Never one to be constrained by rules, Linkin Park DJ Joseph Hahn has but one when it comes to his band’s new album.
“We’re just trying to make it not suck,” the turntablist, remixer and video producer said.
Linkin Park, recipients of the Moonman for Best Rock Video at last week’s MTV Video Music Awards for the Hahn-helmed “In the End”, are roughly midway through recording their second album, with about 20 tracks done, Hahn said. They’ll probably prune the lot down to 12 by the end of the year, and hope to have the follow-up to 2000’s Hybrid Theory in stores early next year.
“We’re just trying to make a decent album,” he added, “because there are a lot of second albums [that suffer from] the sophomore jinx… So hopefully we can make it as good as the last one.”
Reanimation, an LP of remixed Hybrid Theory tracks that has moved more than 572,000 copies since its late July release, according to SoundScan, soothed some fans anxious for something new from the band, but left most anticipating the group’s second studio LP even more. Last week, Linkin Park’s management put the spurs to the bandmembers, summoning them back to a Los Angeles studio with Don Gilmore, who produced and engineered Hybrid Theory, to work on the as-yet-untitled project. The sudden recall forced singer Chester Bennington to call off a September 7 benefit show with his former band Grey Daze.
Hahn was secretive when it came to discussing album specifics, though he did say that the LP would further their cause for uniting the genres of rock and hip-hop.
“We’re trying to combine the elements to become one music. It’s inevitable for music to go that way. It just so happens that everything is so corporate these days, everything needs to be categorized. So we’re just trying to help close those gaps a little bit.”
Unlike Reanimation, Linkin Park’s next album won’t feature any guests, though Hahn said that another remix album might be in order. Whatever they decide, Hahn assured fans that they won’t be let down by the outcome.
“With anything we do, we don’t cop out,” he said. “We put a lot of love into everything from our visuals to our music, so I don’t think the fans will ever be disappointed with anything we do.”