Bobby Perman, otherwise known as S-Type, is a name you should be abundantly aware of. One of the most in-demand producers right now, he's become known for his unique brand of instrumental hip-hop that takes in elements of southern rap, old-school hip-hop, and cinematic scores. Besides his own productions, S-Type has also made a name for himself with a string of highly successful and highly ambitious projects that take him out of his comfort zone, something which he's all too keen to do more of.
Alongside Hudson Mohawke and Nick Hook, the bass-loving beatsmith played a crucial role in bringing together the disparate hip-hop styles from each of the 36 MCs to form what would become Noisey's lyrical relay, The Rap Monument. He was also responsible for the much talked-about soundtrack to Astrid Andersen's collection at the London Menswear A/W 2015 last month. But let's not get stuck in the past.
Never one to rest on his laurels, S-Type has just released a new EP, SV8, featuring frequent collaborator Lunice alongside fellow Scot Inkke and Sad Boy, Yung Gud. Complex UK recently chopped it up with the producer about everything from regionalism in hip-hop and his favourite film soundtracks, to the hugely ambitious projects like scoring Astrid Andersen's collection and his role in the literally epic Rap Monument. But before you get fully stuck in, check out the exclusive stream of SV8 cut "Ice", featuring Inkke, just below.
Interview by James Keith (@JamesMBKeith)
Firstly, congrats on the release of your new EP, SV8. How was it working with Lunice, Yung Gud and Inkke on the project?
It was really fun. Lunice and Inkke, they're good friends of mine and I've done a little bit of work with Lunice before. It was the first time I've worked with Inkke, even though we've been close friends for a very long time. Yung Gud is just someone I was a fan of, really. I was listening to a lot of his music last year and I found out he was a fan of mine as well, so we just decided to hook up and make a song. I think that was before I decided to make it a collaborative EP, so it all just happened naturally. I didn't set out to hit them up to work on the record, as such.
As we all know, you did The Rap Monument alongside HudMo, Nick Hook and like a thousand rappers. How much collaboration was there between you three and all the MCs?
Well, I got drafted in at the last stage of it. I don't think Ross (HudMo) and Nick were together, either. Basically, Ross had two instrumentals and all the rappers were recorded in three different locations: New York, Atlanta and L.A; Nick flew out to L.A. and Atlanta to record all the rappers pretty much. He recorded vocals and engineered it, too. I got sent Ross' instrumentals and the vocals, just as acapellas, and I arranged it all and did little flips of Ross' beats and added synths and stuff like that. So it wasn't like we all sat in the same room with 40 MCs in the studio [laughs]. That would've been fun, but I don’t know how much work we would've got done.
So it hasn't put you off working with MCs?
No, not at all. When I first started making rap beats, when I was a teenager, I used to work with a lot of rappers online and over forums and stuff like that. I've always made beats with rappers in mind and that's something I want to do more; I'm trying to get some placements this year and work with more rappers.
I like to make a connection with people, MAKE THAT bond, and SHOW WHAT I'M REALLY ALL ABOUT.
Is there anyone you've got your eye on?
Someone that I really want to work with is Travi$ Scott. I really admire his work; I think he's really interesting. He's very different from most artists out there. And he's a producer as well, so I can tell he would have a lot of input into the whole process, you know?
And how's that ScHoolboy Q collaboration coming along?
[Laughs] That was a nice post from you guys. I've not had any word back from the TDE camp, but I'd definitely like to pursue that. I never thought about pairing up together until I saw that Complex UK piece; he's another one of my favourites right now.
Between scoring fashion shows for the likes of Astrid Andersen, and doing The Rap Monument, it seems like you're getting involved with a lot of quite ambitious projects. Is that something you want to keep trying to top?
Most definitely. When I first got told about The Rap Monument project I was a bit scared. I didn't really know how I was going to approach it or anything, I just started working on it and it came together. I've definitely been thrown in at the deep end with it, but I need to challenge myself. Even when I make beats, I never approach things the same way. I do it differently every time. It would be too boring for me to do the same thing. I know a lot of people do that. They have the same process but I just wouldn't enjoy working like that.
When you were putting the score together, what kind of process was that? Did Astrid Andersen have a lot of input?
We had a couple of Skype meetings, initially, just talking about the mood and theme of the show and her collection. Then she sent me a playlist of inspiration songs that she had for it. I sent some back, and it bounced back and forward like that. Originally, it was a few of my songs and some older eighties music, some new rap stuff and then in the last week she hit me up saying, "I think we should use all your music," which was obviously a good look for me. It was definitely a collaborative effort between us both. Soundtracks are something I've always been interested in. I actually enjoy listening to movie soundtracks just for fun. I've sampled quite a lot of soundtrack stuff as well, and that's something I'm really into.
Are there any, in particular, that have really grabbed you?
Hundreds! Off the top of my head, Tangerine Dream's Sorcerer soundtrack is really cool. I really like the Susperia soundtrack. I like a lot of horror stuff, but also '80s and '90s cheesy stuff. The Labyrinth soundtrack is also pretty amazing.
Out of interest, what do you think of the kind of UK rap that's coming out at the minute?
I think a lot of UK rap sounds really dated. A lot of people still seem to be really stuck in the '90s boom-bap era, which is coming back around, but the people I'm talking about never left it. There's definitely some exciting stuff coming out, though. There's a group from the UK called Cult Mountain who just put out an EP, which is really dope. It features this guy Milkavelli from Piff Gang, who aren't really doing stuff anymore, I don't think—I think they're all doing solo projects now. Those guys, for me, don't strictly sound like they're from the UK and they don't sound like they're trying to be American either; they're just following what their influences are, you know? But most UK rap is pretty regional. I mean, there's good and bad stuff everywhere.
So do you think British rap has much chance of gaining traction?
Yeah, I think certain people are on the come-up. Skepta's getting a lot of American love right now; he's rolling with the A$AP crew. I also saw an interview with Wiz Kalifa where he's saying he's really into Skepta and the whole grime thing, and that's a sign that it's really spreading. I think people are sort of coming round to it. It's more grime music right now that American audiences are focusing on. I think people are finally coming round to the idea of different accents in music.
Bringing it back round to you, what are your plans beyond your SV8 EP?
I'm setting up a UK/Europe tour at the minute and hopefully I'll be going to America again maybe in the summer time. I've yet to announce any dates, but I think I'm going to start work on an album. I think it's about time to do that. I'll just be trying to get some placements set up with some rappers and vocalists. I'm hungry to get in the studio with people and really collaborate as opposed to internet collaborations. There's this guy Deniro Farrar who I've been speaking with and he's really good. I sent Bodega Bamz some stuff a while back, which he seemed to be into. I've actually been doing more work with this guy YC The Cynic who was on the intro track to my last EP, Rosario.
To be honest, I'm sending a lot of stuff out right now to rappers. What I'm going to do, though, is fly out to America in the summer and just set up some sessions rather than trying to do too much over the internet. I like to make a connection with people, make that bond, and show what I'm really all about. There's only so much you can do with five MP3s, whereas, if I'm actually sitting down and working with someone I'll come up with ideas that are a lot stronger.
