| DJ VADIM
It’s a long way from the steppes of Russia to the Canadian prairies, but it’s a journey DJ Vadim is more than pleased to make, all under the auspices of helping to spread the Ninja Tune gospel of art and electronic music.
Vadim is one of those hip-hop DJs and producers who’d prefer the bling was all but gone in order for the political edge and art to once again rise to the surface. For a DJ whose inspiration has been the edge hip-hop brought to the musical arena, the recent commodification of the form by the likes of 50 Cent is nothing short of sacrilege.
"Since when was it a good thing to be in jail?" asks Vadim. "I suppose it’s an indication of how far pop culture has stooped. Hip-hop was a way to rise above, to create something that didn’t belong to an industry."
Vadim is careful to distinguish between making money while making music and using music to simply to make money.
"It’s a good thing to support yourself with your music, but what are artists contributing to this (hip-hop) culture by just turning out music without content? At some point it’s a –"
Diminishing return?
"Precisely. There aren’t enough Missy Elliots or Roots or Commons, so you get guys like 50 Cent and the record companies lap it up – the money and the royalties – and wonder why sales are down. You think anyone is gonna be listening to that in 10 years? The music and culture can suffer from overexposure, especially when it’s so obvious that so much of it is about cashing in."
This ethic is probably one of the principal reasons Vadim has found himself a home at Ninja Tune. His angular approach to hip-hop and turntablism make him a perfect fit with the more esthetically cerebral label.
Initially, Vadim garnered critical attention with the legendary Jazz Fudge recordings, and the outspoken Russian ex-pat has come a long way in a relatively short time. His most recent ensemble, the 10-piece Russian Percussion, ended an acclaimed tour of Europe in the fall, and although financial limitations prevent it from touring on this side of the pond, Vadim’s current tour with a stripped-down four-piece is still causing heads to nod.
"It can be such a strange thing to come to North America, playing to 100 or 200 people – about half of what we might get on a slow night in Europe," he says. "The culture is certainly so different – while in Europe people don’t wait to be impressed before they enjoy themselves, in the States it’s like you have to prove something before they have a good time, even though they bought the ticket."
While Vadim’s musical message is devoid of bitches, hos ’n’ guns, with this tour he’s finding a niche, noticing that a certain interest is being paid to hip-hop that actually has substance, whether musically or lyrically. One of the things that seems to have him tweaked about the status quo is the state of the global union. He’s finding it hard to believe that with so much grist for the mill, so little is being challenged by mainstream hip-hop artists.
"If your career depends on maintaining a corporate agenda, then certainly all the media wants to know is who’s shooting who – it’s better tabloid material than an artist who might have an issue with how poorly black urban America is again being represented in pop culture. That’s the trouble when music just becomes fodder. This music is so important because it has the power to… uplift rather than denigrate."
That takes us back to the notion of art. Is it an agenda that Ninja Tune and artists like Vadim believe is integral to the intellectual prosperity of their music?
"Yes, that’s part of the point – they’re totally linked for us (Ninja Tune)…. It’s one of the keys to making music that matters, that’s more than just songs to dance to." |
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