Dalek is creating some of the deepest hiphop around, with a crazy live show and intense music that owes as much to My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth as it does to Public Enemy and BDP. Dalek’s new album, Obscene, is out now so go get that shit immediately if you want your mind blown. The following is a brief interview with the group’s mysterious leader…

USOUNDS: What are some of your influences musically? How about
socially/politically?

DALEK: Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, Eric B & Rakim, My Bloody Valentine, Velvet Underground, Faust, Scientist, Bad Brains. Malcom X, Kwame Ture, Fred Hampton, Shirley Chisholm, WEB DuBois, Adam Clayton Powell, Francisco Morazan.

USOUNDS: Is your fanbase stronger in America or Europe? What is it like rocking those European cities?

DALEK: Europe seems to be more receptive to our music, as usually tends to be the case. I guess they are more willing to listen to groups that push the bounderies. Europe has been amazing for us, crazy crowds, mad energy!

USOUNDS: What are your live shows like?

DALEK: Our live shows are a complete assault. A wall of sound.

USOUNDS: Dr. Who?

DALEK: Dr. NO

USOUNDS: What direction is Dalek going in? Has your sound changed over time or has it been part of a consistent vision?

DALEK: We have always tried to challenge ourselves and we hope to continue to do so. I think we have matured both as musicians and as people, our new record hopefully conveys that maturation.

USOUNDS: How do you write your songs? What is the process like?

DALEK: there is no set formula to how we write but i usually create the basic tracks and lyric ideas before having oktopus basically be quality control. he weens the tracks down to just the illest one, that we then flesh out with arrangements, overdubs, and lryics, and then we have Still come in and do the cuts and turntable work.

I work with an MPC3000, SP-12, S-900, and an S-950, as well as a powerbook G4 running Ableton Live and Pro Tools. Okto uses an ARS-10 and a powerbook G4 as well as a Pro Tools TDM system.