Interview: Virus Syndicate Talks New Album, Crowd-surfing, And Their Claim To Fame

“At least people give a shit,” says Nika D, one-fourth of Virus Syndicate, “we could be at the bottom of the ladder, just trying to get someone to listen to us.” There’s nothing more gratifying for a music fan than to witness an act suddenly seize the moment and grasp their potential. Composed of JSD, Goldfinger and DJ Mark One, the Manchester natives have established themselves as one of the most energetic grime collectives. This is a band that started with a purpose: to let loose on the world the sound they have spent eight years knocking into shape. What is perhaps most surprising about Virus Syndicate, however, is the lack of egos but presence of a friendly rivalry: “We are all very competitive. We all want the best bar on a tune and that’s what keeps us hungry to improve and be the best we can be.”

This approach has developed into an ability to pull together varied influences and make them their own. On their new album, The Swarm, they present a 17-track project oozing hazy, bass heavy beats that comes at you with some serious spring in its step, something you will hear right away on “Worker Bees,” a song that sees them exploring their work ethic and stream of consciousness. Curious to find out more about the Mancunian group in their own words? We caught up with Nika D.

I guess we should start at the beginning. Did you choose music or did music choose you?

I would say music chose us. As little kids we were all heavily influenced by music. But then again you could say we chose music as a vent for our talents, thoughts and frustrations and a way of escaping what we were all doing when we started this virus.

At what point did you say, “Okay, this is now a full-time job”?

I would say when we started to see real money coming out of it. Before that it was just a dream that crept up on us and became a reality. When you become financially dependent on the music you leave your old life behind. I used to work in a call center selling gas and electric. I kept having to take time off to go away for shows until eventually I never had to go back to work. We are so blessed to do this for a living.

Do you think that things would have turned out differently if you had never found music?

[Laughs] Yeah, one hundred percent. This was our saving grace. This music shit gave us focus, direction, ambition and most of all hope. The circles some of us were in when we started were moving down a one-way street with a dead end at the bottom of it, if you know what I mean. Music took us from doing badness in the street or working dead end jobs to putting our focus into the studio and each other helping each other to grow. This was the foundation we built Virus Syndicate on.

How did you all end up meeting?

We were all brought together through mutual friends. We all did music and knew of each other and things just came together naturally.

Can you recall any specific moments where it became clear that it was going to be something far beyond what you had initially intended?

When I started in Virus, I just wanted us to get on a flyer–any flyer, top or bottom of that flyer it didn’t matter [laughs]. But when our first video “Slow Down” went into top ten on MTV Base and the song was all over the radio we knew then that this was going to be way more than what any of us had ever dreamed it would be.

You’ve been making music since 2005, right?

Yeah. Our first album came out in 2006. We started making music in 2004/2005.

How do the records that you were making back then differ to what you’re releasing today?

Back then we didn’t really know what we were doing when it came to making songs. We thought we did but in reality we were still very inexperienced. We were just kids. Most of us were barely 18 when we started Virus Syndicate and had never had any music training or anything like that. We just put down what we felt right to us at the time. When I listen back to some of it now I cringe and think “how the fuck did this launch our careers?” [laughs].

So let’s get to “Sick Wid It.” What’s it about?

“Sick Wid It” was the first single off the new album. On a real level, we made it for the radio. We had a lot of outside influences that wanted us to put something more mainstream down to launch the album with and that was “Sick Wid It.” It’s very different to our previous stuff mainly in the structure of the song. The verses are short and the hooks on the beat is not really what Virus Syndicate is known for, however, we’ve had a lot of radio support with it so everybody’s happy. But I would say “Sick Wid It” is very different to the rest of the album.

How much do your individual experiences bleed into the songwriting?

Everything you hear us say on a record comes from either our own individual experience or someone close to us who we have seen experience some shit that’s inspired us to write about it.

A lot of the tracks seem to be about partying, girls, money and sex. What draws you to write about these things?

We wrote the new album whilst touring and I think it really captures the energy of our lives at this time. We are having fun right now, life is good. We are fortunate enough to go to a different country and perform nearly every week with our best friends and get paid to do it. We wanted to put that energy into this album and I think that has been the catalyst for a lot of the subject matter discussed on it.

Does the fact that you have a huge following now, not only on Twitter but also on YouTube and Soundcloud, weigh on your mind when you’re making records?

Yeah. It does sometimes when we’re weak minded and allow it to. Every time we make a track that we think our fans or label want to hear it ends up being shit. When we just do us that is when we make our best music that our fans and new fans love.

Do you mind all the attention you get? Or is it a double-edged sword?

Nah, it’s cool. At least people give a shit. We could be at the bottom of the ladder, just trying to get someone to listen to us. Every time someone comes up to us in the street at a show or wherever we always try and thank them for their support. Without these people we would be back on the street or in the call center repeating ourselves.

To ask a question a lot of people have been wondering: why the name Virus Syndicate?

Well, we are the Virus Syndicate because whatever we do will spread, people become infected by it and they will want more. One guy in Sydney might hear our song and show his friends then soon his friends are all fans and then their friends and so on. They all become infected eventually. We’re a virus and there is more than one of us so also a syndicate therefore Virus Syndicate.

Can you talk a little bit about the song “Worker Bees”?

“Worker Bees” is for the club, man. We had a great time making this track and love performing it. Buku is such a sick producer, so glad to have got to work with him on this one. “Worker Bees” is another name for people from Manchester.

How did the new album, The Swarm, come to be then?

Back in the day Manchester used to be the home of the textile industry. Mancunians were known as “The Worker Bees” due to the massive output of cotton that came from here. All over Manchester there are bee symbols everywhere. The Swarm is a statement. We are paving the way for future Mancunian artists to come and achieve the same level, if not more success than what we are currently seeing nationally and internationally. We have our label Midication Recordings as a platform for this. Eventually there will be a swarm of worker bees tearing up shows and getting paid all over the world.

Do you feel more camaraderie or competition with other MCs in the industry?

Competition is healthy even within Virus — we are all very competitive. We all want the best bar on a tune and it’s what keeps us hungry to improve and be the best we can be. But as far as our career goes we are happy to see other “good” MCs out there doing well and getting the hype and recognition they deserve. But make no mistake — we fully intend to grow Virus Syndicate into becoming the premier rap group in Europe. Anything short of that we would deem a failure. And there is only one in the number one, so there is a bit of competitiveness on a career front but healthily and never on a hating tip. We wish everyone all the success in the world.

On stage, you have this “We don’t give a shit” attitude. It’s really empowering. Do you have the same approach in the studio?

We try to bring the energy from the stage to the studio and from the studio to the stage. We always say what we want and in all honesty, we don’t actually give a shit what people have to say or think about it. Occasionally, there is the odd time when we make a tune and it sometimes ends up being shit because we over think it and don’t bring that natural energy to it. Virus Syndicate is Virus Syndicate we don’t give a shit and just do us. So to answer your question — yeah, definitely.

Your shows are becoming famously frenetic. Have any of you ever required first aid or hospitalization?

[Laughs] Nah, not yet! But I can see it happening one day. We love to stage dive and the dives are getting bigger and more risky. So it’s probably a matter of time before we injure ourselves but fuck it. It will be the funniest day of our lives when or if it happens as long as it’s not me that is carried out from the show on a stretcher I’m not arsed [laughs]. Only joking. We are all still young, fit healthy guys so I’m sure we will be fine, but we might have to wind it down when we get older

While you were coming up, who were some of the artists whose work inspired your output?

Definitely people like Nas, Eminem, Biggie, Dizzee Rascal, Wiley, NWA, Public Enemy, Wu-Tang, Jay Z, The Prodigy, Trigga. I could go on for ages.

A lot of groups have different guys in their entourage that are responsible for different things. Some have a weed man, a girl man and a hypeman. Who plays what role in Virus Syndicate?

I can’t answer this question without baiting anyone up. But everyone has their role and they all play it well [laughs].

The Swarm is out now. For more info, click here.