Stay Cool: The Ivan Ave Interview

▶ Snippet premiered on Stay Cool w/ seangran 001 feat. Ivan Ave & Evil Needle: bit.ly/staycoolradio001 ▶ Get early updates on the show: twitter.com/staycoolfam I’m honoured to have had @IvanAve as my very first interview subject for Stay Cool all the way back in March. The musician and DJ has been a mainstay in my playlists at home since I first heard “Obedience” with Mndsgn off of @Jakarta-Records' Spring In Jakarta release. There’s something about his unassumingly deep lyrics and demeanour that, coupled with beats by Ringgo and his numerous fellow @Mutual-Intentions collaborators, has always appealed to me in a way few rappers do. Above a very groovy (and noisy) Camden Academy DJ set we sat for a chat and discussed a number of things; here’s a handy list so you can keep track. We talked about: (0:00) Shows in London, how he got into hip hop & DJing and his stage presence (4:39) His musical upbringing (6:25) How his Oslo based crew Mutual Intentions came together (10:13) The homegrown hip hop scene in Norway and how international music is received there (11:52) Whether growing up in Norway had a large effect on what he does now (13:19) The story behind “Also” with Kaytranada and Kiefer (15:39) Letting things happen naturally, the message behind his music and his music as a sanctuary beyond the BS (18:31) The stunning “Also” video and how Also Known As, the Oslo-based producers that produced the video, are deeply tied to the concept of the song (20:32) His connection to London and artists / platforms from the area that he’s a fan of (s/o to Wu-Lu, Hawk House and others) (22:27) His favourite vinyl that he’s discovered in the last year (Candle Tribe - Boogie / R&B from the late 80's) (23:31) Producing beats himself, old aliases and the status of Every Eye (24:58) The Hands project from his early days and the importance of the strength physical realm in his lyrics (27:37) How his writing process has changed over his career. Stopping rapping after 30?! (28:50) Nas being the greatest of all time, his beat selection and Life Is Good (31:19) Recent (and old) albums he’s been listening to lately (33:11) Show equipment and his 1997 SP-555 (34:35) The unique position of being a White, Northern European rapper and the importance of awareness of the place of such a person in the music game (38:02) Artists to look out for (Jawn Rice, Joyce Wrice and Jon Bap) (40:17) His plans for 2017 (40:55) His relationship with Jakarta Records and why it’s such a great home for his music