“I don’t like country & western, I don’t like rock music… I don’t like rockabilly! I don’t like much really do I? But what I do like, I love passionately!!”: CHRIS LOWE
THE REMAINDER are an electronic trio comprising Neil Arthur (vocals, guitar + synthesizers), Liam Hutton (drums, guitar + synthesizers) and Finlay Shakespeare (synthesizers + vocals).
The credentials of Neil Arthur and his work in BLANCMAGE are well documented, but Liam Hutton has a portfolio that includes Neneh Cherry while Finlay Shakespeare is an artist in his own right who also builds synths via his Future Sound Systems.
THE REMAINDER recently released debut album ‘Evensong’ has been many years in the making. Although both Liam Hutton and Finlay Shakespeare are recurring members of the BLANCMANGE live family, the project began before either was involved in the headline act.
The sound of THE REMAINDER is crisp yet hazy, with Arthur relinquishing total control and relishing in the altered dynamic coming from two younger and very capable collaborators, as he has done previous in his other side-projects NEAR FUTURE, FADER and KINCAID.
‘Evensong’ is an immediately enjoyable affair that sits nicely in the wider Neil Arthur canon. ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK had the pleasure of a three-way online chat with Neil Arthur, Liam Hutton and Finlay Shakespeare to discuss THE REMAINDER and its creative dynamic.
How did the idea of actually writing and producing music together come about, as opposed to just performing together?
Neil: Liam and I started work on the album in 2015, shortly after my manager Steve Malins introduced us. It wasn’t until a few years later that Liam joined BLANCMANGE on tour. We asked Finlay if he’d like to get involved later still. When was that? At that point, although Finlay had been a special guest with us, he hadn’t played with the Blancs.
Finlay: It was 10th November 2018 backstage at The Cluny, Newcastle!
Were the bones of the songs written together or by necessity due to your schedules, THE REMAINDER needed to a remote project?
Neil: Liam sent me his ideas electronically and I responded likewise. In fits and starts, eventually we had a body of work that we presented to Finlay to let his machines loose on. It was only then that we realised, “oh, we’ve got an album’s worth of noise here”. I think Liam and I got together in person only once before finally we went to join Finlay at his studio to fine-tune and mix the album.
Finlay: COVID didn’t help. I remember the dates of the mix session being set quite precariously, and a lot of my dabbling with the projects beforehand had to be done remotely anyway.
Did you set out any rules or restrictions in the way the music was constructed to set THE REMAINDER apart from your other work?
Neil: No, I think the three of us would hopefully be able create something uniquely different in the way each of us reacted to information / music / files / suggestion we in turn received from one another. A mutualistic 3 way symbiosis I reckon.
Finlay: Not strictly, but I remember using the opportunity to try some new techniques out. There’s a moment where a keyboard got played with my feet in ‘Dead Farmer’s Field’!
Was there anything that was applied more consciously, like for example live drum feels?
Liam: The decision to add live drums was definitely a ‘conscious’ one. All of the tracks began with programmed drums but ‘Evensong’ and ‘Dead Farmer’s Field’ just felt like they needed that extra punch!
The ‘Dead Farmer’s Field’ title has a goth rock air about it and that comes across in the music?
Neil: Oh, I hadn’t clocked that.
The ‘Evensong’ title track has this motorik backbone, how did that piece itself together and what influences went into the pot?
Neil: There was an intention to attempt towards that motorik drive, with NEU! and LA DÜSSELDORF being a reference to an extent.
Finlay: With the drum machine stem being sent over, I remember going straight for the sequencers at the studio, sending clock to as much stuff simultaneously as I could, then tweaking everything with each pass. Haswell’s Taiko, ARP 2600 clones, MS20, plenty of fun. That rigidly clocked feel definitely helps the motorik aspect.
Liam: I think we all had our eyes / ears on similar influences for this one! KRAFTWERK, CAN, NEU! et al. The idea started with the repetitive arpeggio played on an electric guitar, using that muted-harmonics technique everyone does when they first start learning to play. Then the drums were added at first using a Korg Vulca Beats which is quite a rudimentary but a fun little drum sequencer, and bass notes programmed on a computer. Neil then added vocals and synths and it took shape from there, going to Finlay for some grit and character!
The album opener ‘Broken Manhole Cover’ has this LCD SOUNDSYSTEM vibe, any thoughts?
Neil: Well, if you listen very carefully, you’ll hear me singing via a gated tremolo FX the words “LCD SOUNDSYSTEM” most of the way through the song. Maybe that’s got something to do with it. Subliminal suggestion. I can’t remember how I came to be singing that. Local amnesia possibly…
Finlay: The finger clicks and hand claps are pure Bowie, make of that what you will…
Was ‘Lift Music’ a track born out of frustration?
Neil: Lyrically, more monotonous repetition – hotels on tour. Forgetting where you are because once you’re in there, it may as well be anywhere or nowhere. Then there’s another level, get it? Lift music, to keep you calm in a small space. People get paid to curate a setlist of songs for lift travel. I want that job. CCTV watching your every move. Repeat and repeat.
Liam: I was messing around with the Ableton Looper and ended up making that sort of distorted, stuttery synth sound which you hear throughout. It has a sort of frustrated / anxious feel to it which wasn’t intentional, but it definitely informed the rest of the ideas that came after.
‘What Do You Want To Want’ asks existential questions?
Neil: Yes.
Jo Hutton provides electro-acoustic interludes between all the tracks on ‘Evensong’? How did that come about?
Liam: It was suggested that my Mum, being a sound artist / experimentalist and sound engineer, should make some interludes and she gladly obliged! She used the stems from each track to create their respective interludes.
Will THE REMAINDER perform live or will it be more likely that the occasional song might pop into the BLANCMANGE live set?
Finlay: We’d love to do it, it’s just a case of getting our heads together and existing in the same room for more than 20 minutes! It’s also a case of getting booked, though we could always do a small DIY tour. Tiny venues, 20 people, dancing shoes, job’s a good’un.
Liam: I hope so!
What is next for you each?
Neil: More recording, then a break before festivals in Europe.
Finlay: A studio move-out, then a potential studio build. A new album’s finished though, set for release in 2024.
Liam: Recording and touring mainly. Hoping to finish some new music before the year is up…
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its grateful thanks to THE REMAINDER
Special thanks to Steve Malins at Random Music Management
2022’s ‘*Happiness not included’ was SOFT CELL’s first album of new material since ‘Cruelty Without Beauty’ which hit the shops 20 years before.
Seeded by a reunion following their original 1984 disbandment, after a difficult album campaign for ‘Cruelty Without Beauty’ which front man Marc Almond later described as “a terrible mistake”, he and instrumental partner Dave Ball became estranged for many years . That was until a 2018 reunion show at London’s O2 Arena; although this was intended to be a formal retirement party for the Northern electronic soul duo, their “synthesis of sunshine and shadow” could not be denied or resisted.
“Dave and I were transformed by each other” said Almond and like a chemical reaction, there was a second joyous recorded reunion. Although it stated clearly on the tin ‘*Happiness not included’, such was the rejuvenation that although 12 songs ended up on the album, there was enough unused songs, cover versions, bonuses, B-sides and extended mixes to compile two new collections for a ‘Happiness…’ trilogy.
Produced as with the parent album by Philip Larsen, ‘*Happiness now extended’ presents the original ‘*Happiness not included’ album as traditional 12” versions to encapsulate the early clubbing spirit and imperial phase of SOFT CELL. With many of the tracks conceived as longer works, the title song, ‘Nighthawks’ and ‘Tranquiliser’ particularly benefit from this treatment.
But ‘*Happiness now completed’ is effectively a new album, featuring a significant number of previously unreleased tracks as well as reworkings of several other recordings that did not feature in the main act. Among the best tracks are two cover versions , ‘First Hand Experience In Second Hand Love’ which was originally on Giorgio Moroder’s pioneering 1977 album ‘From Here To Eternity’ which spawned a Top 20 hit single of the same name and X RAY SPEX ‘The Day The World Turned Day-Glo’, a No23 UK hit in 1978.
With ‘Tainted Love’, ‘Where Did Our Love Go?’, ‘What’, ‘You Only Live Twice’, ‘Down In The Subway’ and ‘The Night’ in their portfolio already, SOFT CELL have a good track record with covers and ‘First Hand Experience In Second Hand Love’ locks into a fine spacious electronic groove, complete with vocoder to make a fine SOFT CELL dance track in its own right.
Meanwhile in a brilliant metronomic electro tribute to Poly Styrene, ‘The Day The World Turned Day-Glo’ takes a musical leaf out of ‘Sex Dwarf’ with Ball making his syndrums and synths sound so menacing yet accessible, while Almond delivers a vocal recalling the anguish of ‘Martin’ with sleazy sax passages from Gary Barnacle resonating with the dystopian lyrics.
‘Back To Nature’ is an improved version with a new vocal of the FAD GADGET cover that originally came from the ‘Magick Mutants’ bonus EP in the 2019 book, ‘To Show You I’ve Been There’. While it is a nice tribute “For Frank” Tovey who was a fellow art student at Leeds Polytechnic, it perhaps does not shine as brightly as ‘The Day The World Turned Day-Glo’ or ‘First Hand Experience In Second Hand Love’
Of the self-compositions, one of the highlights is ‘Murder Your Darlings’ where the minimal template of vintage chattering Roland drum machine and pulsating electronics allows the spirit of SOFT CELL to come across best. But in an unexpected twist, the windswept tones of ULTRAVOX add another icy dimension. ‘Jukebox Head’ also follows this sparser template although in a more frantic fashion as it buzzes and blips before amusingly threatening to drift into ‘Sometimes When We Touch’, the 1977 ballad hit by Dan Hill…
The ‘Bruises On All My Illusions’ B-side ‘Vapourise’ is a superb inclusion and really should have made it onto the parent album along with several other songs; ‘Quiet Rebellion’ comes over as an obvious outtake from the original ‘*Happiness not included’ album while the previously issued ‘Strange Kinda Dance’ does as it suggests in its dark electro-disco and heavier beats. More steadfast and filmic, ‘Defiant’ provides the drama.
Originally part of the 8 GB USB stick sold at the London O2 show in 2018, the nocturnal motorik YOLO thrill that is ‘Night & The City’ is updated for 2023 while in a similar energetic vein, ‘Gemini Lounge’ sees Dave Ball take a leaf out of the Vince Clarke book of sequencing as the rhythmic tension builds.
Born of desire, ‘You Kill Me’ offers a bouncy Gene Pitney flavour and a great line in “cyanide on a rollercoaster ride” as well as “sha-dup” backing vocals. Then in a re-recording of the song from ‘Cruelty Without Beauty’ reworked with brass for that classic downtown pop feel, ‘Last Chance’ presents the follow-up to ‘Say Hello Wave Goodbye’ like Tony Hatch meeting SOFT CELL.
Various radio edits of songs such as ‘Nostalgia Machine’ and ‘Bruises On All My Illusions’ plus a take on ‘*Happiness not lncluded’ featuring Gary Barnacle on sax are also among the extras but Cellmates will be fascinated by the original SOFT CELL only version of ‘Purple Zone’ which is a far more restrained production than the more familiar PET SHOP BOYS kitchen sink rework.
Happiness gets completed with the “dirty disco” Chris & Cosey remix of ‘Nighthawks’ which Dave Ball recently declared his favourite third party remix of the current era of SOFT CELL; “it doesn’t bear much resemblance to the original” he said, “but it still sounds fantastic.”
‘*Happiness Now Completed’ is a worthy supplement that contains some excellent tracks to provide an appendix to this phase of SOFT CELL, but what next? “I’ve always said that I’m up for new Soft Cell music if Dave has the tunes” says Marc Almond. Meanwhile Dave Ball said to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK: “I’ve been getting some new rough ideas for backing tracks for SOFT CELL, should there be another album. Marc seems to want to do another one and I do. I hope there may be another SOFT CELL album but you’re going to have to wait a while…”
Having opened her solo account with the song-based long player ‘Moving Spaces’ in 2021 and an ambitious radio play presentation entitled ‘Kyoto Dreams’ the year after, Laura Dre enters the world of cyberpunk with ‘Akari LD-01’ to showcase another facet in her musical armoury.
An instrumental record featuring fast paced trancey club tracks alongside moodier mid-tempo offerings, ‘Akari LD-01’ is high on Sci-Fi and retro-futurism in a story that features augmented humans and androids made by the Xetashell Corporation. It imagines the sort of music that might be played in the 23rd Century underground techno clubs of Tokyo and Hong Kong with a distinct ‘Blade Runner’ inspired vibe looming throughout.
Laura Dre talked to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK about the making of ‘Akari LD-01’ as well as discussing the journey of independently producing and releasing music in today’s climate.
After your first two albums were released on Outland, you have gone independent with ‘Akari LD-01’, how has the journey been?
Pretty good actually! ‘Akari LD-01’ was my 2nd Kickstarter crowdfunder and it was successful. Sure, the workload is a little higher but also the reward! Being independent, you carry a lot more responsibilities, but it also allows you to directly connect with your fans which is super important to me.
What are the pros and the cons of going it alone? Would you recommend it to other artists?
Being independent, you’re in full control of everything!
Pro: You can set your own prices, the physicals and merchandise you want to offer, decide on design and you can actually earn some money. There is no “waiting until the money is recouped” unlike a record label. If you do crowdfunding and if it’s successful, you will have the capital to get things into production, whether it’s producing an album or getting physicals manufactured.
Con: It’s a lot of work and as an artist you have to be prepared to do everything: design things yourself, placing orders with manufacturers and packing and shipping etc and most importantly: communicate regularly with your fans / backers! It’s definitely not an easy task and not everyone can handle the huge amount of work associated with it. You have to be a ‘beast’ in order to run your own business.
How do you look back on those two quite different albums ‘Moving Spaces’ and ‘Kyoto Dreams’ which was a very ambitious undertaking for a second album?
These 2 albums are so different from ‘Akari LD-01’, I quite enjoy composing / producing a variety of music in different genres, since I listen to music on a broad genre spectrum.
You gone all club-friendly instrumentals on ‘Akari LD-01’, what was the concept?
Some of the songs I wrote 5 years ago, when I played a video game called ‘Mass Effect’. I also recently played ‘Shadowrun Hong Kong’, both games have a lot of club scenes where I loved the vibe and the music that was played, so I visualised my songs being in a game like that, which was the whole inspiration behind the album.
Was Paul Oakenfold’s Perfecto imprint an influence on the sound of a track like ‘Resistance’?
Oh yeah, of course I listened to his stuff back in the 90s. I’m influenced by a lot of 90s music as well growing up, especially 90s EDM that was very popular here in Germany.
You have previously covered DEPECHE MODE’s ‘Strangelove’ and ‘Habitat 5’ has some chord and structural similarities, is that a coincidence?
Coincidence or perhaps signature sound, I’ll let the listener decide 😉
‘L1thium’ had this melodic shine that is a bit distinct from some of the other tracks?
I try to incorporate as much variety as possible, which also includes the selection of synthesizers I use.
‘Division 3184’ has a very ominous apocalyptic mood to it…
I think this pretty much captures “the dark side of Laura Dre” haha. I’m not all happy synth-poppy or city-poppy, I like a good mix between upbeat and dark tracks.
Have you a favourite track from ‘Akari LD-01’?
No favourite track, I love all of them.
You went for some interesting physical formats for ‘Akari LD-01’ like the USB floppy disk?
Yes, I thought why not 🙂
Never limit yourself! Plus I found it fitting with the whole cyberpunk theme, it’s retro on the outside but modern on the inside.
All the ‘Akari LD-01’ formats have a thoughtful tangible quality about them but do you have a favourite format from this campaign?
This is hard to answer as I’ve not received any physicals at this point in time, but I’m sure the whole set is going to be stunning.
You have been categorised into the “Synthwave” sub-genre but how has that worked out for you? Or has the term become far too limiting for what you do?
I actually don’t care where people categorise me in, I’m more interested in who my listeners are. I see that I have a lot of followers from lots of different backgrounds which is nice, I’ve got some Goth and Metalheads digging my music, as well as people who are lawyers, programmers, game developers, single mums with 2 kids, people in the beauty industry, people with anxiety problems who thank me for making them feel better and of course people from the synthwave and synthpop scene. The diversity is just amazing!
How do you see the environment for female and LGBT+ artists at the moment? Is there enough positive progression?
Not enough yet, we still have a long way to go to get visibility. As it stands, the percentage of female music producers is still at 2% worldwide and I’m hoping to see an increase in this soon. And in terms of LGBTQ+, I have not seen many artists in my niche, but I’m currently helping a fellow LGBTQ+ artist Montse Torres with producing and mixing her songs. I worked on ‘Tokyo’ and ‘Dancing In Paradise’, which has boosted Montse’s Spotify stats from 31 to 1.2k monthly listeners 🙂
I do a lot of production and mix jobs for various artists and I’m always happy to help people who reach out to me.
What is next for you, will you return to more song-based material in the future?
Yes, the next album is lined up and it’s going to be ‘Moving Spaces II’ 🙂
After that I will look into going on tour and I might branch out on the ‘Kyoto Dreams’ or ‘Xetashell’ franchise again.
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to Laura Dre
A thoughtful electronic pop record, ‘Watching Sleepers’ is the debut long form release by BLACKCARBURNING.
Although the solo vehicle of Mark Hockings, lead singer of Bristol band MESH, BLACKCARBURNING features guests Mari Kattman, Neil Francis and Janne Marvannen of LAKESIDE X who take the lead vocals on a number of songs.
With the multiple roles of singer, songwriter, programmer and producer, Hockings addressed the existential crisis than emerged following the pandemic. While a number of tracks could easily have fitted onto any MESH album of the past 15 years, there are different paths taken, including songs in a more classic pop vein such as ‘Watch Me Die’ and ‘Love In Control’.
A man who has rarely given interviews as a member of MESH, usually leaving media duties to bandmate Richard Silverthorn, it was a pleasure to have Mark Hockings speak to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK about the collective ethos behind BLACKCARBURNING and the making of ‘Watching Sleepers’.
What was the seed that planted BLACKCARBURNING?
I guess this is starting to become a bit of a cliché, but this whole project started during the pandemic when I had a lot of quality time on my hands. I’ve always made music and worked a full-time job, but the amount of useable free time that opened up was unexpected, even though I continued to work throughout that time. I’m someone who has to fill free time productively, and this seemed to present an opportunity to do something different. Initially I just planned to write a few instrumentals and put them on Bandcamp. I even toyed with ringtones for phones.
The start of this whole project however was my work with Mari Kattman which went in a direction that I really didn’t expect. I’d done an instrumental and had used some vocal samples. I’d already done some work with Mari on a (so far unreleased) track MESH track called ‘Bury Me Again’ which turned out unbelievable well. I asked her to replace the samples I’d used to just give it a more natural and original feel, but it ultimately ended up as a full blown song.
That song became ‘Divide Us’, the title track from the third EP. Once I had that track, and endlessly gone over the possibilities in my head, I made the decision to try and write an EP. The EP became an album plus several EPs. That was essentially how it all started. It was the result of a number of gambles, text messages, blind leaps and of course, a global health emergency.
Is BLACKCARBURNING a solo project or is it more a collective with you as the musical director, a bit like how ELECTRONIC with Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr was?
Mark: If I reluctantly had to classify it, I would say it’s a new band. I would not have been able to do this without the help of my collaborators, so I also wouldn’t say it’s a solo endeavour. I might even disagree with the term ‘project’. That implies that it’s something temporary, and it isn’t. As the band moves forward, I’m hoping to create something that feels more permanent and structured.
You began tentatively with some EPs, but was a full-length album always the intention?
By the time ‘The Mirror’ was (self) released, I already had the bones of an album. The intention was to release that album fairly soon after the EP. However, I was lucky enough to be introduced to Christian Petke and COP International and a record deal was signed. This changed the trajectory significantly and essentially gave me more focus and breathing space to get more album material together and release three more EPs. This all sounds very organised and structured, but it really wasn’t to start with. I was in unknown territory and really didn’t have a plan as such. It all worked out because of COP and Christian’s support, vision and direction.
Had any of this material been written originally for MESH like ‘All About You’ or ‘Reset’ for example?
Mark: Actually, not really. The only track that I considered as a MESH track was ‘Echo Chamber’. I’ve kept this work separate from MESH. I’d written a number of songs for the next MESH album before I started BLACKCARBURNING and those songs are still waiting to be worked on. The MESH work is very much a collaborative effort so it’s been easy to keep the two things apart.
What tools and hardware were you using in composition and pre-production?
Mark: I’ve got a fairly hardware based setup. I’ve used a lot of modular and semi-modular on this album, but also workhorses like the Moog Sub 37, Sequential REV2, Moog Grandmother, OP-Six. The Stylophone GEN-R8 is also used a lot as it’s so dirty sounding. Roland’s ACB machines SH-01 and the TR-6s are also very useful and sound great.
I’ve used a more hands on approach to the electronics, the modular being a part of that process. But also I’ve been using a lot of SOMA gear like the Pulsar 23 drum machine, Lyra 8 (drone synth), Enner (difficult to describe – you play it my bridging electronic circuits with your hands), The Pipe (again – difficult to describe – you play it with your voice), and Ether (detects and amplifies electrical interference in the environment). I’d like to get the new Terra but it’s expensive. That will have to wait for now.
Are you quite into modulars?
I use a lot of Noise Engineering and Make Noise modular gear. I particularly like Morphagene, X-Pan and Q-PAS from Make Noise. But things like Voltage Blocks and Quad LFO from Malekko – these signal processors are so flexible and can be routed to any CV input, modular or not (like the S37). I’m a real fan of Behringer to be honest. The Pro-One and the 2600, and I’ve just bought the Pro-800. I pretty much own all their guitar pedals because they are robust enough for the studio and cost about £20 each. Behringer have changed the game for a lot of musicians wanting the sound of rare and expensive analogue gear, but can’t afford the entry price. They take a lot of criticism, but personally I’m on board.
I’m a big fan of loop stations and use the RC-505 and RC-3 to build up large vocal lines or make some big toplines with guitar or synth. The results are unpredictable and interesting and very useable in most cases. Software wise, the most used stuff is XFER Serum, XFER LFO Tool, XFER Nerve (drum machine), XFER Cthulu. I’ve got a couple of cloud accounts with UVI and Roland. The UVI stuff is amazing and I use it on every track somewhere. The ACB Roland cloud stuff is also excellent and gets used a lot.
Guitar wise, I just use a Line6 Variax (James Tyner) which is a modelling guitar so you can use it like a Fender, or an acoustic, whatever you want. I really love it. Everything is sequenced with Cubase Pro. The album was written with a combination of v11 and v12. Remote vocal sessions were done with VST Connect / Performer – an incredible piece of software which allows me to run proper singer / producer sessions in real time.
‘Watching Sleepers’ is a very diverse record, what influences were you able to bring into the pot that maybe you hadn’t been able to before?
Certainly with ‘Watching Sleepers’, I felt a little more free to explore avenues that maybe wouldn’t feel like they fitted with my work in MESH. I’ve never felt restricted in MESH, but at the same time there are certain boundaries or a corridor that you need to be mindful of. Most of the songs on the album probably wouldn’t sit comfortably on a MESH album as such, but there is obviously a familiarity there that I think still appeals to MESH fans.
I’ve been able to be a bit more into the weeds with the writing, programming and sound design knowing that the buck essentially stops with me – nobody was going to step in and rescue the songs if I messed them up. I’ve also felt a little more free to try new directions and just see where they lead – I could take my time and wasn’t under any particular pressure – that helps a lot.
Working with Neil, Mari and Janne also opened up somewhat of a can of worms. It was something I’d not considered really. Particularly with the live VST sessions with Neil, I realised I had control over a voice that far exceeded what I could do myself, and this presented a raft of possibilities that would not have been possible before.
Having Mari Kattman singing ‘Divide Us’ is something of an outlier for the album, was it written for a female lead from the off?
The general direction of the album was to try not to get too much into any kind of blueprint. I want to be able to use this as an outlet for some experimentation and musical exploration. From my perspective I think everything ties together nicely, and Mari’s track is a typical example of where I wanted to go with this, not unlike Neil’s ‘Love in Control’ or ‘You Do What You Want’ from ‘The Mirror’ single, or ‘The Ghost of Being Alone’ from the ‘Reset’ single, or Janne’s ‘You Heart is Like An Island’ etc. I see them all as having something “off- kilter” but at the same time, they are a coherent body of work. But then I’ve lived with many of these tracks for a long time, so I’m maybe not the best person to judge.
Was a throbbing Moroder-esque electronic disco tune like ‘The Mirror’ something you had always wanted to do?
Yeah, love that kind of stuff. I’m just generally a fan of arpeggiated bass lines. I don’t think you can go far wrong with a repetitive sequence and a Roland drum machine. Not so much of a fan of disco, but certainly Moroder. I’ve always loved the way bands like DAF, NITZER EBB and PORTION CONTROL used the technique, but I always longed to hear something like that with a little more melody. These influences still play a big part in what I try to do and they raise their head periodically.
‘Echo Chamber’ brings in vocoder and throughout ‘Watching Sleepers’, you use a variety of vocal processing and tuning techniques, what do you say to those who feel that technology should not be used on the voice as it is cheating?
Vocal manipulation is pretty much a mainstay of every record now. If you have the tools to fix vocal issues, then most people will choose to use them. It doesn’t make any sense to release something that contains fixable mistakes. That said, I did all the vocals on ‘Watching Sleepers’ with little to no tuning work, instead opting to re-sing them where pitching was a noticeable problem. I had the time to do this, so it wasn’t an issue. I think it made the album a lot more ‘organic’ sounding and opened up the dynamics in general.
HOWEVER – I’ve got no problem in taking backing vocals and tuning them until they are unrecognisable, completely changing the melody and timing. Creating artificial vocal lines using the DAW, or tape recorders, loop stations, vocoders – whatever – all fair game. I don’t know about cheating – I find excessively tuned vocals obvious and annoying. I like the natural sound of untuned or ‘minimally’ tuned vocals, but I certainly wouldn’t leave obvious flaws unfixed if I thought it made the record worse for it.
How did the idea of using other vocalists for certain songs come about? How much of the album had been completed before this happened?
As I said, it initially started with ‘Divide Us’ and Mari Kattman. She also later contributed to the track ‘Watching Sleepers’ and ‘The Grace of Heavy Lifting’. I then asked Neil Francis to do the vocals for ‘Love in Control’, which again was somewhat of a revelation. Neil subsequently sung on ‘Happiness’, ‘Get Ready’, ‘Hive’, ‘Have You Seen Them Fight?’ and ‘Watch Me Die’. He also did backing for ‘Losing Our Way’ and ‘Echo Chamber’. With Janne, the process was slightly different. With all the other collaborations I’d done to that point, I’d recorded the songs with my vocals and we worked from there. With Janne I wrote the track specifically for him, taking into account his work with his band LAKESIDE X.
You did a combination of joint and remote collaborations, an example of the former being with Janne?
All the collaborations were done using VST Connect apart from Mari, where we just swapped files. The same was true with Howie Venton and his piano contribution to ‘The Sound of Running’. That worked well with Mari and Howie, but I did find the VST Connect experience so much more productive and flexible with Neil and Janne. What was great is that we could work together in real time, trying ideas, making up new harmonies, talking about arrangement, adding new musical parts etc. without having to wait for files to be sent. I could do as many takes as I thought we needed and at the same time I could keep an eye on background noise, levels, popping, mic presence and so on. It’s a game changer for me and has opened up a world of possibilities.
Were you pleasantly surprised when Neil Francis presented this Gene Pitney vibe to ‘Love In Control’?
‘Love in Control’ is a track that both myself and Neil are very proud of. He definitely brought something special to that recording and it remains one of my favourite tracks on the album, if not of my writing career. I was always looking for a kind of 50s feel to that track, and he delivered something that was both vintage and contemporary. We’re both very proud of the results.
Do you have any particular favourite tracks on ‘Watching Sleepers’?
I love all of the tracks to be honest. It’s difficult to single anything out as they all have their stories and they all mean different things to me. I just love the album as a complete body of work. To me, it would be like naming your favourite part of a new car – sure, it’s possible, but it’s all about how it works as a whole.
You also recently did a cover of ‘The Other Side Of Life’ for the JAPAN tribute album ‘Still Life In Polaroids’, what inspired you to record a version of the ‘Quiet Life’ album closer?
I was asked to contribute to the Coitus Interruptus Productions’ album ‘Still Life in Polaroids’. I actually chose a different track, but someone was already working on it, so I went with ‘The Other Side of Life’ although I hadn’t heard the track for some time. When I finally got around to listening to it again, I’d forgotten that much of the track is instrumental and it’s pretty long. So I kind of arranged it like a single and tried to get to the meat of the song without making it too meandering. It was pointless trying to emulate the musicianship as I’m not that skilled. To me it has a great hook, but it’s somewhat buried on the original. It was fun and thanks go to Yvette Winkler for making it happen.
Where have you gained the most satisfaction in doing BLACKCARBURNING?
My main satisfaction with music is twofold. I love the programming and working with electronic instruments – it was the reason I started writing music in the first place and remains my passion.
Secondly, I love the moment when something is finished. Many musicians struggle with this part of the process and for those people, nothing is ever really finished. I’ve got very good at drawing a line under something and moving on, so that moment when that decision is made and I can listen to the track as a finished piece of work is very special to me.
What is next for you?
My primary focus over the next year is going to be new MESH material and new BLACKCARBURNING material. I’m setting myself up for a lot of work, but I’ve learnt to manage my time and my priorities better (work and people) over the last couple of years, removed a lot of time-wasting and general distractions that were stopping me from being as productive as I like.
I’m also going to take some holiday…
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its sincerest thanks to Mark Hockings
Additional thanks to Christian Petke at COP International
CREEP SHOW are back and their second album ‘Yawning Abyss’ is possibly more accomplished than their acclaimed debut ‘Mr Dynamite’.
An electronic supergroup comprising of John Grant, Stephen Mallinder, Ben “Benge” Edwards and Phil Winter, ‘Yawning Abyss’ was produced in Cornwall at Benge’s MemeTune studio.
John Grant is a successful singer / songwriter in his own right while Stephen Mallinder first found fame as a founder member of industrial dance pioneers CABARET VOLTAIRE before joining Benge and Phil Winter in WRANGLER.
While ‘Yawning Abyss’ began as a bunch of sonic experiments using mostly Roland and Moog synths before being taken to Iceland for Grant and Mallinder to record their vocals, what particularly comes across in this sophomore CREEP SHOW adventure is its sense of fun and camaraderie, despite the tensions and menace captured within the resultant music.
With Stephen Mallinder slightly distracted by TikToker Rachel and her amusing posts about being disturbed by hearing CABARET VOLTAIRE’s ‘Soul Vine (70 Billion People)’ on a “cursed” mispressing of the Taylor Swift album ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’, he took time out from his Twitter account and sat alongside John Grant to have a quick chat with ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK about the making of ‘Yawning Abyss’…
How do you look back on the making of ‘Mr Dynamite’ and its reception with your relative fan bases?
John Grant: I just remember that we had a lot of fun in the studio and didn’t really have a specific vision for the record. It was just friends seeing what they could come up with and we all had pretty hectic schedules at the time, so it wasn’t terribly easy to get together.
Stephen Mallinder: I think on reflection it was such a joy because we had no intention other than exploring all the ways the four of us connected artistically and refusing to have anything but a good time doing that. I’m glad people liked it but with respect, we did what we thought was right for us and figured that’s what people would want.
You all met up in Cornwall to lay down the musical bones of ‘Yawning Abyss’, was all the material created from scratch or were there ideas that you didn’t use in your own various guises and productions which were brought in?
John Grant: It was all from scratch.
Stephen Mallinder: It was all us from the very first note…
With this being your second album together, were there any new methods or roles in the creative dynamic that were consciously altered since ‘Mr Dynamite’? Were things even more relaxed this time round as sophomores?
John Grant: I would say we all pretty much played the same roles. Things were even more relaxed this time around. I even fell asleep a few times. While I was singing ‘Yahtzee!’ for example.
Stephen Mallinder: It was a big soup each of us adding ingredients until it tasted perfect. Yes, I had to shake the man awake in ‘Yahtzee!’
Which was everyone’s favourite synths or devices that they used on the album?
John Grant: Maybe the Serge or Mod Cam modular.
Stephen Mallinder: The modular to play hi-hats… old school wrangling…
The lyrics were written and recorded in Iceland, what did that vibe provide that wasn’t possible in Cornwall?
John Grant: I don’t think Iceland made anything possible that wasn’t possible in Cornwall. Except maybe working with engineer Kurt Uenala who has a deep knowledge of Ableton which is what we worked in during the session in Iceland. So he always has a trick or two up his sleeve.
Stephen Mallinder: Iceland was a result of needing to make the most of our available time but it did give things a twist and as John said, Kurt was great to work with and, for me, time in one of the most stunning places on earth.
‘The Bellows’ opens the album and features an array of vocal treatments and Middle Eastern resonances to set the scene?
John Grant: I’m pretty sure this is not a question.
‘Moneyback’ features an alternating avant-rap on crypto currency, how was that inspired?
John Grant: We’re always thinking about the myriad ways the money system sucks as one confronts that all day every day.
Stephen Mallinder: It was a nice way to bounce our voices together and the track pushed it into to the pacey electro vibe.
How did ‘Yahtzee!’ come into being, it’s quite bonkers!?
John Grant: It’s a meditation on the state of things in the US. Pretty much wrote itself. It’s just what came into my head for that music in that moment.
Stephen Mallinder: Pure energy from John and pulls no punches. A response from the gut to the times we live in.
It’s interesting how varied the tracks are with the trancier house influences on ‘Wise and the darker funkier territory of ‘Matinee’ as well?
John Grant: This is also not a question…
Stephen Mallinder: Variety is the spice … we ain’t one trick ponies, nor could ever be.
‘Bungalow’ is possibly the most conventional song on the album, it’s like electronic Bond theme?
John Grant: That sounds about right.
Stephen Mallinder: I think it’s the most beautiful and evocative track on the album – the perfect marrying of one of today’s greatest voices with lush, creeping electronics. An honour to do.
Do you each have a favourite track from ‘Yawning Abyss’? Would you like to do a third CREEP SHOW record?
John Grant: I love the melancholy of ‘The Bellows’ and how haunting the vocoded vox are. We definitely want to do another record.
Stephen Mallinder: I’m with John on ‘The Bellows’ but also think the title track captures what we achieved with the album.
There are a number of live dates coming up this summer, what will be the set up for that and what’s next after?
Stephen Mallinder: Come along and see… who knows what’s on the next page?
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its grateful thanks to John Grant and Stephen Mallinder
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Special thanks to Steve Malins at Random Music Management
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