Maxim: Let's start by you telling us how you got to where you are now, and we don't mean the pub. But you can include that bit if you want.
Labrinth: Fifteen years old, everyone in the family plays guitar or sings, something like that, we were a bit misled by a few guys who tried to get money out of my family. They saw us as the Jackson 9 or whatever and thought they could just get some money out of us instead of helped to nurture the talent. Met my manager Mark Williams, through my mum funnily enough, who met him at a college. She told him "You need to look after my son" and he asked to hear me. Been working with him since I was 15 up until now, and he's introduced me to so many different sounds and artists. Before that I was a bit of hip-hop, R&B and Gospel only fan, then later on he introduced me to Prodigy, Coltrane, all the big boys like that and it turned me into a bit of a musical sponge. It was amazing for me.
Maxim: You have quite a unique style, any comments you'd care to make on that?
Labrinth: It's a bit wild, but it's created by what I see and what happens to me, so it changes all the time. Sometimes I'll hear a funk tune and it affects me, then I'll hear a drum and bass tune and mix the two together. I'm a product of my environment, consistently changing.
Maxim: Simon Cowell signed you as a solo artist when many wanted you as a producer, why do you think that is?
Labrinth: I was going through the industry for about a year and a half and everybody knew about me as a producer. I was an artist as well, I just didn't really promote myself as one at the time, but when I decided to do that a lot of labels had interest. All the giants came caving in going (does a monster impression) 'RARGH I WANT A PIECE OF HIM! I'LL HAVE HIS LEG! I'LL HAVE HIS ARM!' and I was just as I was about to sign with one of the majors, my manager had one of Simon's boys call him. We thought we'd better go have a listen to what they had to say, so we went down there to have a meeting. He was looking for a producer, he said he wanted something new and fresh, he spoke to the publisher and we went down there as producers. I met who went on to become my A&R now and they said 'What's going on? You're an artist, what's going on?' and took it on himself seeming to have our best interests at heart.
Maxim: Are you mates with Simon then?
Labrinth: Yeah we're like family now.
Maxim: Do you ever feel like asking him to lend you a fiver? We don't think he'd miss it.
Labrinth: Nah, I don't think he would miss it either. To be honest, I'm not sure he would lend me a fiver though... I would ask him for something more substantial.
Maxim: How was it working with Pro Green? You've been on a lot of his shows too, including the recent V Festival.
Labrinth: Yeah I did V with him. It was cool. I know Pro from a while back, he used to live round the corner from me, I crossed paths with him so many times. First time was at Jump-Off where I was doing a producer battle with this little 13 year old and I saw this Professor Green guy and I was thinking 'I know his face but I dunno where I know him from', and he was just killing the freestyles. Then we crossed paths again thanks to the labels who said I needed to work with him. First day in the studio and I played him a few songs, he heard 'Oh My God' which at the time was just a little 8 bar loop and said 'Let's go!'.
Maxim: How much of Oh My God did you have a hand in?
Labrinth: I was involved in a lot of it, I produced the track! It was that little 8 bar loop, the beat just started off, then threw the guitars on there. I liked that Pro Green was coming out of this urban Kalashnikov, Black Twang side of the UK, and not so much the Grime side, so I wanted to give him that authentic Hip Hop vibe with some real gritty rock in there.
Maxim: What other stuff have you worked on?
Labrinth: I've worked on my gran's album. She's gonna destroy it next year! I worked with Pixie, recently worked with Ms. Dynamite and I'm about to go in with Damon Albarn from the Gorillaz. I've always wanted to work with them but never got the chance to. I did that remix for them so hopefully that's put me in a good place with them!
Maxim: Favourite person to work with so far?
Labrinth: Tinie, Pro, we had a lot of fun and we got another track coming out soon. I also work a lot with this guy called Labrinth. He seems alright. I think he's got potentional. Definitely.
Maxim: Good chance to slag someone off: least favourite person you've met, worked with, anything?
Labrinth: I like to keep it sweet. Everyone has bad days sometimes! I'll start slagging people off soon, when I get a bigger head!
Maxim: Best moment of your career?
Labrinth: When I was rushing to the toilet from the tube station, and I couldn't find one, but then I did and that moment of release was something else. [cracks up laughing]
Maxim: Had any lows yet?
Labrinth: There's been a lot of downers, but I think it's mostly just me that causes them. It happens to a lot of artists. "Oh no, somebody said something bad about me on YouTube!" then all of a sudden everything's going really badly. I've had quite a few racist comments as well, but I kind of enjoy them. It always turns into something racist on YouTube. People just love to slag people off sometimes.
Maxim: How are finding the love to hate ratio from the people of the world wide web?
Labrinth: At the moment I'm getting alot of love cos I think people have been waiting for something like me to come out. I also think it's cos I only do what I do, I'm just me. Some people don't like it, some people hate it, people always have something to say. As an artist, you draw a picture, you put it up on the wall and you just have to take whatever criticism comes from that. You just gotta live it. If it's proper criticsm it's not really hate.
Maxim: What's your favourite item you own?
Labrinth: The woman! Nah, only kidding, I could get in a lot of trouble for that! I have a Super Nintendo. I love it. Not many games for it though! I have to get on eBay.
Maxim: Favourite television show to watch when you were a child?
Labrinth: I liked Only Fools and Horses. I never really got it at the time, but I loved the energy of it. I loved Thundercats even though it was terrible. Not in a bad way, it was good cos it was bad, like the A-Team! I also liked Quantum Leap, because I live life in a very similar way, jumping from place to place.
Maxim: Favourite shows/movies now?
Labrinth: I like Watchmen. I love the Bob Dylan song on the intro. I also love Metropolis, it's a 1920s film, silent with lots of piano in it. It inspires me. The Pianist messed with my head, it's a very extreme film. Watch it.
Maxim: Do you have any phobias?
Labrinth: No, but I have a friend that has a phobia of wet bread, it's so funny! If he see's bread on the floor and it's been raining he just needs to get away from it. I do have a phobia of fear though, in a way. It poisons your mind.
Maxim: You appear to be some kind of demonic multi talented, many instrumented type of person. Is this true?
Labrinth: Demonic?! You mean in a sold-my-soul-to-the-devil kind of way? Everyone thinks that. I never sold my soul to the devil, I sold my soul to the music. I sold my life really, I spent four years of my life in the studio, I even forgot how to talk to women. It's worth it though, because now I can play guitar, bass, keyboard, the drums. I can usually find my way around anything given enough time.
Maxim: Do you produce Labrinth TV as well?
Labrinth: I produce the music, but not the video. I have an exclusive JLS remix that I did with Tinie Tempah on the track that I might give to you Maxim Chaps to listen to. Nobody else can hear it though.
Maxim: We spoke to Bashy not too long back, on the topic of his single, what would your Fantasy be?
Labrinth: Eating chicken but it's not chicken on the menu, because chicken is a black mans favourite, but if it was a Risotto and it tasted like chicken but it wasn't chicken. Basically I just wanna eat something thats like chicken I just don't wanna fit the stereotype! -creases up with laughter-
Maxim: Is there anyone you'd like to work with, in whatever field takes your fancy of course...
Labrinth: Massive Attack, Chas and Dave, Prodigy, Bjork, Dizzee Rascal. I don't wanna say I'd love to work with them, I will work with them... it'll happen!
Maxim: Best advice you’ve ever been given?
Labrinth: Youth is wasted on the young.
Maxim: Is there a question you've ever wanted to be asked, but it's never happened?
Labrinth: Not really, but I wanted to be asked "Why do they keep calling you a rapper in the papers?". I keep seeing the words 'producer turned rapper' and I keep thinking 'Wow, I didn't know I was rapping all the way through Let The Sun Shine!
Maxim: Who are you listening to that everyone else should be?
Labrinth: I listen to a lot of artists, but it's always old skool. Always old stuff everyone else has already heard!
Maxim: Let The Sun Shine has just come out, tell us about that, and can the Maxim Chaps be in the video for it? We're handsome enough.
Labrinth: Unfortunately, the video's already been done [see below]. We recorded it in L.A. But you can be in the next one. I'll get you in on the album. Let The Sun Shine is a heavenly track, it's a bit gospel, a bit Michael Jackson, that kind of thing. It's a tribute to some of the artists I love. It's me branching out a bit.
Maxim: When can we expect some more stuff from you? Singles, albums, all that malarky.
Labrinth: I've got a track coming out with Tinchy Stryder, Devlin and myself, got a track coming out with Pro Green, Tinie Tempah and myself. Just gonna put out loads of songs with artists being artists as opposed to being label-controlled guinea pigs. We just need to have some fun, we don't collaborate enough down here!
Maxim: Any final words you'd like to share to shut this thing down?
Labrinth: You ain't gotta go home but you gotta get the hell out! Haha, nah I'm only kidding. Follow me on Twitter and check out my website. Other than that, get home safe!
You can follow Labrinth on twitter by going to http://www.twitter.com/Labrinthda1st and you can also check out his website at http://www.labrinth.co.uk
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