IN DEPTH: Cauld Cauldron
Somewhere in Ayr, Scotland, we caught up with Cauld Cauldron to talk about their influences, history and the current climate of Scottish Hip-Hop.
Let's kick this off with telling us your names, where you're from and your chosen craft?
Export and myself (Baltik) are the two emcee's from the Cauld Cauldron. Sneeky Creeky is the producer, composer and audio engineer. All of us hail from the seaside town of Ayr on the west coast of Scotland.
Who or what were your main influences that got you into Hip-Hop?
Baltik: Back in the early 90's, I remember getting a hold of a mix tape cassette from a friends older brother with loads of artists on it and I was blown away by the uncensored rawness of the music. Export and myself have huge Hip-Hop collections, but some of our early influences were; Ice Cube, Paris, Wu Tang Clan, Gangstarr, The Alkaholiks and Jeru the Damaja. We were fans first and foremost and both did a bit of DJing before eventually picking up the mic.
Creek: I’ve been into Soul, Funk and Motown since I was a kid. Some of my first memories are listening to my mother's vinyl collection. She had a really broad collection of genres, but I always loved playing Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross etc. That sort of laid the foundation for my musical tastes. As I got into my teens, I started being influenced by Hip-Hop. I loved how producers were sampling breaks from records I’d been listening to my whole life. It was a natural progression for me to start making beats.
Cauld Cauldron - Can you tell us a bit about the crew?
Cauld Cauldron is a concept born of national pride, friendship and a collective love of Hip-Hop. We embody the spirit of Scottish independence, expressed through well crafted vocal performances and fresh instrumental concepts. Blending influences from traditional celtic music, through 90’s era Hip-Hop and into modern EDM.
Can we expect anything new from the Cauldron?
Absolutely! you never know when a fresh Cauldron record is going to drop, so expect the unexpected. We also have collaborative EP in the works with the Scottish beat legend STS!
What are your thoughts on the current scene in Scotland?
Creek: Tons of talent. There’s a rich pool of vocal and instrumental talent in the Scottish Hip-Hop scene and there has been for a couple of decades now. While there’s been little commercial success for individuals and collectives operating within the genre, the innovation and musical diversity is apparent. Scots artists are expressive, passionate, and cerebral. I believe the future will bring recognition to these often overlooked musicians.
Baltik: Its good to see artist's from back before we started still doing there thing and continuing to raise the bar. Homegrown Hip-Hop remains very niche however and i feel there is still a bit of a stigma attached to being a Scottish rapper. There's not much fortune or fame to found as a Scottish hip hop artist, as a result most people involved do it simply for the love of it. Which comes across in the music.
What would benefit the scene in your opinion?
Baltik: I really don’t keep up with what's going on as much as I used to, but generally just keep creating quality music and building an audience. Funding and investment into things, like more workshops and studio access would be great for upcoming artists. More exposure from national and local media coverage wouldn't hurt either. The talent is there, it just needs promoting!
Creek: Primarily, inclusion in the wider reach of Hip-Hop within modern music culture. UK rap has evolved steadily over the years to the point of global acceptance. This basically means the English accent, specifically the London accent has become palatable (or at least tolerable) to the international listener. I believe if we break ground with a few examples of Scottish Hip-Hop, perhaps with commercial exposure via TV and film placement, a global audience could be introduced to a body of work as yet undiscovered.
Where is best for people to find your tracks?
The usual places, all the digital streaming platforms, Spotify, Apple, etc. Check our Bandcamp for the full collection. Then there's our YouTube channel and also SoundCloud. We’ve been releasing music there since around 2009, so there’s a ton of original Cauld Cauldron work up there to wade through.
You have worked with many artists outside Scotland. Are there any that stood out for you personally?
Baltik: Yes we have worked with a host of producers and emcees over the years, all of whom I rate, but a couple to look out for would be Manlikejoe of 4Ronin from south of the border and Wu Evans from across the pond. Both have serious mic skills along with some killer beats.
Creek: Sure have, I’ve been involved in the production of hundreds of musical works over the years. Outside of Cauld Cauldron - I’m most proud of the music I create with my wife, Emily Coy under the banner of Fox & Mew. We recently collaborated on a track with Logic and Joseph Gordon-Levett called “Do What You Love”. It was a great experience to work on such a high profile project and to share musical ideas with a proven artist like Logic. We were also fortunate enough to be part of an Emmy nominated documentary film which chronicled the process.
Can you shed any light on the process behind making your tunes?
Creek: Sure, it normally goes down like this: I’ll knock out a bunch of instrumental ideas, some bare bones beats. I’ll either just let my creativity loose and create something from the heart, or I’ll take direction from Baltik and Export on the feel. For example, during the production of our LP “It’s No Secret If Three Know It,” we were shooting for a traditional Scots sound with the instrumentals. This involved a lot of digital crate digging to find the breaks and samples we were looking for, in order to modernise the acoustic aspects of folk music that has come to represent Scotland on the world stage. Once I’ve got a few examples of beats, I’ll set up a playlist for the lads and they’ll pick whatever they’re feeling to develop lyrically. After we track the vocals, I’ll then develop the instrumental further, taking influence from the vocals to complete the sound. Then it’s Mix + Master and release.
Baltik: What he said.
Do you have any kit that you favour for production?
Creek: We do everything in the box so aside from a good mic and soundcard, my go-to kit is all software. We use a lot of VST instruments and plugins to achieve our sound. If I had to pick one line of VST’s to recommend, it would be the izotope suite of plugins. Their channel strips (Alloy and Neutron) along with their mastering tools (Ozone) have been part of our everyday setup for many years now.
Do you feel that producers take a backseat or are overshadowed by rappers when it comes to releases?
Creek: I really don’t think so. For us at least, Baltik and Export are both very energetic and lyrically expressive front-men. I feel the producer role should be in support of these elements, not in opposition. Our message is conveyed literally through vocal performances with the musical components setting the stage and providing an appropriate backdrop to the lyrical works. In some ways, I feel if the listener is focusing primarily on the vocals, I’ve probably done a good job on the final product.
Baltik: Perhaps its that way with the more mainstream side of Hip-Hop, where you have to dig sometimes to find out who did the beat. For me personally, everything comes from the beat and we give the producer full title credit.
Finally anyone you would like to shout out?
Shouts to everyone we've worked with and everyone making and listening to that proper Hip-Hop!
Words by Beatmaster Boyce (Delivery Room)
