RW: In an interview in 2006 you said that
By Regina Walton
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Music fans in Seoul have yet another great
concert performance to look forward to. One
Self will perform on January 31st at the Lotte
Hotel in Myeongdong.
One Self has a unique history. The group
came together as a trio of like-minded hip-
hop artists: DJ Vadim and two MCs, Yarah
Bravo and Blu Rum 13. The trio was a true
representation of the reach of hip-hop. DJ
Vadim was born in St. Petersburg, Russia
and was raised in London, England. Yarah
Bravo's roots are a mix of Chilean and
Brazilian, but she was raised in Sweden. Blu
Rum 13isblack American, but uses Montreal,
Quebec, Canada as his home base.
As is the ever changing nature of One
Self and of hip-hop in general Blu Rum 13
is off doing his own projects. Therefore,
One Self. is now currently a duo comprised
of DJ Vadim and Yarah Bravo as the Me.
When they come to Seoul at the end of the
month only two of the trio will perform. DJ
Vadim and Yarah Bravo will perform their
own material along with some cuts from
One Self's previous CDs. So this is a heads
up for those who saw One Self when they
performed in Seoul before, look for it to be
a distinctive performance.
In anticipation of their upcoming
appearance in Seoul. I got a chance to ask
DJ Vadim a few questions and he's been
gracious enough to reply.
RW: I'm assuming this is your first perfor-
mance in Seoul. Why did you decide to per-
form here and what other performances do
you have scheduled in Asia?
OJ Vadim: This is gonna be our 2nd time
[performing in] KOrl~a. As a DJ, I've been
to Malaysia. Singapore, Japan and China
before. On this trip, we will only be in China,
Shanghai and Beijing. and in Seoul.
RW: "One Self" is a unique name. How did
you choose it?
OJ Vadim: We spenf a very long time
trawling through websites. books, to find a
name that was original, cool, funky, stand
out, meant something. We eventually found
it on line through a thesaurus!
RW: How did you all meet and when did
you start working together?
OJ Vadim: Well. it kinda all started through
my Russian percussion shows, Vadim. Blu
Rum 13 was the host and MC from 1998 -
2002. Then Yarah did it from 2002-2004. We
did these huge European shows. 100 cities in
100 days. We all got on really well and it was
only a matter of time before the two MCs
would share the stage together. We were
close and it made sense to put the vocalists
together. Yarah had the idea to actually give
it a name and start the group, per se.
RW: Do you have a lot of Korean fans?
OJ Vadim: Thousands.
RW: ... how do you communicate with them
in terms of letting them know what you're up
to as One Self and as solo artists?
OJ Vadim: Well, there is MySpace,
Facebook, our individual websites, etc. Plus,
there islocal press, fanzines, radio, etc. Seoul
is a huge city but the scene for alternative
music isn't so big, so it isn't that hard to get
[the] word of mouth [effect].
RW: ... how would you describe One Self to
someone who is familiar with hip-hop but is
not familiar with One Self?
DJ Vadim: Well. in 2009 there are so many
different facets or sounds of hip hop, just
like there is in rock .... Bruce Springsteen
and Nirvana and Metallica all do rock, yet
I doubt many of the fans of [any] of those
would be into the other[s]. Yet, they are all
rock. [The] same thing goes in hip hop. It's
the same musical genre but some styles are
more aggressive, or political. etc. What we
do is much more organic and soulful. It has
a groove [and] a heart. It isn't just a "rap,
rap, rap, murder, murder" style!!!!
RW: One Self's sound has been described
in many ways from eclectic to electronic to
hip-hop. As part of this, how do you describe
One Self's sound to people who've never
heard it?
DJ Vadim: I think its organic poetic hip
hop with soul
RW: What are your musical inDuences?
DJ Vadim: Everything from James Brown,
Ray Charles, Blue Note artists, Stevie
[Wonder], to John Holt, Sly and Robbie,
The Maytals, Bob Marley, Coxsone Dodd,
to Public Enemy, BDP [Boogie Down
Productions], A Tribe Called Quest, Oe
La Soul, The Roots, Freestyle Fellowship to
Kraftwerk, Frankie Knuckles, Juan Atkins...
you found Paris to be a city where you've
found the most interesting records. Is that
still true?
DJ Vadim: Yes!!!
RW: In another interview you said you
don't want to make music for "hipsters" but
for everyone. How do you try to spread the
word about your music and what One Self is
creating?
DJVadim:There are so many trends in music
and it's forever evolving and morphing. We
create music because we love music, not
because we want to be trendy or loved.
It all comes from the heart. I hope people
can hear that when we perform.
RW: In Korea, iI's rare that people are used
to or exposed to a lot of diversity. In contrast,
One Self is a trio that thrives on its diversity:
you're Russian, born in St. Petersburg were
but raised in London, Yarah is Chilean and
Brazilian but was raised in Sweden and Blu-
Ruml3 is an Ahican-American raised in New
York City. How does that diversity translate
in cultures that don't have a lot of diversity?
DJ Vadim: I think in our previous concert
[in Seoul]. It was excellent. Maybe if we
came 25 years ago, it may [have] been
different. However with the net, the world
is so much smaller and even though Seoul
may not have the racial divisions of cities
like London or New York, it does have a
huge population and just mathematically
speaking you can find enough people in
Seoul to like anything ...
RW: What is your home base now? In pre-
vious stories on you, I've read you were liv-
ing in, inspired by and recorded in London's
East Ham neighborhood. However, I also
read that, for a certain amount of time you
were living in Brooklyn.
DJ Vadim: Well. we are in New York, Berlin
and London.
RW: Are you still incorporating instru-
ments like Indian sitars, ftamenco Dutes
and African inDuences? If not, what unique
instruments are you using now?
DJ Vadim: I always love to find new stuff,
new sounds, new vibes ....
RW: Korea has quite a few traditional in-
struments like the kayagum, a traditional
string instrument, and janggu, an hourglass
shaped drum. Do you take the time to explore
the traditional instruments of the various
nations you've performed in or is exposure
to the music of other cultures more informal,
as in you happen to hear it and then explore
from there?
DJ Vadim: Actually the sample of 'Fear
the Labor' from One Self samples some
traditional Korean instruments.
RW: What is the best part of working and
touring as One Self?
DJ Vadim: We share the same passion.