We had a little chat with Alchemist and were originally looking for some plain answers. But obviously the creative mind of Alan Maman doesn’t work that way. A conversation about Ayahuasca, the studiage, soft Cheerios and Mobb Deep.

Day or Night?
The Alchemist: I like to work during the day. You know what, let me rephrase that. I prefere working when I wake up. I don’t like working around the time when I go to sleep. So if I wake up at four in the morning or at midnight, that’s when i work. I am animal in every aspect: I eat when I’m hungry, sleep when I’m tired. I do not follow any patterns. During the time at university they tried to format me for a minute. But I’m like on of these discs that can’t really be formatted and break. Sorry.

Do you prefere working on your own or with others?
The Alchemist:I like being in the studio with other producers. For example Oh No. He is from another planet. Neburu. I think he’s from Neburu. He makes beats appear from thin air, does cool magic tricks with weed. He is a really cool guy.

High or sober?
The Alchemist: The beats that I have made when I’m not high are so incredible and amazin that I kind of scare myself. I gotta be careful. I save those moments. The best beats I made when I was not high. But I was on heroin. I don’t know how that matches up. But now I’ve been trying Ayahuasca and it’s pretty cool. It’s fun when I’m drunk, there’s another energy. Disco starts coming out. John Travolta style.

Studio or Stage?
The Alchemist: The Stageo. The Studiage. I prefer to bring the studio on stage. I bring indigenous instruments to the stage, shelves, pot and pans. I live in the spirit of Sun Ra Orchestra.

New York or LA?
The Alchemist: That’s a rough one, depends on what moment. I like all the place in between and all the other places around. New York is cool though, there’s a lot of fun places.

DJ Muggs or Havoc?
The Alchemist: I can’t make up my mind on this one. Many producers inspire me. Araab Muzik, Sid Roams, Evidence, Babu, No I.D., Nottz, Khalil, Jake One, Vitamin D, Sebb. The list goes on. We’re like the Cheerios in the end of the cereal. You know how they always cling together? That’s how producers are. Like soft Cheerios.

Return Of The Mac or Stepbrothers?
The Alchemist: That Prodigy guy is pretty good, pretty talented. He’s focused. He does as many push-ups as he does rhymes. He will bench press a Mac Truck right now. The Mobb Deep Album will be crazy.