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The new album is due out on October 3rd, why the name 'Power
Ballads'?
"It kind of works at different angles for me, and the connotation
with London Elektricity. I could also do the album cover shot
outside Battersea power station which I wanted to do because
I'm a big Pink Floyd fan, and the songs Liane and I wrote are
actually about the abuse of power, so there are many different
threads that lead to that title. Plus we hate power ballads!"
Did you decide to aim towards a different sound from the
outset?
"I incorporated the live band and the sound of the live band
as much as possible. There are a few tracks with a totally new
sound, and that's what I was aiming for."
This can especially be heard on the opening track, 'Out of
this world'?
"Yes, it's the one that sounds most live, and also took the
most time to do. This album was put together very differently
in that it is the first time that I've really written with Liane
(Carroll, BBC award winning vocalist) and she would come around
to the studio and we'd do proper song writing, we've got a good
chemistry."
How did the songs initially start out?
"All last year I'd been working on sketches while on tour, using
my laptop, just to get the basis and then Liane and I would
both come up with some ideas. There's no substitute for inspiration,
and you have to have inspiration to 'curve' a song. That's why
when there's two of you it's great, because you have to be ruthless
on quality. It has to be brilliant, if it's not you have to
get rid of it. That's the way to come up with a good song and
album."
The third track 'Remember the Future' has a powerful rolling
bassline, how did that come about?
"The starting point for that was a sketch I wrote in Cape Town
when I was doing the Red Bull Music Academy, it started with
synth-type chords and all else was arranged around that. It
was very late in the mixing stage that I came up with the bassline,
and to create that I used a combination of the Arturia ARP
2600V and CS-80V."
'Watching you, watching me' is a brilliant electro-hip-hop
track - was it a conscious decision to create it in a non-d'n
b style?
"It was one of the many ideas I was working on musically, and
that one did start from the drums - I was working on some breaks
and that one came through and sounded really interesting. For
me it's unusually simple which is what I like about it. We sent
it to MC Wrec to add some voice and he just went out and added
his part."
So, the album is classic London Elektricity, mixed with
new London Elektricity?
"I've moved on a lot as a producer - technically I'm loads better,
particularly at beats, especially since using Cubase
SX3, and I've improved sonically too - I've been studying
the rules a bit instead of just doing what I feel."
You mixed the album yourself?
"Yes, in SX."
It's London Elektricity from beginning to end?
"Yeah."
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What did you use to create the sounds on the new album,
'Power Ballads'?
"Arturia's CS-80V
has amazing pads I find, it's just got that sound that I like.
It's also absolutely wicked for 'whooshes' and special FX and
things like that. The CS-80V features heavily on 'Remember the
Future'.
I use Native Instruments Reaktor
a lot for basslines - something aggressive. There's an instrument
that someone loaded themselves on NI's website called the 'Doctor
Bassdrum' on the Reaktor download page and that has an unbelievable
bass sound, it's just so heavy! I use Reaktor not only for FX
but musical things that are twisted and really develop an interesting
angle for chords. I find it very inspiring. I'd say there's
probably Reaktor on 80% of the songs on the album, it's well
used. There's many good instruments on NI's website too under
the Reaktor user library.
I love the Arturia ARP
2600V for basslines, and it's good for lead parts too. With
synth emulations Arturia have got it. I think in terms of proper
vintage emulation I don't think anyone does it better than Arturia,
to be honest."
And any others?
"I really like the 'Waldorf A1' that comes with Cubase, it's
really strong and a lot of people underestimate it because it's
free with SX. I used the 'Embracer' synth that comes with Cubase
SX on 'Hanging Rock', it works in there.
I've just got the new Celemony
Melodyne Uno, I'm really looking forward to that. It's going
to be fun, I know I'm going to love it."
Sequencing, it's all in Cubase SX3?
"I'm exclusively using SX3,
I have Nuendo
too but I use that for other things. For music it's all SX3."
What do you like most about it?
"The way I do my beats in SX is I chop them. I use the chopping
function, it's really good. I do it all in audio - I'll just
import a loop, open it, do the hit-point detection and end up
with slices. All my drums are done in just SX3, everything -
chopping, sequencing. Apart from the live drums of course which
Jungle Drummer played and I recorded."
What tips do you have for budding producers?
"My only advice is if you actually have to do it, if you need
to do it, then do it. It's in your blood. It's as simple as
that. In one way it's harder and another it's easier for them.
It's easier because they all have the technology at their fingertips,
and it's harder for them because so many people have the same
technology. There will always be people that really want to
make music, and that's how to be at the next level."
A quick word about Hospital Records, the label that you head
up…
"We've got a good line-up... London Elektricity of course, High
Contrast, Nu Tone, Cyantific, Logistics, Landslide, and Q Project.
All releases and merchandise can be bought directly from our
webshop. The CD's can also be bought at regular CD stores."
Thanks for the exclusive interview Tony, I'm sure the new
album will do well when it is released on October 3rd.
"Thank you, I really enjoyed making this album!"
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