Following one hell of a year, Brighton’s Hip-Hop prophets are flying sky high. Harley talks to SQ about all things Stereo Typical.

SQ: The last six months has seen you guys blow-up, how does it feel to now have released a top 10 album?

Harley: Pretty surreal. Personally, we both finished education and then got thrown straight into it. So to have a Top 10 album in the fourth quarter of the year where the big acts are all releasing huge music?! It’s an amazing feeling.

For anyone who hasn’t heard the album yet, how would you describe it in three words and why?

Hip. Hop. Madness.

All of your recent singles both charted Top 10 along with the album, did you expect that?

This is funny. It’s weird because our first two singles charted number 8, which is my lucky number! If the album had got to number 8, we would have been freaked out! I didn’t think ‘Mama Do The Hump’ would be a smash hit but assumed it would shift a lot of albums. Obviously the LP being out already, a lot of people would have heard it. It’ll be a bit of an anthem. What’s mad to us is how Ed Sheeran’s Lego House got to Number #5 in the charts yet having already sold so many albums!

We were in a meeting with A&R and they asked us whom the ideal people are that we’d want to work with. Naturally we said Kanye, Pharell and Fat Boy Slim…

Must be the use of Ron Weasley in the video that gets them going.

Ah I tell you what – that video gets me everytime, it’s nuts!

You worked with Fat-Boy Slim on the album, how important was it to you guys to stay true to your Brighton roots by working with someone of his stature?

Norman Cook is an absolute legend. One of the biggest DJs in the world. We were in a meeting with A&R and they asked us whom the ideal people are that we’d want to work with. Naturally we said “Kanye, Pharell and Fat Boy Slim” – which the label loved. One week later, another meeting came and Norman just bowled in – we were just wowed. To get a co-sign from Norman Cook is amazing. His studio just smells like years of partying and old-school music-making! There are floppy disks for samples and Atari consoles, it’s something we loved.

So we can expect Kanye West on the next album – all confirmed?

Haha, erm – not quite this time, no. Keep that on the back-burner.

Moving back to last summer, there came a little bit of criticism from Grime DJ Logan Sama, claiming that you’re not real Hip-Hop…

We don’t really pay attention. We both had quite a lot of respect for Logan Sama, so for him to say that kind of stuff was a little bit…- urgh. When releasing a single we had to take a lot of things into account. The first couple were admittedly a little bit more pop-like, but they still represented what we’re about. If Sama chose to sit down and listen to the album, I don’t think he’d be repeating the same sort of thing again.

The guy who had signed us, had signed Adele, Dizzee Rascal and M.I.A to major deals…

Absolutely. The first track from the album is a perfect example.

Yeah, ‘Dreamers’ especially. That’s straight up Hip-Hop, do you know what I mean? It’s a sample with a great beat the whole way through. The Logan Sama thing though, we’re over it. He had his views at the time but it’s important to keep it moving.

Both of you came as graduates of the BRIT school. How did your time there influence you with what you’re doing?

None of us actually did music at BRIT school. It didn’t help us in anyway to get in to the industry. To study music at the BRIT you have to be insanely talented in so many different aspects. I hate it when there’s a misconception that all graduates are a bit ‘Jazz-Hands’. There’s a good reason why all these great people come out of BRIT school. There’s nothing in their background – it’s just a great college.

When it came to finding the right deal with the label, how did you know Island would be the right one?

There were a few offers coming in from different places. Island just felt the most comfortable for us. What sealed it is that Nick Huggett, the guy who had signed us, had signed Adele, Dizzee Rascal and M.I.A to major deals – his roster was crazy good.

So it wasn’t a tough decision then?

Nah exactly. We weren’t really pushed into anything. We just made an original video for Down With The Trumpets and luckily it fell into the hands of the right people.

You did a lot of festivals this past year – which has been your favourite?

Argh! Just one?

We’ve got our own headline tour this year, we’ve sold out our hometown Brighton tours! In fact it’s selling mad in general.

We can turn it into a top three if it helps.

Mallorca and Ibiza were just absolutely buzzing! They’re so sick. Probably Reading also. We were added really late to the bill which is why we were playing the BBC Introducing stage. We headlined that day and it was the same one in which we went to Number #1 with Olly Murs – so we were high off that. And the gig itself, there were so many people there and the Introducing stage isn’t made for the number of audience members that turned out.

So just this time last year you were fresh-faced new artists – is there anyone new that you’re now keeping an eye on?

Dot Rotten. We really rate him, he’s quality. He’s done his thing for a while but he’s pushing through proper now. There’s also Delilah. Maverick Sabre. We’re still loving a lot of old music really. We do keep up to date with what’s up to date in the charts but not as much as you may think.

Finally, 2012 is just kicking off – what are you guys up to this year?

We’ve got our own headline tour this year, we’ve sold out our hometown Brighton tours! In fact it’s selling mad in general. We’ll also be promoting the album in other ways still and there’s probably a couple more singles on the horizon to keep an eye on. We’re just really itching to get back in the studio though.

Any early ideas about how the next album will take shape?

Sure, we’ve always got ideas man. Our favourite part of this job is getting ideas down and writing songs. We’ve got a two-week block in the studio at the beginning of next year so hopefully all of our energy can be released then!

Thanks to the boys for their time, we wish you all the very best in the future.

Order a copy of Issue #6 featuring Rizzle Kicks here.

Illustration by Tom Mac