Interview: Andrew W K and B-Roc of The Knocks

It's been a while since Mr. WK aka mr. "Party Hard" has been in the Spotlight. After meeting B-Roc of emerging NYC producer duo, 'The Knocks', he started working on a mixtape for promotion of the new album. Whether your a fan of Andrew WK or The Knocks is irrelevent because they WILL get you wet, regardless of when, where, why or how...

(for both)How did you guys meet up?

ANDREW W.K. - I'm not sure exactly how I got in touch with Ben, but I think it involved cyberspace, a hunch, and the lucky number 55. All I'm sure of is that once we met, I was totally certain I would be
working with this man. He had an incredible vibe, right off the bat. It was all very smooth and natural, as all good things in life.

B-ROC: A friend put me onto Andrew's music and the second i saw/heard him I knew it would be love at first sight. So i hit him up in cyberspace, he came by my studio in Chinatown and we decided we wanted to collab!

(for B-Roc) are you collaborating on the new WK album?

B-Roc: no no, i am busy working on my artist Samuel's album and Andrew is in a different gallaxy/in a different world with his music that i dont think i could even get to with or without a spaceship.

(for B-Rock) how did you get involved with working with a number of indie pop artists? Did you happen to find these acapellas or did were you approached by labels?

B-Roc: a lot of them were through people we know in New York, for example The Postelles are good friends of ours, as well as Rumspringa. Other than that, when it comes to remixes we usually get asked by the band themselves or through their label just because they have heard our past work or were reffered to us.

(for WK) Whenever your name comes into play, the conversation immediately shifts into a frenzied screaming session of "I GET WET" and something is usually broken. Does the success of that single haunt
you (I have other songs guys...) or do you join right in with the excitement every time?

ANDREW W.K. - Well, I'm always grateful for any sort of energized reaction to my work, especially when it involves breaking crystal lamps and porceline vases. When I'm performing on stage, I want as
much intensity around me as possible - if I'm at home, on the streets,
or at a restaurant, I've generally preferred an atmosphere of calm.

(for both) what's the mix tape made of?

ANDREW W.K. - DAMN! The Mixtape Vol. 1 is me teaming up with B-Roc to present the best of the music we've been producing and remixing. Plus, we each remixed a track the other produced (I remixed the Samuel song, "Say Goodbye", and B-Roc remixed the Lee "Scratch" Perry tune, "War Dance"). There are lots and lots of tracks on the limited edition CD, and there's another version available on iTunes and
Amazons. I wanted the feeling of this mixtape to be like listening to a radio station from another dimension. I think we definitely got into outer space with this collection.

B-Roc - Couldn't have said it better than Mr. WK.

(for WK) Who are some artists on the rise (in your opinion) who
should we be watching for?

ANDREW W.K. - Well, I must take this opportunity to plug the record label I just started, Skyscraper Music Maker, (my first release is DAMN! The Mixtape Vol. 1). I have an ABC roster of artists: BAD
BRILLIANCE (http://www.myspace.com/badbrilliance), ALEISTER X (http://www.myspace.com/aleisterx), and CHERIE LILY (http://www.myspace.com/cherielily). All three of these artists appear on DAMN! The Mixtape and have been performing heavily with me at the club I co-own in Manhattan, Santos Party House. I am producing music with them for their upcoming debut releases. It's like a dream making music with these folks - I think they are as good as it gets.

(for WK) best/worst live experiences...

ANDREW W.K. - My best live experience is which ever one I just had,
and my worst live experience is which ever one I haven't had!

(for B-Roc) Your remixes continue to improve and showcase your talent. When are you coming out with original (Knocks) content?

B-Roc: Right now we are producing all of our artist Samuel's album which will be released next year on Columbia Records. This album consists of a lot of songs that Jpatt and I (The Knocks) not only produced, but wrote on also so we consider that our original content. We also have one song on the DAMN! mixtape called "Can't Shake Your Love" which is an original track of ours that has been getting a lot of burn, as well as the track "Girlz" which actually features Mr. Jpatt singing on it.

(for WK) how often do you get wet?

ANDREW W.K. - Every single time I have to go to the bathroom.

The Mixtape is available now in the UK check out the Mixtape's Myspace for more info. On the tape are several new showcased artists along with New singles from Andrew WK and a Girltalk remix. B-Roc was kind enough to hook me up with two tracks off of the mix. If you haven't heard the Knocks' fantastic remix of Sleepyhead, you need to.

$ Julia - Cocaine (The Knocks Remix)
$ The Knocks - Can't Shake Your Love