OCULATE UK - DIGITAL COVER 002 - SEPTEMBER 2024
MONDAY 26TH AUGUST 2024
WORDS BY MATT SHARP
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LIZZIE LENTHALL
After the passing of his father, UK rapper and label owner Fliptrix felt compelled to create. Processing his grief, he found refuge in his home studio, and inspiration struck in the unlikely form of a dragonfly. After all, "How often does a dragonfly fly down and land on your hand? ". With his dad formerly being in a band called ‘Dragonfly’, when Fliptrix had a number of unlikely interactions with the insect in the time following his passing, he knew that the universe was at work. The spark this ignited gathered momentum, and a collection of Leaf Dog and Illinformed produced tracks later, we arrive at Fliptrix’s tenth album, ‘Dragonfly’.
Donning merch that bears the logo of his father's band, now edited slightly to form the cover of his new album, our conversation with Fliptrix takes place amongst the trees of a central London park, in the shadow of the London Eye. Considering his role as CEO of the always-active High Focus Records, as well as being in the midst of his own album campaign, the easy-going tranquillity of Fliptrix’s demeanour is somewhat unexpected. Through the course of our questions the reasons for this become apparent, and the calmness he exudes becomes infectious. After years hustling his way through London and Brighton with solo endeavours, label duties, and as a member of legendary rap group, The Four Owls, Fliptrix eventually decided a change was needed. For four years now, he has resided in a remote location in the Portuguese countryside, along with his family. His self-sustainable, natural way of living is likely a large contributor to his mellow energy. However, he explained that the place he has reached in recent years, both physically and mentally, is the culmination of years spent growing and working on oneself.
A similar comment can be made regarding his music, and the extensive discography that has led him to this point. Taking on his bread-and-butter boom-bap sound, both the tragedy and elation recently experienced in his personal life, have inspired a new energy and clarity in his writing and execution. In these songs, "There's happiness, joy, love, anger, stress, all wrapped up". The result, is his tenth solo project standing out as a poignant gem amongst his other beloved offerings. Merging the difficult topic of his father’s passing, with moments so celebratory of life and his journey into fatherhood, Fliptrix has created a triumphant exploration of his innermost-consciousness. From the epic collaboration on ‘Cosmic Scenes’ with Greentea Peng, to the blunt-force honesty of ‘Keep Going On’, to the polished flows of ‘Funky Microphone’, and the touching vulnerability of title-track ‘Dragonfly’, Fliptrix has proved yet again why he is a legend of UK Rap.
This album tells a story, and hearing the tales that led to its formation from Fliptrix himself was an honour. We caught up with the charismatic artist shortly before the release of ‘Dragonfly’, to discuss his father, the current state of UK Rap, psychedelics, social media & more.
First of all, how are you at the moment? What's going on in your world right now?
I'm very well. Life is good, yeah, life is beautiful. I'm just about to release my tenth solo album, and I'm living in Portugal now, been there for four years, living off grid in the mountains, on the farm. Now back in London, back in the ends, where it all began!
I want to get straight into 'Dragonfly', the new album. It seems as though this project holds a lot of significance for you. Could you explain a little bit about how it came to be?
It's quite a sad beginning, but a beautiful outcome. My dad passed away in May 2023 and obviously that's super deep, a sad thing to happen. I didn't write for like, seven months or whatever. Then I asked Leaf Dog to send me some beats. He's the producer of The Four Owls and his brother, Illinformed, is another incredible producer. I basically wrote and recorded the whole album in six weeks. It just came through, like a fat creative burst! Just staying up well late at night, writing and recording until it was done. Pretty much every song I made, made it onto the album, and pretty much in the order that I wrote them as well.
My dad was in a band called Dragonfly, which is where the name of the album came from, and the merch that I've got on has his logo on it. So, it’s like a tribute to him. Then I had a lot of deep experiences with dragonflies, which made me have to call it Dragonfly. After he passed, I went down to the stream on my land, and I had a meditation. I was saying everything that I would have wanted to say to him while he was passing. I was like, show me a sign that you're listening. And then, a big dragonfly flew down and just landed next to me. I was like, “Yes, Dad!”.
And then, I went to my mum's house for the first time since it had happened, and there's a little water feature in the garden, like a little stream that he had made, and it was blocked up and not really flowing. My mum was like, can you go and sort it out, because, like, your dad's not around. I went out to do it, and there's a rock that's in the way, blocking the water, and as I put my hand on the rock, a big dragonfly flew down and landed on my hand. How often does a dragonfly fly down and land on your hand? Especially at that poignant moment, the first time being back in the house?
I was just like, “Yes, Dad!”. And he was just sitting there, like, this big green dragonfly. My son was there as well, and he was like, “It’s Granddad! It’s Granddad!”. We were just chilling, and it flew around us for ages. Then the next day it came back again, and was flying all around us. After that, I went and looked up, "What’s the spiritual significance of seeing a dragonfly?". In loads of ancient cultures they believe it’s a passed-away loved-one coming to visit you as they transition. So, I was like, man, the albums got to be called 'Dragonfly', you know? So, it's a tribute to him, and for me it was like therapy, musical therapy, you get out all of those emotions. There’s everything on there. There's happiness, joy, love, anger, stress, all wrapped up. It helps me get it all out and feel better about it, rather than bottling it up.
The front cover is a photo of him as a little boy as well. He used to sail; he did some mad races. He did this race called ‘The Fastnet Race’ with some mad crazy waves. Some people even died sailing that race. Now a photo that he took is on the back cover, and then on the front cover, that's him. I made it special with the gold emboss, and the vinyl has got all these water effects. So, now he's kind of living on through the music and through the image. I've got these little stickers of the cover with him as a child, I'm just putting them up everywhere.
What a wonderful way to honour him. You can tell how much love has gone into this project. Was it difficult actually making the music? Or did it come flooding out?
It came flooding out quite easily. I mean, when you've been writing as long as I have, it comes quite easy. It's like channelling for me, honestly, when I'm in the zone, I'm like, it's coming fast. Sometimes, it’s like whoa, this is coming too fast! That's how I've been doing my music recently, just in bursts. Absorbing my surroundings when I’m doing other life stuff, then I just go into creative mode quite quick.
You've mentioned the producers on the album, Leaf Dog and Illinformed. Obviously, those are people you've worked with for a long time. What's the significance of those guys in the process?
They're super important, they’re kind of like my brothers in a way. I've known them so long, like Leaf dog is the producer of The Four Owls, and we were in that group for way over 10 years. We're really close, and I know our sounds work really well. The sound of this record is like traditional boom-bap hip-hop sort of sound. I've experimented with loads of other ones, but I think for my true fans, that's their favourite sound. That's maybe what I sound best on.
It had to be that kind of timeless sound. Like, you know, rock or reggae or whatever, certain sounds like have a timeless feel to them. So this needed to have a more timeless feel, rather than something that sounds cool this year, but not so cool next year.
I feel like Leaf Dog and Illinformed are at the forefront of the best guys making that kind of sound, in my opinion. And because they're brothers, and we've done it together, it's like a whole family vibe.
‘Keep Going On’ is one of our favourites from the album.
Could you explain the meaning of this track and how it came to be?
That's quite a raw one, you know. Because obviously the album is for my dad and dedicated to him, but there's only a few tracks where I specifically talk about him and his passing. You don't want it to all be some sad affair or whatever. So, there's loads of happy, nice, positive, uplifting stuff in there too. But then, even death is about your perception. It’s perceived as a sad thing, but I believe that the soul is immortal and the body is the vessel. Our energy is just going to go elsewhere, manifesting as something else, and this is just a meat-suit to house my consciousness for this human experience I'm having now. Do you know I mean?
It makes me much less scared of death, and I just want to enjoy this. Even in certain ancient cultures, when someone close passes on, it means I've now got a connection to the other side that's super close to me. I guess it's all how you look at it.
With ‘Keep Going On’, that's quite raw. I think that one was made quite early on, and it's quite hard, it's quite emotional. The beat makes you kind of want to smash the room up a bit, it’s that kind of vibe. I've got a daughter as well, and he never got to meet her properly. I say stuff about that, which is obviously sad, you know? So I think that's the rawest one on the album.
Let's talk about ‘Cosmic Scenes’, with Greentea Peng. You two together is a really great pairing. What was it like working with her? How did you two connect?
I actually first met her in Portugal, because she also stays out there a lot. I became friends with her partner first, and then we all became mates. She's got family and I've got family, so we've been family friends now for a couple years!
But I also really rate her music. She's one of my favourite artists of modern times. I think what she talks about, what she says, what she stands for, her vibe, the vibration of her music, is epic, and it aligns with what I do, and what I think, and feel.
We've got similar feelings about the world. I wanted to collaborate with her for a while, but I was just waiting for the right time, the right moment to ask, and the right beat. When I had that, I sent it to her and she loved it, and sent me back her verse in a couple weeks. It all just came together. I think she's a legend, and she's only still at the beginning of her career. I think she's going to go on to do a lot of fantastic stuff. So, I feel very happy to have worked with her.
Tell us more about your relationship with nature, and how that led to moving to Portugal?
It means everything to me. I mean we are nature; I love it so much. I've enjoyed partaking in certain natural psychedelics a fair amount in my time, which has led me to have certain experiences, which has led me to be even closer to it.
I was living in Brighton for over 10 years, but I was feeling like, ah, there's got to be more to life, you know? I wanted more. The whole city was weighing me down. I think the city is fantastic, especially when you're young, going out there trying to achieve something, create something, start something, then it’s an amazing place to be, because there's so much going on and so many people.
But I had done that by that point, you know? I’d created High Focus. It was already established for over 10 years, and then when the whole covid madness happened, before the second lockdown, I was thinking it's going to happen again. This is not going to be a quick thing.
So, let's go on an adventure! Me and my Mrs bought a motor home, and then we just drove to Portugal, drove all around, and ended up finding a farm and buying it. Now we've been there for nearly four years! It's really abundant out there. It's like, going back in time in certain parts of Portugal. It’s quite old fashioned. All of our water comes from a well, all of our heating comes from fire, all of our electricity comes from solar panels. We've got loads of fruit and nut trees on the land.
If the whole world goes to crap, it doesn't really change where we are, it's kind of cool. It's really cheap land up there. You can get a big bit of land with the stream and all the stuff that I spoke about for cheaper than a flat here. But you have to be ready and want to live that life, because it’s not necessarily easy. You work a lot on the land, and you build a connection with it through that. And I just love it. I love nature.
It sounds incredible! Do you think that this lifestyle has impacted your music?
Yeah, I think so. But it's always been a journey there, and I think I always knew I was going to get there. Even in 2012, I put out an album called ‘Third Eye of the Storm’, and there's a track on it called ‘Paradise’. I talk about trying to find paradise, and I feel like I'm there now. With manifesting I set big goals, and long-term goals, and trying to achieve certain things at certain times. I feel like I map it out through the music, and then try and make it a reality.
I’d love to talk some more about your dad’s influence on you. How did his music taste impact you growing up?
He always loved music. He was a drummer and he used to play the harmonica a bit. I remember getting his record collection and scratching them on the turntable. I left one or two scratches on them! But it was funny. He just loved music, like Jimi Hendrix, The Who, all the old rock stuff. He was really into blues and jazz. There was always music playing in the house, in the kitchen, in the car. He didn't play as much when I was growing up, but he was a hippie back in the day. He had big permed hair, it was pretty cool!
But my parents supported me, and what I wanted to do, which is a really nice blessing to have. I used to be really into skating, and they'd always support me and take me where I wanted to go. When I got into hip-hop, they supported that, which makes a massive difference.
I believe if you do what you love enough, then it will turn into a job and money, fundamentally, because money is just energy. If you put energy into what you love, it's going to turn into other energy. It's kind of simple as that. Because I used to skate, I used to come up to the city, and I used to see loads of depressed commuters on the train. So, I decided when I was like, 13, I'm not going to be one of you. I don't know what I'm going to be, but I’m not going to be one of you guys! Then I just fell in love with hip hop and just carried on doing it, and now I’m here.
What was it that first attracted you to hip-hop?
When I heard American rap, that was when I first got into it. Like Biggie, guys like that.
But then when I heard Jehst, Skinnyman, Task Force and Klashnekoff and all of those guys rapping with slang from my area, talking about places that I knew, that's when I really got hooked. That's when I started writing lyrics myself, because I could relate to it. It wasn't super far-fetched; the reality was much closer to home.
And now that you’re a dad yourself, has parenthood impacted your music?
It has, and it also comes with growth as well, and becoming more of a responsible adult, in terms of what things I might talk about. What I might say when I was younger and getting more waved, I wouldn't say or talk about that now, and that's because I'm not doing that stuff now!
Obviously, I talk about my family, but I also don't want to just be doing dad raps! You’ve got to have a fine balance, but I definitely want to be a positive inspiration for the younger generation. I want to show that you can do what you want to achieve, and if you have self-belief, anything is possible. I just want to share light and love and positivity through music, and talk about my perception of things, because I see things in a positive way. So, I might not always be right, but I will be positive.
When you became a parent, do you think that changed your relationship with your own parents?
Yeah, you kind of relate to them more, and you can see their perspective more. Also, after my dad passing, you look back and reflect on what your parents might have done. There might be things that you didn't like, that they might have done, and so you make sure you don't do that, to try and improve each generation going forward.
Speaking of trying to improve each generation, as an important figure in UK hip-hop, do you feel like the scene is in a good place at the moment? Do you enjoy the new generation of artists coming through?
I think it's definitely in a good, positive place. I mean, there's a lot of artists, and established artists, that are making a full-time living off it, which wasn't really even a thing when I got into it.
It’s hard to even classify UK hip hop, because rap just spans so many things now. It all kind of blends and merges, but from where I'm sat, it looks pretty good and looks pretty healthy. Now, anyone can do it because it's easy to have a set up and use social media, so there’s a lot more competition, a lot more fish in the sea.
Do you think that’s a good thing? Do you think saturation is a problem?
Yeah, it's good because everyone can just express themselves more. I guess it makes it harder to sift through all the stuff to find the real gems. It’s maybe slightly harder for the people coming up, because there's so much competition.
It’s different to when I was beginning, it was much more about going to the open mics and actually being there physically the whole time, rather than making sure you post a reel every day! The social media slog wasn't as prevalent as it is now. Yeah, it's definitely a slog, social media. The wicked algorithm!
It’s very popular on social media to rank artists, or their albums. Do you ever think about ranking your own albums? Where would 'Dragonfly' rank?
Number one! Haha. It’s definitely in the top three I would say.
Do you find releasing music more stressful now? Or do you embrace the changes from when you started?
Yeah, you've got to embrace it. You've got to embrace the change.
You've got to roll with the times, otherwise you get left behind. That sounded like a bar!
It’s been 17 years since your debut album, did you ever think you’d continue on such a high level for this long?
I just do it because I love it, so, I just keep doing it!
Also seeing other guys that are older than me like Griselda Records, with Conway The Machine and Westside Gunn, all of those guys coming into the peaks of their careers in their late 30s and early 40s. I really admire that. They can be at their peak and excelling higher than they have this far into the game, so it doesn't have to be a young man's game. Like, I am still a young man, but there's younger men doing it now. But I can still excel, and if you don't keep creating then you don't know what's around the corner.
How does it feel to be going on tour again?
I love it! It's one of the funnest things doing the tracks live. I'm all about energy, so you're giving the energy out and you're receiving the energy. It's a nice energy exchange and it charges me up.
I’ve got a 10 date ‘Dragonfly’ album tour in the UK & Ireland (Dublin) happening this October alongside DJ Jazz T. It’s going to be epic, intimate venues, certified vibes, come through people!
Finally, what does the future hold for Fliptrix?
I’m going to continue creating a beautiful community, a kind of paradise, out in the mountains where I am at the moment.
I'm going to keep being creative. I've already got more stuff on the way, in the background. I’ll keep my music rolling and keep High Focus alive.
I'm just going to keep putting out more musical goodness for the people!
Special Thanks to: Fliptrix, High Focus,Joe Phillip, & Bella Allchurch
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