sound you are closely associated with and towards a darker, urban hip-hop sound. What were your influences when you decided to collaborate as The Body Snatchers?

Money. Aint no money in breakbeat. We finna buy that second Maybach, and breakbeat's only looking likely to get us to Maserati level. Plus The Neptunes, Swizz Beatz, DJ Toomp and them boys on some next level shiznit, they on a level we aspire to reach. And one day surpass.


Are you concerned that people might not get the vibe you've captured with the album and be slightly caught off guard by the pace of the album compared to the single releases?

We don't give a fuck who gets the fuckin album. If you a chump you a chump and we don't need yo poxy support. Real recognise real. Back da fuck up fool.

Plus the next single after the album gonna be I Like What I See ft Goldmouf. Remixes from The Glitch Mob, HiJack, Joker and more. Goldmouf is an MC from Decatur, the same town as Ludacris. He has gold in his mouf, hence the name, and he's doing a film this summer so big shit poppin, and lil shit stopping.


The album blends a lot of styles together, was there a conscious decision to throw away the rulebook when you wrote the album?

You can't throw away something you don't own. You heard our solo shit. 30 don't recognise no rules. You seen Binga's chest hair - it don't recognise no rules either. So when we combine, we some hairy rule-book-ignoring mawfuckers.


The guest vocalist on your album are all up and coming rappers, did you approach them with specific tracks in mind?

Yeah. We like chefs up in this bitch, and as a chef you gotta match your ingredients. You don't want to be mixing cat-piss with cream - its gonna curdle. So you gotta save the cat-piss for the right recipe. We done that.


Do you forsee another Body Snatchers album in the pipeline if this is well received?

To paraphrase Biggie, if the money right, Snatchers there every night.


You've both found success both as solo artists and with other collaborators. Do you find it easier to work with each other than you do to produce solo efforts?

Hell naw. We some cantankerous mawfuckers. 30Hz done thrown shit at Bingas head, and Binga done given 30Hz concussion on at least one occasion. But real talk? Tis from such conflict that true beauty doth arise - twas always thusly, and ever will be. Blud.


On a techy tip do you tend to lean more towards using hardware to put your tracks together or have you embraced the power of the plug-in?

Man, you take a sound and you make it bang. That's the power of hardware. We some redlining, valve-abusing mawfuckers.


This year has seen a brace of albums from Breakbeat artists and just this week Mint Royale topped the Pop charts. Do you forsee a renaissance in the dance scene on the horizon?

Fuck the dance scene. This time next year we'll be writing beats for Diddy.


Who are the artists currently catching your attention?

Rich Boy. T.U.M. Cool Kids. Our collaborators like Sporty-O, Goldmouf, Mr Smith, Frilla, Kamikaze, Sirplus, Yolanda etc. Also we reckon D Ramirez is gonna blow up this year. The underground sound of big-room electro house.


What are the plans for The Body Snatchers for the remainder of 2008?

Get money, stay true. We finna head stateside and link with some of the vocalists we respectin, shoot a video with Goldmouf for 'I Like What I See', put it out as a single, do some shows, write beats for the thugs, show love to our mums. Standard baby!


Do you forsee a Live Body Snatchers show at any point soon?

Man we way ahead of you fool. We got The Snatchers bangin the box, and we got MC Frilla hyping the crowd. Catch us at The Glade Festival, amongst other fine events.


If you're playing a gig you want to get there in style, what would be your pimpmobile of choice?

G4 Private Jet, but clubs really need to up they airstrip game. Failing that, we like to travel in separate sedans, carried by scantily-clad and highly curvaceous hos.


Where would you play your dream gig and who else would you want on the bill?

In the pussy palace of my 14 yr old fantasies. On the bill? Esther Baxter. If you don't know, google image search is your friend.


As Dance music's new don's of the Ghetto you have to have a rider, whats on The Body Snatchers list?

Drank, stank and skanks.


Thanks very much for your time and best of luck with the album, look forward to hearing much more from you soon.

Aint no thang playa.



Interview by Silas Greenback @ NuSkoolBreaks.co.uk / NSB Radio

The Bodysnatchers Album is available from http://aquasky.dloadshop.com/ on Download, CD and Limited Vinyl


ALBUM SPOTLIGHT

The Bodysnatchers - "Feeling Good, Looking Nice, Smelling Right" on Passenger Records

The Body Snatchers - Monster cash feat Sporty-o & Mr Smith
18 seconds. This is how long it took for the first slice of booty bouncing action from the new Body Snatchers long player to put a massive sh*t-eating grin on my face. Declaring its intent like an inner city carjacking this first track is a mid-tempo number that will be equally at home in your car as it will be in basement clubs where the sweat runs down the walls as fast as the Cristal pours down your throat. Buzzing bass and lairy rhymes from upcoming Hip-hop talents Sporty-O and Mr Smith make this an excellent punchy opener.


The Body Snatchers - Jaminglish feat Sirplus
A dizzying slice of ghetto crunk comes next, Sirplus's rasta-rhymes skipping across the grimy bass and the relentless pump of the deep, thick kick drum. Stripped down to just the groove this is immediate and arresting and not at all what I'd expected.


The Body Snatchers - I Like what I see feat Goldmouf
The third track on the album and a nice change of pace. Sounding like a soundclash between David Banner & Justice this shows how close in terms of skills the UK is coming to beating US producers at their own game. Distorted bass and Atlanta beats are the order of the day.


The Body Snatchers - Freaky Ho feat Kamikaze
The first track on the album to give a glimpse of the Nuskool breaks side of the Body Snatchers output and a rolling slice of dancefloor thunder to get your teeth into. Rolling bass and bleeps but at 3.32 does end abruptly leaving you wanting more.


The Body Snatchers - Dangerous feat Sirplus & Yolanda
Its back to the ghetto again with this off kilter subby shuffle, Yolanda's vocal lifts the track injecting a bit of dancehall & Gospel flavour over Sirplus's aggressive rhymes. Another strong track and one for the late night sets once people are getting their grind on.


The Body Snatchers - Yeah you feat Kamikaze
This one keeps it low and dangerous with B'More 808 beats and deep dark stripped back bass. This is the sound of blacked out hummers and oiled glocks in waistbands.


The Body Snatchers - Backseat Anthem (Lovers Dub)
Now we're talking. This is what I signed up for, this tiny slice of chunky chaos is enough to make Stephen Hawking want to bodypop.

And its not even a full track!


The Body Snatchers - Call me feat Sporty-O & Yolanda
The first 4/4 track on the album and the techy flavour is enhanced by a pinch of crunched and crushed bass and the hit of B'more drums and Yolanda's 80's style soul vocals. My favourite track of the album by a nose.


The Body Snatchers - Big Ass, Miniskirt
More swing than Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia at a wife swapping party in this one. The first of the Body Snatchers single releases is a breakstravaganza with its feet firmly on the dancefloor and its mind in the gutter. The Audio equivalent of a Stella quaffing ASBO kid eyeing your missus up.


The Body Snatchers - Mami feat Kamikaze & Fern Lee
Another abrupt tempo and vibe about face and we're back in the dirty south for another laidback growler. Kamikaze is accented nicely by Fern Lee's poetic style. Touches of the Rza in this one...


The Body Snatchers - My Appetite feat Frilla
Listening to the rudeboy vocals over the top of this you have to wonder how Wiley managed to get so much airplay with his complaints about his expensive taste in watches and cheap taste in women when there are cuts out there that showcase exactly what the UK urban scene is capable of. Fresher than it should be and a great track to start bringing the album to a close.


The Body Snatchers - We Here (Big Pimpin') feat Yolanda
Reminiscent of an RnB/Dancehall version of Rob Dougans Clubbed to Death this track is again another bump and grinder and again a showcase for the UK Urban scene at its best, coupling dancefloor crunk with spine tingling soul and ends the album as strongly as it begins.


This album has totally shattered my expectations based on the first couple of single releases and instead of delivering comedic ass shakers like a George Formby/Sir Mixalot combo I find myself transported to dark, menacing streets where freaky ho's and gold grilled gang bangers lurk around every corner. The short skits in the album don't seem to quite sit right with the actual tracks but this is a minor complaint about an excellent album. Don't get me wrong if you're looking for a breakbeat album you may feel short changed if you were expecting plodding rythyms and synth preset basslines. But if you've got a hidden badass inside you that wishes he could be the pimp daddy of his block or you own a Caddy Escalade this album is a call to arms. Bling covered arms.


Review by Silas Greenback @ NuSkoolBreaks.co.uk / NSB Radio

The Bodysnatchers Album is available from http://aquasky.dloadshop.com/ on Download, CD and Limited Vinyl