Photo: Press
To mark his musical project mi Mandela, Idris Elba talks to Gigwise about chatting with Kasabian's Serge Pizzorno, being turned down by Tracy Chapman and why Vic Mensa is hip-hop’s great hybrid hope.
Wearing a look of mild bemusement and the kind of pulled down beanie that A-list actors only choose when going incognito, Idris Elba slumps in a seat in Parlophone Records HQ and chases his glass of champagne with a cold bottle of Peroni.
Although still best known for bringing The Wire’s Stringer Bell and Detective John Luther to life on screen, he’s a huge music afficionado, both releasing his own tracks as 'Driis' and DJing at his own 7 Wallace club nights.
Recently, he’s achieved his most ambitious project yet, a musical tribute to Nelson Mandela entitled mi Mandela, inspired by his experience playing the South African President on screen in 2013's Long Walk To Freedom. Featuring contributions from George The Poet, Maverick Sabre, Spoek Mathambo and many more, it's an inspiring, intriguing listen. Gigwise spoke to the man who put it together to find out more.
For Long Walk To Freedom, hundreds of interviewers asked you whether you got a chance to meet Nelson Mandela. Given that you didn’t, what question should they have asked instead?
I think the one question people forget to ask is: "Do you think South Africans believed you when you were on the set playing Mandela? When you had the prosthetics, as the young Mandela, do you think the extras, the crew believed you?" That is a question: and the answer to that question is that at first I dreaded the idea of going out there...
It must have been intimidating as there were huge numbers of extras - there were apparently over 12,000….
Forget the extras: it's all about the culture, the country. I'm known for Daddy's Little Girls and Stringer Bell out there. Mandela? They're like: 'Punching above your weight there pal!’ I even say it on the song 'mi Mandela': that song ironically is the only song that I'm on. I just said "I'm not a singer but I'm just going to speak from the heart". So I did it and it works: I thought that I'd get a really hard time in South Africa because I'm not South African and I'm playing Mandela. Eventually people gave me a lot of love.
In the film there are great musical moments with Public Enemy's ‘Fight The Power’ and ‘War’ by Bob Marley. Do you know any track they wanted to get for the soundtrack but couldn't?
Tracy Chapman said no to 'Talkin Bout A Revolution'. She said no just because [she was] like, 'Come on guys everyone's used that song. I just don't want it out there like that.' So she said no. It was surprising, for sure. She read the script, she knew the players, she said we can't have that song.
Apparently on long flights you play one film on your laptop and combine the visuals with the soundtrack of a different film. When was the last time you did that?
The soundtrack was the score of the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight Rises and it was an episode of Breaking Bad. Breaking Bad's shot really beautifully but somehow the score of Batman and Breaking Bad was a proper little mashup.
What's your film soundtrack of choice?
I love the Goodfellas soundtrack. Wicked tunes. [Sings in the style of Tony Bennett] 'I know I go from Rags to Riches...' You can't beat that bruv.
Is there a film you think would benefit from a different soundtrack?
Soundtracks for me have just lost their way. Not to bring it back to my album but my album really conceptualised the idea of really reinventing the soundtrack. Let's make it a little bit more personal. Let's make the music very specific to the film and the character. But one film I did see recently where the music was incredible was Wolf Of Wall Street. I thought that Scorsese's music choice in the film was fantastic.
The first track of the album is the house-y ‘Aero Mathata’. Did you try out in a DJ set in Ibiza over the summer?
No! I wanted to but the first track of the album didn't get finished mixing till this week and doesn't get mastered till tomorrow. But it's one of those songs that I would like to ask a couple of guys to do a remix of for that. And next summer I'll be rinsing that!
Describe the way you dance.
I'm a two step shuffle shoulder guy.
That surprises me. I thought you might do all sorts of things.
I can do all sorts of things. I can dance in any way. But if I'm given the option - just two step shuffle. When I'm Djing I'm a proper fucking disco dancer.
What's been your album of the year?
I've been playing a lot of house, these really, really young producers in England now smashing it. Especially the bassy sort of house that I like! I'm horrible at names so I can't give you any. All summer I had this amazing opportunity to play on Capital Xtra. I was on the other side: I interviewed Groove Armada, Arthur Baker: that was amazing.
Hip-hop wise, what are you enjoying at the moment?
I'm so lost in hip-hop. I mean: Vic Mensa is a rapper that I really dig. But he does house and he does hip-hop. He can rap and he can sing. I'm digging that hybrid. But I just can't take [mainstream hip-hop]: the beats are all the same, a lot of people are just saying the same shit and I'm not feeling it as much.
Sometimes it feels like everyone is trying to make the same Rick Ross record.
J Spades is a little yout in East London and he's a proper gangsta rapper. In other words, he's a guy that shocks but can make music well. My godson sent it to me - said 'Listen to some Spades!' He sounds authentic. He's like the British Rick Ross. Big up J Spades I gave you a proper plug!
You have a tattoo of the lyrics from reggae act Culture on your arm. Have you ever seen Culture perform 'This Train' live?
Nah man. The late great Joseph Hill died [in 2006] so I never got the chance. There's the tatt there: "This train carries no wrongdoers." I've heard Culture all my life, as long as I can remember Culture band has been part of my Mum, my Dad and my uncle Abu's life.
Your uncle was a wedding DJ. What's the record you started to hate as you had to listen to it so many times?
There's a song called 'Come Let We Rally' which is Culture record. [deep sigh] Much as I love Culture I don't want to hear come that again. There were actually two more: 'Brown Girl In The Ring' by Boney M and [sings] "One day at a time, sweet Jesus / That's all I'm asking from you." It was a Christening seven inch. Whenever my Mum - she never used to touch a record player but that song she used to manage to fucking put that on every time.
Before you left for America, you were working nightshifts at a car factory in Dagenham and listening to soul. Can you remember which Sam Cooke you listened to when you were driving the electric buggy round?
[Sings] 'Oh, there was a woman in the bible days / She had been sick, sick so very long". It might have been called 'Touch The Hem Of His Garment'. I remember the screeches of the little go-kart wheels on the Formica. But needless to say the next morning I picked up my ticket from STA Travel and went to New York that afternoon. And the rest is history.
When you've been DJing, can you talk about a song you wished you never played?That's happened a few times. [chuckles] When I was in New York DJing in the late Nineties I literally took my records there and had to panic move to play music. I had all these 12 inches that were amazing but New York is very hip-hop. I oftentimes play remixes that were UK-centric remixes which just didn't work. Actually Busta Rhymes had a remix of 'Woo-Ha' that - the original is bonkers and everyone knows it. But it was a remix would play it in London, because it's a bit more groovy and soulful. It just didn't work in New York. They just were not into it, like 'What the hell is that?'
Describe that it was like when you used to watch Funkmaster Flex play every week.
I used to go the Tunnel and see Flex in his prime. It was mayhem. You are talking Flex is one of the greatest DJs in the world: he is a party pleaser. He knows how to make it go off. But at a time where Flex made or broke records, like at a time when Flex/New York/Hot 97 was killing it. This place, The Tunnel was just a fucking yard. A yard in a prison. His music was the guns and everyone on the dancefloor was just fucking prisoners.
It was like the fight in The Raid 2.
Like the Raid 2! [laughs] It was actually really fascinating to watch man. I used to love seeing Flex in New York.
On the night you got the casting call to say you'd got the part of Stringer Bell, you nearly got arrested driving home from a club. Can you remember anything musical about that night?
I'd just finished playing at Sliver Bar in New York City. It was on the corner of West Broadway, right near Canal St. It was a good Friday night spot, the big tune I played that night was ODB's 'Baby I got Your Money'. Big tune. But it was also 'Baby I Got Your Money' because ironically the day I got the job of The Wire the day after my daughter was born. So 'Baby I Got Your Money'? Too on the nose.
What's your festival survival tip?
If I'm honest I've never been to a festival. I was set to play Glastonbury and then at Good Times that got cancelled which was a shame. But I would suspect that if I was a festival man I'd have a jacket that had everything in it. So if I needed some painkillers or if I needed something else to lighten the mood...
You went to see Kasabian recently perform 48.13 in full at the Roundhouse - how was it?
Amazing. I had a great time. I'm friends with the band - I'm very close with them. The new set went down a fucking storm but of course Tom came out and did the old set and just SMASHED it. They really did. They were in really good spirits.
Do you think they get a harder time than they deserve?
I do actually. There's just defenders of a sound right? They haven't decided to water or change down because everything else has moved on. When you go to a Kasabian concert people fuckin' mosh man! They love it. It's British music, it's got a distinctive sound - people might say 'Oh my God we've moved on from that' but they keep making great records. Really good songs that you can't help but sing out live. I don't think the deserve the schtick they get.
Do you talk music with them - is there a surprising record you have in common?
No but there's a Luther soundtrack out right and not many people know about it which basically has all the songs we used in the back credits of Luther. But the one song that's on that album that isn't on the back credits is this one song Kasabian gave me called me 'Black Whistler.' It was a b-side to a [single] that they had. The truth is Serge sent it to me and said 'Hey man, do you think Luther would listen to this?' And it ended up on the album. It's the only song on that whole Luther soundtrack that has nothing to do with the film.
In Prometheus your character was obsessed with Stephen Stills - what are you into soft rock wise?
I'm into The Carpenters a little bit. Just beautiful melodies. Suzi Quatro: there was a tune we used to play a long time ago. I was going to say I grew up with a lot of Rod Stewart in the house. 'Baby Jane': is that considered soft rock? 'Do You Think I'm Sexy?' That's old school isn't it?
Who is the band that's still on your list to see live?
Well I saw the Stones two years ago. They were on my list - amazing! I want to see The Roots again: they're incredible. I've actually seen them but not in their band format. I would love to see Buena Vista Social Club go at it man.
What's your karaoke song?
It's either Frank or Bob. Bob's the default, you go to Bob. Frank is for a bit later. Here's a quote: Frank gives you a badabing. And a badabing, gets you a badabang. [laughs] Sorry that's awful....
mi Mandela is out now (7 Wallace/Parlophone).
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