Urban Vault caught up with London based Nathan ‘Flutebox’ Lee and Ciaran ‘Muad’dib’ O’Fathaigh to ask them some questions about their forthcoming BRUTUS STONE EP and more…

Nathan ‘Flutebox‘ Lee [Asian Dub Foundation, The Prodigy, Nitin, Sawhney, Plan B, Beardyman etc] and Ciarán ‘Muad’dib’ O’Fathaigh [Mellissa Belle, Alexandra Burke, Aloe Blacc, Bashy, Speech Debelle etc] team up to drop their forthcoming EP ‘Brutus Stone’, a unique pan-genre project featuring LA/London-based artist Brielle aka Aprilfoolchild and UKHipHop emcees and brothers Blackk Chronical and Phoenix Da Icefire inspired by the legend of Brutus of Troy and the legend of the London Stone.

What are your names?

Nathan ‘Flutebox’ Lee and Ciaran ‘Muad’dib’ O’Fathaigh.

Where are you from?

West an South East London respectively.

How long have you been making music?

Muad’dib – I’ve been playing since literally as far back as I can remember – woodwind, violin and then drums and tuned percussion [xylophone and piano] and guitar. I became interested in recording at the age of 14/15 via 4-track chrome tape as a means to write/compose/arrange music and kind-of fell into professional record production by accident, really – I was a session player and parts writer in a klick called FirstLove Music [shout out SelfTaught Beats, Realism and shortMAN] before evolving into a record producer within the camp and in my own right.

Flutebox – Actually, I kinda fell into being a flutist by accident – someone gave me a flute in my late teens and things just progressed from there. I started to develop this percussive way of approaching my playing. I didn’t fell as if I should be restricted as a player and effectively precluded from being directly involved in hip hop music and culture. It was a way to fuse my loves and influences and I ended up pioneering an entirely new approach to the instrument. It was no planned at all!

How many songs albums have you released to date?

Muad’dib – We’ve both been a part of loads of records, but this is a debut release for us.

Can you tell us about your new song/album, the background, and inspirations behind it?

Muad’dib – Conceptually, the project is inspired by the legend of the Brutus Stone or London Stone which was supposed to have been put there by Brutus of Troy as the foundation of the city of what was known as Trinovantum, ‘The New Troy In The West’ – or as we know it – London.

Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Alexander Pope have added their own elements to the legend of Brutus and the stone in this kind of bardic tradition. Actually … Roy Stephenson, head of archaeological collections at the Museum of London describes the stone as ‘The Dead center, the throbbing heart which everything around London revolves’. That’s a perfect quote, really.

It’s like this real-life artifact of a myth that has survived the great fire, the blitz and has lived through the ever-changing face of the most amazing, diverse city in the world. This project is an ode to London.

It’s also a jazz thing…

Flutebox – Jazz has been gentrified. In slow motion It was the roadman music of it’s day . Now it’s cuddly. Safe. Jazz doesn’t come from a safe space. It shouldn’t.

Muad’dib – Yeah – like, if Miles Davis made a record tomorrow, it would probably be one twisted, sustained note through some mad filter with 808 beating and Pusha T on vocals.

Flutebox – It’s about identity. More than anything else, I’m from London. This is where I can give directions, this is where I know how much food costs. I’m not trying to beg some other identity, really. And London means so much to mixed-race people. That’s the most honest thing about this. It’s London as a 3rd – and perhaps predominant – identity.

How have you ended up in the music industry?

Muad’dib – I was introduced to SelfTaught who was looking for a guitarist to work with. I sat down with him in his studio and ran licks and riffs over this sample soaked UKHH. I remember thinking “Oh my days, this is everything I wanna be involved in”. Things just progressed from there, really. I learned so much just watching him produce and work the console. I was that guy that would just never leave the lab ‘till man had to literally take me home. It was shortMAN of FirstLove music who actually discovered Speech Debelle and SelfTaught who really ‘developed’ her sound – in fact as a camp, we really established that organic UK soul sound in the underground pre-grime/UKHH/spoken word scene. Speech got signed by Big Dada, I had a cut on her debut record and arranged, MD’d and TM’d her band and with that formula she went on to win the 2009 Mercury Prize – I scored and arranged all the band’s parts for that performance and my single was out when she was nominated, so I very gently charted … Ha! Anyway, I got a publishing deal with JIM and then I guess I was kinda ‘in’? Whatever the fuck that means.

Flutebox – It wasn’t planned – I was on a building site with no GCSEs and I just thought that I’d learn jazz and classical flute to show myself that I could do something like that. Then when I developed the percussive side of things, it all just kicked off, really. Wasn’t part of the plan at all …

What did you think of the music industry in 2018?

Muad’dib – Very interesting! In many respects, we were kinda just right with the timing of this record …

Flutebox – I think it’s really good to see just how many young people are drawn to jazz, really.

What have you got planned for 2019?

Muad’dib – Releasing the 2nd single ‘All That We Are’ from this EP, then I’d like to finish a bunch of records I’ve started with Brielle [aka AprilFoolChild]. I’m sooooo hype about those records. Brielle is amazing in and out of the booth. It will be another concept project … Then I wanna get this vocalist called Gok back in the studio. I made one record with her last year – real quick tings – and it’s a fucking banger. She’s young, but she has killer instinct with the pen and in the booth. Really wanna get Searcher back in the booth too, but chasing rappers is a mad ting! Will def holla him again soon.

Flutebox – Touring with Asian Dub Foundation, working on new music with Muad’dib.

What inspires you when you make your music?

Muad’dib – My life and experiences. My music is almost invariably an ode to my memories.

Flutebox – Same. Being a Londoner and mixed race is a big part of it, too.

Who have you collaborated with so far in your Career?

Musd’dib – I’ve played and arranged for Melissa Belle [RIP] and her daughter Alexander Burke – that’s actually one mad story … one for another day – I’ve played for Aloe Blacc, co-produced a couple of Bashy records with SelfTaught and wrote and produced for Ella Boucher who was signed to Matthew Knowles for like 2 secs. Ella is fucking amazing and beautiful inside and out. Matthew didn’t have a fucking Danny what to do with her TBH.

Flutebox – Asian Dub Foundation, The Prodigy, Nitin, Sawhney, Plan B, Beardyman, KT Tunstall …

Who would you like to collaborate with in the future?

Muad’dib – Dot Rotten. No doubt. IAMDDB. Stana – he said he was down and we’ve had like 1 Whatsapp exchange, but he’s never answered one of my calls! Really hope we wind up making a record soon, I have got some definite ideas …

Flutebox – El P. I’m still working with Asian Dub Foundation, too. Igor Stravinsky, but he’s dead. And Muad’dib – I mean, Muad’dib is my boy and I’ve been wanting to work with him for ages. Can’t wait to work on new music.

Muad’dib – 100%

What’s your favorite track at the moment?

Muad’dib – Can’t choose between Meek Mill, Intro or all the diss tracks Dot Rotten put out when he was in beef with P Money. And that Rinse FM freestyle was a muad ting!!! I heard Dot’s 38 challenge last night, too. Levels.

Flutebox – At the risk of sounding conceited, I really like the record we’ve made. I mean, I try no to listen to it too much as my ability to hear an understand it starts to kinda disintegrate after a while, but yeah … loving our record.

Muad’dib – Me too, actually.

What do you do when you’re not making music?

Muad’dib – Lots. Digital publishing and strategy and consultancy. I run my own creative agency, Renegade Production. In fact, renegade it the “label” and production house behind the Brutus Stone EP. All music and artwork. I’m doing lots of photography at the moment, too. And I’m a dad of 2 daughters – one is 17 and the other is 3.

Flutebox – YI box at Epsom and Ewell and I’m a dad of an 8-month-old boy. I compose, practice and I also teach a bit – actually Brielle is one of my students [shout out Consuela] so that’s kinda how she wound up on the record, actually. I hope to up my curry game to Muad’dib’s level and make the transition from curry powder to live, ground masala very soon, too. No joke. Although my curry is still very serious – cardamom, cassia bark, curry leaves …

Facebook or Twitter?

Muad’dib – Facebook.
Flutebox – Facebook.

In a few words sum up your thoughts about Urban Vault and what we’re trying to do?

Musd’dib – Y’all seem to be aaaaaaaall about the culture! A real high volume of release alerts – it’s a great place to get a kind of real-time snapshot what’s happening all across the spectrum of black/urban music. Found out about Sean Paul’s new release with Stefflon Don from you guys a couple of days ago, actually. Sick.

Flutebox – Same – I mean, I don’t really read or engage with media in general that much, but you guys seem to really be about the scene. Big up.

Thank you for your time and may you carry on making dope, fresh music….

Pre-Order Brutus Stone (05th April) HERE

www.facebook.com/nathanfluteboxlee
https://twitter.com/Flutebox
www.facebook.com/Muaddibldn