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An Interview with Jason Bazinet of SMP
Posted: Sunday, January 13, 2008
By: Matthew Johnson
Assistant Editor

Jason Bazinet can't be too hard a guy to work with. He just finished up a tour playing drums for Chemlab. He juggles multiple side projects and collaborations. He plays in 64K, who have a new album coming out soon, and he's one of the founders of The Loyal Opposition, who will be releasing their debut album later this year.

But take look at his signature project, Sounds of Mass Production, and the adjective that keeps popping up is "uncompromising." Bazinet has been putting out music as SMP for over a decade, building up a small but devoted following by sticking to his guns and releasing the kind of music he likes himself: an unlikely blend of industrial, punk, and hip-hop. Combining the work ethic of the punk underground, the dark futurism of William Gibson and Philip K. Dick, and the dirty beats and intricate rhymes of N.W.A. and Public Enemy, SMP's latest album, The Treatment, is what Blade Runner would have sounded like if Dr. Dre had produced the soundtrack. As he tells ReGen, Bazinet is pretty sure that incorporating hip-hop into the mix has probably cost him some popularity in the industrial scene, but it's a small price to pay for musical integrity. No doubt any SMP fan would agree.

Your sixth album, The Treatment, just came out. How would you compare it to your earlier stuff? How has the SMP sound evolved in the dozen or so years since Stalemate was released?

Bazinet: Well, a lot have things have changed since Stalemate came out. It's been over a decade now, so I'm working with new gear, new people, new ideas, and in a whole new environment. I'm not in the same place I was 10 years ago. But even after all SMP has been through, I think that there are still some comparisons that hold true. I hope that SMP is still coming across as honest hard-hitting music made with a punk rock ethic. We never gave a fuck about what other people were doing back in the day. We just did our thing and if you liked it, you liked it—if you didn't, too bad. I think SMP is still created in that atmosphere. That said, do I know how to put an album and a song together better than I did back in the day? Yes.

The cover lists your project as 'Sounds of Mass Production' rather than simply 'SMP.' Is there a reason or significance behind the change that we should be aware of, or was it just done for design purposes?

Bazinet: Just thought it would look cool, I guess. Besides, there are other SMPs out there; I want to make sure we're not confused with anyone else.

Judging by all the references you drop on 'Metropolis,' you must be something of a science fiction fan. Tell us about some of your favorite books, movies, video games, or whatever else you're into.

Bazinet: Ha! Well, I challenge someone to point out all the references in that song! And, hell yeah, I'm a big sci-fi fan. I like Octavia Butler, Arthur C. Clarke, Anthony Burgess, Asimov, Phillip K. Dick, William Gibson, Star Trek, and anything to do with alternate histories or parallel dimensions. I like the classics and the pulp as well. I'm into comics and games, too. Basically, if it's nerdy, I'm probably into it. As my pal Brandon says, my geek hand is heavy.

Industrial artists have been incorporating hip-hop elements here and there for quite a while, but nobody has done it quite as openly or consistently as you have with SMP. What is it about hip-hop music that appeals to you, and how did you come to combine it with industrial elements?

Bazinet: I've been into hip-hop ever since I was 11 years old. My family had moved to a new state, Ohio, from upstate New York, and I went outside and met my next door neighbor Rick. He brought a boom box outside, and he was bumping a Fat Boys cassette in it while we played basketball. I was hooked from that instant. I love the beats. I love the way the words are put together. A lot of people don't get that; they hear rap and say, 'That just sounds like "Bitch, bitch, bitch" to me,' but they aren't hearing the craft of putting the words, the syllables, the multi-faceted rhymes, double and triple meanings together. Sure, it isn't all like that; there are different types of rap, from super simple to high concept.

As to injecting rap into SMP, I found it very natural. I believe the two forms of music—industrial and rap—have a lot of common ground. Bands like Noisebox, Meat Beat Manifesto, Consolidated, P.O.W.E.R. and a slew of others demonstrated that to me. That said, I never force it. I don't sit down and say, 'I'm going to write an industrial rap track.' I just write, and if it turns out like that, that's how it is.

How would you say that the hip-hop elements have affected the reception your music has received over the years? Have industrial fans been open to it, for the most part?

Bazinet: I think it has harmed SMP somewhat. A lot of industrial fans of my generation grew up when rap was not cool, and that perception helped form their musical tastes. Rap was not something the cool kids liked in my high school. It's not like today, when the average 16-year-old is going to have some rap in his collection. So, yeah, a lot of people just don't get it. I don't sweat it, though; I just do what I like. However, there are a lot of folks who do get it, and we've been know to blow minds on tour, people running up to us like 'Wow, I've never heard music like this before!' It's a great feeling sometimes, to be unique and appreciated for it occasionally.

What artists (rap or otherwise) have had the biggest influence on you? Do you have any current favorites?

Bazinet: In the beginning it was acts like the Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, Public Enemy, N.W.A., Consolidated, Skinny Puppy, Cop Shoot Cop, '80s punk, Wax Trax!—these are things that I call the basics. But I listen to a lot of music. I probably listen to music eight hours out of the day. I can throw out a few names: Canibus, Eminem, Esham, Necro, Paris, The Game, etc.

In addition to the programming on your albums, you also play drums. Are there any other instruments you play? Which one is your favorite? Which one did you pick up first?

Bazinet: I've played the drums since the fourth grade. When I was in school in upstate New York, they came around in the fourth grade and asked us which instrument we wanted to play. I was like, 'Either the saxophone or the drums.' The teacher thought I'd be better at the drums, so I was like 'OK!' I think this is really one of the coolest things I remember about school. I hope they're still doing this for kids.

You just finished a tour as Chemlab's drummer. How did that come about? How did the tour go? Will you be touring for The Treatment at some point?

Bazinet: Oh, I met Jared when SMP was signed to Invisible records. Jared was touring with Pigface and we opened up for them on a few northwest dates. From there we just kept in touch. When he decided to launch a full-fledged tour, we chopped it up and it all worked out. I had a great time on the tour, and I hope there's another one in the future. As for SMP, it's hard for a band like SMP to survive on the road. The money is just not there for us. However, I am planning to get out on the road summer '08, be it as a drummer for another act or with SMP.

You've worked with a lot of artists, like 16volt and Chemlab to name just a few, not to mention people like Christ Analogue's Wade Alin, who plays on The Treatment. Who have been your favorite artists to work with? Are there any collaborations you've regretted, or that have been more challenging than you expected?

Bazinet: Well, there have been a few collaborations that I felt were rushed and suffered as a result. Also, there were a few situations that I felt I lost control of, and the results weren't up to my expectations. But those are risks that you're always going to have in a collaboration that you don't have the final edit on. Of course, those have been the rare exceptions as most of my collaborations have been great. My favorite collaboration is my continuing work with Wade on the SMP records. Also, the drumming stuff is a lot of fun. Drums were my first instrument and my first love, so it is always cool to go back to that. Live drums aren't really seen as an important instrument in industrial music, which I think is a shame.

What's next on the SMP agenda after you finish up with the Chemlab tour? Do you have any upcoming plans or projects you'd like to tell us about?

Bazinet: There is a remix album in the works that might be called Fear of a Hacked Planet, and I am working on a new SMP record, as well. Some names have been bandied about to work on that. Myself on drums, vocals, and programming, Steve White on guitars, Dean from Bounte on the wheels of steel, and of course Wade Alin putting it all together. Other things that should drop in 2008 are The Loyal Opposition debut album and a new 64K record, Choke. Both of those CDs I am heavily involved with.