Kyle Jones, aka ‘Scratch’ from hip-hop legends The Roots, talks candidly to inthemix about his first ever Australian tour, working with Kanye West and how exactly he drives crowds wild. Contacting us from his pad in ‘Philly’ in the United States (that’s Philadelphia for the uninitiated) Kyle discusses his particular style of music and also what we can expect from his legendary ‘beat-boxing’. A quick warning though, this is not an interview for the faint-hearted…

Relaxing at home, Kyle is watching videos and pondering his first solo tour of Australia. It appears that this man has it all figured out. Soon to be releasing his second album ‘Loss 4 Wordz’ following on from his very successful first ‘Embodiment of Instrumentation’ and running his own label ‘Human Resourcez’... Not to mention performing with the likes of James Brown, Snoop Dogg and Kid Rock – the list goes on. Kyle is known for his original and entertaining style of music. Travelling around the world doing something you love, what more could one want – apart from coming out to Australia of course. So what possibly could a man with so much be looking forward to about coming to ‘Down Under’? “Whatever anybody can show me. I’m looking forward to seeing as much as I can. I’m only here for a short time, it’s only an appetiser so I’m going to try and get in as much as I can on my spare time.”

Described as a ‘human turntablist’ and (my personal favourite) a ‘marvel of wind, spit and muscle’, Kyle sees himself as a mix of ‘Kid Capri and Mix Master Mike on a microphone instead of turntables’. Scratch has assured me that we are going to see a one man show (all vocal) with the evolution of beat-boxing right through from the early 80s. Sounds interesting I have to admit.

So how exactly did you get into ‘beat boxing’?

Just listening to the radio, I started walking around doing tunes to my favourite songs. Friends of mine that I grew up with in the neighbourhood, said you should do something with that, which made me work harder to build my craftsmanship with beat-boxing.”

What would you say was the turning point in your career – the moment you realised that you had a talent for performing the way you do?

Walking on stage and hearing people chant my name. It’s a beautiful thing when people love what you do and you love what you do and you walk on stage and hear people chanting your name. A lot of people feel that God puts you here for a purpose and I found my purpose.

So what about lining up with the legendary James Brown , Musiq Soulchild, Eminem and more..?

It made me have more of a worldly mind when it comes to music. It broadened my horizons working with artists from around the world rather than just people from my own backyard.

And how has performing with Busta Rhymes, Kayne West and Snoop Dogg influenced you on the ‘Loss 4 Wordz’ album?

Working with Kanye was a great thing. He drove down to my house to work in the studio. He’s a very talented guy and deserves everything that he gets right now. Working with him meant that the next song had to be better or equal to the song I’ve recorded with him Ready to go. Working with Kanye set the tone for the record. I’m about to record with Snoop Dogg and Kid Rock, when I get back from Australia. Unfortunately, Busta can’t do it because his single just dropped and he’s getting ready for his album to come out.

You’ve said the second album and its tracks are ‘like night and day’ – in other words, totally different in comparison to the first… What about the artists featured?

It’s stuff that you’ve never heard them do before. It’s kinda like when you have dinner and somebody goes, ‘Man this is great, what is it?’, ‘Oh that’s some snails, do you like snails?’ You don’t gotta know what it is as long as it tastes good.

So what do you think of Australians in general and how do you think your performances will be received?

I think Australians are great. “Let’s put another Shrimp on The Barbie”!

The performances?

I’m gonna make people jump up and down like Kangaroos. I’m gonna make girls grip me like Koala Bears up a tree. It’s worked in the States, South Africa, Europe and the UK. I believe that Australians will respond very much in the same way, but in their own way.

Regarding the ladies…

I think they’ll love it, because when they see what I can do with my mouth. They’ll be wondering what I can do with other things. I want to get it popp’n.

Geez, good job I’m not in Philadelphia right now. I imagine that you have had lots of amazing experiences on-stage. Is there any one in particular that really stands out?

A girl throwing her panties on stage. That was crazy…

So it appears that us Aussies, in particular the females, have a tradition to uphold. The real question now is whether his lyrics will be smooth enough to seduce the Australian public. Judge for yourself when Kyle Jones, aka Scratch, tours Australia this January:

Thu 19 Jan – Quest, Gold Coast
Fri 20 Jan – The Prince, St Kilda, Melbourne (with DJ Fingaz)
Wed 25 Jan – Plan B, Sydney
Thu 26 Jan – Private Party, Sydney