Young Turks

Exclusive: Terrible Records, XL Recordings Sign Joint Venture Deal For Select Releases

By Reggie Ugwu, New York            May 23, 2013 9:55 AM EDT

Terrible Records, the Brooklyn-based label founded by Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear and Ethan Silverman, has begun a worldwide partnership with XL Recordings to manufacture, distribute, market and promote certain future releases. The first release under the partnership, “Embracism,” by Australian new wave/industrial artist Kirin J. Callinan, arrives July 2 and will be followed by a minimum of two other releases.
 
Under the deal, select albums will be branded as Terrible but backed by XL/Beggars Group infrastructure around the world. The partnership is non-exclusive, with decisions about what future releases will be included remaining at the discretion of both parties. Terrible, which has released albums by artists including Solange Knowles and Twin Shadow since being founded in 2009, remains wholly owned by Taylor and Silverman.
 
“The idea is for Terrible to start having more of a presence in territories where we haven’t really had footing in in the past,” Silverman tells Billboard.biz. “I’ve been a huge fan of XL for a long time, and to have their machine at our disposal was a really good deal for us.”
 
The seeds of the partnership were planted in March 2012, when Silverman was in London for the wedding of his friend Caius Pawson, owner of XL subsidiary label Young Turks. Pawson introduced Silverman to XL founder/owner Richard Russell and label manager Ben Beardsworth, both of whom expressed an interest in artists Terrible was working with. Terms of a deal further solidified in January of this year when Silverman returned to London on a tour stop with Solange (who has since signed her own label deal with Sony).  
 
XL Recordings, whose artists include Adele, Vampire Weekend and M.I.A., will claim the lion’s share of profits from albums released under the partnership, while Terrible will receive an A&R royalty fee. In the case of the Callinan album, (which is being handled by Siberia Records in Australia and New Zealand because of a pre-existing deal), masters are owned by the artist.
 
Two future Terrible/XL releases are currently in talks, but not yet finalized. Candidates include recent Terrible signings Empress Of, the project of Brooklyn-based bilingual singer and multi-instrumentalist Lorely Rodriguez, and Kindness, (aka Adam Bainbridge) a singer/songwriter/producer from London.
 
“We’re focusing on artists that we both are really excited about that Terrible might need some help with either financially or in terms of the rest of the world,” Silverman says. “Right now the label is just Chris and I, so to have a team that you enjoy working with and that you know is going to be excited about every project was really important to us. This felt like the right fit.”

http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/digital-and-mobile/1563176/exclusive-terrible-records-xl-recordings-sign-joint

A Record Label With A Midas Touch

by JACOB GANZ

June 8, 2012

“XL’s streak of notable releases has continued — the rapper Tyler, the Creator and quietly buzzy electronic trio The XX are two of the label’s newest young signings — and is made even more remarkable by the fact that the label puts out so few releases each year. With successes like Adele and Vampire Weekend, XL could theoretically hire more staff of its own and put out more records, but Chen says there are no plans to do so.”

The entire article can be found here:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2012/06/08/154527302/a-record-label-with-a-midas-touch?ft=1&f=1039

First day of Movement draws 30,000 to downtown Detroit From The Detroit News

• ADAM GRAHAM 

MAY 27, 2012 AT 2:37 AM

(Bryan Mitchell/Special to The Detroit News)

Detroit — The three-day Movement festival kicked off its 13th year on Saturday with a crowd of 30,703 at Hart Plaza, according to organizers.

That figure is down from the 34,820 who packed the festival’s first day in 2011, when artists such as Richie Hawtin, Felix da Housecat and Skrillex performed at the festival. Saturday’s lineup was topped by pioneering Chicago house DJ Lil Louis, British drum and bass artist Roni Size and London producer SBTRKT (pronounced “subtract”).

Afternoon crowds felt especially light on Saturday, possibly due to early showers and a forecast that threatened temperatures into the 90s. By nightfall, however, crowds picked up, with Lil Louis playing to a packed main bowl and Roni Size commanding a healthy crowd at the Red Bull Music Academy Stage.

The festival comes at a time when electronic music is making a huge surge in pop music, as artists and DJs are enjoying a stature akin to rock stars. At last month’s Coachella festival, electronic dance music, or EDM, all but took over the festival, with artists such as David Guetta and Swedish House Mafia playing to crowds as big as or bigger than those from artists like Radiohead and the Black Keys.

Movement organizers made a point to not follow the EDM trend with this year’s lineup, choosing to focus on the roots of electronic music and not its current commercial successes. Hip-hop pioneers Public Enemy headline the festival Sunday night, and Detroit’s techno “Wizard” Jeff Mills drives the fest home on Monday.

With beats pounding from five stages, there was no shortage of options to move to on Saturday. But for those looking for a break from the techno and house sounds on the Beatport, Made in Detroit, Underground and Main stages, the Red Bull Music Academy continued to offer the most adventurous bookings.

Saturday’s highlights included North Carolina duo Two Fresh, a pair of DJs and rappers whose sound is augmented by live drummer Colby Buckler, and British producer Photek, whose sunset slot whipped up the crowd into a convivial party vibe. SBTRKT’s heady post-dubstep was a bit difficult for the ready-to-rage Red Bull crowd to handle, but Roni Size gave them the hard drum-and-bass edge they needed to mosh — yes, there was a mosh pit for most of the set — away their aggressions.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120527/OPINION03/205270317#ixzz1w6Ei5Fw7

Camden Crawl Dublin interview: Kwes

By Jennifer Gannon on Friday, 20 April 2012

Let’s get one thing clear; London boy-genius Kwes aint no slouch. Yes he may have taken his own sweet time to release a new EP (almost two years to be exact) but he’s not been sitting around in his under-crackers watching ‘This Morning’, he’s been rather busy producing the likes of Dels, Speech Debelle and Michachu not to mention helping Damon Albarn with his DRC music project. Besides, Meantime is worth the wait. A captivating jumble of sunny, wonky, psych-pop genius, think Shuggie Otis twisting beats with Panda Bear and you’re half way there. Signed to Warp records his eagerly anticipated debut album will be released early next year.

There’s been a bit of a gap between EPs has all this producing malarkey been distracting?

Yeah, I guess it has been. When I was working on my first EP (No Need To Run) which was an instrumental one I was also helping out on the Dels record, it was a busy time. No Need To Runwas actually an unfinished piece of work but (record label) Young Turks were eager to get it out there and I was happy to let them do that. In between that and Meantime I put out a free download ‘Get Up’ just after Warp signed me but it that was an old track. Now I’m kinda focussing on writing and recording new stuff for my album, I think recently I’ve been getting more comfortable working as an artist not just a producer.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE:

http://www.state.ie/40626-features/camden-crawl-dublin-interview-kwes

SBTRKT – BLUE CASSETTE (FRIENDLY FIRES COVER) / HOLD ON

POSTED ON JANUARY 6, 2012 BY ABEANO  ARTIST: SBTRKT

SBTRKT has never covered a song live, but all that changed thanks to today’s Annie Mac R1 show. “It’s a track we love and thought we could try something different with” he said (what? no dramatic X factor style backstory?) and hinted that he’d supported the band on tour. It didn’t take long for Annie or us to guess it was Friendly Fires and a version of their Pala highlight, Blue Cassette. Listen to the cover – Sampha on vocals as per – and a live version of Hold On below.

SBTRKT on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge by Young Turks

http://www.abeano.com/sbtrkt-blue-cassette-friendly-fires-cover-hold-on-listen/9778

SBTRKT Organizes British Shows: Including a headline set at KOKO

Live Posted by Robin Murray Mon, 21/11/2011

SBTRKT is set to play a series of nationwide shows next Spring, including a headline set at KOKO.

Hidden behind a mask,SBTRKT was initially pegged as yet another bass warrior with a preference for anonymity. Yet the producer has continually shifted and evolved, adding pop elements and pushing his music away from the dubstep template.

Releasing his acclaimed debut album earlier this year, SBTRKT spent the summer taking his live show across Europe. Playing a number of festivals and headline shows, the producer dropped his anonymity without surrendering his identity.

Recently completing a North American tour, the producer is now focussed on a return to the UK. SBTRKT will play a number of nationwide shows, running throughout February and March next year.

Opening in Sheffield at The Plug on February 22nd, the dates continue with shows in Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and more.

Hitting London on March 1st, SBTRKT will end the tour with a massive headline date in the capital. Taking place at KOKO, the 1400 capacity show is the biggest event the producer has tackled under his own name.

Tickets for all shows are on sale now.

Meanwhile, SBTRKT has confirmed plans for a new single. Stripped from his debut album, ‘Hold On’ features guest vocals from Sampha and will be released through Young Turks on January 9th.

SBTRKT will play the following shows:

February
22 Sheffield The Plug
23 Manchester Islington Mill
24 Leeds Cockpit
26 Glasgow King Tuts
28 Nottingham Rescue Rooms
29 Birmingham HMV Library

March
1 London KOKO

Click here to buy tickets for SBTRKT!

http://www.clashmusic.com/news/sbtrkt-organises-british-shows

Adele, Bjork, SBTRKT, Frank Turner Honored At UK’s AIM Independent Music Awards

November 11, 2011

By Richard Smirke, London

Throat surgery may have temporarily taken her out of the live market, but Adele continues to dominate the awards season.  

The U.K. singer won two prizes at the inaugural AIM Independent Music Awards, held in central London last night (Nov. 10). The artist, who recently underwent throat surgery in Boston (Billboard.com, Nov. 7), was the recipient of the PPL award for most played independent artist and won the best difficult second album category will her all-conquering sophomore set “21” (XL Recordings).  

British alt.folk artist Frank Turner also won two awards at the event, which is designed to recognise and promote the United Kingdom’s independent sector. Turner, who is signed to Xtra Mile Recordings and also performed live at the ceremony, took home the title of best live act and hardest working artist.   

XL Recordings artist SBTRKT walked away with the prize for independent breakthrough of the year, while London-based Stolen Recordings - whose roster includes Bo Ningen and Nashville rock duo JEFF The Brotherhood - was announced as the best small label.

The title of independent entrepreneur of the year went to Rob Da Bank, founder of the annual Bestival festival and director of the Sunday Best Recordings label, which recently released the debut studio album from U.S. film director David Lynch.

Hosted by BBC radio DJs Steve Lamacq and Huw Stephens, the inaugural event featured live performances from Scottish singer-songwriter James Yorkston and British beatbox artist/MC Beardyman.

As previously announced, Bjork was awarded with the outstanding contribution to music prize, while Domino Records founder Laurence Bell won the pioneer award, awarded in recognition of a visionary independent label founder.

Award winners were decided by an independent judging panel and public voting, with over 15,000 registering their votes, according to AIM.

Independent Breakthrough of the Year
SBTRKT (XL)

The full list of winners:

http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/indies/adele-bjork-sbtrkt-frank-turner-honored-1005507572.story

INDIE LABEL MEET MARKET – YOUNG TURKS VS. TRUE PANTHER VS. TERRIBLE RECORDS

By Kelly McClure

So this thing has been happening in the UK now for several years where the heads of independent music labels cluster up in one spot and hock their wares to the common folk. Last Saturday the market came to the Statesfor the first time, so we met up with three of the labels’ head guys—Caius Pawson (The Young Turks), Dean Bein (True Panther), and Ethan Silverman (Terrible Records)—at some random pool hall/table tennis place in Greenpoint to talk about whether or not it’s disgusting to see who actually buys their music. They say no.

VICE: So this is the first time this shindig has gone down in the good ol’ US of A. How were you chosen to be a part of it? 
Caius Pawson: The market sent out emails to a bunch of independent labels and we said yes, and some others said no. I thought it would be an enjoyable way to sell our records. Also, lots of our friends were there.
Ethan Silverman: I said yes right away, too. The only problem was there was a show in LA that I wanted to go to, but I flipped a coin and went with the label market.
CP: What show was it? Les Misérables?
ES: Yeah. I go to LA for musicals a lot.

Here is the main question I would like to get on the table: How annoying is it to deal with the public? I imagine this thing is similar to a comic con, where an endless stream of people come up to your table and question you about things and take ownership in what you make in this spazzy way. Was it like that?
ES: No one came up to me at the booth and said “you should have signed this” or “you should have put out this,” but if they had I think I would have been really interested in what they were saying. I probably would have been thankful and hired them.
CP: Everyone was very nice. I mean, if you don’t like a particular record label, you just don’t go up to their booth. Just like if you don’t like chicken, you don’t go to a chicken restaurant. No jerks.

People seem to get really attached to record labels, especially smaller ones, and consistently buy whatever they put out just because it’s on their label. Do you guys see that sort of loyalty?
CP: Not particularly. You want to back the artists and hope that an album is selling based on the strength of that artist, which is what seems to happen the most, I think.
ES: There are definitely artists I’ve checked out just because they were on certain labels. We don’t have as many releases as some others, but hopefully just seeing the name of the label would make you wanna check it out. If the name has a little bit of credibility, then that’s a good thing.

Everyone is always bitching and moaning about “the state of the music industry.” Can you guys chime in on how things have or haven’t been changing in the world of music production and consumption? 
CP: When I started doing this six years ago people were saying that the music industry was fucked, so I don’t really know anything different.
ES: Anyone who’s ever told me that the music industry is fucked has been much older than me. That’s like something my aunt would say.
CP: It’s definitely one of the things that everyone wants to have an opinion on. Like you never really hear anyone saying “Oooh, the glue industry has really suffered.” Or like, “Ooooh, this paper manufacturer should really sort his game out, he’s really wasting money.”

Was it surprising at all to see the people coming up to your booths? Was there a disconnect between how you pictured the people who buy your records to look, and how they actually looked?
CP: It’s weird, because normally you make a record, and then you give it to the distributor to sell, and then it’s just out there. So meeting people is nice. And there’s a certain kind of person who goes to record fairs and stuff like that, so there was a broad range of people there. But not really.
ES: Yeah, and we’re based in Brooklyn. If we had done this in Texas we may have met some unknown people, but a lot of the people I saw I already sort of knew from shows and stuff.

Dean Bein from True Panther came in at this point. He was sweaty from eating chicken wings and riding his bicycle.

OK, so maybe you guys should ask Dean all of the questions I asked you, and I’ll just hold the tape recorder.
CP: Dean, who do you find to be annoying?
DB: Managers.
ES: Dean, did anyone who came up to you at the Independent Label Market chastise you about anything?
DB: The sense I got was that people didn’t really believe the people who ran the record labels were there. People were like, “So how long have you been working for True Panther?” And I was like, “Oh, well, since the beginning, I guess.”
ES: I did get a few people ask me when the next Grizzly Bear record was coming out, and that they loved me on the last tour. I was like “Oh, that’s the other leader of the label.”
CP: Dean, what’s an album that you really wish you could have released?
DB: Can it be before the creation of recorded music? Maybe something like Napoleon Raps.

http://www.vice.com/read/indie-label-meet-market-young-turks-vs-true-panther-vs-terrible-records

U.K. Independent Label Market Comes To Brooklyn

October 07, 2011

By Andy Gensler (@andygensler), New York

This Saturday (Oct. 8), heads of 20 or so independent music labels will gather at the Brooklyn Flea’s Smorgasburg on the Williamsburg waterfront in New York City. Among them will be Jonathan Galkin from DFA, Laurence Bell from Domino and Nick Catchdubs from Fool’s Gold. No, it’s not a conference or panel discussion on sync licensing, but rather the Independent Label Market (ILM), where some of the world’s most renowned indie labels and their chief executives will re-connect with the public — and, in some ways, get back to their roots.

“When someone starts a record label, it’s usually one person raving about bands to people they know,” says Joe Daniel, co-founder of Angular Records and the mastermind behind ILM. “Eventually they’ll have to have someone else sell their music to someone else. We’re just removing the middle guys in that relationship and bringing the record label boss back together with the record label consumer.”

The inaugural Independent Label Market (ILM) was held last May, at London’s Berwick Market. Twenty label heads sold their music and merchandise directly to fans - and, by most accounts, it was a success. Strong sales, Daniel says, were facilitated by some of his personal heroes, including indie label pioneers Geoff Travis of Rough Trade Records and Daniel Miller of Mute. Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker performed an impromptu DJ set on a portable record player, and label heads hawked some unusually inventive merchandise - for instance, slices of cake with an MP3 download code.

Though Daniel says his one retail experience was working out of an all-night fast food van in Cambridge selling “burgers and chips,” he admits that the greasy experience did little to inspire the ILM. “I did merch for These New Puritans, a band on my label, in Berlin last December,” he explains, “because there wasn’t anyone else to do it. It was fun and easy being a salesman for stuff I knew so well. I was like, ‘I’ll tell you an interesting story about that artwork…,’ which most people working at a shop would never know. I’m very familiar with all the items - records, CDs, artwork, b-sides.”

Other label owners slated to participate represent XL, 4AD, Mexican Summer, True Panther, Secretly Canadian, Jagjaguwar, Dead Oceans and Throne of Blood. Among their exclusive merch: a new single by Portishead (mentioned on Jimmy Fallon’s show), a Radiohead track remixed by Jaime XX, the last-ever limited edition The Luyas / Twin Sister split 7” on Dead Oceans, and a limited edition “Bootleg LP” of Real Estate performing their new album ‘Days’ in sequence, live at the Domino booth (full-list below).

The fest will also feature live DJ sets by Eamon Harken and Justin Carter (of Mr. Saturday Night fame), a performance the Neurotic Drum Band, a special DFA set, a live MPC set by Party Supplies on Fool’s Gold. Use and new record stalls courtesey of such NYC bastions of vinyl as Other Music, Halcyon and Sound Fix.  Adding to the event’s allure is that the ILM is being hosted within Brooklyn’s Flea Smorgasburg, a foodie’s paradise with between 60-70 vendors hawking delectable comestibles including fried anchovies, fresh oysters and lobster rolls.

List of Merch:

YOUNG TURKS

• Mixtapes from Romy xx, Jamie xx, John Talbot and Bullion
• Exclusive Sampha vinyl
• Limited edition posters and signed merch

Full list of Merch:

http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/record-labels/u-k-independent-label-market-comes-to-brooklyn-1005394952.story

BULLION INTERVIEW: “JUST PURE FEELING.”

19.04.11

 The reluctant hip hop-star on humour, Robert Wyatt and his new not-LP ‘You Drive Me To Plastic’.

Text:

Ruth Saxelby

Photography:

Mikael Gregorsky

Bullion is a man who chooses his words, like his sounds, thoughtfully and with care. I’m sat in his kitchen in Portobello Road while he washes up a couple of mugs to make us a brew. He tentatively apologises for the non-existent mess while behind him on the fridge magnets spell out ‘smile / in / to / the / future’. I’m here to chat about his debut album ‘You Drive Me To Plastic’, released on limited vinyl by Young Turks at the turn of this year and now about to get a full release on CD – a format at once both modern and antiquated, which suits Bullion down to the ground. Not that he’s sure it exactly qualifies as an album, it being just 20 minutes long and one, unbroken, mixtape format. But there’s no doubting its artist-album status – it’s a dense and thrilling whirlwind tour round his mind, revealing a finely tuned ear and an instinctive understanding of both the subtleties and ludicrousness of life. While hip hop is in hisDNA – Bullion’s instruments are samples, beats and loops, stitched together with intelligence and wit – his music stubbornly refuses to be tied to genre, time or place.

BULLION / Too Right by Young Turks

It was his hubbub-generating Beach Boys X J Dilla mixtape ‘Pet Sounds: In the Key of Dee’ in 2007 that first alerted folks to that ear of his and his ability to spin stories through sound. While the releases that followed on One-Handed Music were perfectly lovely – the groove-based Young Heartache EP and the Get Familiar and Say Goodbye To What 12”s – they showed an artist experimenting, exploring, testing things out. Listening back, they feel like sketches almost – finely worked and displaying undeniable talent, but sketches nonetheless. Wrong Door, the opener to ‘You Drive Me To Plastic’, seems to acknowledge that – drawing a line under everything he’s done before via a series of slammed doors. In comparison to his earlier work, this debut album is a city-encompassing mural – bold, bright, turning this way and that to dress the brickwork in an ever-mutating menagerie of sounds that drip and flow in an almost Pollock-esque fashion. In fact, it turns out he works in a similar way as the abstract expressionist master: feeling his way, never knowing what he’ll end up with – the mark of a true artist, according to WH Auden.

Against the current landscape of self-consciously sombre electronic music releases, ‘You Drive Me To Plastic’ sticks out like a sore thumb. And one wrapped in a cartoon character plaster at that. Because there’s a lot that raises a smile and an eyebrow about this album. Not least the phenomenal array of samples: a neighing horse, an operatic gurgle, bagpipes, a Celtic fiddle, a flute or two, that saxophone solo. Nothing is off limits. Every sound has its own value, is its own carefully chosen treasure. Then there’s his use of spoken word. At the beginning of My Castle In England, a 10 second snippet of a sweetly deluded groupie proclaiming that if she could just get backstage then the object of her affections would fall in love with her is preceded with the sharp metallic click-snap of a rifle being cocked. Bullion has a brilliantly dark sense of humour – and he’s got smarts. There’s huge skill involved in crafting music with humour that avoids descending into novelty, irony or pastiche.

Above all, though, what’s most enjoyable about ‘You Drive Me To Plastic’ is that it’s not an album for anything in the same way any piece of art isn’t for anything. It’s for and of itself. “Time is free” goes a vocal sample at the beginning of Magic Was Ruler (listen below). “If a record can be played now, then it’s now,” goes another on Too Right (listen above). Both are ideas he lives by, creates by. The man behind the solid gold sounds may seem quiet but he knows exactly what he’s doing, even if he doesn’t quite believe that himself just yet.

BULLION / Magic Was Ruler by Young Turks

As we make our way into the living room, he wonders out loud if he should put some music on while we chat. Sure, why not. He opens a huge wooden cabinet against the wall to reveal a turntable and selects a record from a pile – John Martyn’s ‘Solid Air’. Needle set, we begin.

Thanks for having a chat. I really love ‘You Drive Me To Plastic’ – your first album proper.

I guess so, yes.

It’s been a couple of years since you released the mixtape.

Yes, that ‘Pet Sounds’ thing. It’s funny, I don’t really see either of them as albums, I guess like the whole mixtape thing kind of sums it up in a way. It’s just like a short passage of music, and I don’t know – I guess that’s why it’s called a non-LP, because it’s just like what is it?

An SP, short play.

An SP, I was thinking that as well. It was meant to be longer, you know, I wanted it to be an album really, but I just kept cutting stuff out because I wasn’t totally happy with it. And then eventually it was 20 minutes. I submitted it, and they said “Ah right, yes, quite short isn’t it?”

I definitely feel like it’s an album. All the songs sit by themselves fully even though it’s continuous. How do you approach each track?

I don’t know really. I’m really bad at like describing that sort of stuff, or even trying to figure it out, because a lot of the time it’s probably quite a boring process. It’s just like sitting down and having a beat going, making a little beat, add some drum sounds, and then just kind of play around with some records until I find something that I think sounds kind of nice. And then it will go through loads of stages, like each track will sort of start at something and then move on to something else, then I get sick of that, and then I sort of keep going until there’s something that I can listen to and feel like, you know, it can sit, kind of happily sit.

I was imagining you had this cabinet full of samples that you’d been collecting. Like a butterfly collector with all these butterflies, waiting for the right time to use each one!

I like the idea of that, yes. That’s much more interesting than it actually is, you know, it’s just a bunch of records.

So it’s very much finding it in the moment…

Yes, I tend to just sort of do it on the fly, I’m just not organised enough to sort of sit down. Because if I hear anything that I like it’s a bit like, right, I’m going to use that before I forget what I want it to sound like or whatever.

What I really love about the album is that it’s so dense, in terms of like it’s all the sound that’s in there, but it doesn’t ever feel like there’s too much going on. It just feels like there’s stuff that you can find – because obviously stuff like Pressure to Dance is probably the most conventional track on there, and originally it was my favourite. Because it really does make me want to dance, it’s a great track. But then it’s really like a treasure trove, because like the thing where you go “Ah that shiny thing there, I really love that one” and then you just suddenly get, when your eyes have adjusted to the dark of it, then you just go “Ah, this bit over here”. And all the sounds that are on there, like the fact that you’ve got like the neighing horse and the kind of Celtic strings at one point.

Yes, it’s a violin or fiddle or something.

Yes. And like the operatic stuff and the saxophone. It feels like there’s so many different cultural sounds or senses there. So it made sense to discover you live in Portobello Road…

All the sounds that are going on around, yes.

I was like, oh that’s not a surprise really.

There was no reggae in there.

No.

I wish there was, to be honest with you.

I really like your bold usage of sounds. Sounds which maybe on their own would just be like…

Yes, that’s a saxophone solo.

Yes. But then just having like the boldness to just go actually no, I’m going to put that in.

I guess it’s just liking hearing sounds together. If I put on a record and there’s like a bit that works with the music, you know, it sounds good straight away, then I’ll just put it in and that will be that. It’s not even a – I mean it’s obviously a choice, but sometimes things just fit so well that you just think, yes, I’m definitely going to do that. Yes, it sounds good – so yes.

I don’t want to make it sound like it’s too sort of lazy because it’s not just like, oh, here’s a sax solo and it works and that’s that, that’s that track done.

Yeah, “Next…”

I kind of wish it was that easy. But for me it’s more like getting into the detail of things and kind of working on it until I’m kind of angry about it. It’s just pure stress and frustration most of the time. It does my head in.

Do you have a real strong idea then about what you want something to sound like before you start or is it just about chipping away at this thing?

Yes, I think it’s more chipping away than kind of setting out to do any kind of track. It’s guided a little bit by the sample and a little bit by the kind of music I like. So it’s sort of half-half. It’s hardly ever what I wanted it to be.

I was talking to someone recently about that actually, and they were saying that they think it’s better not to start with an idea, and just let something sort of naturally happen. But then, I was thinking about this just today actually, just how people tell you a way to try things. And I’ve always listened to stuff like that and thought, right, I’m going to try doing it like that now. And in the end I just come back to what I feel comfortable with.

Like a lot of people go, Oh you should do it like this, you know, that’s the sort of best way, and that’s going to get the result. And it sounds good and everything, but in the end I am just stubborn about the way I do it, you know, just like it’s too much to have to change it. And it’s like why do I have to change it? Just get on with it.

Yes, exactly, exactly. It’s all about finding and trusting your instincts. It’s probably good to test your instincts and try it another way because then you end up going, “That just proves my own.”

Yes. At the same time, like, I’d hate to be too narrow about it. I’m much more interested in the end result than the process, you know. Because the process is too overwhelming for me. It’s just like I could do it all these different ways, you know. And just never finish anything. Because I barely finish things enough doing it the way I’m comfortable with, so maybe that means I’m doing it totally the wrong way. Maybe there’s a way where it’s like, it just works really quickly and comfortably. You know. Maybe I’ve just missed the point completely.

No, good stuff hurts I think.

Yes, that’s a good quote.

It feels like with some of the samples and sounds you are using, it’s stuff that people might have a kind of natural prejudice towards but you present them in a different way. Which makes people listen to them, give them a second think, and really appreciate that sound. There’s a lot of humour in there too.

Yes, I guess [the sound of] fiddles and stuff, I’ve always found quite funny. Again I guess it’s just like whatever sounds right with the thing, you know, like whether it’s funny or whether it’s kind of got feeling. But yes, I’m definitely drawn to sort of funny little sounds, and just creating kind of little scenes and stuff.

When did you get into music? Can you remember what you first went to listening wise?

I’m not too sure, I guess like hip hop was sort of the first main music I was really into as one thing, you know, before that I was listening to loads of different, you know, pop kind of things. So yes, like rap and –

People like…?

People like Tupac, Snoop Dogg, a lot of west coast kind of stuff. One of my friend’s brothers just started showing us loads of stuff he was listening to, and he was just kind of into everything that was trendy at the time, so then he sort of showed us some drum and bass, and like jungle and stuff, and then that moved on to garage, and then it was sort of trip hop and all that stuff, you know. For ages it was just like whatever he gave us, that’s what we listened to. Because he was this cool guy.

How old were you then?

I guess 11 or 12. Like getting into hip hop and stuff round then. But then garage was like the next thing I was really kind of into. I think mainly because it was such a London thing. Rap was fine until you suddenly got to an age when you are like, that’s quite embarrassing just trying to sort of be a rapper and act like I’m from New York. What am I really doing? You know. And garage was like, all right, I can get into this, and it kind of feels…

Authentic?

Yes, yes. So I started buying garage records and DJ-ing at little parties and stuff, and played on a couple of pirate radio stations. Just really like small things, but just the whole atmosphere was quite nice, you know.

Is that when you started making music as well?

Yes, I suppose so. Because I started kind of wanting to play tunes that were mine, I just liked the idea of it. And yes, one of the guys I lived with was making tunes and we started doing some stuff together, and yes, that kind of got me into making music, yes.

You got a big reaction to ‘Pet Sounds’…

Yes, I guess so. It got blogged about a bit and yes, it’s pretty nice. I got a nice reaction for it. A couple of DJ bookings out of it, you know. Like when I got asked to play at the big shows, like “Oh, what do they want me to play?” you know, and I just sort of played ‘Pet Sounds’, just pressing play on the CD players. Really boring for everyone, probably expecting me to turn up and do some sort of full band, you know, Beach Boys cover thing. But no, it was nice to get a reaction anyway, quite cool.

What is it that you ultimately want to do?

I don’t really know yet. I’m sort of gradually getting closer to it I think, or just enjoying what I’m making more and more, and feeling more kind of like it’s coming from somewhere a little bit more original as it goes on and on. I guess I would like to do things more for myself and not just rely on sampling so much. It’s just sort of figuring out what that is. I’ve been trying to sing a little bit recently, sort of inspired by like kind of home recording people in like the early ‘80s. There’s a few people I really like who were doing kind of electronic music and then singing over it. It just sounds like fun, it sounds like they are really enjoying themselves.

Like who?

There’s this guy called Thomas Leer, who’s a sort of Gary Newman type but much more experimental. But it’s not just about fun. I guess it’s just wanting to kind of do things for myself, you know, that’s the main reason for wanting to do it. It’s just having full control over everything that goes in. Because I’d like to do stuff for singers, but it’s just so hard to find people…

Well, the last couple of things you’ve done with Sampha, like the Fantasy cover and then the new track, I’d Never Dance With You…

I’d Never Dance – yes. Those were really fun to do, because he’s just a wicked singer. And he writes really nice sort of melody lines as well, you know. So that kind of worked out.

You’re working with Othello Woolf as well?

Oh yes, I’ve been doing some stuff with him, yes. I was mixing some of his tracks and then we did a couple of kind of tunes from scratch together, and yes, that was good. It’s the first time I’ve sort of sat down and watched someone sort of write and him say “Oh do you like that? And do you want me to sort of change it?” And it was kind of like doing it together, you know. And yes, that was good fun to do. And that sort of gave me more of a taste for doing it myself as well. But I’ve got a pretty bad voice.

But what’s a good voice – like, what’s that classic David Byrne quote? He said something about how if you’ve got a really nice voice then it’s not believable.

Yes, a lot of the singers that I like haven’t got angelic voices, but then they have got some sort of tone that’s nice. And my tone straight away is quite like nasal, you know, and it just doesn’t translate that well into the recording, you know. But I’m trying to figure out, I’d like to make it work. And I’ve only just started trying it and I’m already like “Oh man, I just can’t believe I can’t do it.” But I haven’t given myself that much time to really get some, I don’t know, get some singing lessons or something! (Laughs)

Yes, why not? But I kind of like that you keep setting yourself these tasks that really annoy you, but it’s a nice thing that you need some time.

Yes, I do sometimes think, what do I actually enjoy about making music? It’s usually just finishing tracks that I’m kind of enjoying. The rest of it is, like you say, setting annoying tasks. But then they shouldn’t be really. It should just be enjoyable.

But I think there’s always some kind of a creative battle when you are doing anything and trying to get somewhere. But then there’s this moment of “Ah, okay, yes.” And that’s what you kind of do it for.

I guess so, yes. There’s no guidelines that you have to enjoy everything or it has to all be sort of plain sailing. But yes, I’d like to enjoy it a little bit more, just for my own wellbeing and health.

It sounds like you are continually getting more confident about what you want to do with your music…

Yes, I do feel like that, definitely. I really like having feeling and emotion and stuff, but also having kind of fun and humorous things, you know.

Yes, fun, that’s the thing. There’s still this thing that fun isn’t cool. Like, cool people don’t smile in clubs. And I hate that, because I’m most of the time quite a smiley person. And it’s just nice to hear that range of emotion – it’s quite light, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less valid.

Some of my favourite music has that balance down perfectly, and I like not taking it too seriously but also getting across a lot of feeling.

That makes it more poignant.

Yes. And it’s just so much more human like that, isn’t it? Because no one is that serious really, you know, and if they are they are pretty boring. I’d much rather be around people who are, you know, just having a laugh but also appreciate that there is meaning to things.

Yes, exactly.

I mean because the main thing that I like doing with music is getting emotion into it, like that’s the kind of music I love the most is really kind of emotional and feeling music. But not taking itself too seriously at the same time.

It’s such a fine balance.

Yes. That’s the trouble, I think that’s why I cut a lot of stuff out, because you kind of don’t get that balance enough, enough as I’d like to. I’ve been listening to a lot of Robert Wyatt over the past, I don’t know, six months or so, just picking up all of his records, because I just got one that was amazing, really kind of funny but also lots of really nice emotional passages in it. It was like, Oh this is exactly what I want to get. Just been listening to loads of his stuff, and I think that probably had quite a big influence on ‘You Drive Me To Plastic’, just that general balance.

And Paul White as well, I always bang on about Paul White, but he’s just another person who really gets that, and inspires me to do more of it. Paul doesn’t take himself seriously, but also has like a strong conviction about what he does. And loves kind of funny little things. That’s just the best thing in music I reckon, it’s wicked.

What were we listening to before?

It’s John Martyn, ‘Solid Air’, it’s quite good. Don’t know if you know him?

No, I don’t. That’s a pure ‘70s cover.

Yes, I love that cover. I’ve been listening to a lot of John Martyn as well. The clips I’ve seen of him on stage, he’s always just drinking. I mean he died a couple of years ago I think, as a result of being quite a heavy drinker. But he just sort of did it in a funny way on stage, just like down a pint and then go into this really emotional song, you know. He would be telling ridiculous jokes and being really crude about something and then as soon as he plays a chord, his face just changes and he’s just like pure feeling, that sadness about him. That’s amazing.

Bullion ‘You Drive Me To Plastic’ (Young Turks) is out on CD on April 25th. He plays Plastic People this Friday night for his album launch party with Paul White and Cherrystones.

http://www.dummymag.com/features/2011/04/19/bullion-interview-just-pure-feeling/