It's been nearly a decade since Adam F stormed the States and hooked up with the cream of rap talent to create his landmark Kaos album, which was released the day before September 11, 2001. The lead single Smash Something featured Red Man and singled out Adam F as one of the most successful drum & bass producers of all time.

 

Adam F, with Horx, has just released a second single with Redman coming into 2010 - the expertly produced 'Shut The Lights Off'. So everyone wants to know: why did the outlandish duo saddle up for another round? "Redman and Method were touring the Blackout 2 album and one of their stops was in Amsterdam ... which I know is a place that Red likes to spend a few days in, for obvious reasons," Adam says in a gravelly voice that tells tales of late nights in the studio. "So, I thought it would be an appropriate place to get him in the studio while he's relaxed and roll something out for a bit of fun."

 

In case you didn't know, Adam has been producing with US hip hop magnates for the last five years or so. "I did a track called Fuck The Security with DJ Craze, which you can find on my MySpace or Vimeo, and I've been doing stuff for Redman's Gillahouse, but not things that get international releases; for street tapes," he says concisely, not wasting any words. "But Shut The Lights Off wasn't meant to be some big Smash Something, or a comeback track, it was just the result of us in the studio having fun."

 

Usually the best tracks are quickly made. "Supposedly," Adam says after a long pause, "but most of mine in the past have taken three months to make, tracks like Brand New Funk, or Smash Something with the orchestra. Certain things do take a while and a lot of effort, but I guess the bare bones needs to be sketched pretty quickly so that everything's natural."

 

Who is Horx - co-producer of Shut The Lights Off? "At the music conference earlier in the year I hooked up with Nick Horx who originally signed me to EMI back in the day who also A&R'd The Prodigy and ran XL," Adam explains, "and we were just talking about getting in the studio."

 

Speaking of heavyweights in the music industry: "I also had fun getting Caspa to do a mix," Adam goes on, "and I went in the studio with Sigma and did a little D&B mix."

 

It's as if Adam had never left the production circuit. "I was concentrating on running the label for a while," he admits. "I've got a whole load of other stuff in the pipeline and hopefully I'm going to be doing quite a bit more stuff with Redman."

 

An interesting fact: Adam F hooked up with Redman via a UK rave MC and not the A&R of a major record label. "MC MC (who I worked with at the time) knew someone that was looking for UK producers back when people perceived drum & bass as new and exciting," Adam F recalls. "I met Redman backstage in LA and - pretty much how people do to me - just went up to him with a CD. Then he played my track on a little stereo system with one speaker when I had actually gone to the whole madness of recording the choir and orchestra, so I think that's what won him over; him trying to work out how I created that."

 

The US rappers have rockstar reputations - are these accurate? "The more famous you are," Adam F explains, "the harder it is to be a 'regular' person, isn't it? Because you live in this dome of surreal experiences and weird realities of massive shows with thousands of thousands of people, and everybody trying to ask you questions non stop all round the clock. Anyone in this business is a bit abnormal, do you know what I mean? To be spending all of our time permanently making music..."

 

Hence why they're in and out of rehab! "Cutting it down - people like De La Soul are really down to earth," Adam continues. "They ride on the underground; come in the studio with a backpack; get a pen and paper out; straightforward. Redman - he gets in the studio, smokes a bit, is really chilled and then afterwards we drive him around in his car listening to tunes. But then you have people like LL (Cool J) that are a bit more glamourous and 'out there'. His A&R guy was rushing out on the streets of New York finding 10-20 girls and saying, 'LL's upstairs; come in and record a hook - he wants you to sing 'take it off baby, take my clothes off' and they're all coming in, and it's all a bit pop starry. Equally, LL shut the door and he threw me down a pad and paper and was like, 'I want you to write some lyrics'."

 

Momma said knock you out? "I was like, 'you want me to write lyrics'?" Adam says incredulously. "And LL said, 'just listen to the beat and write down what comes into your head, like 'king and tsar and emperor and shit'."

 

Now we know why the call him Ladies Lover. "But it was cool because it showed that people like LL are really open minded to you putting your ideas in," Adam concludes. "Redman is very hands on, serious and professional, even though he comes across differently in his videos, but then, to flip the script, you have people like Capone and Noreaga that came in and did their vocals with crash helmets on. I remember ... that particular session was about 10,000 bucks and we had to take in a briefcase of money and give them the first half of the cash when they started the first verse, and when they finished the second verse we paid them the other half. So, it all depends who you're working with."

 

Keep in touch with Adam F's empire on the new Breakbeat Kaos website

 

Check out the New! Knowledge Forums here...

 

 

 

• Adam F

Related Links:

• Watch Adam F & Redman's New Video
• Adam Audio Release New Studio Monitors
• Free Track: Adam F vs Sonic C - In The Air
• Issue 41
• Adam Audio Upgrade A-Series Monitors

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