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Blockhead Biography
Calling Blockhead a hip-hop producer is a bit like calling Radiohead a rock 'n' roll band. Though he's provided beats for Def Jux artists like Aesop Rock and isn't above the occasional sped-up vocal sample or turntable scratch, Blockhead's ethereal soundscapes go far beyond what most convention hip-hop aspires to.
We caught up with this elusive beat maestro to ask him about his latest Ninja Tune release, Downtown Science. We also got him to make us a mixtape and recommend a few favorite haunts in New York City, his hometown and the inspiration behind the many disparate sounds on his new album.
AD: Let's get the obvious question out of the way first: How did you get the name Blockhead?
Blockhead: I got it from the actual shape of my head. While it's not square, it's pretty close.
What were some of the first hip-hop records you owned?
I was more of a cassette guy when I first got into hip-hop. The first album I ever owned was the soundtrack to Beat Street...after that, I guess "Radio" by LL Cool J and "Yo, Bum Rush the Show" by Public Enemy.
You tried your hand at rapping before you began producing beats. Do you remember what any of your lyrics were?
Sure, but no one will ever hear them if I have any control over it.
What were the first pieces of gear you acquired to start writing and producing your own tracks?
The same piece I still use, which is an ASR-10 sampler. It's all I know how to use.
How did your connection with Ninja Tune come about?
Lots of luck. I sent them my done album as a demo and they liked it. It was one of those rare cases where the demo works out.
What would you say is the biggest difference between this new album and Music by Cavelight?
The new album is more eclectic. It's less jazzy and more a gumbo of different genres.
There are a lot samples from what sounds like a Broadway musical sprinkled throughout Downtown Science. What are those from?
I found this weird record about a love affair in Manhattan. I believe it was [from] a show, but I could be wrong. Anyway, it had all these parts about downtown Manhattan and it basically shaped up the whole album.
Are you a big fan of many mainstream hip-hop artists or do you mostly prefer the "underground" stuff?
I'm pretty sick of most underground rap. When it's good, it's great, but most of the time it's boring. I prefer some mainstream stuff. But when mainstream is bad, it's the worst.
Your collaborations with Aesop Rock are terrific, but your own albums don't feature any raps or live vocals. Is Blockhead ever going to release the classic hip-hop producer album, with lots of guest vocalists?
I'd love to. I plan to. It just depends when it'll actually happen. Rappers are hard to gather for that kinda project.
Blockhead's New York favorites:
Borough: Manhattan, duh.
Subway line: 1/9.
Record store: Academy Records on 10th off 4th Ave.
Deli: Hmm...this one around the corner from my house on 15th St. is really dope. But I'm sure there are better ones all over.
Dive bar: Max Fish. [178 Ludlow St., Lower East Side]
Hip-hop club: I avoid those.
Late night eatery: Anywhere that's open. I tend to just go to whatever's closest.
Sports team: Hmm...I'm not a very loyal team guy. I root for the Yankees, but if they lose I don't really care.
Place to grab a slice: Ben's on W. 3rd is the downlow spot.
Blockhead's mixtape madness:
1. Clipse - "Virginia"
No one in hip hop can rap about selling coke better.
2. Marvin Gaye - "Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide"
The good old sh*t like they don't make anymore.
3. Donovan - "Get Thy Bearings"
Gotta love Donovan. Especially when he's on some other ish.
4. Tim Dog - "The Dog's Gonna Getcha"
Quite possibly the hardest song ever made.
5. Black Sheep - "Freak Y'All"
Dope track of their over-hated second album.
6. Young Jeezy feat. Jay-Z and Fat Foe - "Go Crazy Rmx"
I can't get this outta my head. Dope Impressions sample and perfect ignorance.
7. Ray Charles - "I Believe to My Soul"
Just an all around powerful song.
8. Master Ace - "Can't Stop the Bum Rush"
Back when he was Master (not "Masta"), he very slept on.
9. Tom Waits - "Innocent When You Dream"
At first it sounds like a drunk yelling, but it's a beautiful song.
10. Cam'ron - "Killa Cam"
So good...so very good.
Blockhead's new album Downtown Science is available now in the ARTISTdirect Store.
We caught up with this elusive beat maestro to ask him about his latest Ninja Tune release, Downtown Science. We also got him to make us a mixtape and recommend a few favorite haunts in New York City, his hometown and the inspiration behind the many disparate sounds on his new album.
AD: Let's get the obvious question out of the way first: How did you get the name Blockhead?
Blockhead: I got it from the actual shape of my head. While it's not square, it's pretty close.
What were some of the first hip-hop records you owned?
I was more of a cassette guy when I first got into hip-hop. The first album I ever owned was the soundtrack to Beat Street...after that, I guess "Radio" by LL Cool J and "Yo, Bum Rush the Show" by Public Enemy.
You tried your hand at rapping before you began producing beats. Do you remember what any of your lyrics were?
Sure, but no one will ever hear them if I have any control over it.
What were the first pieces of gear you acquired to start writing and producing your own tracks?
The same piece I still use, which is an ASR-10 sampler. It's all I know how to use.
How did your connection with Ninja Tune come about?
Lots of luck. I sent them my done album as a demo and they liked it. It was one of those rare cases where the demo works out.
What would you say is the biggest difference between this new album and Music by Cavelight?
The new album is more eclectic. It's less jazzy and more a gumbo of different genres.
There are a lot samples from what sounds like a Broadway musical sprinkled throughout Downtown Science. What are those from?
I found this weird record about a love affair in Manhattan. I believe it was [from] a show, but I could be wrong. Anyway, it had all these parts about downtown Manhattan and it basically shaped up the whole album.
Are you a big fan of many mainstream hip-hop artists or do you mostly prefer the "underground" stuff?
I'm pretty sick of most underground rap. When it's good, it's great, but most of the time it's boring. I prefer some mainstream stuff. But when mainstream is bad, it's the worst.
Your collaborations with Aesop Rock are terrific, but your own albums don't feature any raps or live vocals. Is Blockhead ever going to release the classic hip-hop producer album, with lots of guest vocalists?
I'd love to. I plan to. It just depends when it'll actually happen. Rappers are hard to gather for that kinda project.
Blockhead's New York favorites:
Borough: Manhattan, duh.
Subway line: 1/9.
Record store: Academy Records on 10th off 4th Ave.
Deli: Hmm...this one around the corner from my house on 15th St. is really dope. But I'm sure there are better ones all over.
Dive bar: Max Fish. [178 Ludlow St., Lower East Side]
Hip-hop club: I avoid those.
Late night eatery: Anywhere that's open. I tend to just go to whatever's closest.
Sports team: Hmm...I'm not a very loyal team guy. I root for the Yankees, but if they lose I don't really care.
Place to grab a slice: Ben's on W. 3rd is the downlow spot.
Blockhead's mixtape madness:
1. Clipse - "Virginia"
No one in hip hop can rap about selling coke better.
2. Marvin Gaye - "Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide"
The good old sh*t like they don't make anymore.
3. Donovan - "Get Thy Bearings"
Gotta love Donovan. Especially when he's on some other ish.
4. Tim Dog - "The Dog's Gonna Getcha"
Quite possibly the hardest song ever made.
5. Black Sheep - "Freak Y'All"
Dope track of their over-hated second album.
6. Young Jeezy feat. Jay-Z and Fat Foe - "Go Crazy Rmx"
I can't get this outta my head. Dope Impressions sample and perfect ignorance.
7. Ray Charles - "I Believe to My Soul"
Just an all around powerful song.
8. Master Ace - "Can't Stop the Bum Rush"
Back when he was Master (not "Masta"), he very slept on.
9. Tom Waits - "Innocent When You Dream"
At first it sounds like a drunk yelling, but it's a beautiful song.
10. Cam'ron - "Killa Cam"
So good...so very good.
Blockhead's new album Downtown Science is available now in the ARTISTdirect Store.
Blockhead All Music Guide Biography
Underground beat maestro Anthony Simon, better known as Blockhead, first lent his production hands in the mid-'90s to then up-and-coming MC Aesop Rock, who rose to indie rap prominence during the 2000s. Blockhead's contributions to Aesop's LPs were a big factor to the indie MC's success, especially those from Aesop's highly regarded Definitive Jux debut Labor Days (2001). Nevertheless, in the following years the New York producer garnered his own acclaim as an instrumental rap artiste, turning his sampledelic beats into brooding, trip-hop-like concoctions.
Born and raised in Manhattan, Simon was one of seven children. The bohemian mentality of his father, a painter and sculptor, and the steadfastness of his mother, a social worker, confounded Simon's upbringing, but yet informed his musical pursuits. He was aspiring to be an MC -- that is, until he first met Aesop Rock in 1994, the one year he attended Boston University. After hearing Aesop spit verses, he hung up the mic and focused on producing. Blockhead provided most of the beats for Aesop afterwards, including Aesop's self-pressed material, Music for Earthworms (1997) and Appleseed (1999), as well as his proper full-length debut Float, released via Mush Records in 2000. In 2001, Mush wound up releasing Blockhead's first beat tape, Blockhead's Broken Beats, as well.
Blockhead continued producing Aesop when the abstract MC signed with New York upstart Def Jux in 2000. Upon the 2001 release of Labor Days, for which Blockhead produced nine tracks, critics and indie rap fans alike heavily praised the two's work. It led to the release of the EP Daylight the following year, which was based around the popular "Daylight" song from the Labor Days LP.
With this success, Blockhead began to break out on his own. Though not intended to become a real project, the Manhattan producer formed comedy rap duo Party Fun Action Committee with longtime friend Jeremy Gibson, aka Jer, issuing their debut, Let's Get Serious, on Def Jux in 2003; he also supplied beats for many of the label's signees, including Murs, Hangar 18, and later Cage. However, for his solo material, he shopped around to other labels, eventually finding a home in U.K. electronic stalwart Ninja Tune. Blockhead's proper debut, the Insomniac Olympics EP, arrived in 2003, and led up to the more cinematic and downtempo full-length, Music by Cavelight in 2004, and the ode to his Manhattan home, Downtown Science, in 2005. His work with Aesop diminished considerably during this period, until the recording of Aesop's 2007 album, None Shall Pass. That same year, Ninja Tune issued Blockhead's third long-player, Uncle Tony's Coloring Book, a more uptempo piece than his previous records. ~ Cyril Cordor, All Music Guide
Born and raised in Manhattan, Simon was one of seven children. The bohemian mentality of his father, a painter and sculptor, and the steadfastness of his mother, a social worker, confounded Simon's upbringing, but yet informed his musical pursuits. He was aspiring to be an MC -- that is, until he first met Aesop Rock in 1994, the one year he attended Boston University. After hearing Aesop spit verses, he hung up the mic and focused on producing. Blockhead provided most of the beats for Aesop afterwards, including Aesop's self-pressed material, Music for Earthworms (1997) and Appleseed (1999), as well as his proper full-length debut Float, released via Mush Records in 2000. In 2001, Mush wound up releasing Blockhead's first beat tape, Blockhead's Broken Beats, as well.
Blockhead continued producing Aesop when the abstract MC signed with New York upstart Def Jux in 2000. Upon the 2001 release of Labor Days, for which Blockhead produced nine tracks, critics and indie rap fans alike heavily praised the two's work. It led to the release of the EP Daylight the following year, which was based around the popular "Daylight" song from the Labor Days LP.
With this success, Blockhead began to break out on his own. Though not intended to become a real project, the Manhattan producer formed comedy rap duo Party Fun Action Committee with longtime friend Jeremy Gibson, aka Jer, issuing their debut, Let's Get Serious, on Def Jux in 2003; he also supplied beats for many of the label's signees, including Murs, Hangar 18, and later Cage. However, for his solo material, he shopped around to other labels, eventually finding a home in U.K. electronic stalwart Ninja Tune. Blockhead's proper debut, the Insomniac Olympics EP, arrived in 2003, and led up to the more cinematic and downtempo full-length, Music by Cavelight in 2004, and the ode to his Manhattan home, Downtown Science, in 2005. His work with Aesop diminished considerably during this period, until the recording of Aesop's 2007 album, None Shall Pass. That same year, Ninja Tune issued Blockhead's third long-player, Uncle Tony's Coloring Book, a more uptempo piece than his previous records. ~ Cyril Cordor, All Music Guide
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