.nuClarity – ‘new clarity’, but ‘louder than a bomb’ – is a five-member rap band consisting of drums – TripleScoob, bass – Skank, percussion – Al.X., guitar – LooseMan, and vocals – Mad10: “Actually a music band. We love everything that’s good. The starting point is rap with live musicians. HipHop is the foundation of our thinking, and the music stems from there, specifically .nuClarity style. The music we play is our own. From the beginning, we’ve been playing original songs, no covers, no other people’s styles. Anything is possible, but we are and remain .nuClarity.”
It started in 1990 with LooseMan and Mad10, and then the current lineup followed. “We rehearsed a lot, performed a lot, and in 1992, we made our first demo. We simply couldn’t resist doing something with it. Since then, we’ve gained tremendous live experience. We’ve performed extensively in the Netherlands, covering all the scenes this country has to offer (Jazz dances, Hip Hop jams, P-Funk parties, Rock clubs, cafes, coffeeshops – the whole 9).
We’ve also performed internationally (France, Austria, Germany). We often perform with other rappers. Artists under their own name who occasionally freestyle with us; it’s always dope. But it’s not just musicians who join us. There are many people around the band that we try to involve in what we do. DJs, graffiti artists, people who feel connected to what we do; they join us. It’s a vibe thing. .nuClarity stands for music, but we like to mean more than that.”
Art: Avery Preesman
Mad10’s lyrics seem to closely align with that. Although his rhymes cover all imaginable themes – from sex to sociology – there’s a certain overall engagement and consciousness present. “I express our opinion, and in a way, that might already be political. We have an opinion about everything. You can consider it a statement.”
His rap skills and techniques are also top-notch. He has a new school flow (rap technique of recent years) that doesn’t hold back. Due to his international background, he easily switches between American, French, Surinamese, and Dutch, even in freestyle. “Most songs are in English, but we do our own thing.” And that’s undoubtedly true because, unlike many other Dutch HipHop-oriented acts, .nuClarity is not just another American copy. It’s “Original roughneck lowlands Soul,” to put it briefly.
Blended with the fat beats of Scoob (“Sly Dunbar is the greatest.”), the heavy Funk and Reggae sounds of Skank, the Caribbean flavor of Al.X., and the Rock sauce of LooseMan, this band sounds downright awesome. Don’t you believe it? Then try buying their recently released 12″ single. It’s called ‘Under Water’; written, rapped, played, mixed, and produced below sea level with lyrics as deep as an ocean:
“No snorkel, no scooba / a diver I am / I live in the Amster / the gangster the Dam / the lower the land / the lower the man / now you tell me I do not belong / WRONG.”
Mad10’s poetry of considerable magnitude is accompanied flawlessly by the gentlemen of .nuClarity. Drum & Bass in your face. Ostensibly, no compromises. “Our sound is live; it has become that way over the years. Now we’re capturing it on record.”
And on CD, because there’s also a compilation being released in honor of the bands that have performed at the nationally renowned P-Funk parties. Alongside other representatives of Funk from below sea level, .nuClarity is also fully represented on this disc. “No man can live alone.” Get it.
Published in Strictly Magazine 1996
