Artist Of The Week – Far East

Based in Stamford, Connecticut, Far East, also known as Far East Productionz or Far East Platoon, has earned a reputation for being fierce performers in and around the state. Recently, however, the group, which used to have as many as eight members in it, trimmed itself down to three. I sat down with Bannah to talk about this move, what it means to the group, and what’s next for this talented trio.

Adam Bernard: Talk to me about the history of Far East. I know you’ve gone through your fair share of changes over the years and have slimmed down a bit now.
Bannah: The main reason for the slimming down was lack of focus and communication. Tao, Kraze and I stayed connected, no matter how far apart we grew the love was always there. We are the original three members. I started practicing the art in ’94 in my hometown of Brooklyn, New York, but didn’t take it that seriously because, you know the story goes, everybody hustling! (laughs) So I move to CT in ’98 and met the homie Trife. We started collabing on a few things, paying our dues spitting with the best of them, traveling to Norwalk to do the Five Fingaz Show, gaining exposure as Bannah and Cain, meanwhile Tao had his group going, Dreadnaughtz, with Henrock and was gaining exposure, as well. As time went on we all grew older and moved on to different things. I was a little older than everybody so I was busy doing the family thing, but as fate would have it in the year 2000, on the 31st of October, I unknowingly knock on Tao’s door with the kids trick or treating! To my shock the young producer lived right around the corner from me. We kept in contact and got to work immediately. By the middle of 2001 we were eight people strong going by the name Far East Productionz with Tao as the main producer behind our sound.

Adam Bernard: Now you’re gonna have every MC trick or treating next year! You’re down to three men, now, though. How do you feel the most recent changes with the group will affect both your music and your performances?
Bannah: To tell you the truth it hasn’t hurt our music at all. You know we’re just like any other human beings, we evolve and we adapt to the situation that’s before us. As the founding three our presence was always felt in the recording process, you couldn’t hear a Far East track without hearing Kraze’s voice, or Tao, or me on that shit. And when we’re live the energy is there because we were born to do it!

Adam Bernard: I know you were beasts when it came to releasing music when you had eight members. Are you still going to have the kind of output you had before or has the game plan changed?
Bannah: The game plan did change. We, as men, matured a lot and we’ve upgraded the equipment. I also took time to build my home studio and take up the challenge of the art of producing, so I’ll be bringing my unique sound to the monitors, as well. This has slowed us down to some extent because we all work and we all have bills to pay. People see me at work all the time and think I don’t have the time to record or I’m not making music anymore, but on the low we swapping Pro Tools sessions on a daily basis preparing for a more aggressive comeback.

Adam Bernard: You've been in Connecticut's Hip-Hop scene for a while. In what ways have you seen it change and in what ways has it stayed the same?
Bannah: Connecticut’s Hip-Hop scene has changed a bit thanks to the monster that moved in named MySpace. Having a free web page and to see so many people in your area doing the same thing, hearing their updates and giving them the ability to check for you has been extraordinary. You can tell who’s real by the ones that reach out. Connecticut’s scene has stayed the same in one way, though, too much fucking hate! People, this is Hip-Hop, if you’re here to make music do what you do, but don’t hate on the next man because his style is different from yours. To each his own. I embrace everyone for the love of this shit, you hear me!

Adam Bernard: Finally, take ten seconds to hype up your next release.
Bannah: Our next CD will be out by the end of January early February. It’s a double CD, our ninth and tenth overall, and it bares the name of our new production company Platoon Kanon Beatz (p.k.bz.), so look out for them to land in a hood near you!

You can check out Far East on MySpace at myspace.com/fareastproductionz, myspace.com/platoonkanonbeatz & myspace.com/Tao224.