REWINDING WITH PATEN LOCKE

PHOTO CREDIT:  KENNY KENSKI SALVADOR


There are a lot of great MC's in the game today.  Many of them make great music and become successful however...it's rare to find an artist who retains the cultural side of Hip Hop in their music.  


Most of today's artists are what Guru called "renters."  There are still a handful of "ownerz" on the rise.  Im talking about MC's who grew up with Hip Hop culture as opposed to just the music.  As a triple threat (MC/DJ/Producer) Paten Locke is here to summon the spirit of the true school b-boy and create the kind of music the culture needs right now.  Growing up in Boston during Hip Hop's uprising, Paten was bustin' footwork on cardboard before most of you first heard a breakbeat.  Over the years, his passion for creating carried over to writing rhymes, spinning wax and producing records.  This brotha's got a long history in Hip Hop from producing joints for Mr. Lif to rocking live shows across the continents alongside Edan, check his EPK for the rundown.


When Paten Locke dropped the joint titled "Auto Reverse" I wanted to post it on here but felt that it was only right to get in touch with him and make it official.  After he returned from a long tour across the globe, we got in contact and got this interview wrapped up.  Check out what he has to say about how tapes have influenced his career.







(SC)  Do you remember the first tape you ever bought? Any memorable moment from that time?

Hmmmm....it was Nucleus or Fatboys....those were my first tapes I think...before that I had a few 45s...Rod Stewart or sum shit...but as far as tapes...boom...Jam on it..and the Fatboys first joint with the pizza....I remember at that time I was kicking the raps from the Fatboys with my friends on the bus to school...writing on the back of the seat...breakdancing with my friends...my neighbor Don Currier had the box with the record player....him just sittin out there playing all the Sugarhill and early Def Jam stuff...Dorchester...84?...rocking my blue Kangol ordering them army soldiers out the back of comics...wow...having a moment right now! ha!

(SC)  Do you still dig and listen to tapes? Or is it more of coming across them when you are out in the field looking for vinyl?

Word, I still listen to tapes and dig for em...but I just pick up what I run across when I'm out...but I always see if they got tapes or wax of course...I got a deck in the studio...its cool mostly to pull out old mixes or old recording of me or my homies shit and just bug out...but I'll also occasionaly throw on a classic and let it rock...its usually easier to find my Nice & Smooth tape than the vinyl...




(SC)  Tell us the story behind "Auto Reverse."  That joint is dope!

Yaknow...honestly...I had made the beat already....and I was just thinking when I was working on my lp of what to do with the beat...and I just came up with and started saying the hook for some reason...just messing with the rhythm and thinking about shit I'm into...records and tapes!...I found this verse I started to write when I was on tour a year before...and yep...just was thinking about tapes for some random reason! ha! and once I had the idea I thought word, cus it was something that I was into that had its own world about it...and if ya come by the crib, ya see its genuine!

PHOTO CREDIT:  THERESA LEGLER


(SC) In your song "Auto Reverse" you say a "Jpeg just isn't a J-Card." With that said, how do you feel about this new generation of music fans who don't buy music anymore?

Aaaah, well...yaknow...whatever...its cool, I'mm glad I'm not invested in that whole mp3 thing...in that I might have on my ipod but I have the music I love on vinyl and even cassette...it just obviously ain't the same experience...but what can ya say...sucks to be a kid sometimes! haaaa!

I GREW UP ON TAPES PART 1 & 2

(SC) Once again, referring to your lyrics on "Auto Reverse." What do you think about rappers/dj's/mc's who loosely use the term "mixtape or beat tape" these days?

Nah man, I don't care...call that shit whatever u want yaknow...I was just buggin out...its kinda cool tho that the terminology exists still...or like saying you gonna make a record...but really you just gonna upload a zipfile and shit...its cool...do ya thang...sounds cooler than saying mixzipfile anyway



(SC)  The tape caused us to listen to every detail from start to end.  Do you think listeners today are still paying the same attention to detail when they are listening to their Ipods?

Nope...cats ain't even trying to make albums tho...and thats why I love tapes still...perfect to pop in and let rock while ya doing something round the house....but really tho...I aint trying to make the case that tapes was better or worse...or that people should bring em back or no shit like that...I'm just saying that I grew up on em and still love em....they just dope to me cus that how I received music coming up.

PHOTO CREDIT:  THERESA LEGLER



(SC)  I see you rocking the Lasonic TRC-931 in your "Ventilation" video. How has the boombox and tape influenced your sound?

Ha biggup to old soundwave...thats the asamov box we used when doing this song boombox we had....still rocking widdit...but yeah, those things have influenced my sound maybe in that I've always listened to hiss and air in the background of music so im inclined to apreciate lower fidelity or a sound that aint as shiny ?
FLICKS FROM PATEN LOCKE'S PERSONAL COLLECTION

(SC)  You've got a solid catalog of music under your belt. If you could re-release any of your past projects on cassette...which ones would it be? What would be the Cassingle, Maxi-Single and LP?

Well of course the auto reverse maxi single which is still forthcoming with remixes and re recording( re rewind ruggedrebate marleymixxx) and 1 bonus instro and a bonus song and maybe a duba pella or sum shit!....the cassingle would be Ventilation with rapathletics (unreleased) on the bside ...and the full length tape would be either my solo lp, Super Ramen Rocket Ship ... or studies in hunger by dillon which I produced....ha!..that was fun

(SC)  Let's hop in the Delorean and go back in time to 1994. What 5 tapes would be in rotation in your walkman?

94?
hmmm....
what might it have been

Nas...Illmatic
Jeru ...The sun rises in the east
Organized Konfusion...Extinction Agenda
Gangstarr....Hard to Earn
Common...Resurrection
Big...Ready to Die
and Stretch and Bob joints


(SC)  What should we be checking for next from Paten Locke? Any last shouts/comments?


A ton of new music soon...producing albums for a few talented friends...a new solo lp...a Dumbtron 45 and lp with Willie Evans jr...shows and music with my dude edan...and yeah, Auto Reverse video and cassette..
basically, I'm still widdit, so a bunch more ish...check me at

WWW.PLANETLOCKE.COM

Also, I have the "I GREW UP ON TAPES" shirts available there...
so get down and cop one for u and ya kids who dont even know what a cassette is!
and its all gonna be there as it goes down
thanks man for the interview
I love tapes
I grew up on them shits
still buy em
still listen to em
and yo
got a bunch of sealed joints for sale
get at me yall if ya need something...i got you!

peace!
Paten Locke and im out!



7 comments:

  1. dope. biggups to Paten Locke. I bought some cassettes from this dude!!!

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  2. I saw him kick it LIVE in FLORIDA with PLANET ASIA. EMCEE!!

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    1. Thas real dope. I haven't seen him live yet but I'm aware that he knows how to rock! Dude is defly a breath of fresh air for Hip Hop. Need more dudes like this in the culture for sure!

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  3. Anonymous9.7.12

    Salute ! P Locke is the real deal no doubt !

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  4. Anonymous10.7.12

    Another dope interview/article, a friend had put me onto dude earlier but I wasn't in the right frame of mind and wrote it off at the time. I'm glad I rediscover Paten via this interview and revisited his music. That "Auto Reverse" joint is one of the best tracks I've heard this year, can't wait for a video to it.
    Cheers
    Bert Poles Tasty Treats.

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    1. Thanks man...we were excited to get a feature with him...but yeah, I know its hard to keep up with all the new stuff coming out but every now and then there's an artist that deserves our ears. P Locke is one of em. Check out his site and see his other releases as well. He drops some free downloads every now and then that are definitely worth grabbing. It's hard to find an artist who can hold down the mic, boards and the tables. Definitely worth checking more of his stuff in the future. In fact, check out the videos of him rockin' live with Edan. Shit is dope!

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  5. Anonymous10.7.12

    Great read. Loved it.

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