Describe your sound in 3 words
Mellow, Minimalist, Magical
What inspired the title “Big Business” and how does it reflect the mood or theme of the track?
The title came after I pretty much finished the track. I had the drums, keys, horns etc. laid down and I vibed with the moody, kinda dark and disorienting feel it had – but then I came across this voice sample that sounded like a 50s American advert, which on its own didn’t sound anything special, but I played it with the beat and it worked, I can’t say how it works really, maybe it matches the warped dusty sounds? I’m sure someone else could answer that!
How do you approach sampling in your music, the spoken word for example?
I just listen to a lot of music, jazz, soul, electronic, rock etc. once I hear something that inspires me or takes me to a place mentally, I get to work – once I have one sample or sound, I tend to base the rest of the track around that with more samples and/or my own instrumentation. I like to experiment as well every now and then, just throw in random sounds and see if anything sticks, and that ‘big business’ spoken word sample is one result of that.
What does hip hop symbolize in your opinion?
In regards to the sound of hip-hop, I would say it symbolises freedom of expression. As long as it has a dope beat then sonically there’s really no constraints, so I can put my full self in the creative process.
Favourite rapper, lyricist and producer?
In terms of all-round rapping ability, I would definitely say Nas – anything you can think of that makes a great rapper, he’s got and more. Lyricist has got to be the GZA, he always brings the crazy metaphors and wordplay. Producer is a tough one, if I had to pick one it’d be Nujabes – people always align him with lo-fi hip-hop but to me, he’s straight up hip-hop. Breakbeats and instrumental beauty.
In which state of mind do you imagine people might listen to your music?
I most enjoy listening to music that is both simple but meditative. So I aim to create sounds that can be reflective for listeners. Once I have a musical idea or two that I can work with, I actively restrict myself in numerous ways in order to avoid over-crowding of sounds, or my ego influencing the track. I believe once you put music out in the world, it is no longer yours – so to me simplicity is key to allow space for the listener to apply their own mental framework to it.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
I’m big into Daoist philosophy, which is about living in harmony with the nature of the universe (or ‘the way’). So I’d tell my younger self to stop looking to acquire things for selfish needs, instead see and accept things as they are, and work with whatever comes your way.
What is the story behind your name?
“Ollie the Magic Bum” is the name of a non-playable character in the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater video game series – he’s a drunken homeless man who can magically teleport. As a kid I was obsessed with the Tony Hawk games and would play them for hours on end – the soundtracks in each game were always really cool, they would feature a lot of boom bap and underground hip-hop like Nas, Gang Starr, Lootpack, Jurassic 5 etc. so early on that built my love for the sound and aesthetic of that kind of hip-hop. Whenever I make beats I will often think if it would sound cool to skate or cruise to, if I can picture that then I know I’ve got something.
Thank you!
HipHop Paranoia 