Interview with Muzzlemouth fanzine’s
By editor and El Presidente Sean Duffield - Wednesday, February 20, 2002

Alright Dave,
As we discussed on the phone, heres the zine questions for you. It would be great if you could reply within 7 days. You'll get a copy for nowt for contributing in it, you might also want to stock a few copies when its done. If theres anything you'd like to say/include in this interview, let me know. IT WOULD BE GOOD IF YOU COULD SEND SOME PHOTOS, ARTWORK ETC FOR THE ARTICLE TOO. I also do a review page, so if you want anything reviewing send it to me & i'll put it in there.
I'm sending the zine to a few distributers including AK Press, Bypass, INK and Action Distribution as well as already selling it in several Brighton outlets.
Anyway, on with the questions:
What got you into Hip-Hop & when did u start getting involved in the scene?
My mate Jay used to drip feed me dope raw stuff like DJ CHEESE, PE, SCHOOLY D , MANTRONIX etc way back in 86. Started making demo's , dj'ing & mc'ing and doing megamixes around 1988 from that went on to run 2 record shops & do a pirate radio show until I concentrated on my mail order & label Ruf Beats from 1993 to present!!!
How were you pushing/ supporting the uk scene back in the day?
I still do 100%. Through Ruf Beats mail order I stock as many good British hip hop acts as I can & promote them on my Radio Zero show more than other well known rap shows. I've released a bigger variety of crews from all over the UK than any other label - check Ruf Diamonds Volumes 1 & 2 - the 3rd Volume is coming this year. Plus in my dj sets I always drop classic Uk tunes - which many dj's still front on.
When/ how did the transition from Live Djing to doing lyrics and producing music come about?
I actual did lyrics from being 14... way back then got some crappy decks, then a drum machine, then a 4 track then in 93 I finally put £3,000 into equipment - which is the gear I've recorded all my JEEP BEAT COLLECTIVE, MINDBOMB & GODFATHER stuff on.
What kind of studio set up do you have and how did you acquire your production knowledge?
My gear is totally based around my sexy large record collection, the Technics get wrecked via a chunky Roland W30 sampler & sequencer which after effects & filters get sequenced before decks & various synths & overdubs get laid over the 8 track. Then mixed out via more effects & EQ - I tend to do vocals live & raw to give it that edge. Too much emphasis is put on production these days - to me its the ideas and breaks you've got. Now most people have SP1200's or MPC's or worse still computers I think hip hop has lost a lot of variety.
All my knowledge is self taught from 86 - now, using all my dj'ing experience and records to get the sounds I want.
What do you think personally makes a good producer?
I don't really like the phrase producer, as it reminds me that its making product rather than art. I suppose a successful producer is someone who can get a commercial up to date sound out of any wank old group put in a studio with him and make shit loads of cash. Personally I am an MC/DJ/ARTIST foremost the fact I engineer and "Produce" is secondary. It is more important to be a good artist that is, come with orignal ideas, unusual sounds, prefereably with a concept or better still layers of meaning or soul to your music, I'm lucky to have been able to fully develop my own sound and more importantly my own voice and artistic expression.
Where musically do your influences come from other than Hip_hop?
everything - I sort of let all this weird life consume me then see what gets spat out. I get alot from political/comedy like Bill Hicks, Micheal Moore, Mark Thomas, and respect John pilger but also like to lose myself in fantasy/sci fi / horror books by Clive Barker, Ian Banks, James Herbert etc.
Musically I let everything flood in & out so have loads of non hip hop bands that I'm mad about eg Sex Pistols, Freq Nasty, Massive Attack, Jimi Hendrix, Mansun, Manics and lots of funk /soul and crazy records.
The Ruf Beats (formerly The Ruf label) has been going for a while now & is still going strong. How would you say the label has changed & progressed over the years?
I've never tried to follow trends but things have gradually changed, for a while we sold a lot of records thanks to the trip hop scene, then the big beat scene loved the ruf stuff and I played alot of their clubs as the token hip hop act, which was fun as I got to play mad dj sets & fuck up alot of people. At the moment I want to get the label better known for its hip hop output, so I'm going to work on getting more varied acts on the label that fit into our "don't give a fuck" ethos but do it with passion, prdie and most importantly a smile.
November 2002 begins our 10th anniversary year, which makes us the longest (actively) running UK hip hop label ever.
You've always not been afraid to say what you feel...I remember u releasing "Westwood is a Twat" due to him not giving airplay to UK acts on Radio One. The Mindbomb stuff also covers a lot of conscious and personal ideas & feelings, some quite political. Do you feel u get as much support for your conscious, lyrical stuff as you do with your Jeep Beat DJing releases?
Probably not but I try not to let it bother me. It's really important to say what you want to say, especially in these times of internal media censorship and political correctness, I have a voice and I'm going to use it, irrespective of the shallowness of some journalists and hip hop heads. These are heavy times and good music should reflect that - i defy anyone to listen to MINDBOMB New Life, check the lyrics and not feel moved by some of the words. MINDBOMB has actually achieved much more and inspired more people than the JEEP BEAT tracks, which basically up until the Death Race 2001 album (which has some great points on it) is dancefloor rockin music for superfly people.

You've retained your own accent and UK Northern identity when on the mic. Do you feel many UK MC's try and immitate the US still either with their subject matter or their accent? I heard some uk rapper going on about his 'block' and being like a 'gat'...i get pissed off when people sound and act like they're living in Amerikkka.
It used to upset me a lot, cos people used to think I was the odd one out - now the vast majority are coming round to being proud of their locality. To be honest now after Ali G , if someone drops with a fake US accent or daft slang, I just laugh 'cos it's very very sad & very very funny, these people tend to be wannabee artists anyway just doing what they've heard on MTV and shit like that. They are weak as fuck, fuck them, daft buggers.
How do you think the Hip-Hop scenes changed (For better & For worse) over the years?
Its a shame its kinda split between the Westwood jiggy only scene and the undergound heads - late 80's everyone used to get out together to jams & dances and I actually met my wife at a hip hop club night. Now hip hop is so segmented and it's rare to see many black people out sometimes which is sad 'cos I like it when music brings lots of different people together. I think the gangsta / fake thugs and commercialism fucked up hip hop in early to late 90's and it's never really recovered.
However the British stuff & dope indie US stuff like MR LIF, STYLES OF BEYOND, 7L, ATMOSPHERE, RHYMESAYERS are currently wrecking it - just a shame the vast majority of heads are checking for all the major label weak shit.
What pisses you off about the Rap/mainstream market?
Just that its missing any real variety now, and it's so hard for the best music to get big. There's almost like different league's.Nas & Jay Z up there in the really flash PREMIER League, whereas I've just got into the Division 3 after being promoted from the Unibond Conference league, but we've stayed in the top 3 for 10 years and got great support from our fans. I can only do what I can do, so I've learnt to concentrate positively on what I do and try to laugh at all the wack shit.
Which UK and other acts do you rate right now?
Love K Delight stuff, Numskullz, Aspects, Roots Manuva, Mark B & Blade, Beanz, Jehst & YNR crew, Natty & Dwella, Jedi Mics, Undivided attention, Def Tex, Ridney P, Doyen D, Skitz & Deckwrecka, Taskforce, Phi Life Cypher. the Planets, Braintax, Lewis Parker, Krash Slaughta and loads of others.
What do u think are the pros & cons of those who are part of the underground?
Strange question er pro's I dunno that only a few people know who you are - fame is well over rated... cons that the industry only gets behind you when you are generating money for them - when you make money for yourself they kind of ignore you & your achievements which is kind of sad 'cos I feel I've achieved more that any other person in the Uk hip hop scene in the last 10 years which the music industry has rarely reflected.
What do you think of the mentality of listening to strictly Hip-Hop and no other music?
That's bollocks, big wack sweaty ones, how you going to make good music if you only know 1% of what's out there, jesus hip hop was built on every other form of music as soon as the young hip hop heads accept that they can grow up and start to enjoy the variety of the beast better & hey they could even dance at gigs or even rock. Seriously though I was once hip hop only for 4 years, thank fuck I grew out of it and became the bizarre eclectic beatfreak I am now, my music's improved for it too. WORD!

Name your:
Favourite Producer(s)
ME big headed twat that I am and other folk like DJ ABILITIES, DJ REVOLUTION, ROOTS MANUVA, STYLES OF BEYOND, EDAN, BEANZ, VINYL RE-ANIMATORS, M BOOGIE, INSIGHT, etc
Favourite MC(s)
Got to need SLUG, EDAN, ESOTERIC, ASPECTS, BLADE, MELLO, KRS 1, MELLE MEL, CHUCK D
Favourite DJ(s)
DJ REVOLUTION, KRASH SLAUGHTA, K DELIGHT, Me, BAMBAATAA
Who/what are your influences (non musical) OUTSIDE of Hip-Hop?
everything as I said before, I'm inspired after every gig, place I go and loads of crazy people I meet. I love films & mad TV too plus check for alot of alternative political magazines that offer a different truth & teach me about the world and how it really works behind the scenes.
What things about Britain and the rest of the world have got your attention right now?
I think the issue's I raised in New Life, about how we are all just working non stop at the detriment to the rest of our personal lives, Christ most of my mates don't even go out in the week anyomote - too tired.
Also sick of how this governmnet keeps telling us how to run our lives, shut the fuck up and try running the fucking country - not our lives. I am very worried about just how much Labour has thrown its lot in with big business and more worryingly America, I feel our country & freedom's are slowly slipping away one by one, justified by an owned press & media that delights in making us all scared & worried when we should get back to re-building a caring & fair society with more time for each other. We are sacrificing our lives for a lifetime of commodity exchange .
What do you feel strongly about?
Probably too much to be healthy for me, but I can't help it - I'm really sensitive and have a bit of a sixth sense as to what's going on. The rhyme I did on MINDBOMB Kaliedoscope which was wriiten about the Gulf war actually fits most wars - which are always about money & oil. The hunt for Bi Laden was actually huge folly and just a big distraction away from the US actions in destroying Columbia & covering their actions in Alaska, I wouldn't be suprised if the US even knew Sept 11th was coming, like most of the other "wars" they claimed have started when in fact events never happened or like how they knew Pearl Habour was going to happen but let it anyway because the president needed that horror to motivate the US to go to war.
Amercia's evil terrorist foriegn policy actions and the control of the IMF and big business above individual countries angers me. Corporations ruining every day peoples lives, the brand wars and cheap labour practises that fuel them.
On a personal level I'm angered at having to spend to long on fucking computers. They are starting to control my time, not the other way round the little evil micro chipped bastards.
You went record shopping with Afrika Bambaataa didn't you?
Yeh me and Mrs Ruf it was funny as fuck, we had a right laugh, and the next time he was in Manchester he actually called me from the US before coming to chat. After it I sauntered in to the next room to Mrs Ruf and said "Sorry that was Afrika Bambaataa" and we both giggled like kiddies.
You've been spending a lot of time with business, kids & in the studio the last couple of years with some live gigs, but i hear you're going to be focussing on going back to the live scene, reclaiming some old ground as it were. Is that right?
Damn right. It's begun! I want to claim my rightful position in the scene, when you have a kid you just get distracted by the whole domestic life but I'm aching to get back on the mic as MINDBOMB and drop all my funky tracks & let others know what they are missing and spit some truths to people - I've got crazy energy live and do DJ sets to as a "One man hip hop army" show which I did in Europe for up to 6 hours, not that many people over here have seen my shit live, despite all the gigs I've done, but the scene is so new now it's like starting again and with K DELIGHT on the decks at some of my MINDBOMB / JEEP BEAT shows I'm all fired up for this.
What would your perfect Hip-Hop scene be about?
Skills, Love,. Passion, Fun, Peace
Are you collaborating with other artists right now?
getting a whole load of unique collabo's on the go in next few months, probably no big names, but who knows strange things can happen.
What future projects and releases are u working on?
JEEP BEAT COLLECTIVE Return to the classics MINI LP out May
More K DELIGHT stuff soon come
Looking for artists for Ruf Dimonds Volume 3
Also recording new MINDBOMB LP Operation Mindfuck - everything you know is wrong!!
and GODFATHER OF WEIRD LP "Underworlds Soundtrack"
Cheers Dave, hope you like the questions. They were dope mate…

Interview with 7’s Matt Oliver
Done end of Dec 2002… which never got into print.

DAVE THE RUF – INTERVIEW BY MATT OLIVER (HHC/7)

01 – Congratulations on reaching the big 1-0; could you ever have imagined Ruf Beats going this far when you first started out?

Cheers, well no not really mainly because when I started it was at the end of the last rise of British hip hop and labels like Music of Life and Kold Sweat had folded, along with a lot of the first wave losing their deals. Both my record shops (Boom Tunes and Funky Banana) businesses had failed so I just looked at things on a release by release basis until say JEEP BEAT COLLECTIVE’s Seconds to Detonation EP dropped and then I knew I had something special, that there could be longevity there. I never thought I’d have released my own 9 albums along with 5 compilations, I’ve done so much crazy shit that I only ever dreamed about.

02 – Do you consider yourself a pioneer/significant influence in shaping the UK hip-hop scene or just as much a grafter for success just like everyone else?

Yeah I think so, I mean when I started hardly anyone was releasing their own full length albums, plus I do think my JEEP BEAT stuff was pivotal in the whole “Return of the DJ” movement as we inspired the album to be made. I think over the first 5 years say 92-96 we broke down a lot of barriers for others, we toured relentlessy and went everywhere we could and always had records out there as MINDBOMB, JEEP BEAT. I was definitely one of the first to do proper British Hip Hop complilations likke the “Ruf Diamonds” series, everyone thought I was mad at the time but ha ha.
Grafting wise, well yeh I’ve never stopped, 60 hour weeks sometimes, going all over the place. I think you efinately have to graft hard in order to achieve long term success, any damn fool or pop tart can be flava of the month. Its harder to do everything, all by yourself.

03 – Which release throughout your ten years has given you the most satisfaction? Or are you the sort of producer who finds gratification in anything he produces?

Ha ha well not everything , there’s one or two early horrors in there and demo’s to die from. I really like all my old political/social/daft MINDBOMB stuff cos the lyrics are still powerful and relevant, the old JEEP BEAT stuff still rocks old skool style, but I really, really like the last 2 JEEB BEAT albums “Death race 2001” and “For Jimi Hendrix” – they are slept on classics. Moneywise The Bomb Drops / Stop Ya skemes / Hip Hop Love / Nervous Breakdown gave nice financial satisfaction. Soul wise its got to be “Lift”, punkwise “Busta Bloodvessel” and dreamwise Playing with the big boys”.

04 – Is your mentality to going about your business the same today as it was ten years ago? Or have you been forced to change with the times?

Yes and no, I’ve tried to keep the same set of principals, but I’m old enough now to see how it sometimes held me back. I’d say I’m not in as much of a rush now as I used to be, real quality does take time, although I still like some tracks to sound raw, live and just loose like. Everyone has to change with the times though, but it’s your core values and attitude which shape what you really are and hopefully what people will listen to your for.

05 – Have there ever been times when you’ve considered packing it all in owing to lack of recognition and the like?

Oh yeah many times over the last few years. I’ve got an horrid dark cupboard full of shit that went wrong and drove me close to losing it. Then there’s all the needles conflicts between band/dj and business relationships that mess with your head, endless money worries etc. I do feel a bit left out of things recently as I’ve had a mad 3 years and am now getting in touch things again, also with the next batch of releases, people are going to see some whole new mindbending shit.

06 – How did the format of the Return of the Classics LP take shape?

Well the 2nd single off “Death Race 2001” got pulled ‘cos of EMI being twats so I always wanted to drop “return to the classics” on a 12” cos its dope for Dj’s. Then I asked Rumage from Numskullz if he’d like to do us a megamix of the best of the Ruf Beats and got this great dubby bassy Bristol beauty back, when K Delight heard it he took up the batton a did his 10 minute floor monster. I’d had a few calls from people wanting the 1st JBC single so that went on and then I thought a few nice 10th birthday bonus beats treats and cuts would be a cool way to finish the set off. Its kinda unusual but works nice as club wax or head food..

07 – Why has it taken this long to give LP’s like Technics Chainsaw Massacre a proper UK release? Or was it always the plan to make its UK release a commemorative tie-in?

Basically BOMB Hip Hop never got it distributed proper in the UK and their US distributor messed up big time and wouldn’t let us have stock back. It took 2 years to get the record back so these 600 will be the last chance to get the early JBC stuff. I never got paid from it so now this is payback but I think the timings right ‘cos there’s a whole new generation of folk who won’t have heard it. I’m glad it coming out now it feels right.

08 – Is it fair to say that in the vein of acts like Dido, Bush and…er…BBMak, success in the States has come a lot easier than achieving the same on your home turf? If so, why is this the case?

I think they are the exception to the rule and I think I was one as well, luckily I had a great radio promoter and thanks to Nu Gruv, Napster did the rest and so I laughed and cried. Its easier to have a cult following over there and sell say 20,000 records – in the Uk there’s not the same market (or number or heads), also in the UK people judge music more on following trends, I try to make trends not follow them so I’m fucked.

09 – Having had success on both sides of the water, what do you think the main difference is between the UK and US hip-hop scenes?

The majority of US rappers gear the tracks and image solely to get bigtime money. Until just recently most credible UK groups seemed to have a more underground metality doing it for the love and good times and never ever really having an image and hoping maybe, just maybe to get their fucking stake money back. This is changing now, it’s a short time before we’ll have a uk version of Puffytwatty or Jazzy fat Blobby Bob I have forseen this.

10 – Has being based in a relatively unmusical area such as Cheshire helped your productivity, in the way you are free from distractions and outside influences? Or is Cheshire actually a bigger musical hotbed than most would imagine?

Yeh man Cheshire is rocking the motherfucking barn down. Seriously Altrincham is just on the arse of Manchester so I always thought of myself as a Manc bastard til I moved into the Cheshire heartland. Being out of a town centre though definitely helped me concentrate though on my work, less distractions and timewasters that way. I could have put Manchester on all the records and stuff but thought it would be funny to put Altrincham, Sale, Stretford, Wythensahwe and Whalley Range on the hip hop map, it was certainly worth it to hear john Peel say “and here’s some hip hop from the undoubted oasis of Altrincham hip hop this is Relax yo Mind”. priceless

11 – In hip-hop’s best traditions you’ve taken on a number of aliases throughout your career (Jeep Beat Collective, Mindbomb, Godfather of Weird) – has each identity allowed you to be creatively different or are you just keeping listeners on their toes by not sticking to the same name?

Nah there is a point to it honestly… it’s just quite different projects. Even my main 3 alias’s tracks are very individually. It sort of worked well for me, it was great really confusing people at the live shows djing then mcing or beatboxing or playing live, I still love it. I’m going to do an album next year that brings the best of all the projects under my original school nickname Ruf or Rufmouth (RIP Roy Coleman who gave me it) I’m looking forward to working with guests I admire and just finally letting people know in no uncertain terms that I do 99% of it all and am just as good a club dj or live performer than anyone around although my beat boxing needs some work and I can’t paint for shit, like Edan says lets take it to the Triathalon.

12 – Do you feel your age at all given your longevity within the scene? How long can The Ruf realistically go on for?

Well 3 years ago I had my first child (it didn’t half hurt I can tell you) so the last few years I’ve felt like I turned into my Dad a bit, which would have been fine if I chose the right bit but I didn’t. But recently, with moving house and sorting out a new studio I feel ready to take it all on even better than I did before so who knows. I don’t want to be some sad fuck 60 year old doing “Fuck the Queen” or “Westwood is twat” but if they are both still around I’d still probably do a follow up or sell my left over stock to the other OAP’s in the home. Ideally I would like to be exploded like a firework over the Stone circle at Glastonbury after cracking off the ultimate conscious, truthful, funny, awe inspiring and ultimately world changing DOPE RHYME that changed the course of history and saved the planet. I think this is unlikely to happen and will settle for the slippers, the dribble and growing old disgracefully playing “Fuck the Police” and “Mrs Care Assistant why is it costing me £1000 a month to sit in my own piss.

13 – The ‘Guide to Great British Hip-Hop History’ sounds like the definitive chronicling of UK rap – how easy was the tracklist to assemble and was the selection an easy process?

It’s not definitive at all, I know I missed loads of 1980’s stuff off there and quite a lot of big tracks, I mean there’s been masses of limited London 12”s out over the years that I never even knew of so now. What I thought I’d do was play live in one week, all the major underground and dope tracks that I liked and played in my dj sets over the years. A lot of dj’s give playing uk tracks lip service but hardly play any. I wanted to share my record collection over 9 hours and give a bit of an education to a lot of people who have slept or only just started checking for acts when Mark b & Blade and Roots Manuva broke through. So the selection was easy really I just split it into years and threw it down live then got carried away with the booklet and packaging.

14 – Will you be encouraging Baby Ruf to get into the music industry or saying to steer well clear?!
I don’t know he can do whatever he chooses to do, whatever he likes best. He’s a funny little bloke with a lot of star quality but NO, I THINK HE SHOULD GET A PROPER JOB so he can keep me in drugs, booze and OAP orgies until we both dry up.

15 – What have been your favourite UK acts this year? And the most annoying for that matter?

Lewis Parker, First Rate, Numskullz, DJ Format, Roots Manuva, Jehst, P Brothers, Planets, Krash Slaughta, Critically Ill, Specific Project C, Beat Route 38 all that kind dope stuff. Live I’ve enjoyed Braintax, Phi Life Cypher, 10 acts I put on at a hip hop festival in Northwich and any time I play live or Dj. Most annoying has got to be the support act for De La Soul who cam eon sounding like Busta Rhymes complete with accent, only to go into a tiny Manchester voice in the interlude whilst he explained how it was great to be playing to his homecrowd. It was a great Busta impression though but really shouting “get Muddy” in choruses with US twang – I thought we were fucking beyond that shit I nearly dropped (well threw) my pint!!

16 – Finally, anything else you’d like to get off your chest?

Yes my new book is out now, I’ve just shagged Sven Gwan Eriikssonn, my albums out on Monday, I’m duetting and acting with Celine Dion on my biographical film “Relax – everything you know is wrong”, I’ve chronicled the fall, fall, rise, fall, fall of British Hip Hop, have just signed a deal with Nike on the condition they free all workers, written an essay titled “why it seems likely 11/9 was planned by the US”, prepared my funeral arrangements, got my radio show picked up by interplanetary radio station Sev Love X and being acknowledged as a hip hop John Lennon (without the fucking annoying girlfriend).

EITHER/OR – answer in as much depth as you see fit

01 – Jay-Z or Nas?

Shite or crap (did like first Nas stuff).

02 – Old skool or new skool?

Fuck school – we don’t need education just inspiration.

03 – Emceeing or producing?

Yes thanks both and some tomato ketchup on the side.

04 – Jeep Beat Collective, Mindbomb or Godfather of Weird?

All 3 available now direct from…..RUF BEATS 01606 47327. Do you want to cut my soul in 3 pieces you bastard.

05 – Wildstyle or Beat Street?

Tough one. Have to be wildstyle cos a lot of my JEEPY titles came from it.

06 – Beef in hip-hop or Great British beef?
Great British Beef mate, we do it with a sense of humour not to make a living out of dissing and then some dirty greedy record execs raping our back catalogue when we’re gone. Beef needs properly cooking though.

07 – London or Bristol?

Bristol, more chilled less silliness.

08 - Rodney P, Blak Twang or Roots Manuva?

For me Roots Manuva

SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTION FOR LATER USE

01 – Has 2002 been a good year or hip-hop and what have been the year’s high and low points, both on a personal and general level?

Some great artists this year striving to make proper hip hop again and loads of really innovative Lp’s by artists most people know bugger all about (see me) Mr Lif, Blackalicious, Edan, RjD2, Atmosphere albums all dazzling Uk wise Phi Life, Roots Manuva, Braintax, Numskullz, YnR and loads loads more.
I’d say its been a very good year on an underground tip but fear the gap between commercial and underground is larger than ever leaving the future looking very … well separated which wasn’t what hip hop was meant to be about. Whereas all the old skool artists were skint and dope , our new artists are skint and dope whereas the commercial artists are just shite, get a big advance and then totally disappear. What we really need is more radio and video shows playing a much bigger variety of music not just one kind of specialist thing, which is strangely what I do with my radio zero, so we’re all to blame. Be cool to get a bigger crowd of people together though….
High point on a personal level was the shows I did in Germany and Switzerland, its crazy that I get total respect but have played very little ethis year but I’ll try and put that right in 2003. on the low side of life… well its been a very ruf time for me in a lot of personal and business ways but I’m still here, still standing but luckily haven’t had to do a duet with Elton john yet. (Yet!!)…