INTRODUCING DUBLIN BASED MULTI GENRE DUO ANALOGUE WAVE....
Analogue Wave are an electronic duo who will release their debut album ‘N.L.G. W.V’ on September 27th. In a time when the general adoption of neoliberal economic policies streamlined throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Analogue Wave forged their sound out of a 1980s grimy recession-laden Dublin.
We caught up with the guys in a traditional Irish bar, prior to tucking into copious amounts of Guinness and some lovely Irish fayre, we chatted about Gorillas who can do sign language, record labels and Supergroups, here's how we got on.....
Please introduce the band and your music in one sentence....
Analogue Wave are a Dublin based duo (Del & Gint) who make music influenced from many styles.
You’re called ‘Analogue Wave’ how did you come about choosing this name?
Gint: We had a bit of a problem choosing a name that we liked that hadn’t been used before but I think it suits us.
Being an unsigned band how hard is it to get noticed and how has social media aided your music?
Gint: I think people are saturated by music, it’s hard to get the time to listen to everything that’s recommended by everyone so it’s hard to get noticed. The people that seem to be into us all seem to be really big into music, they’re open minded to different genres like ourselves so social media has allowed us to network easily with like minds which is great.
Del: We try not to get to transfixed on the whole getting noticed thing! From the beginning we decided to write and record what we'd pay to see live & what we liked as musicians, not what other people liked or what is popular at any given time. Our influences are very wide and varied, you can hear that in our songs so people kinda like that I think. You can get lost very easily if you let the whole 'Notice' thing get in on you. Labels are not the big thing these days. Social media as a vehicle has changed all the label crazy stuff and changed the face of music in my opinion. Its helped artists like ourselves to get our music out to peoples ears quickly.
You guys DJ on 'Radio-Aktiv', an internet radio station, can you say how this came about and how will people be able to hear you?
Gint: Tom Byrne, who’s the main man at Radio Activ, has been a great supporter of us from the very start, he’s put lots of people onto us and gave us some great contacts. As we both have been dj’ing for a long time it’s great to play music that we’re into for other people.
Del: Tom Byrne stumbled onto us just after we released N.l.g.W.v, our debut album. He liked what he'd heard and asked if he could play us on a new online station that he was setting up called 'Radio Aktiv'. We jumped at it, because getting music out to people is what its all about for us unsigned artists. It all sort of came about from that initial contact really. We ended up Dj'ing Christmas specials and then I started a regular show on the station. Tom is pretty special at finding great music. He's a gem of a bloke too and we count him as one of our great friends now after all the Dj'ing and swapping music between us. It all came about through the medium of social media. Pretty cool.
You have been nominated for a ‘Love Music award’, how did this come about?
Gint: This is one of the contacts that Tom put us onto, Love Music Magazine did a feature on us for our first album.
Del: Love Music Magazine's editor, Emma Walker, is another brilliant contact to have if you are an unsigned artist. She puts the spotlight on every band she interviews and its a great magazine too. We are actually honoured to have been nominated for the award in the first place and that they'd count us as a great Electronic Artist. She has supported us from the very first listen she gave to our debut album and she interviewed us for the magazine too on the strength of that listen. Again, it was another Tom Byrne recommendation to us. The man is a legend.
Would you rather live with a dog that sings lullabies or a gorilla that can do sign language? Explain your answer.
Gint: A gorilla that does sign language, it’d be interesting to see how a different species sees the world, it’d be handy for carrying the groceries home too!
Del: Yeah, i'd have to go with the gorilla. Imagine getting the view on life from an amazing animal like a gorilla via sign language? Amazing.
In your opinion, what is the BEST album/record ever released and why?
Gint: Stone Roses - Stone Roses, I remember loving this when it first came out, I’ve been listening to it regularly for over 20 years and I never get sick of it.
Del: I can't answer that mate! Im a vinyl collector, musician, songwriter & a self confessed music freak! Honestly, i couldn't answer that question. Far too many brilliant albums to speak about.
Tell me a fascinating fact about you or one of your band members?
Gint: I fell into and out of a cloud doing a sky dive!
Del: Gint Dj'd around Europe with CJ Bolland! Awesome DJ.
If you had a chance to put together your own ‘super group’, who would be in it? (only living members please)
Gint: Drums - John Stainer (Battles), Bass - Les Claypool (Primus), Vocals - Perry Farrell (Janes Addiction), Guitar -Joey Santiago (Pixies), Synth - Florian Schneider (Kraftwerk), Vibes - Bez (Happy Mondays).
Del: Drums - Ginger Baker (Cream), Bass - Mani (Stone Roses), Vocals - David Bowie, Guitar - BB King, Synth - Gary Numan, Vibes - Bez (Happy Mondays)
Describe the reason why ‘Dead Cat Bounce’ is the first single to be released from your follow up album?
Gint: Del had written ‘Dead Cat Bounce’ a few years ago and there was an unfinished version knocking around, when we were getting tracks together for ‘Casimir’ he suggested we have a look at it and we we’re both really happy how it turned out. Anyone else that heard thought it was good too so we said we’d put it out first. I think it’s one of the few tracks off ‘Casimir’ that’s close to the sound of ‘N.l.g. w.v.’
Del: I'd had this track buzzing around in my head for a few years but didn't know how to finish it the way that i wanted it finished. Other people had tried and failed miserably with it and it seemed like a shame to just dump it. We never really stopped writing after N.l.g.W.v and i had wanted to finish it as for so long that it kind of seemed fair to the track that i gave it over to Gint's amazing production skills to finish it, if you know what i mean? He blew it out of the water. Its a monster of a track now. I love it.
What classic song would you have liked to have recorded and why?
Gint: 'Unfinished Sympathy' by Massive Attack - I love everything about this track, the strings, the beat, and the vocals are all just perfect.
Del: 'The Thrill Is Gone' by BB KING - This track, in my opinion, is the ultimate blues song! Recorded in the minor key of B to a 4/4 time and jam packed full of string arrangements, it oozes the blues and showcases BB Kings vocals to a T. Just beautiful. I'd love to have recorded it back in the 60's.
First gig you ever went to and describe an Analogue Wave gig?
Gint: A-house and the Frank & Walters. An Analogue Wave gig is hopefully an aural and visual treat, we have synchronized visuals for each track so there’s something to look at.
Del: A-house and the Frank & Walters, although not with Gint! The weird thing is that we've been to many of the same gigs throughout the years but never knew each other. I reckon I've stood next to him at a few too. We base our live experience around music & visuals so as to take peoples eyes away from our ugly mugs! It works a treat.
Where did you record your debut album ‘N.L.G.W.V’ and what made you choose that studio?
Gint: We recorded the whole album in my spare bed room which is something we’re quite proud of. We chose that studio because I live there, we very lucky that we have that facility there as we can get a lot of work done, I’m able to work on tracks almost every day.
Del: Wave HQ is actually Andy's spare bed room. He has a full studio set up there and we can record at our leisure. It has been the best recording experience of my life if I'm honest.
Also what does ‘N.L.G.W.V’ stand for? Who photographed the cover and where did you get those masks?
Gint: ‘n.l.g. W.v.’ was our tribute to the hard working folk of the ‘National Lawyers Guild of West Virginia’, and also by coincidence it happened to be ‘Analogue Wave’ with all the vowels removed. We liked the idea of naming the first album after the band but wanted to put a twist on it. The cover is taken from a bicycle safety video made in America in the 60’s called ‘one got fat’. We got the masks in a joke shop in Dublin for the making of the ‘Mezkal’ video.
‘Mezkal' is an amazing tune, with some superb vocals, what inspired this track?
Gint: I think Del recorded it on acoustic guitar and sent it to me, I built the track up and came across the strings for the chorus which fitted perfectly.
Del: Its a track about depression. About living in a country that cares more about money than it does about its people ' A crime without a feeling', which by default causes depression amongst its younger generations! Its a track about not having a choice & about lying down and taking it - A political track electronically.
Name three people (alive, dead or fictional) that you would like as party guests?
Gint: Jimi Hendrix, Yoda, & someone from 1000 years in the future.
Del: Muddy Waters, Jim Morrison & Larry Levan.
There are many good bands and musicians out there, who would you ask the readers of musicmuso to look out for?
Gint: Grim from Derry.
Del: Wozniak from Scotland.
If you could describe your music in the form of a fictional character, who would it be?
Gint: Robocop, its part human part machine.
Del: Ha Ha! Exactly what he said.
Do you think we can ever live in a world where a chicken can cross the road without having its motives questioned?
Gint: If no one is there to see the aforementioned chicken cross the road has it actually crossed the road at all?
Del: In an alternate world the chickens are in our shoes and we are in the chickens shoes! Role reversal. So yeah, i reckon we can make it across the road without being questioned on it.
What are your plans for what remains of 2014?
Gint: Album #2 is out on September 26th so we’ll be releasing that and a few more singles from it.
Del: Second album 'Casimir' is out on September 26th. Its a monster.
We had all imbibed FAR too much of the 'Black Stuff', so much so, we had started to slur our words, which, as interviewers is never a good look! We posed some quick fire questions to the guys prior to leaving them to it....
Coffee or Tea?
Gint: Neither
Del: Tea
Coke or Pepsi?
Gint: Coke.
Del: Coke.
Drum machine or the real deal?
Gint: Drum machine (909 preferably).
Del: Drum Machine
Mac or PC?
Gint: PC
Del: Mac
Bono or Glen Hansard?
Gint: Bono.
Del: Neither.
Fry up or Sunday roast?
Gint: Fry up.
Del: Fry up.
Lemmy (Motorhead) or Ozzy (Black Sabbath)?
Gint: Ozzy.
Del: Lemmy.
CD or Vinyl?
Gint: Vinyl!!!!!
Del: Vinyl - all day long.
Car or Motorbike?
Gint: Car.
Del: Car.
Acoustic or electric?
Gint: Electric.
Del: Acoustic.
Shower or Bath?
Gint; Shower.
Del: Shower.
Tattoos or Piercings?
Gint: Tattoos.
Del: Tattoos.
Robert De Niro or Al Pacino?
Gint: Al Pacino.
Del: Al Pacino.
God or Google?
Gint: Google.
Del: Google.
SOCIAL MEDIA
We would like to thank the guys for sparing their time to sit and pore through our questions, we wish them every success in the future, especially with the release of their 2nd LP ‘Casimir’ on September 26th.
Interview by Mark Wincott