Cosyne Project

Trigger? No, me try....

I'm sitting in a bar called Dulo, drinking my second black coffee. I'm feeling very out of place; some kind of ambient drum and bass music is playing, and the people enjoying a pre-new year drink could probably claim to have heard of most of the forthcoming live acts and DJ's being advertised (I have heard of none). I'm here to meet John and Nick, aka Cos-1 and Ill by Mouth, the men behind Sheffield's Cosyne Project. I'm a little apprehensive about the interview. My knowledge of the hip-hop scene is limited to owning records by The Fugees, Cypress Hill and Jurassic Park, and I have a penchant for 'novelty rap' ('Boom! Shake the Room', John Barnes on 'World in Motion', etc...). From listening to some of their records, I judge it unlikely that Cosyne Project would approve; the expletives roll freely, and the delivery is often angry and moody. Mrs Cooper has told me 'not to get myself stabbed or shot', and despite assuring her that this is unlikely, I can't help but wonder what kind of people I'm about to encounter....

I'm soon put at ease by the friendly banter of John ('Cos-1') and Nick ('Ill by Mouth'), and the fact that they aren't loaded down with 'bling'. We discuss the uselessness of certain Christmas presents we have received, although Cos-1 is pleased with his new place mats. Any lingering fears of a violent death quickly dissipate. We get down to business by talking about the background to Cosyne Project.

'I've been into hip-hop DJ-ing, writing raps and drumming in different bands since my mid teens,' begins Cos-1. 'I moved to Manchester in nineteen ninety-seven, and my brother Chris and me bought a PC together and started making tunes under the name Cosyne. Hip-hop based instrumentals mainly, because I didn't have a good enough mic to record the verses!'

Meanwhile, Ill by Mouth was honing his MC skills to drum and bass whilst at college. 'Once I had moved to Sheffield, a mate suggested my flow suited hip hop more, so I worked on new styles and collaborated with local band Porlock for a few gigs,' he elaborates. 'My drum and bass roots ended up with me never using the same lyrics twice for each gig, and I freestyled my verses.' He gained a reputation as a freestyle specialist but, in his own words, 'never progressed past cameo appearances and vying for mic time at house parties'.

By 2001, Cos-1 had moved to Sheffield, and the Cosyne idea was winding down. 'Aside from occasionally pissing about making tunes, my focus had gone a bit,' he confesses. 'Then in 2005 I hooked up with Ill by Mouth, and the spark returned. To define this new start I changed the name to Cosyne Project.' Another two years passed, until 2008, Cosyne's most productive year so far.

'I've made tons of beats, we've been writing loads more lyrics, and the tunes are getting closer to what I've had in mind since the start. We also now have decent mics, which helps,' admits Cos-1. I ask what inspired the statement on the band's MySpace page that reads, 'The Cosyne Project was created to warp minds. And piss off the reptilian-hybrid fuckwits that lurk in the shadows'.

'A lot of what we produce is dark sounding, and reflects the way the global political situation is going. Corrupt businessmen are like shape-shifting reptiles. It's all to do with alternative ways of thinking,' responds Cos-1 ('Although there's a fine line when you make those kinds of statement,' adds Ill by Mouth). I certainly hadn't picked up on any particular political agenda during my initial listen to Cosyne's music. The dark, almost sci-fi sound is there, particularly on instrumental tracks like 'Baked Beings', and there's a sense of humour and of social commentary akin to The Streets' Mike Skinner. 'We're not taking ourselves too seriously,' says Cos-1 in response.

I'm interested to know what they think (or hope) will happen when people hear Cosyne Project. I suggest that people will either love it or hate it. I quote one of their lyrics back at them – about hating shiny production and 'chatting the same old shit over ringtone beats'. Are they trying to challenge the hip-hop stereotype?

'Feedback over the last few years has been pretty positive. We're hoping that we can we can challenge the run-of-the mill stuff that people who aren't into hip-hop will hear. It's important to me to be better than all that rubbish. Hopefully what we're producing is good, and as we do more gigs and get more support slots around the country, it'll grow from there.' Says Cos-1. 'The tunes speak for themselves,' adds Ill by Mouth. 'We're conscious of trying not to demonstrate that we're one thing or the other'.

What about the 'people claiming street cred from the things they just read'? Who are they, and why are they so annoying? Ill by Mouth recalls how he saw someone trying to DJ at a house party, 'playing up to some kind of image'. He's clearly riled. 'I think it's just that falseness,' adds Cos-1 'Whether it's trying to act a certain way, or going to a club wearing sunglasses. It's another thing that I'm conscious of when I'm writing.'

I ask about influences outside of hip-hop. Cos-1 has been drumming in guitar bands ('Dog Canute' being the current one) for 'longer than he's been doing Cosyne', and is unashamedly a fan of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young – they do say never judge a book by its cover. It's easier to comprehend Ill by Mouth being influenced by Beck, and both enjoy Kings of Leon. But on to more pressing matters - how does a CSNY fan discover they can rap?

'It's a series of small steps,' begins Cos-1. 'I cringe when I think back to some of the early stuff I did. The intention was there, but the delivery wasn't. There was a girl at school who cheated on me, and I was inspired to write a really crap rap about it. I stood up at lunchtime and just rattled it off. I thought "Right, I can do this".'

He's right, you know. Anticipate hearing the name 'Cosyne Project' a lot more in 2009.

Interview by Jon Cooper

www.myspace.com/cosyneproject