Interview with Saadiq and Waajeed

Words: Charles Izenstein

Saadiq and Waajeed from Platinum Pied Pipers

While running a bit of recon in preparation for a chat with Detroit’s latest aural freedom fighters, the soon-to-go-huge, Platinum Pied Pipers, I began to feel a bit out of touch. I totally admit that although many internationally recognized media outlets have embraced the work PPP has pressed over the past few years, because they have flown below the radar, I’ve been a bit slow on hitting the record store for their wax. Listen up, because with the release of their first complete album, the formidable new release, Triple P, the leader Waajeed and his musical brother in the trenches, Saadiq, has dropped a truly complete piece of quality plastic. From Motown to Kid Rock, Eminem to Jeff Mills, Marvin Gaye to PPP, the mélange that is the Detroit cultural community truly shines while bringing a truly original soul to whatever the project. Personally, I mourn the loss of the community record store, because these guys are a classic example of an artist I would most definitely check out at a shop, but because I get loads of music online and via online retailers, I don’t get the human experience and I miss it. PPP’s vibe, a little bitta Motown, a tablespoon of soul and a handful of hip hop, crosses genre definitions pleasing a seriously diverse palette of inner-ear taste buds, with style, swagger and class.So go snatch up a copy, quick-snap!  

Platinum Pied Pipers

Klublife chatted with Waajeed (founding member of the both the legendary Slum Village and PPP) between gigs in California.

Klublife: If I’m not mistaken, you guys should be just recovering from a pretty sweet European tour, especially with gigs with Gilles Peterson and Jazzanova, two all-time great acts from the soulful side of dance music, as well as a handful of festival gigs. Could you talk to the readers about your experience around Europe as a whole—have either of you toured there before?

PPP: I toured Europe before with Slum Village years ago. This is actually PPP’s second European tour within the last couple of years. The experience of touring in Europe has been wonderful. People in Europe are always open to hear something new and they’re always down for groundbreaking music.

Klublife: In regards to your live act and crowd reaction to your music, how did the progression of England, over to the continent to Holland, and finally some time in Germany treat the band? Were you touring with the same musicians the whole time?

PPP: It’s all about the same. Music is the universal language and luckily our music has translated successfully to people in Europe and the states. People are looking to have a good time and that is what we provide.

Yes, it is myself Saadiq, Tiombe Lockhart, Invincible and Richard Spaven on drums.

Klublife: What/Where was your favorite show from the tour (one from each country would be great) and could you share an outstanding memory from those shows?

PPP: From the UK, our favorite show was in London with Gilles Peterson. It was a sold-out night. The stage was thick and I remember that the roar from the crowd for us to do an encore shook the backroom. I came back on stage for the encore with a gold cape, a hook on my hand and a plastic pistol shouting PLATINUM PIED PIRATES. LOL!

Our favorite date in Holland was at Paradiso on Queensday. We went on stage at about 2:30 a.m. to perform in front of the most drunk and excited crowd of the whole tour. They were waiting to have a good time and we gave it to them.

In Germany, the best show was in Berlin. You hear so many fly things about Berlin and the city definitely lived up to its reputation. We performed at Café Moscow for about 500 people, and it was a really good night.

Klublife: Really, you two haven’t had a break in quite a few months and your tour is currently rolling through California and back the back east for some more shows including the Montreal Jazz Fest and the Harbourfront Festival in Toronto. It’s looking like you might have quite a few gigs to be announced as well. Are you ready for the touring life? Did you both have preconceived expectations for the album, and do you think that the critical reaction has fit with your ideas?

PPP: Yes, we are definitely geared up and ready for the tour life. I kind of expected it because I put my best effort forth in producing this record. It’s cool that after hearing the album, people want to be pied piped in person.

I definitely had high expectations for this album, and expected people to react to the album, but I didn’t expect so many people to react so positively. In making this album, I thought my audience would be educated music lovers that liked music that stretched across genres. I was really surprised to learn that the audience for this type of music was larger than I thought.

Klublife: You’ve both said many times that the PPP sound is intentionally eclectic to at the very least avoid being typecast into one genre. For our readers who enjoy your work and want to further explore other funky grooves, I was hoping you could both push them in the right direction. Could you hit the readers with some of your favourite albums reflecting the different vibes from Triple P (like your favorite Cuban, Brazilian, Afropop, etc. albums/artists). We’d be grateful!

PPP: Anything from Sergio Mendes and Brazil 66 (Latin influence). Derrick May-Clear (Detroit techno). Roy Davis Jr.-Chicago Forever (Funky house influence). Slum Village-Fantastic Vol 1(hip hop influence). To name a few . . .

Klublife: Personally, I’ve lived in lots of different places, but New York just seems to be the place that I compare everything else to. Many of us don’t know very much about Detroit either, just that it’s a pretty rough city if you get lost or don’t have much going on. What were performances like in Detroit before your move, and is there a different feel to your touring show than a hometown gig?

PPP: To me, it’s the same. All of the people that come to see us are the same everywhere, because so many of them have been supporting since day one and are really into what we are doing on stage. I am so comfortable being on stage with my fellow Platinum Pied Pipers that it feels like we are performing for ourselves and there just happens to be an audience.

Klublife: Where in Brooklyn do you guys make your music? You’ve mentioned APT in other interviews, but are there any other NYC hotspots and music venues that stand out or keep you coming back?

PPP: We only make music at the Bling47 Studio here in Brooklyn. Other clubs that we go to to hear our music and other fly sh!t are Table 50 and Triple Crown.

Klublife: So once your US tour is finished in a few weeks, what does the near future hold for PPP? Any new projects in the works? Specifically, how is Tiombe’s album coming? Have you even had any time to work on anything? Any other plans to work with the awesome Mark de Clive Lowe? He’s really making some great beats, too.

PPP: Actually, our immediate plans are to finish our domestic tour and go back to Europe for some key summer dates with ?uestlove, some summer festivals, Jazz Café performances, etc. Immediately following that, we start some more spot dates on the East and West Coast. While we’re on tour, we are always developing new material for b47 artists. Tiombe’s album has been in the works for some time and we are looking at a release date some time next year. (It’s gonna be sick, get ready!) Next up will be Invincible’s much anticipated release. In the meanwhile, keep an eye open for a gang of remixes for Roy Ayers, Goapele, Cee-lo and Jazzy Pha, and much much more. I’m the hardest working producer in show business. LOL!