1. 4-Ever Juvenile

Even though I've started my career by chopping up old soul records, I've never really considered myself a nostalgic type of person. I have always had a problem with people who seems to be obsessed with their own past, constantly talking about the same memories over and over. Kocky, I like to think, is about the present and possibly the future (I know what you're thinking, but I've never seen sampling as necessarily retro). But last summer me and Daniel Dermes was in the studio in sunny Bergshamra, putting the first touches on what was to later become the album Stadium Status. I had made a sketch with a simple housebeat, a plastic funk guitar and Erik Prydz type bassline. I don't know if it had to do with me listening to a lot of southern hiphop at the moment, but somehow the word "juvenile" got stuck in my head. (my good friend Tobias was actually a bit disappointed over the fact that the song wasn't a celebration of the rapper).


Fans of the southern hiphop pioneers Geto Boys will also notice how the intro verse blatantly steals the most classic lines from one of the most classic hiphop songs ever, "My Mind Is Playing Tricks On Me"; "I sit alone in my four-cornered room, staring at candles" (but in the Kocky/Dermes version the last word is changed to "pictures").


Anyway, what me and Daniel wanted to do I guess, was to evoke that classic "what if?"-feeling. The verses are simple and spacious, wanting to convey the emotion of Daniel being really alone. I don't know how many people will think about this, and I don't know if we even did it on purpose, but when Noonie Baos backing vocals comes in right before the chorus, I get the feeling that maybe Daniel isn't necessarily the only one wanting to press rewind.

The idea of having Tinchy Stryder doing a verse felt logical, him being very young when he first got out as well as still being one of the most exciting british emcees today. His verse is like the classic rapper guest spot on a rnb single.

Sometimes you have to have a look in the rear view mirror to push things forward.