Dbldbl: Interview + New Single/Video 'Big Mike' ft. L V J, PollyHill

MusicInterviews

30 Nov

KATIE BROWN - 30 NOV 2021

A collaboration between a powerhouse of creatives, newly released single and accompanying video “Big Mike” by Tāmaki ‘rap-cutie’ Dbldbl featuring Berlin-based Aotearoa artist L V J (aka Zeus Dupree) and Tāmaki MC/producer PollyHill (Paloma Schneideman) is sly, sleek, and cuttingly cool. Released via Sunreturn, the track deals with a scapegoat ‘Mike’ figure and is a bit of a gentle nudge in the ribs to those who are, shall we say, a little too big for their Mike-sized boots (we’re sorry, Mike). Misogyny, power games, belittling bloke-y “I didn’t mean it that way” jokes - that nonsense doesn’t fly, and this crew knows it.

Adept at cloaking important messages in palatable packages, Dbldbl’s Liam Dargaville says, "Big Mike is a classic community tale of the typically socially ‘connected’, repeat transgressor, burning bridges & people wherever they go. Unsurprisingly, they remain safely insulated within the staunch defence of peers who limply claim ‘niceness’, ‘ignorance’ or simply rest on their ‘disbelief’."

A tight, slickly produced black-and-white video by local photographer/videographer extraordinaire Frances Carter brings the single to life through verses delivered by each of the three featured artists, who brush Mike off their shoulders like he ain’t no thing. Those with keen eyes might spot the sneaky cameos by Randa, Rotigurl and Imugi's Yery Cho, all fellow Dbldbl collaborators.

We caught up with Dbldbl, L V J and PollyHill to chat about the track: read the interview and watch the video for “Big Mike” below!

Find Dbldbl on Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Apple Music

KATIE: FIRSTLY, ONE FOR YOU, LIAM – WHAT WAS THE JOURNEY BEHIND ‘BIG MIKE’ BECOMING A COLLAB?

Liam: EJ (L V J) has always been a day-1 collaborator, especially in the days of HEAVY when we used to live together. Now, being worlds apart – partnering up isn’t as easy. This was a long time coming. As for working with Paloma, we did the classic “we need to do something together” at a show which I’m sure many have done and will agree that it almost never comes to fruition. I’m glad we didn’t let it slide into the abyss.

AND FOR PALOMA (POLLYHILL) AND ZEUS (L V J), WHAT WERE YOUR FIRST THOUGHTS AROUND THE IDEA OF THE TRACK, AND WORKING ON IT TOGETHER?

Paloma: For me I’d been tracking Dbldbl and L V J long before I’d even started making music, and always felt sort of aligned with what they both represented, that sort of ‘make your own lane in the underground’ charisma. The opportunity to collab felt like an obvious choice. Then when Liam sent through the demo it was even more affirming, the subject matter felt very relevant to my peanut psyche and the social climate. I also just LOVE both their voices, Dbl with the kinda Qtip frequencies, and EJ with that soothing bass voice, and my lower end sound, felt like perfect harmony really.

Zeus: It was a no-brainer. Liam and I have always been close, so the collab was natural which made the writing pretty easy, even with being so far away. Also, since being away I have only been able to see the growth of PollyHill from afar! Which has been a shame but made it all the more exciting for this moment, Polly got flow for days.

HOW DID YOU EACH GO ABOUT WRITING YOUR VERSES? WAS THERE COLLABORATION WHILE WRITING, OR DID YOU PIECE THEM TOGETHER TO FORM THE TRACK AFTERWARDS?

L: I think we may have been in one of the many lockdowns when this all came together. It turned out far more cohesive than I anticipated. Especially seen as I just sent off a small loop and my verse. By the time the others had sent me theirs, the track was wildly different. More collage than collaboration. Sounds like a terrible process reading that back, but it worked. Seems like remote working will become increasingly more commonplace. Better get good at it now!

P: Writing that verse felt quite divine, like it just came quick from the ether and I had to grab it - but it was def in response to Liam’s bars too, they spawned much inspo. I was also at a weird career point when writing that verse, where almost all progression I could make in life felt like it was being determined by old men and it was bugging me out - so again, the demo coming through felt very transcendental.

Z: Dbl sent the original demo of only their first verse and the instrumental, they told me throw down between x and x and leave out x and x for Polly and said, “it’s about Mike.”. Equation simple. I think it was night time when I first received it and I was tipsy so I had a ball scratching that shit out.

BENEATH THE SMOOTH AND CRISP VIBE OF ‘BIG MIKE’ (WHICH WE RATE), THE MESSAGE IS ACTUALLY A PRETTY SERIOUS ONE. DO YOU ALL THINK THESE THINGS ARE TALKED ABOUT ENOUGH?

L: Nope haha. I don’t think you can never have enough dialogue around these sorts of things. Especially anything that revolves around the safety and growth of a community. And don’t forget the Michaels. They need that good growth too.

P: Yes and no - it feels like it’s talked about a lot but often with a copy paste mentality - what I like about this track is it doesn’t over intellectualise, rather, takes a big discourse and drops it into an every day, honest and accessible context.

Z: Art imitates life but sometimes art needs to slap someone for overstepping their privilege in life. The message has been whispered and shouted but never understood, that’s my main issue.

LET’S TALK ABOUT MIKE. EVERYONE KNOWS A MIKE. WAS THERE A PARTICULAR EXPERIENCE FOR EACH OF YOU OF TOP-TIER MIKE-NESS THAT INFLUENCED YOUR VERSE?

L: I got too many beefs on the boil as it is to name names. I need more peace in my life haha.

P: How many Mikes do we see on the daily - Say me say many, many, many. (That’s a Fugees reference and I think it answers the question lol).

Z: Liam knows.

WHAT’S THE ANTIDOTE TO MIKE?

L: Hopefully releasing shady diss tracks.

P: Anarchy! And what Liam said.

Z: Therapy.

FRANCES CARTER DELIVERED A PRETTY INCREDIBLE VIDEO FOR THE TRACK. WHAT WAS IT LIKE WORKING ON THIS TOGETHER (AND TOGETHER-FROM-AFAR)?

L: Breezy. Frances is an absolute pro, and we’ll hopefully get to work with again on future projects. Also, shout outs Joel Thomas for filming EJ so we could work around the geographical hurdle. Prior to that, we were having some pretty serious discussions around getting L V J masks made. I’m glad it didn’t come to that.

P: It was the chillest experience - felt very safe, heaps of space for ideas and discussion. I was deeply impressed by Frances - they’re just a kind human and such a skilled technician.

Z: Um, Frances writes really nice emails? Haha the video is amazing and I’ve always admired Frances’ work and hope to properly collaborate in the future. Joel is a star and really saved me with their skill and love as it was pretty last minute on my end.

IT’S SO GREAT THAT COLLABORATIONS LIKE THIS CAN HAPPEN. DO YOU ALL FIND IT EASY TO CONNECT WITH OTHER ARTISTS, AND WITH THE AOTEAROA MUSIC INDUSTRY ITSELF?

L: Not always. Like with most things, there will always be cliques. Though maybe that’s just insecurities talking. Cold messaging is pretty standard in this day ‘n age so I guess who isn’t approachable for a collab. Worst case scenario you’re left unread. Could be worse.

P: Like not really, but there is a small but growing pocket of artists I feel creatively aligned with that just so happen to be the warmest (in my experience) and most open to collabs and sharing knowledge. I’m pretty sheepish otherwise, but Bic Runga if you’re reading this - hit me up.

Z: I stay in my lane.

LIAM – AS DBLDBL, YOUR TAKE ON THE ALTERNATIVE HIP-HOP GENRE IS REALLY REFRESHING. THE WAY YOU USE YOUR MUSIC TO ADDRESS BIGGER ISSUES IS, TO ME, SO NECESSARY. WHAT GOT YOU ROLLING ON THIS PARTICULAR JOURNEY?

L: I've been an emo since forever ago, yelling into the void. I’m hoping my writing has evolved a lot since then. That’s probably why I lean so heavily on the veil of pop culture references. Gotta make the yelling a little more digestible. It’s defs for my own sake too, I watch far too much tv.

WITH REGARDS TO THE MESSAGE OF THE TRACK, WHAT WOULD BE THE NUMBER ONE THING YOU’D ALL LIKE TO SEE CHANGE? CAN YOU SEE THIS HAPPENING?

L: Put in the mahi. Check yourself, check your mates. Call out, call in, whatever you wanna call it. Just make sure you talk about all the things, no matter how uncomfortable!

P: I think let’s get better at having those uncomfortable chats. Operate with integrity, make space for context and nuance. I’m a strong advocate for the grassroots approach to change.

Z: Therapy. Universal.

WHAT CAN WE LOOK FORWARD TO NEXT FROM EACH OF YOU?

L: Got a wee bundle of tracks ‘n videos on the horizons (all collabs – go figure )

P: Feels hard to say in such a cooked global climate, but more music, more shows (hopefully) and a collab project with one of my faves… watch this space.

Z: *rubs hands together like Birdman*

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