So this is your first time in South Africa?
It is my first time and I’m enjoying every moment! It’s been non-stop but I’ve been loving it here.

So what have you seen so far? Been to any parties?
Yeah I’ve been to a few… I went to LEGGO last week, at The Waiting Room which was really good, I like the vibe of that. I went to SWIM as well, popped my head in there. I’ve been to the beach, Llandadno I think it’s called. It’s like a postcard, literally.

That’s Cape Town summer for you! Where were you before you came to Cape Town though?
I was in London. Freezing cold London! I don’t miss it at all, I could live here!

And how’s the new album – One of Many – coming along. You had a call for submissions a while ago where you asked people to say ‘I am (insert name) and I am one of many.’ How did you put those recordings to use on the album?
I just wanted people to be part of the project and the process in some way. I try to make music that’s for everyone, you know… The meaning of the record is that I’m just one of many people on this planet and collectively, we make one. That’s why I wanted to get as many people from around the planet as I could. When you get the record you can hear it in the intro and the interlude, so look out for it! It’s not going to be available for sale until next year unfortunately. I wanted it to be out in March/April, but we need to find the right home for it first.

ERIC LAU - IMAGE BY CHRISTINE HOGG

Have you heard any South African music that you like? Any kwaito?
Yeah, I’ve been schooled on some kwaito and the other local artists like Nonku. I knew Zaki from before, my friend from New York put me onto Zaki a while ago and it’s been four years, we’ve been meaning to meet and we keep on missing each other, so we hooked up yesterday and started a track. I also met up with Uno from Ill Skillz, who I met in London at the Red Bull Studios and he introduced me to everyone, and he’s been taking care of me so it’s been great. We’re working on something too.

So you’re working on material with all of them?
Yeah, with Nonku definitely, she laid down some vocals and we just need to finish them up. There’s also some work with Crosby. Redondo… you know they just happened to be in the studio and they asked me what I do, so I played them the music and they were like ‘yeah, we need to jump on this now!’ We laced it in like an hour. It was a fun little track about where they’re from and stuff. Yeah, it’s about going with the flow.

Eric Lau, image: ericlaumusic.com

So if you could pick anyone to work with, who would you pick?
Afrika Mkhize. He’s one of the most talented African pianists I’ve seen and you need to know about him! His father was a great musician too. I met him in London when he was playing for Simphiwe Dana, and it was so great…

(Afrika Mkhize is a great pianist, and this is one gem you should take Eric’s word for. Check him out here.)

Obviously I’d like to work with D’Angelo… The Bilal’s and the Badu’s of the world… Robert Glasper… Karriem Riggins, as a drummer, I think he’s great.

Alright, so making tracks is what you do. If you could put together a recipe for the perfect track, what would go into that formula?
Probably Dilla programming, drums and bass; Robert Glasper on keys; Bilal on backing vocals; D’Angelo on lead and Dilla on raps… and then you have a live version where Chris Dave takes over on drums and a choir of female vocalists to a little thing at the end… Yeah I think that would be perfect.

Would you ever like to see that happen, now that you think about it?
Well, Dilla has passed, so…

People are still using his music though.
Yeah that’s a sensitive subject for me. I really feel that people haven’t been using his music in the right way, especially since he’s passed and I think he wouldn’t approve of a lot of that.

Eric Lau, image: Red Bull Studios Cape Town

We hear you’re working on a film score too?
Yeah, a short film for my friend Gary Carr, he’s a very talented young actor from Britain and he’s written a script called Freedom Serenity and we’re going to be starting work on that as soon as I get back to London.

Do you find that there’s a difference between making things for other people then, and making things for yourself?
For myself it’s like I go into that space where I zone out and try to get into that space and channel the music through, which is really healing and creative and expressive for me, but doing a job for someone… it’s more like putting a different hat on and being a professional at work regardless of what it is. You have to supplement both sides and it’s good to be on both sides because you get out of your box when you have to accommodate other people.
 

 
Obviously you’re very much into hip-hop. How do you feel about the way hip-hop has evolved as a culture and as a sound?
Hip-hop culture has obviously migrated and mutated into many forms… The fact that I’m a Chinese-British guy in South Africa right now, making hip-hop music is a sign of the times. I feel on a mainstream, capitalistic level of hip-hop there’s been a lot of investment into music that doesn’t have the same essence of what hip-hop initially stood for, in terms of social commentary and skills, and it’s less about the music and it’s less about empowering people.

Where do you think we’ll go from here? Generally things come full circle and history repeats itself…
It depends on the youth, you know. So if we share knowledge with them and educate them in the right way then it’ll be fine. Another thing I’d like to say about hip-hop is that it’s such a limiting word. It’s just music at the end of the day. When people say hip-hop they conjure up images. And on one side you can have hip-hop as The Roots, and on the other side, in the same category called hip-hop, you have Soulja Boy. So for the person who doesn’t know the difference, they’re going to avoid it if they go by what they think it is.

Eric Lau, c/o Red Bull Studios Cape Town

interview: Shiba Mzaza
photos: Eric Lau Music, Red Bull Studios Cape Town, Christine Hogg, Eric Lau Tumblr (homepage image)

 
fLako – Honey Drips

fLako

SETH WILLIAMS

mum

xxyyxxxxyyxx

shigeto

lakim

eric lau