RADIOINACTIVE AND ANTIMC
THE DYNAMIC DUO OF LA'S UNDERGROUND RAP SCENE SHARE THEIR INNERMOST THOUGHTS

The names Radioinactive and Antimc may not exactly be household names, unless of course you live in a household populated by in-the-know, underground loving hip-hop heads. Yet whether teamed together or working as separate artists by mixing diverse sonic implications with deft, off-kilter, pointed and poignant lyricism these two Los Angeles based producer/MCs have managed to make an indelible mark on the ever shifting tides of rap music.

Their latest endeavor, Free Kamal mixes elements of Latin jazz, ambient bebop, street bred rap, tinges of dusted country, and eclectic electronic meanderings into a swirling stew of amorphous soniference.

As can be expected from their aural output, these guys aren't your average, everyday type of post-PoMo musicians. And they proved this in spades when we hit them with our prying "11 Questions."

1) Who is your favorite superhero or super villain and why?
Kamal (aka Radioinactive): Galactus would be my favorite super villain. He was pretty bad ass. I mean after all he ate planets.
Matt (aka Antimc): The high-school-parking-lot-air-guitar super-hero. They're keeping the dream alive and not carin' about what you want them to be. I grew up in LA, and therefore am completely amoral.

2) What is your favorite late night snack when you're in the studio or out on tour and why?
Kamal: When on tour in Denver a little Middle Eastern restaurant called Jerusalem; its open until 4am. Every city has its late-nite faire. I prefer when its not Denny's or Waffle House.
Matt: Donuts. Do I really need to explain? Everything horrible for you in one little circle (or bar, perhaps) of deep-fried goodness.

3) Who or what are your NON-musical influences and why?
Matt: My competitive streak. It impels me forward, and every time I see someone doing well, it fuels me to work harder. I'm a HATER!
Kamal: Lerb, the shadow of God.

4) What is the motto you live by?
Kamal: You better Respecognize!
Matt: Bring something flammable!!!!!!

5) Which do you prefer, performing music live or creating it in the studio and why?
Kamal: I like the journey of making a song in the studio and following it up onto the stage. From here on out, I want to rehearse songs in a live setting before recording.
Matt: I like the live setting best. I never have to wait five months to get feedback on something that took me months to make. At a gig, if I do something ridiculous or hopefully brilliant, a couple-hundred people (possibly more, or unfortunately, less) are right there to let me know if I'm a bastard or a genius. I've always loved watching bands, so I know how rad it feels to be entertained, and I've always wanted to be able to do that.

6) Do you remember the first concert you ever went to?
Matt: Paul Simon's Graceland Tour with Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Linda Ronstadt at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles. I was in the 6th Grade, 10 years old, and it was a school night. Mom and pop let me miss school the next day after I sat through the whole concert. Amazing.
Kamal: My first concert was Elvis Costello and Squeeze at The Forum in Los Angeles. I was only 5 or 6. I wore red blazer. I was so excited that I pissed in my pants.

7) Do you remember the first album you ever bought? Was it on CD, vinyl, cassette or 8-track? Why did you buy it?
Kamal: The first cassette I bought was Street Beats Volume One. That was in 1983. Well actually my dad bought it for me. Does that count? I think this comp was my first purchase. Although it may have been Nucleus Jam On Revenge. I was a break dancing fiend.
Matt: I honestly can't remember the first album I bought for myself. I can

assure you all it was a hip-hop album and that it was in cassette format. The first album I ever owned was the Disney's Greatest Songs album, and I would play "Bear Necessities" and "King of the Jungle" like there was no tomorrow.

7b) What is your favorite album and why?
Kamal: I like to discover new favorites. It's sort of boring to have a favorite album and stick to your guns about it.
Matt: Yeah, I gotta agree with Kamal on this one. Plus I have favorites for different things. It's tough to play favorites if you really like music, I think. Plus, I'd hate to make some band all excited by calling them my favorite, and then a week later change my mind.

8) Name a musician that you've always wanted to work with but haven't yet and why.
Matt: Joe Strummer or Mick Jones. These two songwriters were the best at creating songs that really captured what its like living in a big city with all of its problems (class, race, drugs, angst, etc.) and make art out of it. They didn't just preach, they didn't just threaten. Especially by the last three albums (I won't count Cut the Crap) they had become able to do what they want; however they wanted to. They took all of the music they loved in and put it through their unique filter, and then laid these amazing protest songs over them. Unfortunately, I'll never get the chance to work with Joe Strummer.

9) If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Kamal: I wouldn't change anything, for it is a perfect harmoniously functioning blossom of super consciousness.
Matt: Can I just use that answer, too?

10) What has been your most important professional accomplishment to date?
Matt: I would have to say doing Free Kamal. It was the first LP with my name on the cover, and I got to really lead the direction of the album. Kamal gave me a bunch of room to produce the record and he listened to me when I spoke, and I think this record maintains his arty, fun, playful energy that made Pyramidi a good record, but focuses it through my more austere sensibility. I'm very proud of what I accomplished on it.
Kamal: I got to hold a microphone over a topless Halle Berry and got paid for it.

11) What has been your most memorable or most f@#ked-up gig to date and why?
Matt: One of the Mush Tour gigs this summer was pretty hot. We were playing on this crazy ad hoc sound system in Santa Fe, NM and every time I'd hit a bassy tone on my MPC, we'd blow the power. It happened three times. All three times I'd have to get off the stage (which was actually just the floor of the restaurant we were playing in) and go with the manager to reset the breaker. It made me feel pretty rad that my shit was blowing their power. Awesome!

The Ubiquitous Bonus Questions

12) What is your kindred spirit animal (the animal you are most like) and why?
Matt: A liger. It's pretty much my favorite animal. It's like a lion and tiger mixed, bred for its skills in magic.

13) What is your favorite book ?
Matt: The Secret Life of Salvador Dali by Salvador Dali. When I read it, it really meant a lot to me. He was so funny and honest and vulnerable when it came to his lover Gala, but the stories he weaves are so ridiculous. Dali has managed to polarize people like no other artist can. Brilliant.
Kamal: Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins. Robbins is the master of telling elaborate multidimensional tales that are filled with sex, laughter, non-sequitors and wisdom. What else do you need?

-SPENCE D