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POSH! The Prince
04 February 2010 10:37:03
 From Atlanta to Berlin by way of the Big Apple, POSH! The Prince has lived it all: From the vicious, catty Atlanta ball scene to the viciously smoking catwalks of New York City’s Fashion Week. His sex drive is powerful, his spirituality, deep, and his love for the avant-garde unbreakable. It’s no secret that Berlin’s the place for young creatives to push boundaries, and this self-proclaimed inventor of Hardcore Psychedelic Funk is ready to push ’em hard and far.
 His confrontational way of presenting his unique talent is shocking and inspiring, as this former New Yorker thoughtfully weaves meaning and soul throughout each detail of his work. His stage name (which is an acronym for Passionately Only Serving Him - a spiritual reference to Jesus) exemplifies the very essence of his integrity.
Prior to the release of Re-Bokk Robot, his first single with Batty Bass Records, Pulse had the privilege of catching up with The Prince on the comfy, retro-cool sofa of Transit in Kreuzberg. He gave us an insight into his plans in 2010, which he positively claims will be, “The year of POSH!“
PULSE: Many colorful adjectives come to mind while watching you perform? Using three adjectives, how would you describe yourself?
POSH!: Can I give you one super, extremely colorful adjective?
Go for it.
Supercalifragilistic-expialidocious! That’s probably the most fitting word to describe me as a person and as an entertainer [laughs].
What brought you to Berlin?
My dreams, my hopes, my ambition, my sex drive and my father, although he passed away. Actually, my father was one of the biggest reasons why I wanted to push myself in the direction of my dream; because, I felt like, although he passed away, I had no other option than to really prove myself to him and to me.
Describe an average day in the life of POSH!.
It involves a lot of thinking. I feel like my thoughts and fantasies are what matter because those are the things that present themselves in time. I spend a lot of time just thinking and listening to music. I have great friends and I love to be social but since I’ve lived in Berlin, with a much slower pace of daily life, I have a lot of time to myself. I love to be alone, to just think about certain possibilities and to think about how far I can go. I feel that the further I can think, the further I can actually go.
I read in several biographies that your musical virtue began with the saxophone before the age of nine? How did you evolve from Classical to Hardcore Psychedelic Funk?
Yes, I was classically trained. I think the beauty of being trained on the alto saxophone within the  Classical round was that it gave me a much more intellectual perspective on how to approach music. Being in that environment raised my standards tenfold. As I got older, I became very eclectic and enjoyed listening to all kinds of music.
Hardcore Psychedelic Funk is an extremely abstract state of Classical thinking; because, if you really listen into the layers and sounds of my music, they flow as a Classical song would flow. The way that I think is how a Classical composer would think because it’s about all of the layers, colors and movements rather than a time signature—which just sets the mood. I let the time signature create itself. When I make music, I don’t use a drum kit, and I don’t think in terms of instruments; I think in terms of sounds and colors. I look at music as if it were colorful rolls and textures of fabric in a fabric shop. Hardcore Psychedelic Funk is only one genre of many genres that I am ambitious to establish. Whenever people ask me what type of music I make, I say, “It’s Hardcore Psychedelic Funk.“ They usually reply with, “What? Oh my God! I don’t know what that sounds like!“ Of course you don’t honey, because I invented it!
What outside influences paved your chosen path?
Whoa! There are so many! In terms of career size: Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson. In terms of musical composing vision: Prince, David Bowie and the list goes on. Visually: Salvador Dali, Lichtenstein, Warhol and Stanley Kubrick. Those names are just the tip of the iceberg. Spiritually: Jesus. Not to mention, my mom and dad—they are the biggest influences in my life!
You possess an extremely high energy on stage? How do you prepare for your gigs beforehand?
I don’t! Isn’t that funny? My show is so low budget that everything has to be spontaneous. Usually, I don’t even get to do a soundcheck! It’s like, I arrive and I jump on stage! And honey, you either have it or you don’t when it comes to that [laughs]. That’s a gift! But, the beauty will be, as I develop the budget, I’ll have more time to prepare and develop my ideas. If you think I’m high energy now, wait until you see me in a year or two! You really put yourself out there, with your sound, lyrics, image and performance, spicing up Berlin's Electro scene. What kind of reaction do you get from this scene? What kind of reaction do you intend to score?
I intend to shock and I see people be very shocked. I’m very confrontational with the lyrics. I sing a lot about sex and aliens but also a lot about spirituality; yet, I mask the spirituality within the sex. That’s part of the blinding and the mesmerizing that I bring. Explain this obsession of aliens and robot sex.
The beauty of living in Europe and being black is that, I’m already an alien because I moved here from a foreign country; but, LITERALLY, I am an alien because I’m a freak! It’s kind of this double surrealism I’m living in. Also, because I’m totally obsessed with the future; hence, the science fiction themes often present in my lyrics. I sing a lot about sex, just because I love, love, love sex!
What is the message you want to send out with your music and your performance? Or is your work merely for shock factor?
No, not only for shock factor. That wouldn’t be real talent would it now? The shock is only to floor people, to grab their attention and to open their eyes. The entertainment in itself is so much more because I compose my own music, I write my own material and visually, all of the ideas are my own. Everything that comes from me creatively, is from me. During the show, I want to see people’s mouths drop because, it’s like, now that I’ve got your ATTENTION, let’s get dirty, let’s really open this can of whoop ass!
 Batty Bass has been hailed by Time Out as:"One of london's finest clubs. It feels like a house party but looks like a music video"
Can you elaborate on the atmosphere of the party and your part in the label and night? Batty Bass has a vision that I am inspired by when I see it. When I look at the figures of the girls that Alex Noble designed, I almost see myself because I feel that those girls are manifestations of characters I have already been seeing in my head. Connecting with Batty Bass was a perfect match because I feel like, theatrically, I’m bringing those characters to life.
Anyway, we’re just getting started and Re-Bokk Robot is the single. An album will follow and we’ll just see how it goes. I take things step by step instead of thinking too far when it comes to business. I think that over thinking, over analyzing and planning every next move limits certain things. I just like to stay open, be content where I am and make the best of the moment.
What will the title of the album release be?
I already have it in my head; but, I’m not going to reveal it yet. I have to protect my ideeeaaas, okay? [Laughs]. But, I will say this about the album: there will be no other sound like it because it’s Hardcore Psychedelic Funk!
Any plans of a music video?
Yes! We are actually working on the music video for “Re-Bokk Robot“ and I hope to do a video premiere next month. I’ve got a designer in London making couture for the video and it is going to be HOT! It’s going to be video game type, sexy surrealism.
A word to your fans?
Yes! I challenge my listeners to get into my way of thinking when they listen to my music. Re-Bokk Robot is out now on Batty Bass Records Nicole Dieter
 [Photos courtesy of ROMAN KUTZOWITZ]
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