Mark Ronson on KCRW: A La Modeliste

Producer/Musician extraordinaire Mark Ronson stopped by KCRW’s studios today to talk about one of his newest creations, the track “A La Modeliste”. It’s a collaboration with Erykah Badu, Trombone Shorty, Mos Def, Zigaboo Modeliste, and Members of The Dap Kings.

It was part of “RE:GENERATION”, a documentary film that follows Ronson, DJ Premier, Pretty Lights, The Crystal Method, and Skrillex as they remix, recreate and re-imagine five traditional styles of music.

Ronson was given the genre of jazz and says he aimed for the “pure second line” jazz piece and wanted to focus on the “groove that gave birth to the Meters” style of funk. The recording took place over two days and Mos Def ended up on the track because he lived nearby and happened to stop into the studio.

He said it was a magical experience recording with that group of musicians but, as with any project, was “petrified” going into it, saying “what if I show up and nothing comes out.” Clearly that wasn’t a problem as the result is fantastic.

Learn more about the project here. Mark’s interview will be available in the archives here shortly.

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Mark Ronson at KCRW by Larry Hirshowitz