Chase N Status

In just six years Chase N Status have risen from relative obscurity to be two of the most sought after producers in the world. Initially catching the eye of Snoop Dogg and Jay Z, they worked with Rihanna helping produce her 2009 album Rated R, busting wide open the lucrative US market for the pair.

Their debut album More Than A Lot won Best Album at the 2009 Drum’N’Bass awards in Birmingham and their next album No More Idols is due for release in early 2011. Four tracks from the new album have already been released with both End Credits and Let You Go making it into the UK Top 40 which as Milton explains, is a fantastic surprise.

“It’s not something that we thought about really but when it happens you’re really happy with it. Music today is a lot more open and the public are listening to more things, especially in England and I think the whole scene is in a really good place right now.”

Let You Go ventures into previously uncharted territory with a totally new sound direction whilst Hypest Hype goes back to the more recognisable sounds of Chase And Status. It is this diversity and experimentation that is a central theme running through the new album. Milton expands further.

“It’s going to be totally diverse, it’s got a lot of totally new stuff on there, it’s got hip hop on there, we’ve got loads of great features and it’s kind of an extension of where we’re at really. I think that’s something that we’ve done well all the time and that’s trying to sound different all the time and not trying to do the same thing otherwise it would get boring for us as producers.”

No More Idols is more than a randomly chosen title but also serves as an acknowledgement to music’s greatest contributors whom as Milton relates are becoming a rare commodity.

“These days there’s a lot of disposable music out there and there’s not many kind of David Bowie’s hanging about, Mick Jaggers, the Rolling Stone’s kind of guys. You know a while ago there was a lot of quality, a lot of brilliant music but these days there isn’t a lot of those kinds of people to look up to.”

Whilst on the subject of making impressions, Rihanna was recently quoted as saying that Chase And Status were the backbone of her album Rated R and as Milton reveals, they would love to work with her again.

“Oh yeah definitely! She’s a really cool girl and she was great to work with and it was a real learning experience and when she called us the backbone of her album it was really flattering and we were kind of speechless.”

Initially managing to get a toe in the door of the affluent American music industry, the flood gates have now well and truly opened but what was the spark that ignited all this interest in two underground producers from the UK? Milton tries to shed some light on their sudden rise to prominence in the states.

“We’ve had a lot of offers because of our work on Rated R and our new album No More Idols and it’s created a lot of interest but initially I think all the interest was sparked by Snoop Dogg jumping on Eastern Jam and turning it into Snoop Dogg Millionaire and that’s what really opened up the American door and people were like ‘who are these guys?’. So yeah it’s opened up loads of doors and loads of opportunities, it’s been really amazing.”

With the accolades pouring in from all over the globe it’s hard to imagine that Chase And Status released their first track a mere six years ago. Milton offers his thoughts on the secret to their amazing success.

“I don’t know (chuckles), we’ve played music with each other for such a long time and being diverse really, trying to be versatile and just not wanting the same thing over and over again.”

CHASE N STATUS [UK] are playing at Roxanne Parlour on Friday January 7.

By Glen Canning