Interview Feature

Fri 22nd Oct, The North Bar, Blackburn

Sat 20th Nov, The Factory, Manchester

Sun 5th Dec, Rhiz Modern, Vienna

Sat,11th Dec, The Beat Club, Blackpool

More info at the Section 25 website

Part One - Rewind - FLV Format (16mb) -
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Part Two - Retrofit & Larry - FLV Format (16mb) -
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Part Three - Tapers v Bootleggers - FLV Format (16mb) -
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Part Four - Dirty Disco to Nature & Degree - FLV Format (14mb) -
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Part Five - Stephen Morris, Peter Hook & FAC251 - FLV Format (14mb) -
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It's not every band that gets contacted by multi platinum producers from the US, but that's exactly what happened to Nice, France based outfit Shudderwall. Not only was Scott Mathews (The Beach Boys, David Bowie, Jimmy Buffet, Eric Clapton, Elvis Costello, Ry Cooder, Robert Cray, John Fogerty, Jerry Garcia etc etc) impressed, but he decided to jump on the next plane to Nice and record the band.

We caught up with the 3 piece to find out the details and how it all came about:

Strummer: I despise pigeonholing and genre's in general so before taking a stab at describing your music could you elaborate a little on your influences.
 
Florence: We want to stay as original as possible, but there are a lot of artists that we love, from very different styles: Queen, Metallica, Elton John, Rage Against The Machine, The Beatles.
 
Strummer: After listening to the album I could certainly hear a Death Metal vibe but other bands that came into my head were My Bloody Valentine, The Pixies, Mudhoney, Nirvana and Rage Against The Machine. There is also a subtlety which indicates a distinct originality in some of the songs such as Not Your Way which has delicate picking in amongst the mayhem. How did this writing style evolve?.
 
Emmanuel: As said previously, we are open to every kind of good music and so we love to blend different styles and at the same to keep our own musical identity, even sometimes inside a same song, indeed like in Not Your Way, or Dangerous Minds.
 
Strummer: One reference you may not have had but which caught my ear was on the slower track The World Is So Grey which reminded me of The Monochrome Set circa Strange Boutique. How aware were you of the British Punk and Post Punk movements?
 
Christophe: We didn't know this band, thanks for this discovery! It's always interesting to discover other bands especially as we know that  the British and Post Punk movements have marked music history.

Strummer: You have chosen to sing and write in English despite being French. was that a concious decision made at the outset?
 
Emmanuel: yes, since the beginning we chose English because it sounds better than French for our music. Also, more people worldwide can understand us and be touched by our lyrics.
 
Strummer: Are the cookie monster vocals a nod towards Napalm Death and the Death Metal genre?
 
Florence: in some extent they are, but still, they remain melodic. And we mix these kind of vocals with a music which is also more melodic (more rock than metal).
 
Strummer: It must have been a dream come true when Scott Mathews agreed to record and produce you. How did that come about and what was the experience of recording with him like?
 
Emmanuel: we sent some of our demo songs to Scott, he was impressed and flew from San Francisco to Nice in southern France to record the album with us. It was a great experience because thanks to him, we gave the best of us and of our songs, and at the same time he totally respected our musical aspirations.
 
Strummer: Having toured in the US and UK with a Mathews produced album, how did you find the shows went?
 
Christophe: (in fact we toured UK and Italy) the shows went very well, people are very positively surprised to see a French band playing such a kind of music. As well, they appreciate a lot that the 3 members of the band sing, the importance given to the vocals are very important for the audience.
 
Strummer: You seem to be big on viral marketing and judging by the number of interviews, tv appearances and reviews you've had I guess this kind of self-marketing is really working for you.?
 
Emmanuel: yes indeed, we have been broadcasted on more than 100 radios and other media in the 5 continents. Our exposure and fanbase are increasing since we have 1 million views and 40,000 fans on our Myspace and what we want now is to catch the eye of a Major label to make things even bigger.
 
Strummer: With the music industry self-imploding how do you see the future in terms of developing your career?
 
Florence: more and more music will be heard through internet, but we think a strong structure (particularly a Major label, or a big independent) is still necessary for a band to succeed in music industry. As well, the use of our music for films or TV spots is another kind of outlet for us.
 
Strummer: What does 2010 hold in store for Shudderwall? Another album? Any chance of another UK visit?
 
Christophe: we have a lot of songs ready to be recorded, but for the moment there's no new release planned because we want to be signed on a big label that would support the distribution of our CD and its promotion. But people can already listen to our new songs (a new one every week) on our Myspace page (www.myspace.com/shudderwall ), as well as our videos. Yes there is a chance of another UK visit, and we will keep you aware when we know exactly. Ken, many thanks to you for this interview, and to all the readers of Strummer Magazine! 

From sound decks to tweet decks, studios and status updates, Imogen Heap has had monumental success. Recently hailed as ‘The Download Queen’, her latest album ‘Ellipse’ has sent download into overload, making her one of the most successful independent artists in the UK. With ‘First Train Home’ set to storm the download charts once again, the queen herself discusses terrible parties, working with Mika and why Twitter is something to tweet about.

It is with trepidation that I answer the phone; what is there to ask a woman who consistently has thousands of fans monitoring her every moment online? My fears are unfounded, a simple ‘hello’, a brief moment of standard speakerphone misbehaviour and we are on the same page. This is perhaps what has made Imogen the idol for independent artists that she is. A history of youtube blogging and regular Twitter communication with her fans has radiated her charm to the world. Speaking to her over the phone, it becomes clear that the sweetness in her voice merely echoes her personality. ‘I owe a lot to the people following my blogs’, she says of her fans. ‘People have been following the production of the album through Twitter, and they’re absolutely gagging for it.  People following every process of making the record has made the album almost like a wound up spring, and people are ready to go and get it’.

It is such acknowledgement of the important influence of her fan base that sets Imogen aside. It becomes clear from listening to her talk so passionately about her fans that their input is almost as important as hers. ‘The thing about Twitter and Myspace is, it makes it apparent how different the market is from even four years ago. Music’s more accessible; people can really follow what you’re doing.’

Where so many artists seek comfort in the care of a producer, Heap has always taken an independent stance.  ‘I wrote my first album when I was 17’, she modestly declares, ‘and it’s just been a bit mad since then really. I’ve always done this on my own terms’. On her role as a producer and working with former Frou Frou partner Guy Sigsworth she says, ‘a producer has a specific role when they work with an artist. I didn’t want to work with Guy on my first album because I didn’t want him to smother me, but I ended up learning so much from him. I don’t see myself as producing; it’s just that it all comes together. At the same time as writing I’m starting to actually hear it, it’s not producing the record, it’s making a song’.

Independent she may be, but her collaborations are legendary. Having worked with artists as diverse as Bon Jovi, Jon Hopkins and Matt Willis, it would be difficult one might assume, to pick a favourite. ‘My favourite collaboration I would have to say would be working with Urban Species on a song called blanket. It just felt so comfortable; it’s something I really enjoyed working on. What amazed me about that was finding out that I could actually write without writing for myself, and that was a great realisation to have at 17. Very recently of course I’ve been working with Mika and I just adore him, he’s a lovely guy to be around, and he’s a great artist.’

 It would seem that her collaborations are as diverse as her projects; from theatre to film, television to instrumentals, her music has become a hybrid for performance and diversity. ‘I want to make music that’s not just background noise as you drive past cars. I want to make music that leaves space for other things to happen. Pop music just shouts at you, it’s in your face. I like giving it another context’.

If Imogen’s musical style is eclectic and theatrical, it would seem that her newly released album ‘Ellipse’ is to be no exception. On ‘First Train Home’, the first single to be released from the album, she comments, ‘it felt right to release it first; it just feels like a good introduction to the rest of the mix. I was in Brighton for the night, I had been stressed in the studio when my friend rings me up and says “I never see you anymore, please come to my party”. I’d been working all day, and decided to just go, but I just couldn’t have a good time. Everyone was in a good mood, I felt like I was just putting a downer on the party, but I was stuck there. I eventually went to check the train times, and the first train home was at something like ten to six, I just knew I had to get home. As soon as I got back, I started playing the piano and wrote the song. It’s a good introduction.’ Ironic that such sour celebration produced such a critically celebrated single.

As artists as successful as Imogen Heap in the world of independent music know, to have a hit is to eternally live up to it. ‘Hide and Seek’, has become the iconic song of her career. It has become the yard stick to which songs are measured against, and with ‘Hide and Seek Version Two’ and Jason DeRulo’s sample ‘Watcha Say’ to add extra publicity to the song, it was always going to be a challenge to create something with as much impact. ‘Hide and Seek had a complete life of its own’ says Heap, ‘I love hearing it in a different context, and I love the context it was in. The way people responded to that song was so unexpected. It had so many legs, it was unreal. Out of the new album, I think the song that people will respond to, and the song with the most play is Half Life’.

At the peak of career, with over 1,500,000 followers on Twitter and dedicated fans across the globe, Ellipse is set to be yet another jewel in the Download Queen’s crown; and long may she reign over us.