ADEEM: We’re very well thanks. How are you?

Chillin’

ADEEM: I’m typing this while sitting in the back of the 15-passenger van with 9 other people and about 6 tons of merch. We could just open our own store on the side of the road. It’s ridiculous. We’re about 150 miles from Buffalo so we’ll have plenty of time to get this done.

Sounds like fun! You mind introducing your selves to new fans and re-introducing yourselves to the already “GLUED”?

ADEEM: Glue consists of Adeem (that’s me) doing all the vocals, djdq on the turntables, and Maker behind the computer screen (old school cakewalk user) and mpc.  We would like for the world to start seeing us a group but it’s hard when a lot of people know us individually from our solo projects.

So how did GLUE come about?

ADEEM: By either good luck or coincidence. We’re still not sure which one was the driving force behind us starting to work together. I met maker and dq separately and wanted to steal all their talents and make something fresh. When you’re nomadic and making music you’re always meeting new people and some relationships last, some don’t. I met maker in Chicago and did a song with him and we stayed in touch later deciding to do a whole record together. I met dq in Cincinnati while doing a show and saw him perform and knew I had found a new dj to work with.  Eventually dq drove to New Hampshire (where I was living), we worked out a set together and then maker invited us to his house in Chicago to work on some music. None of us had jobs at the time so we decided to see what would happen and we ended up working for a month. The result was our first record “Seconds Away”. We got along like family from the beginning so we decided to push it as far as it could go. We’re 5 years deep now so we’ll see what the future holds.

Now you guys are on tour, from what I hear, how is that going?

ADEEM: It’s going well. This tour is different than anything else we’ve been involved with. It’s a conceptual tour that is more about interacting with people and trying to build with every community we play in.  Unfortunately most of the promoters have been slacking on any kind of promotion, which is worthless for anybody involved. We’ve done 9 shows and only 3 of those places even made flyers. We’re talking about major venues on the east coast and the effort they show is frustrating. There are only so many people you can reach through myspace, and email lists. It happens with groups all the time; Promoters need to stop being Lazy.  Most of the good people that have made it out to the show knew about the shows because of the promotion that we on the tour did. Fuck that. Earn your money by doing your job. (Sorry for the rant).  Regardless of all that nonsense this tour is the best show we’ve ever been a part of, Sol.ILLaquists of Sound, X: 144 & SPS, and Prolyphic are all incredible performers.

Aside from half-assed promoters, what has been the best city?  Who has the best fans?

ADEEM: Portland, Maine. It was off the wall. That show was promoted so well it was sold out. People were going nuts and I ended up crowd surfing while rapping. I never missed a word. It was intense. Atlanta was incredible as well. Everyone who has come out has been really open and supportive, couldn’t ask for any more than that.

That’s real dope.  Atlanta always seems to be a good spot to break music, and also hear things that don’t usually seem leave the venue after that night.  Since there are three of you its hard shine a spotlight on influences but what influences you as a group?

ADEEM: Everything. State of the world, our relationships, and other music is an obvious answer but it’s true. We work on taking all the parts of music that we love and making them our own. We also have a lot of influence over each other; we try to ignore what everyone else is doing and try to do our own thing.

So in turn how do you describe your music, your sound?

ADEEM: This answer never changes. Our music is honesty. I jokingly said retro progressive once and that has stuck. The words sound weird together but I think it’s true. We always go for the big drum sound. We want the music to have presence.

How hard is it to keep everyone happy in the studio, as far as creativity goes?

ADEEM: It’s not hard at all. If we didn’t work well together we would be wasting our time. Every song is a group effort. We’re all open to trying to new things so we give every idea a chance. Since we also each live in a different place, we’re disciplined to do as much work as we can in a small amount of time but if one of us isn’t feeling a song then you probably won’t ever hear it.

So you’ve been signed to FAT BEATS; how’s your Fat Beats situation?

ADEEM: Great, They have showed us an unbleiveable amount of support and enthusiasm for this new record. They understand that we are still in the building phase as a group and it’s going to take a while to get to where we are headed. So far so good.

Okay here is a question I like to ask everyone I interview, what superhero best embodies you as an artist?

ADEEM: A mix between voltron and wolverine. We come together to make something fresh and melt faces like voltron and we’re also just like wolverine, we’re just normal guys but can’t be stopped and if you fuck with us you get cut.

Ok, Back to the album, what were you trying to say to your audience through the album?

ADEEM: We were trying to say that the world is a mess right now and we think we can find more solutions to our problems. We think the ghetto’s don’t have to still exist, we think the worlds wealth needs to be more evenly distributed, people need to feel more loved, the truth is not a myth you just need to find it yourself cause your TV won’t tell you. See, that’s why the single is called “A Lot To Say”. We’re not arrogant enough to think our audience is unaware of these things. All those concepts are more for whoever gets the music and doesn’t know. To our direct audience we are saying that we care about the quality of our music and will continue pushing ourselves to keep making good music to keep our supporters interested.

What is your favorite song on the album?

ADEEM: I can’t really pick one. The whole album feels like one big song to me. For the sake of answering the question I think I’m feeling “Catch as…” at the moment. It’s got that soul and funk feel that we’ve always wanted to do and I think it’s a great way to start off an album. It’s also one of my favorite songs to perform. Maker kills the beat and dq out does himself with all the samples and scratches,

Who would guys like to work with come next album, or in your respective careers?

ADEEM: I’ve always had a wish list. Lateef and Cee-Lo are on the top of that list. The Black Keys, DJ Shadow, Kelli Scarr, Iron and Wine., mikah nine, cut chemist, Sharon Jones, one am radio…. The list goes on.

What was the hardest part about making this album?

ADEEM: Deciding whether to go with all upbeat songs or to switch it up and try to create more of a balance with more emotionally involved songs. We obviously decided to throw some songs on there that represented every style of song that we like to make. We were giving our supporters variety. Something for everybody.

I totally feel that. But, if you had to walk away from music today would you look at this album as a great accomplishment?

ADEEM: -Absolutely. We’re incredibly proud of the work we’ve done and hope people dig it.  We have already started brainstorming the next record so we’ll see what happens next.

Aight man thanks for rockin wit me!  You got anything to say to the fans out there?

ADEEM: If you are reading this and you are anywhere near one of the dates on the “Quit your dead end job” tour please come out and have a good time with us. Thank you very much for taking the time to spread the word. We appreciate any love we get.

    Glue packs the same feel and sound as another Midwestern favorite, Atmosphere, so comparisons to them are likely to be drawn. Hard-hitting beats, dusty samples, emotionally-in-tune lyrics, an overall sense of poetic intelligence, and relentless touring are all likely attributes the two crews have in common. Catch As Catch Can will obviously appeal to the same fanbase. 

    The title track comes in with a vengeance, as Adeem spits his lyrics at breakneck speeds over Maker’s funky soul breaks and DQ’s ridiculously precise cuts. This is the formula for much of the album, creating a beautifully unified sound for the entire record. It works best when Adeem tackles more straight-forward subject matter, rather than wrestling the listener with cryptic lyrics (“A Fly Can’t Bird”, “Vessel”). “Beat Beat Beat” is the most stripped down, bare bones hip-hop song on the record, as Adeem rides through a series of ever changing breaks from Maker’s crates, with the finale of the song pitting the emcee and deejay against each other, with mirror image results. “Glupies” bangs with incredible raw soul, as Adeem explains his disillusion with scenester chicks that want a piece of his fame. The ridiculously catchy “A Lot To Say” inspires the listener to get off their ass, do something, and make a change in the world. 

    While the influence is obviously there, not all of the songs follow the Big Daddy Kane “Raw” fast-rap style. It’s when the slow things down that their messages really begin to sink in. The bluesy “Restless” examines the world’s current political climate, while the more down-to-earth “Belmont and Clark” and “Hometown Anthem” both examine the culture-clashes of these nerdy white guys doing and living hip-hop.

     But that’s the ultimate irony of Glue. Another aspect that separates them from every other hip-hop act out there, is that each member is equally talented in their respective craft. There’s no hangers-on, unwanted posse, or half-talents that will bring them down in the end.  However, it is likely that today’s generation of commercial hip-hop listeners may not be able to grasp Glue, because frontman Adeem doesn’t try to disguise his obvious whiteness, yet Maker’s production packs 99% more soul than any of the keyboard beats of today, and DQ’s cuts are undeniable. Coupled with the fact that they brought in live musicians for trumpet solos and bass guitar back-ups, there’s truly a lot of creativity at work here. On “Making A Mess”, Adeem hopes “someday I’m gonna write a classic.” Who knows, maybe he just did?