Interview: Bobandii Gives Some Insight Into Upcoming LP 'Running Handshake/B.L.U.E.'

In the wake of his killer collaborative track 'Falcon' with fellow Tāmaki Makaurau rapper CHAII, Bobandii has got a shiny new self-produced album due out this Friday 28th June. Running Handshake/B.L.U.E. is Silas McClintock’s third LP as Bobandii, and it feels like a step up in energy and a narrowing in on catchy pop sounds. He explained that his latest release is a step back from the high-concept approach he took with his 2018 album Luminescence, "writing without borders helped me to write authentically from the self, and your own story is always the most cohesive". UTR assistant editor Annabel Kean sparked up an email chain chat with Bobandii to find out what Running Handshake/B.L.U.E. is all about…

What does ‘Bobandii’ mean?

I named my project after one of my favourite TV shows, Trailer Park Boys. When Mr. Lahey gets drunk, Randy can tell because Lahey calls him 'Rand Rand Bobandii'. Trailer Park Boys was pivotal for Television. They were one of the very early adopters of the 'Mocumentary' comedy, far before 'The Office' or 'Parks and Recreation'. The creators are still innovating. I would love to say that the name is chosen because of those innovative features, but in all honesty I just loved the show so much when I was a grom. I didn't really read into it too much at the time. 

When did you first get into rap and hip hop? What is it about the genre that you connect with?

It's funny, when I first started with music I wanted to be an EDM DJ. I got over it pretty quickly when I realised that DJ's had to play a specific kind of music based on the venue. I was looking at musicians and thinking, damn, they can play whatever they want. So I fell into production. Rap just came out of that for me, but then I really got into singing. So that's where I am at these days, trying to push out of the rap circuit and challenge my voice to get better. One thing I really connect with in Hip Hop though is the attitude of "Fuck it, just do it yourself." It taught me a lot about how far I can push in a project purely by myself. I think I'm at a point now where I can see there is far more strength in numbers though. 

What is exciting you in the hip hop world at the moment?

AKL! New Zealand is booming with amazing artists at the moment, its like some weird renaissance period for music. There is great artistry everywhere in the world, but I truly believe that Auckland will be recognised by the world for it's music scene in the near future. 

Where do you find the samples you use in your music? I think there’s a clip of a young girl talking that you’ve used a couple of times in Running Handshake/B.L.U.E.

I like to sample movies & things that catch my attention on YouTube. As a freelance video editor by trade, I spend a lot of time listening to podcasts and things of that nature. So whenever something really catches my attention, I record it out and try to incorporate it into a song. The young girl is from the movie 'Waking Life'.

Can you explain how Running Handshake/B.L.U.E. differs from Luminescence in terms of process?

Luminescence was an attempt at writing a heavily conceptual piece. There was this huge narrative in my head that every lyric and melody had to fit into, and I think I almost painted myself into a corner in that way. So much music didn't make the cut, and it became exhausting to fit everything into that aesthetic by the time the project actually came out. With this new album, I really tried to stay away from any concept in the writing phase. When I looked back on the tracks that made up the album, I was pretty surprised to see such a strong correlation in concept. I guess writing without borders helped me to write authentically from the self, and your own story is always the most cohesive.

Bobandii's LP 'Running Handshake/B.L.U.E.' is out Friday 28th June.