5 Minutes with Fort Knox Five’s Sid Barcelona

Tell us about the first time you were really inspired by music?
All of us grew up in homes where music played a huge role. I remember listening to the radio at a very young age with my friends and scanning the different channels trying to find our favourite songs. We would incessantly call the radio DJs and make requests, just to see if we could get them to play our favourites. They must have hated us little kids harassing them every day.

What do you consider to be your greatest skill?
We come from a live music background, having played in various Indie Punk bands. From the beginnings of Fort Knox, we've always been interested in merging the organic sounds of ‘Live Instrumentation’ with our love for electronic music. We play as many instruments as we can and ‘sample’ ourselves. Instead of relying on the usual off the shelf sample sources or ripping from old James Brown or Northern Soul records, we turn on the mics and riff out grooves inspired by those records. When we produce the songs we approach them as if a band was performing them.
 
Name two albums you keep very close to hand.
Parliament ‘Mothership Connection’
Bob Marley & the Wailers ‘Catch a Fire’

The road to musical success is often long and hard. What is one lesson you have learnt along the way that changed the way you saw things?
We’ve learned to depend on each other’s instincts both creatively and in business. It’s challenging making it as a band and a label these days, so it’s great to rely on everyone’s perspective and expertise. If you go with your best instincts, you won’t have any regrets.

Who inspires you? (Both in life and in music)
Barack Obama has inspired us and our entire country. The US is reeling from the consequences of the past eight years. President Obama is not only delivering on his promise for real CHANGE, he is the best person to lead us at this critical time.

Tell us a quirky fact about yourself no one else knows!
Jon’s afro IS his real hair.

If you could have two wishes come true what would they be?
Other than world peace and the end of climate change, we’d have to say that we hope to still be producing music and rocking shows well into our late 60s – Rolling Stones style.

Before you step on stage for a gig, what do you do to prepare?
We like to kick back and keep things nice and chill before a gig. About a half an hour before set time, we’ll hang out in the club to get a feel for the energy and vibe of the room and figure out exactly how we want to kick off our set.

What do your parents think of what you do? Have you ever taken them along to a gig?
Our parents are huge supporters and they come out as often as they can, especially for the live shows – as long as the set times aren’t at 4am.

If you could be remembered for one thing, what would it be?
That we had the audacity to call ourselves the Fort Knox Five even though there are only four of us.
 
Having spent so much time on aeroplanes, are you an official member of the mile high club?
We’ll never tell.
 

Check Out...
Radio Free DC Remixed - featuring remixes by A Skillz, Deekline & Ed Solo, Malente, Nick Thayer, The Nextmen, Jon Ohms, All Good Funk Alliance, Rodney Hunter, Neighbour, Smalltown Romeo, Torpedo Boyz, and many more. June 2009

The New Gold Standard Volume 2 - the second label compilation from this critically acclaimed series featuring new songs by The Fort Knox Five, Nappy Riddems, Speedy Consuela, International Velvet, See-I and more. Fall 2009