Ah, “Electronic Music”, the ultimate catchall category. Just look at COOL’EH’s top five selections for 2007; M.I.A.’s work is alternately referred to as anything from pop-dance to world music to hip-hop. Burial’s incredible album is straight up dubstep, one part South-London, one part Kingston, Jamaica. Idealism is house-tinged dance-pop while glitch-hop pioneer edIT’s latest work has indie-rappers popping up all over the album. And then there is ArcSin, formerly of that east coast underground hip-hop stalwart Definitive Jux, currently on progressive rap underdog Uncommon Music. But you will hear more guitar riffs than lyrics and more synths than breaks on the surprisingly fresh Oculus Fang, his follow up to 2005’s Resonant Murk Tactics. Yet, as ArcSin told us, he thinks of himself as a hip-hop producer, just one who doesn’t need a rapper.

Arcsin

So, you have been on two labels known for putting out hip-hop, yet you make our electronic music list…how do you categorize yourself? Is it strange to be recognized as an electronic music artist?

I think Oculus fits in the hip-hop genre. That’s where I came from, all the other stuff I might throw in there; electronic stuff or guitar stuff, that’s all just branching out. I’m just throwing salt and pepper on it from stuff that I dig. Y’know, classic rock or prog rock, I’ll just throw that in there but it’s the hip-hop element that starts it off. I just start everything off with that “hip-hop” drum pattern so I think of it as, yeah, this is a hip-hop record.

Does your fan base reflect that?

Um, I think everyone in America does, but most of the fans I have in Europe, definitely not. I think they are more into electronic stuff and they are definitely into Krautrock. They’ll come in and talk to me, they have a strong basis in stuff like Can and Novalis and all this other stuff that I am into. So my international fans have more eccentric tastes, but in the States it’s straight up hip-hop heads.

So you have done two different instrumental records, what’s next?

It’s called The Wrath of Man. I think it’s a dope ass album of course, but we will see if it’s gonna come out this year…I’m pushing for it. The major holdup right now is waiting for [DJ] Shortrock to put some cuts on it and then a final mix but it’s pretty close to being done already. I’ve been waiting on it for a very long time.

Are there any lyrics on it?

Nope. Strictly instrumental.

That’s interesting because it seems like if you are putting out guitar heavy, electronic records with no lyrics, as a rule, at what point is that no longer hip-hop?

For the most part the production I do for MCs is totally different from the work I do on these records. When I put these albums together I am really just trying make complete songs that just don’t need the lyrics because they are complete in their own way. Like, you listen to a [Joe] Satriani record, it’s still rock music but there’s no singing in it. You don’t have to have Robert Plant to make it a rock record, you can still listen to Steve Vai or Buckethead and it’s straight-on metal, you don’t need someone screaming on it. For a lot of people, or for me at least, when I picked up a rap album there would be two cuts I loved because the rhymes were tight but the rest I liked or didn’t like based on the beats. So, for my personal taste I just like that freedom of being able to just eliminate the work and just put it out the way it is and if someone digs it they can rhyme on it themselves. I get a lot of people who are like “I practice to this stuff” or “I write to this stuff” and that is cool for me. That’s kinda how “Homesickness” [Despot single produced by ArcSin on Definitive Jux] came about, Despot was into that beat…it was originally supposed to be on Murk Tactics but we pulled it and I gave it to him.

But you do see how that is very unusual? Most people who consider themselves hip-hop producers have at least some history of working with MCs. Almost everything you have ever done has been instrumental.

Yeah. Even the stuff I am doing now…it’s all going to be that way, I think. It’s rare that I sit down and say “alright, I’m gonna work with MCs”. One, because I don’t have the time to co-ordinate all that, it takes a lot of time to be like, “Have you done this track? Are we doing more verses for it?” It’s a headache to go back and forth with people, will they actually get it done and then you have to do final mixes…I just don’t have that kind of time. Also, I am in a place where I am happy to put out instrumental records…

Oh, I have no doubt of that, and you are doing well so far…I am more curious as to whether this was what you always saw yourself doing. Did you know that you wanted to be making these instrumental hip-hop records or did you stumble into this just over time?

After I heard Anti-Theft Device by Mixmaster Mike, I was like, this is what I want to be doing, specifically. Because that record was incredible, it was just perfect to me…most instrumental hip-hop records were being put out by DJ’s. It wasn’t like the producer was going to do that, if he did a record it would just be a compilation of well-known tracks he laced for MC’s. But these DJ records stood apart. So I thought, I’m not a DJ, I can’t DJ for shit but I like making beats and I might as well put them together in album format so that it flows. And I am glad I went down that route instead of being one of those people that just follows one or two MC’s and is like “Oh yeah, I’m so-and-so’s producer” because you kinda pigeonhole yourself that way. And the only way producers really get out of that is if they are MC’s themselves because otherwise you are just following someone else your whole career and just lacing them.

Well, there are exceptions to that, RJD2 for example did both but was never an MC, but yeah, I see your point. What do you listen to? Do you listen to any electronic music?

Practically none, unless you are talking about some ’80s stuff like Devo. I mostly listen to stuff like Tom Waits, Captain Beefheart, Steely Dan, Rush…a lot of rock, I guess. Buckethead, Les Claypool, Bill Laswell…Wolfmother…I’m really into that vintage tone. As far as hip-hop I just dig into my Ipod, some Old Dirty Bastard or some Juggaknots but the stuff that’s coming out now, I take one listen and am just like “What the hell is going on here?”

So you see yourself as a hip-hop producer who makes solely instrumental music and COOL’EH picked your work as one of our favorite electronic albums of the year but meanwhile you don’t really listen to hip-hop or electronic music at all...[laughing]?

[Laughing] Yeah, that’s pretty much it.