Echoes of Concrete

Robert Glasper, Chris Dave, Derrick Hodge, Casey Benjamin are RCDC Experiment.

They remind me of the Native Tongues as much as The Soulaquarians.

They are the most official backin’ band of nowadays

They come from Jazz, Gospel and contemporary R&B but they can travel through the depths of African music, Hip Hop of course and eventually Pop music.

They just blew my mind this summer at Carnegie Hall with Mighty Mos and Gil Scott Heron and they did it twice at Highline Ballroom.

You already saw them on stage with Meshell Ndegeocello, Erykah Badu, Terence Blanchard, Donald Byrd… and most recently with Mos Def or Q Tip (Glasper appears in “Gettin’ Up” videoclip)

More than being a backing band, they are trying to bring music to another level. The level where emotion and honesty are the only notions allowed. Mos says that they are genius, I say that they are the kind of musicians I support for being true on stage and in life and for giving the audience, the attention they deserve.

Here is a sneak peak of who they are. The scene takes place in the changing rooms at Highline Ballroom so here we go!

DarkSkinLady: We used to have a face and a voice and then comes the backing band. How come musicians decided to become captains on stage?

Chris Dave: Well I guess like We all came  together because we’re all Artistic Directors in different fields. It’s not really like there is one captain. At any given time, someone from the stage can call the shots. It’s not really like we are captains, it’s very spontaneous

Robert Glasper: Because we are artists. Some people are musicians but we are artists first and then musicians. We all just have something more to say than just a background like a lead singer would say. And that’s why. It comes with that musicianship. You know how you communicate and make music with your mates. You can be a great musicians without being able to play with other people. It’s all a part of it. And it’s just all that combine which makes you a musician in the forefront with people to come and see you play. Even if you play behind somebody, people are like “Wow, this guy is great”. It’s a good feeling…

DSL: …So you are turning Mos Def into a student, four musicians against him

RG: (laughs) no, no, Mos is a genius, I love him. Every genius knows they don’t know everything. He’s always willing to open his ears and learn ’cause he still wants to grow. Music grows and if you really have music in you, so you should have been growing  with the music. I should have wrote this because it’s pretty poetic… (laughs)

DSK: I recorded it, don’t worry (laughs) I can send it to you on MP3… (laughs). Serioulsy,what’s the relationship between the artists and y’all.

RG: Bilal is my brother, we know each others for almost 12 years. He introduces me to the Hip Hop Scenes. He got Mos on his album and when we used to play Mos came to our gigs and we started to hang out and everything. Same thing for Q Tip…

DH: … Our relations are quite simple. Just easy as a phone call like hey “Do you wanna come through…”. This way of working is what gives us the liberty to do good things. There’s no managing team or PR running around. It’s just us.

DSK: but do you realize that this formula doesn’t exist anymore, everything is planned

DH: Yeah you’re right, I can honestly say that I’ve been around long enough  to say that’s not the easiest thing… but for these guys, it is because they great in what they do. The opportunity allows that we can be ourselves. But as far as getting managers and all…That’s when it’s gettin hard. But the fact that nobody is like “can you play this song or do this and that” permits to do honest music

DSK,: Don’t you think you are new breath in contemporary music? Afro, jazz, Hip Hop soul, Pop, what’s your style, finally?

RG: It’s hard to say. It depends on what we are playing and what how much we have to drink (laughs) But we can’t put a name on what we do.

DH: Again, it’s just honest music. It’s a fresh thing. We’ve all grown up in a urban environnement. We’re playing people’s music. We can play for 4 hours and nobody’s doing a solo and trying to be the lead on stage. Just a collective thing.

RG: …It’s a natural thing. It’s not a shift to us that’s just black music to me. I don’t even know how to put words on it. We just got it plus it’s family oriented. So that make the gig even more easy for us.

CD: I think there’s no fomula, that’s just the way it is. It’s just the results after touring with all kind of artist sfrom very different fields. We don’t have a style, you know when it’s written “Check Others” that’s us ! (laughs) or “everything included”. The choice is yours

DSK: So what can we expect when you’re on stage?

DH: That’s a good question, I don’t even know myself

RG: We don’t even have a setlist. Oh, no we just have the first track. We trust each others. Usually, we have only one rehearsal and period

CB: Expect that everything can happen