Our latest podcast features the Rush Hour mysterio Nebraska. In my opinion his Displacement album is right up there for album of the year, its been on constant repeat here at DA and getting support from the likes of Darko Esser, Steffi, Hunee, Roman Flugel just to name a few. With so many people falling totally in love with his sound we had to find out more about his production techniques and his Rush Hour hook up.

Nebraska ? Ali Gibb kind of has a nice ring to it…
‘Ali Gibbs’ just sounds like my name to me; no problem with that, but just needed another name for that first 12″ that Russ Gabriel put out in 2000. Didn’t give it much thought, just plucked it out of thin air.

What is your approach when working on music ? you must have some kind of training ? i find it hard to believe that you just mess around till you got something that sounds like the future.
Haven’t had any formal training, just picked up bits off friends at school, messing about with guitars and so on.
From a tech perspective, working for years alongside my friend James Mason was how I got introduced to programming samplers and sequencers, etc. The main chunk of what I do is listening out for stuff to sample. I spent years being a real record nerd, hanging around in second-hand stores. My approach is the same as the way a hip hop producer would work, digging for samples and playing with them until it works.

You have kept a low profile for many years on the scene why is this ?
My low profile is due to the speed I work at – slow. Also, a few years back, I decided to take a break from it, had been doing too much and not enjoying it. It’s not a conscious decision to be mysterious, I just do it when I feel like it.

How did the Rush Hour hook up come about ?
Rush Hour distributed DownLow who released an LP and 12″ of mine. RH got in contact and asked if they could reissue the two earlier Nebraska 12s – the one Russ Gabriel released and one that Zaki Dee had promoed on his Butter label but never properly put out (due to the collapse of the distributor on week of release). Those did OK so we pulled together some newer stuff.


2000 – 2011 that is slow indeed.  How long did it take you to do the new bits for the album then?
The new parts of the album were worked up over a period of about a year, but some bits like ‘Characteristic’ have been around longer, but got finished in the same phase. I often leave tracks for a few months or a year or so.


When & for how long was it that you took the break?
I took a break for about a year in 2000 right after the Terrestrial Variations EP first came out. I sold all of my studio gear and moved house.

Have you been getting much attention now with your come back? ie. press coverage, gigs & such.
I get asked to do gigs quite often but have so far said no, partly because I don’t have a set worked out and partly because of not being too keen on being the centre of attention. I should do it though.

What are your hopes of achievement in the industry?
None really – not chasing sales, not trying to make a living out of it. It’s just good to get a response to what I do, especially if it’s from a dj or artist that I rate.

What do you do for a day job, if anything?
I’m a graphic designer. Lots of parallels between the hobby and the profession.

Have you got anything else coming up?
Haven’t worked on any new tunes since finishing the album, apart from a remix for Jimpster’s Freerange Label and a couple of re-edits. As Spike Milligan said, “I’ve planned nothing, so nothing can go wrong”.

 

Deep Absurdum Podcast 12: Nebraska by deepabsurdum

 
Tracklisting:

01. Joe Cool – Vince Guaraldi
02. Cripple Creek – Leo Kottke
03. Here It Comes (Remix) – Mc Serch
04. Sounds Of The Safari – Jungle Brothers
05. Days 2 Come – Jungle Brothers
06. Two Notches – Rhthym Warfare
07. No Way Back – Adonis
08. Solina – Jedi Knights
09. Close Your Eyes And Look Within – Donald Byrd
10. Heavy Duty Dub – Harry Mudie