ROCOCO interview...
one half of one of the most exciting crossover UK dance bands at the moment, MATT SEARLES, is back for another formidably intense chat...
1. SO... WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UPTO SINCE RELEASING YOUR CLASSY 'HIGH RISING' EP?
Not a lot, really. We sent High Rising out to a bunch of places. No big record companies this time � we learnt our lesson there with the first demo � it�s just a money-pit and you never get any feedback. Had some nice reviews of High Rising though, from our local paper and a few on-line sources. Some on-line TV channel called 3bTV took a copy and said they�d put it on their playlist. I haven�t check to see if they did yet.
We did a couple of gigs after we�d completed it, which was amusing. Mainly, though, we�ve just been doing non-musical stuff � we went to Corfu, Jasmin has a new job working for the Performing Rights Society (where she gets a bunch of free CDs) and I finally fulfilled my boyhood dream of buying a VW Camper Van. Bankruptcy, here we come!
Presently, we�re working on the next demo and we�ve got another gig with our Collective buddies Black Lines on August the 8th.
2. YOU PERFORMED YOUR DEBUT GIG IN APRIL IN CROYDON. HOW DID YOU ENJOY THAT?
We loved it. The crowds! The adulation! The inevitable embarrassment when the technology fucks up on stage! But it felt great to be part of a scene. We had some top-notch support from Black Lines, the always-up-for-it DJ The Rage and the consummately professional DJ Pye. Of course, the impact of Kid Juxta�s presence was greatly felt too. But it�s interesting to witness people�s reaction to your stuff first-hand and, again, we bagged a couple of promising reviews. The only down-side was that I spent the time off-stage running about like a headless chicken, trying to make sure everyone was there, keep my nerves in check and dealing with the venue�s management, who shafted us over the cost of security staff, which meant we just about broke even. I didn�t get to relax with my mates at any point. It was my fault though � I�m just so neurotic. At times like that, I make Woody Allen look like the Dalai Lama. Jas was cool as a cucumber all night.
3. DO YOU PREFER RECORDING YOUR MUSIC OR PERFORMING IT THE MOST?
It�s horses for course really. They�re two totally different experiences. The initial thrill of live performance is more condensed � getting applause and instant gratification for what you do � but I�m a homebody. I like to sit up in my little room with my fags, my sampler and my ancient synths and think, �Right, what�s going to come out of this?� I�m a creature of habit and I cherish the solitude and rituals of songwriting. My routine is now so deeply ingrained that I can just focus on the music and not have to worry about which direction I�m going to approach a song from. So, the short answer is recording. For me, anyway. Jas may not relish recording so much because she comes to it later in the process, when I already know what I want the vocals to sound like on the track and I�m likely to do an Ike Turner if things go pear-shaped!
4. HOW ARE YOUR NEW TUNES PROGRESSING AND WHEN EXACTLY DO YOU THINK YOUR NEXT EP WILL BE READY FOR GENERAL CONSUMPTION?
Coming along nicely, thank you. We have a cover version of a classic song that we�re hoping will surprise a few folks. I just like the mystery of not knowing what the next tune will sound like. So, we have two tracks in the bag for the next EP and I�m waiting for a spare moment to crack on with the other two. Expect something by autumn at least.
5. I'VE HEARD A RUMOUR THAT MATT IS PERFORMING VOCALS ON ONE OF THE TRACKS...
Yes, you�ve got Paul Colto from Black Lines to thank for that one. He made some throwaway comment in an email about, �When do we get to hear your voice?� and I thought I�d rise to the challenge. Now I realise just how talented Jasmin is. It�s such a chore! I was alone in the house, trying not to smoke between takes, trying to lean over and hit the Record button at the right moment then leap back in front of the mic. I tried a bunch of effects to mask my vocal deficiencies (including a ghastly Cher-alike chorus effect at one point) but ended up using a group of about 4 mates to sing backing vocals on the coda so it sounds like a big, gospel party thing and draws the attention away from my white soul-boy pretensions!
6. . HOW IS THE MUSIC SCENE RIGHT NOW IN CROYDON, AND ARE YOU PREPARED TO PERSEVERE TO SUCH AN EXTENT AS TO HAVE A PROFOUND AND POSITIVE EFFECT ON THE SCENE THERE?
I don�t envisage us having a profound effect whatsoever. I just want to do our thing and hope people like it. Croydon�s not a live music town. There�s a scene here but it�s mainly rock-based and the dance stuff is left for the numerous cheesy clubs-cum-meat-markets. Gigging is something we can do now and we�re comfortable with it but it�s not something I see us being regular at. We had a shit turnout for the last one we played (although admittedly that wasn�t in Croydon) and it made us both question why we were putting in the effort of loading up the car and hitting the road when we get just as much pleasure from hearing our stuff on CD.
7. WHICH OF THE TRACKS THAT YOU HAVE SO FAR PRODUCED EXCITES YOU THE MOST, AND WHY?
I still love Old Skool. I think I was inspired when I wrote that. The Next Life means a lot to me, although it doesn�t represent our flavour because it�s a bit of a ballad until the end. Twist Of Blue is a great pop song and I�m still dead chuffed with the Nina Simone cover, Some Say. Damn, that�s a lot isn�t it? If I had to pick one, I would probably say Old Skool. It�s got real energy and anger but it�s rather kooky and retro too. We heard The Rage drop it in his set at LA2 in London last week and it was a real buzz to watch a bunch of drunken clowns bopping to our track. Then my mate ruined it by telling some chap next to us that it was my song and I got all shy and embarrassed. Jas says she likes Celebrity (the newest one, with me singing on it) just because it�s different to what we�ve done before.
8. HOW HAS THE GENERAL FEEDBACK BEEN TO YOUR MUSIC AND DO YOU HAVE PLANS TO CHANGE YOUR MUSICAL STYLE AT ALL?
It�s been mixed but mostly good. NME didn�t get it at all. You�ve written some very nice things about us, as has Dr Glamage, who seems also to understand what we�re all about. The general plaudits are aimed at Jasmin�s voice, which I can�t refute because it�s the one thing that really sets us apart. Although I do my best to take the music to it�s finest level, it�s the singing that makes the songs. The lay person rarely notices the production values but, like I say, that�s cool.
With regards to changing musical style, I think we�ll just keep on refining. It�s such a mixed bag anyway � we�ve tackled jazz, drum & bass, four-to-the-floor house, hip-hop, electro and blues-tinged dance so what�s left? I�m trying to pioneer a word or genre to describe our stuff and the best I can come up with is �Synth-Hop�. Sounds a bit crap, doesn�t it? But that�s the blueprint � phat beats, samples and scratching with vintage synthesisers chugging away over the top of it.
9. AND DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO PLUG RIGHT NOW?
Erm�come to our gig at The Greyhound in Redhill, Surrey on August the 8th. See the incredible Black Lines before the summer�s out. Go listen to DJ The Rage do his thing at Atomic, LA2, Charing Cross Road, London. Log on to www.musiccollective.biz, nose around and sign the guest book. Read some music reviews that I�ve written at www.audiocratic.com. Take a peek at www.rococo.me.uk and you can still buy our eponymous first demo or our subsequent High Rising EP. The repairs to that camper van won�t pay for themselves, you know�
www.rococo.me.uk