The Ancient Astronauts Extraterrestrial Hip-Hop

The Ancient Astronauts are said to be extraterrestrial beings who briefly visited ancient civilizations on earth, only to return in modern times. If bios are to be believed, two of these, Kabanjak and Dogu came back to Cologne, Germany, in 2001, and promptly became mash-up and hip-hop experts, remixing and producing for former members of groups such as Digable Planets and The Pharcyde. On the eve of their new release, We Are To Answer on their own Switchblade Recordings, we caught up with the aliens, to glean what we could from them.

Ancient Astronauts – Classic (12 Remix)

Is it different producing your own work than it is someone else’s? Did you ever think about using other producers for your own work?

AA: Actually we try to give remixes a type of typical Ancient Astronauts sound so you can somehow hear that the remix was done by us. But this is mostly restricted to the beats (gotta be rough and in your face), the basslines (gotta be deep and warm) and our arrangements and different sounds and melodies we add. We are very selective when it comes to the sounds we use for our music and this is also the case when we do remixes. So when someone that we remix uses for example some synths and we don´t like the way they sound then we don´t use them and add something else that fits to our ears.
We never thought of using outside producers for our album because that´s what we are, producers.

Your work has been embraced by the top tiers of hip-hop but Cologne is far from the centers of the music. Do you feel any socio-cultural connection to the work, or is it purely experiments with sound?

AA: Yes, we very much feel a socio-cultural connection to hip hop and all related music styles cause we listen to this music for a very long time. Germany, and especially Cologne, has a long history with solid and conscious hip hop. There is a huge crowd of people believing in the true artform of hip hop and everyone does their part to support it and teach it to those who do not know about its real origin. So no experiments but pure love for it.

Many people criticize hip-hop for reinforcing the sexual and commercial values it set out to subvert. Without forgetting there is an underground of “conscious” hip hop, do you think hip-hop has lived
up to its potential for social and political change or not?

AA: We don´t think so. It depends on what you make out of it. Good music with a conscious background will never lose its force on social or political issues. It is an expression of what people think and feel about the world they’re living in. That´s what we are trying to do: Express ourselves.

Is Chariots of the Gods your favorite book?

AA: Not at all – we heard about it and its theories but never read it.

Did you come back in 2001 because of September 11, or Stanley Kubrick?

AA: We re-entered because it was time to build a solid platform for our music in the future.

What did you pack?

AA: Vinyl, instruments, books and the knowledge of the past, to pass on to the people.

What music was on the speakers when you landed?

AA: Clutchy Hopkins.

Was the moon landing a hoax?

AA: Of course, but ask Stanley Kubrick for more detailed information.

Words by Neil Feineman

Ancient Astronauts -Classic (DJ Brace Remix)