The Streets Discusses ‘Everything Is Borrowed’

Complex: Right. I read that you wrote a lot of the lyrics before you put music to them. Is that normally how you put together your album or your songs?

Mike: Yeah, I try to make that bit as random as possible. I try get away from habits as much as I can, as much as it’s basically the same thing everytime writing a song. I think if you change all of the little things regularly enough, you end up getting different results. And I think that’s really important over the course of a ten year career.

Complex: One change is the live instrumentation, right?

Mike: Yeah.

Complex: Does that tie into the theme of moving away from the references to modern life?

Mike: Totally. I’m not sure what came first actually. My memory is not that good really, but at some point I decided I didn’t want to reference modern life, which in hindsight was a really good decision. I think from what people are saying about the record, I’ve caught another lucky streak. The live music, that was happening as well anyway because I was doing bits and pieces of live stuff for the last album. It brought me a new angle in every way.

Complex: Do you think that change impacted you beyond the music?

Mike: I think I’m a little more balanced now. I don’t kind of sit down and say, “I feel really happy. I’m going to write a happy song.” A lot of people think it’s like that. It’s more like I decide that I want to write a happy song, and I think that comes from my subconscious somewhere. It doesn’t feel like I’m just reacting to the emotions. It feels like I’m making a decision. Whether that’s personal or not, I don’t know. I would say I felt like it was a rebellion'I was rebelling against the last album.

Complex: Why so?

Mike: And I feel like the last album was a rebellion against the album before it…because it takes up so much of my life. Albums take me two years to make, and they all have a very clear vision and a very clear objective. I guess my objective to the last album was actually quite honorable. It was saying the things that you want don’t matter, and in a way I’m actually saying the same thing now, but I’ve kind of shown it from a more positive side which people like a little bit more.

Complex: Are you leaning towards a more mature, grown-up approach compared to your first album? Those songs were more dance friendly, fit for clubs. Are you moving away from that?

Mike: No. I don’t really think my lifestyle moved away from that. But in a short term sense, I have moved away from that on this album. But those elements are just the result of not referencing modern life. And I don’t really like to repeat myself because I put a lot of effort in doing things the first time around. I don’t really understand people who want the same thing twice'it can’t be as good.

Complex: I see. So are you really planning retirement after your next album?

Mike: Yes, but it’s not so much retirement it’s just more just the end of the Streets.

Complex: A lot of fans have been wanting to hear the uptemo vibe of 2 step/garage from your first album. Are you looking to take that approach for your next?

Mike: I think it’ll definitely come back to my first album. Actually a lot of the songs I’m working on kind of echo that first album more'it’s a lot more train of thought. But it’s got a Blade Runner thing in there as well, like a futurism theme to it, as well as the Original Pirate Material delivery. But I’m actually really glad that I have explored so many different things because I don’t think it would have been challenging if I had done that stuff throughout my entire career.

Complex: Is there anyone that you admire like DJs or a producers that influence the sound you’re looking to tackle on your next album?

Mike: I listen to a lot of stuff. I like Metronomy'I’m actually going for a drink with them tonight. There’s also Chase and Status'they’re a drum and bass group. There’s so much good stuff out there. I always feel excited every time I make new music Everything Is Borrowed is really exciting because I was really delving into the past. I was kind of listening to a lot of Motown stuff. I haven’t really listened to that properly.

Complex: So American music played a big influence on Everything Is Borrowed?

Mike: Yeah, the production techniques, just little devices. If you look at a song like “Heaven For The Weather” it’s pretty straight up Motown. Just the way they do things, they’ll have a piano and then they’ll have the xylophone sound and they’ll have it in unison with the piano with that little “ring” sound. Kind of Dennis Coffey, with that little chop on the back beat. I kind of studied that a bit on a few songs, it’s identical down to the guitar and the amps.

Complex: Most of your work has been very self-contained without any proper guest features. Why is that?

Mike: Just because I rework things a lot, and rewrite things, and they change. I have a very clear idea of what I want, and it doesn’t really fit. If it took me a day to write a song, then I could spend that day with an artist and then we’d have a song. But it takes little bits of many days throughout the course of two years. So unless I was living with an artist for two years, it doesn’t really work.

Complex: You have a song called “Flip Of A Coin” can you tell me about that?

Mike: Yeah it’s kind of based on The Dice Man and the song ” A Boy Named Sue” by Johnny Cash. It’s very similar in terms of their viewpoints and the structure of the song is similar to “A Boy Named Sue” and The Dice Man. It’s a really fucked up book about a guy who decides to roll dice to make every decision in his life and ends up really, really fucked up. It’s a cult-classic. But yeah, it’s the idea of how you shouldn’t let fear rule your life because actually the things you’re scared of are often the best things for you.

Complex: Did you see The Dark Knight?

Mike: Yeah.

Complex: What did you think of that?

Mike: Oh because that had the coin thing in it?!

Complex: Yeah, Two Face who made all his decisions with the flip of a coin.

Mike: I thought it was okay, actually. I didn’t like the film as much as most of the people. I’m probably wrong really, it’s probably a great film. I got a bit bored. I liked how they kind of came up with some interesting dilemmas, like the one where they’re on the boat and they could press a button and blow the other one up.

Complex: Cool. Well thanks for calling in.

Mike: Cheers.

THE STREETS “EVERYTHING IS BORROWED”

THE STREETS “LOVE YOU MORE”