Dumate evolves its live-band hip-hop Technology

A few things have changed since the talented multitaskers in local hip-hop band Dumate released their last record, Dumate Rite (The Known Knowns), back in 2005. Madison rapper DLO has joined the fold, original MC Laduma Nguyuza has switched his alias from Mr. Parker to Dudu Stinks, and keyboardist Aaron Konkol (who is in Natty Nation with Dumate drummer-vocalist Jah Boogie) was replaced with producer, sample-wizard, turntablist, and 2009 Beat Battle winner Mitch Pond (a.k.a. Man Mantis).

On the tentatively titled We Have The Technology (which will see an official release when the band plays Friday at the Terrace), Dudu Stinks and DLO offer a more refined set of rhymes, the beats are punchier, and the songs are fleshed out with tight basslines from El Clan Destino’s Nick Moran (a.k.a. Bobby Peru) and soaring reggae-infused vocals from Jah Boogie. Decider sat down with the group to discuss wavy-gravy tempos, collaboration, and the seemingly odd experience of opening for The Game. (To set the mood, here's a stream of the album's title track.)

"We Have The Technology" by Dumate

Decider: How has the addition of Man Mantis affected the writing process?

Jah Boogie: Mantis is like several instruments in one. Whatever he brings in, we all adapt to it. When he first joined we were asking ourselves, “Would it work?”

Laduma Nguyuza: We were used to working with a keyboard player with chords and changes.

JB: Plus, there was the wavy-gravy of the tempos, which has actually made us tighter, tempo-wise.

D: So Mantis usually kicks things off?

Man Mantis: The way we started writing was: I had beats that I made on my MPC sampler that I would bring in, which would basically be a sample with a bassline, drums, some effects, and some chopping up. After playing the beat for the other guys, I would strip away the programmed bass so Nick and Demetrius [Jah Boogie] could take it in another direction.

DLO: The MPC is basically used as an instrument.

D: In the live show there’s a lot of interplay between DLO and Laduma. Do you guys get together and work on the live set? Do you write together?

DLO: Actually, not at all. [Laughs.] Usually I’ll write something, and Duma will always happen to have a rhyme that is about the same thing. It’s crazy how it works out.

LN: For instance, in the song “Money”—I wrote that song about a really microscopic scene of how money works and DLO had written about something similar, on a higher scale. For the live show, we’ve been playing together for a long time. DLO used to be the cameo cat who got the crowd going crazy for the second half of the show. One day we were all like, “Maybe he shouldn’t be a cameo anymore.” [Laughs.] But really, we just feed off each other. Any time he says some crazy shit, I can’t just stand back there and be calm about it. I gotta say something crazy myself.

D: Many of your lyrics—particularly on “Money”—are rather visual. Is strong imagery something you strive for in your lines?

LN: Maybe not consciously, but I want the listener to understand what I’m saying as clearly as possible. I want to have people listen to the rhyme and be able to imagine it at the same time.

JB: Well, sometimes it’s hard to decipher your wording. [Laughs.] Duma actually challenges your vocabulary.

D: Your lyrics often attack mainstream hip-hop. How was the experience of opening for The Game?

LN: [All laugh.] Bah, I wouldn’t say we attack mainstream hip-hop. We merely try to paint a picture of what we see: A bunch of clowns in suits, dancing for chips. It’s unfortunate that what kids are perceiving as hip-hop these days is just so much of the same trendy stuff. They aren’t being challenged to do anything worthwhile. Not challenging the language, the genre, nothing.

MM: It’s also important to remember that all of the greatest so-called underground hip-hop bands were mainstream at one time. Wu-Tang was definitely mainstream hip-hop, Biggie was mainstream hip-hop. They are dudes that definitely have artistic credibility that were inherently mainstream. The problem that I see is that there is a lot of hip-hop that is being made not as an expression or making music for music. A lot of hip-hop is used as a marketing tool, and in marketing you stick with what sells. So there is no incentive to be innovative.

LN: Honestly, I bumped The Game’s first album. I’ve got respect for him. I thought it was a good show.

DLO: The crowd wasn’t like, “Get off the stage man, you ain’t talking about what The Game be talkin’ about.” It was love, for sure.

D: With Jah Boogie playing in Natty Nation, Nick playing in El Clan Destino, Mantis and Laduma playing in Stink Tank, and DLO recording solo material, how do you make Dumate work?

JB: Honestly, that’s what makes this band special. When everyone gets together we can either carry ideas over from another project, or we can start with something totally fresh.

Nick Moran: We have a lot of late nights where everyone comes to practice after work and goes until midnight. By the end, you can see in everyone’s face that they are totally exhausted.

MM: When I sit down to make music, I don’t divide up my time between Stink Tank and Dumate. I’ll just make something and see where it goes. Also, we all work on each other’s projects. The Natty Nation record [Reincarnation] has all of us on it, and it’s the same with Stink Tank.

JB: [Laughs.] Like the Wu-Tang of Madison. We’re like a family.

From top left: Nick Moran, Mitch Pond, Jah Boogie, Laduma Nguyuza, and DLO.

D: How do the crowds differ between Dumate and Natty Nation shows?

JB: I think they cross over. I played Summerfest with Natty and I came down by the tent and somebody was like, “Where’s that new Dumate?” I think a lot of people really dig both hip-hop and reggae.

LN: Natty was a big part of Dumate starting. The separation from the two wasn’t very easy at first. They’d call us reggae hip-hop. But Jah Boogie bleeds hip-hop.

D: JB, which is more challenging: Playing bass and singing in Natty Nation or playing drums and singing in Dumate?

JB: Nobody’s ever asked me that before. Both can be tough at times, because each song is its own animal. Dealing with odd times and chord progressions can get pretty hairy at times. Dumate had this song called “Hold On” that was really tough for me to pull off live.

D: What’s next for Dumate?

LN: We are just excited to finally give people a new album. For a long time we’ve played this new material, but we’ve been stuck selling the old Dumate record from 2005. Now after this, we’ll play shows and people will be able to sink into the new sound.