Interview with Prefuse 73, at Heathrow Lounge on Sunday

If you are into dazzling, disjointed hip-hop beats, then you have probably heard of a whiz kid and producer that goes by the name of Prefuse 73. Born in Miami, but raised in Atlanta, Prefuse 73 (born Scott Herren) also records under various monikers like Savath & Savalas and Delarosa & Asora. Still, he's best known and admired around the world for his flawless work as Prefuse 73.

After releasing his debut 2001 album, Vocal Studies + Up Rock Narratives, Herren earned the attention and respect of underground electronic music aficionados. And though his production technique is firmly rooted in hip-hop, Herren's work also delves deeply into the realm of electro and ambient, making Prefuse 73 a difficult artist to pigeonhole.  

So it's very fitting that the eclectic Prefuse, along with Elliot Lip and local hero PG 13, is performing this Sunday at Miami Beach's Heathrow Lounge for the last night of Art Basel. "I got a lot of friends in Miami," says Herren, speaking via phone from his Brooklyn home. "I also started doing a lot of stuff for [Miami-based label] Schematic. I have some close friends down in M.I.A., but I'm not very good at communicating with people when I'm not around, so I'll be cool to be visiting."

Nowadays Herren is also getting used to life back in the States, after

years of living in Barcelona. "I live in Brooklyn right now but I miss

Barcelona," he says. "I moved back because I want to be with my kid."

The

move from Barcelona to Brooklyn also affected the Herren's sound. "What

I did in [Barcelona] was more Savalas-style work," says Herren. "The

new Prefuse stuff that I'm doing here is more optimistic ... more

vibrant."

To breathe fresh energy into the new upcoming Prefuse

album, Herren is changing his digital methods. "The [creative] process

for me is becoming longer," he says. "The new Prefuse stuff is more

simple. But for this new record, we did everything analog, cutting the

tape and recording things like it was 1974."

A key factor his

decision to go analog was the overabundance of laptop jockeys. "There's

an onslaught of stuff that sounds really sterile," Herren says. "And I

want to stand apart on my own." His Sunday DJ set at Heathrow will

offer clues into his new, bold directions.

Prefuse 73

p.m.; tickets cost $18 in advance from www.trinumeral.com. Ages 21+ with ID. 305-534-7614; www.heathrowlounge.com.

-- Jose Davila