Interviews w/ Johny Davies & Andres Marcos

This is a Cambridge spotlight feature focusing on the work of Johny Davies (a.k.a. LeJockey).  He co-runs an illustrious clubnight called The Fuss and founded Horseplay Records, an innovative new electro label. Both purvey a rich, minimalist electronica/house theme. I spoke to the man himself, as well as the fabulous Andres Marcos, who has released material on the label.

So Johny, how did The Fuss come about?
The Fuss was actually started by Kevin Agius and Dan Bolton, who are both from Bury Saint Edmunds and both shared a passion for the more trippy, underground electronic music scene. I joined a little later on when they started doing parties here in Cambridge and now the three of us run the night once a month in the basement of The Cow.

What kind of music can people expect to hear at the nights? What goes down well at The Cow?
We play underground minimal electronic music, lots of tracks by artists such as Ricardo Villalobos, SIS etc. The most important thing at a party, after the music being played, is the sound system it is being played on. Its not all about volume, but quality. At The Fuss we have both, hiring in a hugely expensive Hughes and Ketner sound system that sounds like the best hi-fi but at ear-bleeding sound levels. This is what has helped us build up a strong regular following over the past 10 months or so including a large number of european regulars (this music is hugely popular over in Europe) with each party selling out.



You make your own music, under the 'Le Jockey' alias. Tell us about that. 
Its turned into a bit of a necessity really, haha. I don't really enjoy the process of writing music, but I feel compelled to do it and always enjoy the finished product. I suffer from ADHD but seem to be able to focus on writing music. I am lucky enough to have been published numerous times on various different labels, and 2011 is looking to be a busy year. I have 5 tracks/remixes coming between now and June and have had a remix out a few weeks ago too. It can all be heard at http://soundcloud.com/lejockey



What kind of gear do you use? What's your trustiest piece of kit?
I might ruffle a few feathers when I say this, but I use only software, all on my PC (NOT Mac, I am fiercely proud of my PC!). I don't even have an external soundcard, its all done internally (when rendering a track down to a finished audio file the soundcard isnt even used so really for me there is not much point). Some people will say that you miss that 'warmth' that you get with analogue gear, but if you think about how different the sound can be when you listen to music hungover and the same piece when sober. Perceived sound quality is far more psychological than based on scientific fact.

In terms of software I use, Ableton 8 is my DAW and then I use soft synths such as FM8, Crystal, Minimoog, and I also falked out on the 'waves' plug in pack for all my compression and effects. My trustiest piece of kit is my laptop though. It is my soul mate.

Are there any records you adulate at the moment? What being spun the most at The Fuss HQ?
Orbital Frame by Mathias Linzatti is probably my favorite track to play out at the moment. Its a few years old now but I havent heard anything which is at the same time so weird and different yet also universally loved. The biggest track of mine to date would have to be my remix of Louis Armstrong performing 'it dont mean a thing if it aint got that swing':


Got That Swing by Le Jockey

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I also spoke to Andres Marcos, a Spanish musician who lives in Switzerland. We talk about his unique set of sounds and his relations with Horseplay...

For those uninformed readers of Mane Shakin' Folk, could you please describe the music you make?
I would define it as electronic music with a jazz approach. Improvisation and live performance play an important role in the composition process and also influence structures and instrumentation. Rhythm, harmony and melodic content are strongly influenced by jazz-related music. I experiment through controlling random possibilities and hijacking step sequencers a lot . My vision is not to reach something through music; it is to try being part of the music. By that I mean that I don’t try to follow rules or schemes, but go my own little way and let myself be surprised by the results.

Adriano 1930 (La Tapisserie Remix) by Andres Marcos

Has this always been your style? What is your musical background?
Not really; I initially started playing classical guitar, then in hard rock and blues groups. A rock band that already had gigs needed a bass player, and for a couple of years I played guitar and bass with them. I spent almost every evening and weekend in the rehearsal room, and started exploring synthesizers and drums as well. I began experimenting with effects and the mixing desk. The drummer of the band introduced me to jazz rock, and some years later we decided to study at the Jazz School of Lausanne and at the Conservatory where I also started to play upright bass. It was a quite stimulating environment, and there were jazz jamming sessions almost every evening in the city. This made it easy to make contacts and get regular gigs. At this time I played my instrument for more than 8 hours a day, and slept in my music room. I then had the chance to write and perform music for two theatre companies, one year with each. It was a very interesting experience, and acted as a proper job.

One year later, an accident with my left hand forced me to cancel all my gigs during the summer. The recovery took some months, and I found this very boring. As a result I started experimenting with computers, synthesizers and sequencers. It was love at first sight. I was fascinated by the fusion of electronic and acoustic elements, and the first tracks I produced had very strong drum’n’bass and jazz influences. The change came about ’99-2001 where I had the first contact to electronic minimal music. I liked it because it had a completely new concept, the focus was in sound design and it was completely unheard for me. This new genre was unknown - your average listener wouldn't have even considered it as music. I always liked challenges. At the beginning of this era, lots of courageous and brilliant music came out. It was exciting, and it still is. Experimental electronic music has no high status, and this has similarities with the status of jazz at the beginning. It was an immense world that was waiting to be discovered, and this was damn attracting.



How did your relations with Horseplay records come about?
At the start of 2010 I did a release for Bleepsequence. Kevin, the man behind this label made some suggestions about the remixers and told me about LeJockey. I didn’t know him, and he was due to remix one track only. He felt comfortable with the material I sent him, and remixed two tracks. Both were excellent, and I could not choose one, so I decided to release both. We got more contact, and I really appreciated the ideas and music of HorsePlay. I decided to release 4 tracks, one of which was the track that I wrote for my daughter Marisol, who also sponsored the giraffe on the cover.

Marisol by Andres Marcos

Have you ever played in Britain? What is the most memorable gig you've been involved with?
No, not yet, but would love to come one day! My most memorable gigs are not the bigger ones. I will never forget the first gig. I was 16 and played bass and guitar with a rock band. All my friends and the whole family were there. We prepared this event for many months; we were quite nervous and scared, but it was a big success.

Another one was some years ago in Mesocco, in the Swiss mountains: it was a festival with DJs and live PAs, and the weather was very bad all night long and it flooded. I didn’t want to play because all power cables and the mixer were wet, but at the end I played in the early morning as the sun was rising, and it was great, even if a lot of the public listened to my live PA from their tents.

Finally, are there are any particular records you love at the moment?
I prefer to list labels and artists, more than single records. Just a little sample, I really can’t include everyone. Unoiki, Mindtours, HorsePlay, Trimsound, Bleepsequence, Spontan Musik, Minibar and Telegraph (some), ECM and Blue Note, are among other labels that I especially like.

As for artists, I would firstly list all Unoiki members. It is a collective I am a part of where we share all the same point of view on a lot of aspects. Alva Noto, Tom Ellis, Jan Jelinek, Akiko Kiyama, Cobblestone Jazz, Treplec, Thomas Brinkmann, Moritz Von Oswald Trio, Ryuichi Sakamoto, John Scofield, Chano Dominguez, Charlie Haden, Kurt Elling are also among my favourites.

Schwefelgelb 'Zu Zweit'

Man. Can you imagine what would have happened if Speak & Spell-era Depeche Mode had gone on a German Exchange and discovered Kraut-rock? Well, I can now. It seems Schwefelgelb have replicated and wrapped up that scenario conclusively.

Week #10: Warm Brains / Boats / Daphni / Christopher Paul Stelling

This is Warm Brains, the latest project from Rory Atwell. You may already know him as an ex-member of Test Icicles and KASMs, or as a renowned DIY producer for many a noise/lo-fi/rawk act (Male Bonding, Fair Ohs, S.C.U.M., Cold Pumas et al...)

With this new solo endeavour he's got a kinda fuzzy shoegaze thing going on. Think a reinvigorated, revitalised Ride.

You can expect a debut full-length entitled 'Old Vocanoes' in May, released on Marshall Teller records, but in the mean time you can listen to a selection a cool cuts from it below. Highlights come via 'Old Vocanoes', the epitome of the Ride similarity, and 'Marble Arch', a drone-rock anthem in a similar vein to These New Puritans' earlier material.


 

Boats create rowdy ramshackles that subtly veer from a ear-piercing punk attitude reminiscent of The Thermals to a freak-folk style akin to a fantastical collaboration between Marnie Stern and Neutral Milk Hotel. The band sonically fire their insides into our ears. They overwhelm us with the sheer racket, yet leave us unsure as to whether they are serious or not. It's this ambiguity which is alluring. Indeed, last month they became the latest occultists to join the ranks at prolific US alt-label Kill Rock Stars.

In 'TV Scientist' we receive a simple melodica line, some fiddly riffs and a clattering disco beat. It's all overlaid with jocular Canadian accents and some neat little whistling. It needs repeating. It's great. What we get is confounding fun. Pure musical fun. Please let there be more of it.

Next up is another Canadian project, but this time from a man named Dan Snaith. Sound familiar? Well, his dayjob is as brains behind and frontman of Caribou, whose underground hit 'Odessa' was placed in the higher reaches of my top 60 songs of 2010 countdown and whose latest album, Swim, was awarded the accolade of Rough Trade's album of 2010, so I wouldn't be surprised if it does. 

It now turns out the man's gone all retro electro/house/funky on us as Daphni. 'Yeye', his debut release under the moniker, is a kaleidoscopic club hybrid of all things electronic and chic: the shuddering bass drums, the eerie effects and the slightly sinister 'Yeye's act as a stream of perfect moments in which you are required to 'put yours hands up'. The song hardly develops, but who cares. This is 6 minutes of blissful electronic harmony in which you can gloriously lose yourself all the same.

 

The other day I came across this awesome live session a man named Christopher Paul Stelling did for NY's Breakthru Radio. Set against the apt setting of a stables near Prospect Park in Brooklyn, the man looks at home, eyes looking into the distance for the duration. He taps his foot, deftly handles his acoustic axe and lets his divine vocals ring out. The song is entitled 'Flawless Executioner', and, yup, you guessed it, he executes this unique performance flawlessly: 

Wild Beasts 'Albatross'

HERE IT IS. The Beasts return. I herewithin confirm their place as the best British band of the moment. The fluttering falsetto, the ambrosial keys.... everything is just lush. 'Albatross' is the most exquisite taster of Smother we could have hoped for.

Interview w/ Clara Engel

 

Clara Engel and her gargantuan voice have been lurking in around the Canadian scene for quite a while now. Extremely developed, dark, holy and brooding songs are the beguiling outcome. . . Having already released an incredible seven albums, each conjuring up a blues-tinged and ethereal sound vaguely reminiscent of Wildbirds & Peacedrums, she is currently working on her eighth. Find out more...

Clara, at what point in life do we find you?
It's 12:05 A.M. on February 27th. It's Nuit Blanche, and the city is buzzing. But I'm sick, so I'm at home, sneezing. At what point in my life... that's a good question. I'm not sure, time will tell. But I'm 28. I generally try to go to bed before midnight. I moved to Montreal six months ago - I had lived in Toronto my whole life. I'm finding my feet here, getting ready to record a new album, it will be my eighth release. I'm going to start working with some new musicians soon. I'm feeling exhausted and rambunctious, and I'm in love.

How would you describe your music to those uninformed readers of Mane Shakin' Folk?
A violent, distant meteor shower maybe? I have operatic tendencies. I am a reverb and delay addict. I also love playing acoustic guitar and singing in rooms with good acoustics, with no effects or amplification. I listen to folk music from everywhere. I collect Yazoo and Revenant Records releases. I adore Jacques Brel. I'm completely committed to my work, and have been since I started writing songs fifteen years ago.

You're based in Montreal. What's the scene like there? Are there any cool hangouts the world should (or shouldn't) know about?

I moved here this summer. I'm impressed with Montreal. There are a lot of really good people here. In terms of cool hangouts... I like to hang out on the mountain, weather-permitting. It's pretty special to live next to a big old mountain. I'm going to film a video there next weekend with some friends. I play pretty frequently at two venues called Casa del Popolo and Le Cagibi, and I know there are a bunch of other great places that I haven't been to or played at yet. I've been mostly hanging out at my house lately, cause I'm broke and it's cold.

You have an incredibly big voice. When did you discover this and first use it in song? Have you been involved in music since you were a child?
I think I've always had a big singing voice. It doesn't feel as loud in my own skull, but it's always been pretty raucous, I'm told. I was a very enthusiastic singer as a small child. My dad would play guitar and we would sing folk songs together, that was when I was three or four. It's one of my happiest early memories. We'd sing songs like 'I Gave My Love a Cherry', 'Frankie and Johnny', and 'Clementine'. I took it pretty seriously. My voice kind of went underground from the age of six, when I entered grade school, to twelve, when I just couldn't contain it anymore. A singer must sing. It's been growing ever since, and getting more full-bodied, like a gnarly weed-tree.

How do you go about songwriting? Lyrics first, or music?
It's kind of mysterious, and it's different every time. There is a deep romantic connection between the words and the music, I don't think I have the heart to separate them or give one precedence over the other.

Have you worked with any labels? 
Yes. Corps-Morts in Quebec City, Vox Humana in the UK, Tapemancy in Italy. And apparently A Silent Place in Italy released something of mine too, but I never saw it... I hope that one day I will.

'Lick My Fins' is a free download on bandcamp at moment. What's the song about?
I don't even know, that's a primordial song. Sex? Devolution? Mermaids and mermen? It's also a dark, comically desperate love song. I think it's very funny. That song offended one person deeply, she thought it was blasphemous and wrote me an angry email saying she wouldn't support an artist who wrote the words "let the holy spirit lick my fins." Fine then, so be it.

What can we expect from Clara Engel in 2011?

If things go well, you can expect at least one new album. If things go really well, you can expect more new albums. I am releasing an EP in the UK, through Vox Humana, and that will hopefully translate into a tour. I really want to record an album live in a church in Montreal. I've set up a site where people can pre-order the album and help me get it made, here.

Finally, are there any particular records/artists/etc that particularly inspire you at the moment? 

At the moment, I'm listening to Arthur Russell's "Love is Overtaking Me" and I'm reading "Mad in Pursuit" by Violette Leduc. She is my favorite writer. I want to read everything she's ever written. Lately I've also been listening to my friends Tsinder Ash, Opal Onyx, Sebastian Wesman, and Cicely Irvine (and all of you should check them out too!)

You can find Clara Engel on bandcamp, myspace, tumblr and facebook. And as she mentioned, you can also pledge a donation to help with the recording of her next album here.

Download 'Lick My Fins':

Gang Gang Dance 'Glass Jar'

Gang Gang Dance, New York's supreme musical backsliders, have returned. They are steaming 'Glass Jar', the opener off their new LP, and it's pretty odd, as you might expect. It's a 12-minute, synth-laden freakout, initially pierced with many a clatter and many a wail. But the song develops; there are (only) around 7 minutes of this deranged psychedelia before their trademark blending of Asiatic vocals and chiming keys re-enlists itself marvellously.

The New Yorkians have deftly snuck back onto our radars, revitalised, and on superfine form at that. New album, Eye Contact, is out May 4th on 4AD. Stream 'Glass Jar' below:

Week #9: Big Deal / Evenings

First up this week is a gauzy, slacker-pop duo named Big Deal. Their guitars are fuzz-boxed and bleared, combining with their alluring vocals to evoke a kinda trippy, Mazzy Star-esque feel. Their sweet boy-girl harmonies are vaguely reminiscent of fellow Londoners Slow Club, but there is something unique about these guys which really protrudes: the intimate emotion. Every word seems so heartfelt. The production is minimalist and therefore revealing. The emotions are real. 'All I wanna do is talk' they repeat.

The duo release new single 'Talk' on Moshi Moshi on April 4th. Catch them at The Social on March 7th and at the Great Escape in May. Here are a couple of acoustic sessions they did for the guys over at The Fly:

Chillwave, the ex-ubiquitous, oh-so-2009 genre returns. But not like the harassing, sticky pieces of fluff it used to be, more like the soothing, hot water tap coming back on. For chillwave has duly reappeared triumphant, blueprints resketched, in the form of Evenings, aka 'Nathan', some guy who plaits together angular beats, hazy synths and bewilderingly intricate rhythms to form backwards-sounding euphorias. The end results are brilliant.

Just have listen to his North Dorm EP, released last year. It is chilled, flowing seamlessly. He evidently (and fortunately) saw the sense in ignoring the wordy stuff of his peers, letting the divine ambience linger sole, doing so with striking aplomb. You can download the EP for free on his bandcamp (or stream it below). 'Babe', the single, is the highlight. Expect an LP later this year.

Interview w/ Flats

Samir Eskanda, sticksman with rising punks Flats, answers my questions. We talk One Little Indian, the live show, Melvins and Chapel Club.

Samir, how are you and the rest of Flats?

We are hungover. Last night we played a warm-up show for our tour. We did 9 songs that we have never played before but it was mostly for our friends and family. Got a bit messy.

How would you yourselves describe your music to those uninformed readers of Mane Shakin' Folk?

Furious, fast and sometimes very slow...

How did the group form?

Dan wanted to start a band and had already convinced Luke to be involved. I knew them from gigs and stuff. Myself and Craig bumped into them one day in the pub and within an hour Flats was formed and named. Took a few weeks for us to actually get into the practice room, though. Has been pretty full-on since then. That was only a year ago.

How did your relations with One Little Indian come about?

Last summer, Dan and Craig went to meet Derek Birkett to chat about music and swap a few records. They ended up playing him our first EP which we had literally just recorded. I think he must have liked it because we got a very flattering email from Derek that afternoon. He used to be in Flux of Pink Indians who were a brilliant punk band. He's a top dude.

You're releasing 'Never Again' on the label next month. What's the song about?

Yeah it's coming out on OLI / Sweatshop (which is our own label). I don't know what the song is about. You'd have to ask Dan, but he won't even tell me. That doesn't stop me shouting along with the chorus when we play it live.

How do you find playing live? Do you see it as more of a release or a burden?

A burden?? I can see why some bands can't be bothered. But not us. It's all about playing live. Particularly for me, playing the drums is a huge release. Our live shows are impactful.
 

You've got a pretty extensive UK tour lined up. Are there any venues you particularly love playing?

We haven't been around long enough to have favourite venues. Aberdeen Tunnels was cool when we played there last October. And Glasgow and Manchester are great cities to play.

You were on the NME radar tour last year playing alongside The Joy Formidable and Chapel Club. What do think of those guys?

It was a funny one because I don't think many people who came to see either of those bands really would have got why we were on the bill. We were aware of that. We didn't expect to become mates with Chapel Club, but we were by the end of the tour. Nice guys!

Finally, What else is hot in 2011 for Flats? Are there any particular records you are enjoying at the moment?

We are writing our debut album so there are so many ideas flying around. You can't actually beat Melvins though so I'm gonna say them. Dale Crover is absolutely phenomenal. I know that Dan is obsessed with Amebix at the moment, Luke's been listening to a lot of Om. Earth are amazing. We've also been listening to a British 90s band called Iron Monkey. 

And that's that. Intrigued? Flats have almost finished recording their debut album. Hear 'Never Again' below: