Ahead of their first column, DRS and MC Strategy (DJ Konny Kon couldn’t make it – it was a sunny day, after all) filled us in on what they’ve been up to, their new EP, how their websites had a revamp and what they’ve got in store for the new column. Why have you decided to get involved with the column idea?
 | | Broke'n'English |
Strategy: "We just think we can give the people more of an insight into what's really going on in Manchester." DRS: "We're out every weekend and we know everyone, so we can give people information and stuff that they might not normally get to hear about. Manchester's got such a good scene right now with loads of people making loads of different sorts of music, but you only ever hear about a small part of it." S: "It's really competitive at the moment and we're all fighting for scraps, but that makes me even more determined to get our music heard and I think that's healthy for Manchester right now." Things blew up for you a while back but it's gone a bit quiet again... | "In one form or another, we've been around since 1992 and if anyone had told me it'd be this good and I'd be this happy, I wouldn't have believed them." | | Strategy on life in Broke'n'English |
DRS: "We want to do things our way. We like to take things at our own pace and whilst it's great to get our music played on Radio 1 and that, if we don't feel right about something we take a step back. "We don't rush things. When the times right, we'll make our move and whereas it would be great to be signed by a major label, we've experienced the mainstream music industry before and we've decided that we're going to do it our way." S: "Making that decision gives us the freedom to concentrate on the music and not the image. We have an image but it's real and all the people who like what we do know that. "But we're really busy. We play most weekends, we're in the studio all the time and we've always got something going on but you just don't hear about it... we don't like to stand up and shout about ourselves." DRS: "We let the music speak for us." There's been some developments on the music front. Hasn’t one of you been singing?
 | | Broke'n'English |
DRS: "(laughs) Err... yeah that would be me. I'm known as Luther Van DRS now! I dunno, I just thought I'd give it a go and now it's part of what we do. I don't think I'm that good as a singer but people seem to like it. I mean it's totally out of character for me to do something like this but I started singing on my own, then in front of Strategy and Konny Kon and then I sang in front of a crowd." S: "He was nervous and got it wrong a few times but that's all part of Broke'n' English, trying new things - I mean I might start playing the ukelele! "It's all part of our natural process. When you first come through you're influenced by other people but you get to a position when you realise that you can actually do what you want. I'm really enjoying what I'm doing at the moment, I'm really getting into my lyrics and sometimes in the studio I really get into it - they don't mean a thing! "But it doesn't matter, although I do think if people saw how we record tracks in my front room, they might wonder how we do it!" Your website’s got a spruce-up too… DRS: "It needed a fresh look and we're happy with it now. We've also got our own MySpace and that's going well, we're getting interest." S: "The mix-tape, Terms and Conditions, is available on the site and selling well, the new single, Squeeze, is going great, even though it's only a limited edition, and there'll be a new single, Tryin', remixed by Kalibre coming out in July." DRS: "And we're really looking forward to making our new DVD, The Swig-off! (laughs) Last time we made a video, it nearly caused an accident 'cos we were riding round Manchester with a camera on a wheelchair - but it only cost £150!" S: "The thing is we're keeping it real here in Manchester and that's what makes the music scene so good. People like the honesty and that it isn't what you normally see on the TV. "In one form or another, we've been around since 1992 and if anyone had told me it'd be this good and I'd be this happy, I wouldn't have believed them... it's all good and we're just doing what we do." Broke'n'English will be writing their first column for us in the coming weeks. Their new EP, Tryin', is out in mid-July. | 
