Featured: Chester French

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Jimmy Choo's
She Loves Everybody
Jay-Z - Excuse Me [Chester French Remix]
So as most of you know Max and D.A. know as Chester French have an album coming soon, but if you can't tell how talented they are by there work with Idle Warship(Talib Kweli & Res) then your a horrible person at heart. Nah, I'm kidding, but seriously these two are extremely talented and with such talent I'm glad to see that Pharrell and Star Trak notice and give them the just exposure. So without any more of my stammering I give you Chester French.......Enter D.A......
illRoots.com: First thanks so much for sitting down with me. Whats your music background?
D.A: We were both Jazz musicians in High School and I'm from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and he (refering to Max) is from Boston. I was always playing drums in High School and sort of doing some Hip-Hop stuff with friends and it was really weird. Then I'll be playing drums with Jazz musicians through the Concervatory of Jazz in Milwaukee, which is a great program. Max, out in Boston, was in Berkeley and its a college but its more like a bunch of musicians. So we both in bands and he was mainly playing Guitar in High School but also knew how to play piano. When we came college we weren't 100% doing music full time when we graduated. It was sort of if we could do it then it would be amazing but it was certainly not a full time job. We started the band with a few other guys our freshman year so it was just originally for fun. We were playing shows around campus, and it was just goofy. Some of the songs we did we about some weird shit, we had songs about Medievel time. We lacked kind of a clear direction but it was alot of fun. Then we had recorded a little EP that did on campus and spent like 300 dollars on it. There is something to that and the spontaneity it captures is irreplacable. We ended up staying in Boston that summer, Max and I did, and since it was just the two of us we ended up writing alot together that summer. Just discovering so much music, we were devouring music. At the same time we got envolved in the recording studio on campus. This was just a little studio down in the basement of one of the dorms and we started teaching ourselves how to record and engineer. From there it was a two to three year process and during that we had figure out how to do everything. Max learned how to play alot more instruments, I learned how to do all sorts of crazy engineering and we both were working at this studio for students or Boston musicians. While we were doing our projects we were always on the side we were doing actual sessions for weird fucking violin players. Some of the music was unbelievably bad but we got to record so many instruments and you'd like have to record an accapella group and I would be sitting there wanting to shoot myself.
illRoots.com: [Laughs] Oh I know that feeling.
D: Oh my you'd be like "This music is so bad", and you'd ask them "Yo I have a suggestion" and they wouldn't give a fuck. They are just arrogant and your just this little engineer. It got to the point where we'd go in during the weekends and be recording Jermaine Dupri and then be right back to recording this type of stuff. So they just didn't have a clue what was wrong.
illRoots.com: Thats classic.
D: Its good that to have to be in that service role because now I never treat the engineers and runners like pieces of shit. I'm always thinking that guy may be making some hotter shit than us. You never know.
illRoots.com: Thats hilarious because people are so quick to judge and put you in the box. For example I am a country hick but for the most part I enjoy all types of music and its just so funny how people will throw you in this genre or category. Its like they see that I walk every where and assume that I'm broke but then I'll come out with Gucci's on and its a different story.
D: Its funny you bring that up because I'm trying not to spend money on shoes. I don't know if I actually think Farragomos are cool but then I'll hear Nas say something and he just makes them sound so cool.
illRoots.com: [Laughs] Yea right, naw I didn't even know about them until I started seeing doctors and lawyers I know rocking those and I was like damn those look just like the shoes I used to cut grass in.
D: Your like fuck did I just spend 250 bucks on a pair of shoes.
illRoots.com: On a pair of fucking penny loafers. Those shoes feel so good on the inside, they are like small slices of heaven made from angel tears or something.
D: [Laughs] I think the finer things in life feel good on the inside.
illRoots.com: Wowwww [Laughs]. How did you link with Pharrell and why in that direction?
D: We just finished our record our Junior year and we just sent it anywhere I could get it to. Literally anyone I would come across in the entertainment industry. You know how you can start and say "Oh did I get my shit copywritten", its like fuck if anyone steals this it would be the best thing to happen to me. We sent this to everyone but it got to Kanye first actually through his manager, best friend, Don C. . Around the same time I sent it to Pharrells engineer, Drew, and I got it to him through a guy who had written an article about him. So Drew played it for Pharrell and Don played it for Kanye and literally within 2 weeks they both called us without knowing that both had listened to it. Kanye got it on like a Wednesday and we had exams going on and then we were in L.A. on Friday. Within a three week period shit just got so crazy with every single, Jermaine Dupri also got into it. It just became a crazy month and turned into a crazy year. I feel like I won a contest everyday.

"That's why we work out so much"....lol this shit is the funniest
illRoots.com: Thats a good feeling.
D: At some level I see what we do and its great and I love the records and I think they deserve to be heard but you sort of switch very quickly from being a student to traveling all the time. I guess what I'm saying is it just doesn't feel comfortable yet. I never got a free hotel room anywhere so its like man.
illRoots.com: I know what you mean man its crazy you grind and grind to get into this and then over like a 6 month span I'm sitting backstage at the Roots Picnic with one of my closest friends watching Black Thought, whom I've been a fan since way back. So its just surreal you don't get starstruck your just not to the point where its like I have to go to LA then NY then ATL and back tomorrow.
D: Thats so crazy, thats how it works. As long as your moving forward and you can say "I wasn't here last year", then your doing fine.
illRoots.com: I think the one thing is that alot of people get comfortable, like you said. Where you loose that spontaneity and competition.
D: Yea, I mean its all about competing with yourself and outdoing the greatest thing you ever done then tomorrow you have to top that. I saw an interview with Paul McCartney last year and they asked him "Having written what you've written how do you sit down and write songs anymore?". You have to realize that you are never going to write something that great again, you can hope but come on. He has every right to relax and he was like "I do this because I really enjoy it." It doesn't have to be "Yesterday" everytime. I think you reach that creative peak by having that competitiveness with yourself.
illRoots.com: I think right now its fun because I never expected this blog to be this big when I first started helping out, it was like "I love to write and I just want to get my ideas heard". Yet next thing you know I'm interview people who have names and its just dope because you get to instill how you feel about certain topics. As well the joy of creating projects and watching them come to life has always been a real thrill to me. I love to see success unfold its beautiful. I mean actually being able to talk to Talib or Cory Smith or whomever. I mean "Reflection Eternal" got me through more than one hard time in my life.

Shouts to Zozimo over at Vimby
D: What's your favorite song on there?
illRoots.com: For Women was amazing and 1,2,3,4 with Rah Digga and she was actually really hot on there. Too Late was a great song as well.
D: I was listening to that joint last week and I always like Too Late, that track is so crazy. Hi-Tek is so crazy he did that track on the last Game record, "Ole English", his beats are so ridiculous and all the stuff he did with Dre for G-Unit was crazy.
illRoots.com: Who do you think is the most underated producer?
D:If you go historically there is so many people who don't get credit. If you go hip-hop guys really don't talk about David Axelrod that much, but he was such an inspiration. He had such a definitive sound. One person who I personally shouldn't get talked about as much is DJ Quik. DJ Quik sonically and as a rapper is just amazing to me. The joint on the Black Album was cool but the solo albums that he did were amazing, I mean the drums are so juicy. I think this guy Mr. DJ is phenomenal he has some great tracks on the Common album but I think he did B.O.B. for Outkast. He's brilliant and creative stuff.
illRoots.com: Marley Marl is for me.
D: All the cold chillin stuff was ground breaking.
illRoots.com: You had album done I while ago then.
D: Basically we had everything recorded, but we finished mixing it recently.
illRoots.com: One stand out track?
D: Its really tough because we tried to make a record that is well rounded but with all different vibe. We have songs on there that are sort of like country songs and then futuristic, there is a song called "Sleep" that I really like. Its all over the place, since I've had to live with and when I'm in a different mood then I like different songs. We wanted something out there and real big.
illRoots.com: I love being able to listen to albums and zone out. Just listening to the mix on certain projects are amazing, like Jill Scott's first album where the mix is perfect.
D: You just listen to something and its like they know they could do something else but your like, "they didn't fuck anything up at all".
illRoots.com: Whats one artist that you would wanted to work with, Dream Collabo?
D: Wow...Outkast, I love Andre, he is probably my favorite rapper. There is so many different people it would depend on what type of album we were trying to make. We are good friends with this girl Janelle Monae.
illRoots.com: That EP...Nate did an amazing job..he is a monster.
D: Its incredible and she and I connected on myspace before we had a record deal and we just were fans of each others shit. As we have both gone through getting signed its just been like we are each others pep team. We are definately planning to do something in the near future. She is great. Like you said Nate and the whole Wondaland Arts Society.
illRoots.com: I've heard of alot of music over the last few months but her work surpasses. I believe the dopest thing for me is to see someone with the calibur of Sean Combs giving her the deserved credit and praise.
D: I think its just rare and I hopefully can achieve this but I want people not to like it or hate it but they have to say this is great.
illRoots.com: I don't like some music but I respect it, Esperenza Spalding is an animal too.
D: She plays that huge as bass.
illRoots.com: Yea I was at the Roots Picnic just like "Wow" I got goosebumps from her live performance. Where do you see hip-hop going in the next 6-8 months.
D: The way Max and I look at this is that people are people and music is music. I obviously can acknowledge when people are rapping or singing but I try not to contain music. I think the best things happen on the margins of a genre. We aren't even trying to fuse shit its just inevitable you know. It comes out of your DNA if you grown up listening to Dr. Dre and Nirvana. I think whats excited now is that people feel trapped by Hip-Hop a little bit. I love Souls of Mischief but at the end of the day I want innovation and exciting music. I love to see Pharrell sort of stamping us or Diddy working with Janelle because its so far outside their typical realm of influence. We are the corniest white dudes ever and the fact that we can work with Talib or Common or Pharrell is wonderful. Anyone imagination is equal and know people are mixing it even more and people are ready for the boundaries to be a little looser.
illRoots.com: I love organic music and everything is converging with alot of people feeling the lack of creativity.
D: Yea totally agree.
illRoots.com: Well its been great I appreciate the time bro.
D: Yea and I appreciate you, alot of times these interviews are so boring, but illRoots does a great job everytime. Keep it up.
illRoots.com: Oh Thank you so much. For more Chester French check out our blog or go to their myspace. These two are going to make more then splash with there new project.