Showing posts with label Ladytron interviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ladytron interviews. Show all posts

12 August 2014

The Black Key interview (2014)

One of the most beautiful things about bands is that their music represents a culmination of ideas from a set of independently talented individuals. When a band like the electro-pop/new-wave Ladytron bursts onto the scene, you know each and every character has something to say, and that the message is pretty damn impressive.

Reuben Wu's message is clear: blending inspirations from all media can never go wrong. Not only is he one of the band's keyboardists, songwriters and producers, but he uses his various other talents as foundations for potentially awe-inspiring, sensory experiences. In anticipation of his upcoming DJ set at the Death's Door Part at The Garret, we discussed his numerous passions, lessons learned, and even his first cruise trip...

Will this be your first time in Miami?

No, I've been there probably tens of times, I'm sure. I can't remember how many time [laughs] but we've always had great gigs and great shows over there. Last time I was there was in March and I was DJ-ing on a cruise ship. It was one of those festival ships.

Was that for WMC?

It was Paramore and the cruise ship was called like the "PARAHOY!" cruise which was fun because I hadn't ever been on a cruise before and we went to the Bahamas and I had a room with a balcony and stuff and, yeah, it was nice.

You guys have been around for quite a while, over a decade actually, how have you observed the industry changing since you first starting up over in England?

Well, we started out just as the internet was being used and I remember when we first were talking to labels and stuff and we were talking about using Friendster and Myspace as social media and, you know, "we should put the band onto Friendster and Myspace, it would be great" and people were saying: "oh, isn't that a bit silly?" [laughs] and: "that's a bit weird, isn't that just for dating?" and so we did that in the end, but there was this kind of resistance from these labels which were being quite closed minded and obviously didn't see what was going to happen.

So, it was kind of strange to see how everything has kind of gone completely in that direction and the way the internet affects... when we first started releasing records, we didn't have like huge major label deals so it was really difficult for our records to be bought or listened to in countries like Mexico and Colombia and Russia and so people started finding us on the internet and just downloading stuff for free. And that's how we started building up this fanbase so when we eventually were able to do it, we were able to actually fly to those places and do a show to a really huge crowd for the first time ever and that was all down to having music which was downloadable so that's a great positive point coming from that kind of thing.

Obviously it was the very early days but, you know, we were definitely on that cusp of the way things started to get marketed on the internet and I think from bands which appeared later on didn't benefit so much from that because by that time, the industry had already changed and there was already a full saturation point of music on the internet.

Does social media and platforms like Soundcloud help or deter you getting your DJ tracks out in any way?

Personally I don't use Soundcloud that much, I don't use it as a place to put music, I use it as a place to announce... so it's just a place for me to put things. So I would generally use other methods to do that. I think, also in the same ways as Facebook, we haven't really released that much stuff recently so I haven't really been thinking about best places to release stuff.

Yeah, it's been a while, Gravity the Seducer came out in 2011. Is there anything we can expect coming up?

Um, we're still having a break. But we're thinking of doing a new album hopefully at the end of this year and to have something ready for next year.

Awesome! How's the recording or creative process with you guys? Is there a specific format you follow when creating new music?

Yeah, we tend to work independently at first and we will just write our own songs and make our own productions and we do that until we're satisfied and then that's the point where we'll get into a room together or we start sending each other tracks and working on each others' music. Once that is done, we start getting into the studio and actually working together in the real world [laughs].

Is there ever a time where there's a track that has a little more Reuben or Daniel than others?

Yes. Always. All the tracks have ownership. But, once they're worked on, you know, we've all kind of put work into all of them. So, by the time they're actually finished and in the album they're kind of... we all have a joint-ownership.

Looking back, what would say was the key to your guys' success?

Um, we were touring a lot, I suppose. That really really helps, going out and playing shows, meeting people, and also making sure that we play places that aren't always on the beaten track. For instance, when we played the U.S., we also played the smaller towns as well.


So you like to cover as much as you can, basically.

We try to cover everything rather than just doing hotspots. And that goes for all over the world as well and I think people appreciate that. I also think that we've had time to grow into our own shoes. A lot of time in this day and age, a lot of the bands are sort of forced to grow as soon as they have a single out and they have a new album and it can be very disruptive for a new band, for the media to hype them up and to not give them the chance to breathe and not be in that limelight.

It took us about three albums to properly grow into something that we felt confident with. You know, the first album was really just a collection of songs and it was very very DIY and the second one was kind of our first real album because the songs were written in the same amount of time and the third album was the most collaborative of all of them. And I think it's still one of the best albums that we've done.

Knowing what you know now, after all the things you've learned and been through, is there anything that you would do differently? Or any advice you'd give the younger versions of yourselves?

Um, I probably would've told myself to not just work on music and to do other things. Because, before I was in music I was doing design and I was doing a lot of drawing and it kind of bled into the band quite a bit in terms of artwork and design and packaging and stuff. But, I then started dabbling in photography which was kind of just a hobby but I think I would've liked to get into it a bit more a lot earlier on. Just to kind of keep the balance between music and something else up rather than just do music.

I was actually going to ask about your design background because I know that when you guys first started you were actually still studying design and how it can be seen as an influence in your work but I guess you kind of answered that one.

[Laughs].

How is your photography going? It seems like you have more time to delve into it now.

Yeah, I do now. Since we've been taking a bit of a break, I've been able to think about doing my own stuff. And not just photography, I've started making my own films and that's kind of gone around full circle where I've started needing music for my own films so, it's starting to become this self-contained, independent thing... which is quite nice, actually.

What kind of musical scores are you into, is this more of a score thing or just compiling a soundtrack?

Um, I'm generally making music first and then tracking visuals too. I think a lot of people do it the other way around but I feel like the music is so important that a lot of visuals just seem like a compromise, the visuals are just there to accompany them. But they have exactly the same energy and should echo off each other. So yeah, I've just been experimenting. And I've started doing music videos and stuff like that so it's kind of a new journey for me.

So, actually, where are you now?

I'm in Chicago!

Well, now that you're coming to Miami for a DJ set, I know you like to work primarily with CDs when you play, is there any particular reason for that?

Um, the reason is because I haven't started using a USB [laughs]. After vinyl I started using CDs and I haven't moved on since then and, yeah, that's just the way I play. I play my music like as if they were vinyl. So I go from deck to deck and I just like the way that is. I don't like the idea of turning up and the USB sticks don't work or just losing your USB sticks. I'd rather lose all of my CDs and then burn a brand new set with my computer.

When you're creating your sets, do you prepare something in advance? Or do you like to feel the crowd and the venue out?

Yeah, I play out how I feel. I always feed off the audience, so I don't really like to plan what I'm going to be playing but I have a list of stuff that I really enjoy playing.

Like what in particular?

Ummmmm... hmmm... I quite like Daniel Avery. His stuff is amazing. And I like the fact that his energy is so high and yet really minimal as well. I like Moullinex, I love his remixes. What else? Um, Front de Cadeaux who are a French producers. Sorry, I don't really like listing people I like playing...

You don't have to! [Laughs] I meant, what sounds or genres do you like working off of?

Ohh, okay, alright [laughs]. Nu-disco, deep house, it's all electronic. It's all upbeat. I generally don't play any EDM or anything like that. No dubstep [laughs].

Well, that's my jam so I'm excited to hear you play!

Yeah! I'm excited too. It's always nice to play to a Miami crowd.

Now, this can go for both Ladytron and your solo DJ work, but you guys have quite a few remixes of your tracks and I know as a DJ you work on remixing other people's tracks as well. Are there any artists out there you'd like to collaborate with? Either with Ladytron or just yourself?

I'm not sure. Um, I think I'd like to collaborate with someone not in music and maybe collaborate with someone from the film industry or something like that. Or collaborate with someone that just makes art. You know, rather than two musicians collaborating with each other, I'd rather go out of the whole genre itself and see what happens with someone completely out of that.

That would definitely become a sensory experience, you should come back for Art Basel and host a show.

Yeah, I'd love to!

Source

18 May 2014

Jim DeRogatis interview (2006)

While the democratization and rapid distribution of music via the Internet has been a boon to many independent bands, there's no denying that it's compromised the ability of groups to grow organically over time, crafting a sound that improves from album to album.

"It's actually pretty rare for a band these days to develop over three albums, because people just expect that it will be here and then it's gone", says Ladytron keyboardist and vocalist Daniel Hunt. "The appetite for indie rock at the moment is so voracious that things are just getting soaked up faster than they can be produced. A band like the Arctic Monkeys comes out straight away and has such a big success on the Internet, they're barely even given the chance to make their first album, let alone a third!".

Taking its name from Roxy Music and drawing inspiration from the strangely non-mechanical sounds of early synth-pop artists such as Kraftwerk, Gary Numan and Devo as well as vintage '60s pop, Ladytron was formed in Liverpool in 1999 by Hunt and fellow club DJ Reuben Wu, who recruited Bulgarian vocalist-keyboardist Mira Aroyo and vocalist-keyboardist Helen Marnie.

The group has yet to broach the mainstream, and its music is a treasured secret for a dedicated underground following. In addition to numerous singles and EPs, Ladytron has given us three full albums of exquisitely crafted, unforgettably melodic electronic pop: 604 (2001), Light & Magic (2002) and Witching Hour (2005).

"We had been on tour for a long time with Light & Magic, and we had the opportunity to continue touring it -- Marilyn Manson asked us to support him on tour; things like that. We had made some progress, but we were quite naive, especially about the USA, because we did one tour here [in 2003] and a trip around Coachella and thought, 'That's enough. We've done it now; we've sold out the Henry Fonda [Theater] in L.A.' We skipped all of the crappy little shows that people normally have to do".

"We wanted to get off tour and start the next record, because we thought that was more important. But in retrospect, the record was delayed so much that we could have toured for longer with the last one. We just wanted to get back into the studio and demonstrate what we could do; we already found with the previous albums that we liked them, but we knew we could make something closer to what we heard in our heads".

Witching Hour is indeed the group's strongest offering yet, with songs such as "International Dateline" standing as perfectly realized pop gems. The disc has an overall darker vibe that makes the gorgeous vocals and indelible melodies seem even more mysterious and seductive.

"I think it's more emotional", Hunt says. "I don't know if you've seen a little film of when we went to China -- just some footage that a friend took -- but she started the video with 'The Last One Standing' and ended with us playing 'USA vs. White Noise' live in Shanghai. She said that she took it in the opposite direction of how she perceived the album: as stark, pretty and solid, and then becoming more emotional.

"I was watching TV the other day and there was a documentary about illegal immigrants trying to get from West Africa to the UK I thought, 'God, this is really, really sad', and then I realized they had 'All the Way...' as the music underneath it!".

As for "International Dateline", Hunt says the tune came together in the group's new home studio, which eschews computers in favor of older, more distinctive analog synthesizers and instruments.

"I had this really bad little Casio keyboard that I actually bought for five pounds off a Chinese guy in a cafe. It had this really nice distorted sound, and you could only play two notes at once because it wasn't polyphonic. It was a bit like [the punk-era electronic duo] Suicide. The song just came about with the chord sequence from the keyboards; there were variances with the vocals, then the guitar part went on it, and that turned it into what it is now. The lyrics just came pretty instantaneously".

This underscores a common misperception about the band: despite its futuristic image and fondness for fanciful sci-fi instrumentation, Ladytron maintains the spontaneous spirit of all great rock bands, and unlike many electronic groups, its focus is always on songs rather than sounds.

"I think with this record, a lot of people who have had the opinion of us as automatons before might have revived it", Hunt says. "Sometimes people can only go on what they've heard, their perceptions of it and things they read. And I feel similarly: if someone described a band to me that was all about style over content, I would just be going, 'I am going to murder them!' But that's not us at all".

21 April 2006

Source

13 April 2014

Rolling Stone interview (2011)


Ladytron Go Glam on New Album

Liverpool's Ladytron have created a decade's worth of electro music, handily dodging the faddish limitations that quickly dated the sound their 808-wielding peers and displaying a flawless style to boot. They reemerge in 2011 with both a career-spanning greatest hits collection and brand new album, Gravity the Seducer, both testaments to how the band transformed their pristine analog vision into a new breed of epic synth-rock.

They may have a taste for vintage technology, but they've never been part of a retro movement. In 2002, Ladytron co-founder Daniel Hunt told Rolling Stone: "We don't want our music to remind people of anything". They've succeeded: five studio albums later, the still sound only like themselves.

Early on, Ladytron served their band name literal justice by appearing in videos as a troupe of beautiful androgynous robots. These days, vocalists Helen Marnie and Mira Aroyo are portraying an icy exotic Art Deco glam, as seen in the decadent "White Elephant" video. Rolling Stone caught up with Marnie to discuss her band's unmistakeable visual aesthetic, why synths can be sexy, her personal style and the new makeup line inspired by her look.

Can you talk about your days as a model?

I'm not really sure where the "model" information has come from; perhaps something was mentioned in a very early press release. I've never really done proper catwalk. I only ever did a few bits and pieces along with a couple of graduate shows as a favour to friends. I am, after all, only 5' 6" [168 cm]. Far too tiny to be a model. Plus, I look kind of weird, not in that coveted model alien way. Just in a plain weird way!

The lyrics of your song "Seventeen" seem to chronicle a young girl's modeling career. Do you find a that lifestyle life sad?

I can't comment on a model's life though I would assume for most their career is fleeting. I would say it must be hard to be constantly scrutinized solely over your looks. Don't think I could handle that. "Seventeen" was written a long time ago by Danny and is so flippant it would be ridiculous to comment on its origins now.

What do you think about the way fashion interprets music? For example: Aphex Twin and Plastikman seem to be runway favorites. What does this say about how fashion uses music vs. how the public uses it?

Certain people in creative industries will have their finger on the pulse of what is going on musically that is cult or underground. And that is reflected in their work. The worlds of fashion, music – even architecture – usually combine socially. So, it's natural for the fashion world to be exposed to pretty much everything. With fashion, there is also the need to keep creating something different and exciting, and certain types of music will compliment and enhance the catwalk experience. It's not so much about listening, its about the entire physical experience.

Has Ladytron ever worked closely with a designer or played a runway show?

Yes, Danny has DJed for Albino's Milan catwalk show, playing new tracks from our album Gravity the Seducer before it was released. We've also worn his clothes in our "Tomorrow" video and the press photos for Gravity the Seducer. He's been good to us.

How does Ladytron use fashion to enhance the look and mood/feel of performance?

We've never really concentrated on fashion too much. When we first started out we pretty much all wore the same thing. It was like a school uniform. We were a gang. Slowly, we kind of outgrew that though and that's when we starting wearing clothing on stage that were all different but gelled somehow. In the past, Mira and I have worn silk or satin dresses by Aganovich. Nowadays, we are far more relaxed about what we wear. It's a case of what we think works, rather than enhancing the music in any way. It's about what makes us feel comfortable, good about ourselves, and able to perform.

How does the Ladytron sound relate to the visual?

People have the misperception that we are goths because we tend to verge toward dark clothing onstage. However, I think it's more to do with us wanting to look good together as a band. It's about the music and nothing should really distract from that. We've never been flashy, and prefer a more mysterious approach.

Electronic music is so commonly seen as cold and clinical; the visuals, even clothing styles, pertaining to the genres also can evoke that quality. Why do you think that is?

I have no idea why that is. Synths can create exactly the same sounds as guitars. The only limiting factor of playing a synth is when you do it live. Like it or not, you have to stand behind a keyboard and play. There is no way you can bomb about the stage strutting your stuff. So it's definitely a different experience to watch.

Anyway, I really don't think that cold, clinical idea stands anymore. There are so many electronic bands out there that are producing warmth in their music right now. Plus, the mainstreams take on electro kind of quashes that. Gravity the Seducer is an electronic record, but I feel like it's the warmest, most emotional, thing we've ever done.

Is it important to Ladytron to have a cohesive aesthetic between members? How are those choices made?

It's always been important to us that we look cohesive as a band. In the past Mira and I have worn dresses made by friends that although different, were similar enough to draw us together and create a certain mood. My friend Angharad Jefferson is a talented designer specializing in embroidery and illustration. She has created several dresses for us incorporating different themes, mainly nature.

I noticed you wore a cool bow and cape at the NYC show. Who made those items?

My friend Mich Dulce is an amazingly talented milliner and fashion designer. She let me choose a number from her last collection and I wore the black bow headband on stage every night. I recently cut my hair short so it was my way of feeling a little more confident onstage and less self conscious. It worked. I felt great! The cape was just something I picked up online. It, too, was a good buy. I loved wearing it onstage. The movement of it along with the bow made me feel like a little pixie.

What inspires your fashion right now? I've detected a bit of retro glam, which is new for you.

Over the last year I've been wearing a lot of 50s dresses. I love the dreaminess and feminine aspect of them and have also discovered the joy of wearing hats. They really can just finish off an outfit. I've never really been that brave with hats before but intend to embrace them from now on! In our next video for "Mirage" I'm chaneling more of a 70s vibe. I picked up an amazing vintage find, and it worked so perfectly in the video.

Which designers speak to your own tastes?

There's so many out there that speak to me for different reasons. I love the lace dresses of Mui Mui and Erdem for a more ladylike look, and I like designers such as Won Hundred, Sessun, and Isabel Marant for a more laidback look. I'm also really into my jeans by my friends at Arnsdorf. It's an Australian brand. The jeans are so snug and high waisted and make your legs look like they go on forever. I am also a big vintage lover so my wardrobe is quite a mixed bag.

You've gone on record as being anti-fur. Have you always held that view? If not, what convinced you?

I wear sheepskin and leather, but that's as far as it goes. My mum was a staunch supporter of WWF when I was younger so this was a big influence on me. I remember her going on a march against the clubbing of seal clubs for their skins. It has instilled in me a love of animals and a desire to protect the amazing nature around us. The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society is an organization I'm particularly interested in. Growing up, I was surrounded by all sorts of animals so fur – be it rabbit, fox, mink, whatever – is totally out of the question. I won't even wear vintage fur. There are good fakes out there as an alternative. Particularly now faux fur is having a massive comeback on the catwalks, which is pretty cool as the opposite has been the case for so long.

Have you ever had an issue on photo shoots/editorials where you clashed with a stylist over the fur issue?

We don't actually use stylists that often because in the past we've not been happy with the result. Sometimes stylists have a preconceived idea about what you like to wear and it usually doesn't match with our own ideals. Wearing fur on a shoot has never really been an issue because we've always made it clear from the start that it's not on the agenda.

Do fashion, art, and other visual forces ever affect the way you actually write, record, and produce your music? How so?

Not really. It's hard to pinpoint influences like that. Personally, I'd say inspiration when writing comes from one's own experiences. The day to day, the ups and the downs, and looking at the world around you in a broader sense. When it comes to recording in the studio technology plays an important part. But we're always looking back too, trying to create new sounds in a different way. Usually the old and new come together to create some kind of monster.

Sadie Frost has a clothing line you've been wearing. Would you ever collaborate with her, or someone else, on a special line?

Frost French is Sadie's label. I've never met her but have been wearing some shorts from that label on our recent North American tour. They seemed perfect for my most recent stage outfit. More freedom to move around without the worry of people taking photos up your skirt. It would be amazing to collaborate with a designer on a range. The opportunity just hasn't arisen or the timing hasn't been right.

We Are Faux, created by one of your makeup artists, has launched an eyelash collection based on your look. How did that come about?

Ana Cruzalegui is a good friend, and she's worked with us a lot in the last few years. She wanted to create a brand influenced by music and fashion, along with the people she's worked with. Ana collaborated with Mira and I on her first collection of lashes. Mine are called Good Girl, and are super duper bad. They're like an art deco building on your eye lash. I love them.

Source

06 February 2014

GE Reports interview (2014)

Liverpool musician and visual artist Reuben Wu is best known by millions of his global fans as the keyboardist in the pioneering electronic pop group Ladytron and an accomplished photographer. Last year, GE and the railroad company CSX gave Wu a chance to combine both of his passions.

Wu wrote a hypnotic soundtrack for a futuristic-looking video clip capturing a day in the life of a massive freight terminal in Ohio. The terminal is using GE locomotives connected to the Industrial Internet, an emerging digital network connecting people and machines with software and data.

Wu made the video in collaboration with director Noah Conopask, The Barbarian Group and GOODCOMPANY. Tomas Kellner, managing editor of GE Reports, talked to Wu about his inspiration, Ladytron, and making film music.



Tomas Kellner: You shot the video at a container terminal in Ohio, but it looks like it could easily be set in orbit around a distant planet. How did you come up with the concept?

Reuben Wu: Both Noah and I are really into science fiction. We were talking about Ridley Scott's Alien, Blade Runner, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Koyaanisqatsi, which are among my favorite films. They all portray technology, machinery, and also humanity in a very real way. This Industrial Internet technology is not that far from this future, it exists. And we realized that if we also subverted time and scale, we could produce something quite out of this world in northern Ohio.

You succeeded. Tell me about the process.

We started from a musical perspective. I think that was important. I created three musical ideas before we actually went on site. If the visuals and the music were to be synchronized together, the music really had to be there first, not the other way round.

Can you describe the three ideas?

The first idea combined pulsing energy with the kind of crunchiness and spiky-ness that we wanted to use for portraying the whole container yard. That's why we decided to go with it. The second one was a little bit more minimal and smoother and utopian-feeling, I suppose, and the third one used more break beats.

What happened next?

We created a proof of principle, a scouting video, the basic idea of what we planned to do. We went to the shipping site and shot-handheld footage, and I patched it in with the sounds.

Did you take part in the filming?

The idea was I would be collaborating on the visual level with Noah, as I'm as interested in vision as I am in sound. Also the subjects that I take pictures of are generally in the realm of science, technology and nature. So I shot as much footage as I could.

The terminal is huge. How did you wrap your arms around it?

At that point, everything was still very loose, as far as the concept went. I captured the sounds of everything that moved, that was mechanical. Before coming to the site, I knew that there were going to be cranes, containers and trains, and they were going to be the main elements that we would feature in the video.

The soundtrack is full of machine sounds.

I was recording absolutely everything during both the scouting and the shooting trips. I wanted to end up with a comprehensive library of sounds to pick and choose from as I composed the music. That's exactly what I did.

Did you have a system to organize the sounds?

Once I had recorded my samples, I categorized them into groups. I had crane, train, and container sounds. Those could all be separated within sub-categories as well; sharp percussive sounds, drones and bass sounds, for example.

The machines seem to be playing a melody.

Yeah, I was able to break the sounds down into musical elements as well. I found that a lot of the sounds of the cranes moving across the yard, for example, were almost melodic. They produced hydraulic hums and vibrations, which I thought worked on a different level than the percussive sounds.

Like those made by the containers?

The video really was all about the container. It was our building block for the whole video. It was important that there was a very simple, almost primal, sonic and visual language so I used the sound of the container hitting the ground. It's the first thing that we see and hear when the music kicks into play. We wanted that to really drive the visual language which develops over the course of the track.

How long were the samples you recorded?

All of the sounds are quite short and many of them are repeated quite a bit throughout the music. They make up about 65 percent of the audio content.

How did you splice the samples into the original track you composed?

I kept the music track intentionally basic, so when I introduced the samples, the samples would form a large portion of the musical backbone as well. I ended up doing a lot of swapping things in and out. Some samples I decided I needed to enhance with analog synthesizers. I spent some time complementing some of the samples with further electronic layers.

Can you share an example?

In the very first part of the piece you have a visual of a train whizzing past. It's a quick horizontal movement. I layered the train sample going from left to right in stereo with Korg MS-20 synthesizer sounds. A lot of the soundtrack elements are this combination of real and synthesized sounds.

I can also hear voices.

Yes, we recorded them in the control cab slung underneath the wide-span crane. Everything inside is computerized and there was a continual radio feed from operators at the terminal. We thought that it was important that we incorporated the human element within the whole piece.

How did you synchronize the soundtrack with the film footage?

We started with the music. Alex Hammer, our editor, imported the music into the editing suite and I provided him with my thoughts on phrasing, that any movement on screen would need a sound to go with it. I didn't want it to end up as a mishmash of sound effects. I sat with him and the director and there was a lot of going back and forth in iterations. What I really enjoyed about the process was that the editor had done some things on screen, which I hadn't anticipated. We had some really effective happy accidents.

I like happy accidents.

There is a bit where everything goes quiet after the sunset. It appears that all is quiet and calm, but things are still moving and the facility is still operating. The section that comes directly after that is the finale. There needed to be something just before the finale, like a big drum fill, so Alex cut in a crane shot that shows the cab from underneath. It's been cut in a quick, staccato way. At that moment, the music is actually mirroring the visuals with a synchronized sequence of beats and samples.

You make it sound easy. Is there a film soundtrack in your future?

I've always been interested. The GE project was my first commercial venture combining music and visuals. I am hoping that I'll be able to do a lot more in this field.

What's happening with Ladytron?

I've been concentrating on photography and projects like this one, but the plan is to do a new album this year.



Source

27 January 2014

The Scotsman interview (2005)

Back with the future

The last time I saw Ladytron was the last time I was in Edinburgh's Gilded Balloon. Twenty-four hours after a set of robotically performed electropop, the Old Town venue went up in smoke. The futuristic music jarred - Jean Michel Jarred - with the setting of a world-class medieval heritage site and, while it definitely had an austere beauty, I wasn't convinced that the 21st century was ready for the band.

Flash-forward two and a half years to another ancient hall, the converted church that is Glasgow's Oran Mor, and suddenly Ladytron make perfect sense. The space-age costumes have gone.

"The uniforms got in the way and we got fed up being asked questions about them", explains Danny Hunt, the Liverpudlian band-member who does most of the talking in the bar after the gig. Helen Marnie, of the Scots-Bulgarian dual-singing axis, puts it more bluntly: "I got fed up looking like a boy".

So now Aberfoyle-born Marnie and Mira Aroyo wear slinky dresses and stand back-to-back centre stage, and during their best song - the great lost hit single "Seventeen" - they pose and pout and do a little Human League waitresses-in-cocktail-bar routine. "They only want you when you're 17..." they sing, "when you're 21 you're no fun". This isn't Ladytron selling out; they're simply making the most of what they've very obviously got.

The band took their name from the second track on the first Roxy Music album. While it may be tempting to think that, in the spirit of the first track, they've remade and re-modelled themselves for their upcoming third album, and what's more at record-company insistence, the young four-piece insist the changes are normal, part of natural development and a sign of their growing maturity.

"When we look back at our old videos we're like children", says Marnie, who in common with the others used to stand glumly behind a synthesizer". For the first couple of years I was quite nervous about being on stage. But we've just done our first American tour. That was a real head-stretcher and helped us grow up a bit".

Ladytron are a great-looking, great-sounding band who have yet to achieve great sales. With a new label - Island - behind them, they now find themselves in that strange holding-bay for cult groups: the one between those who make a couple of albums then split, possibly to be acclaimed as massively important only after they've become binmen; and those who go mainstream, with all that implies.

Interesting times for the band, as Hunt acknowledges. "I know every group will say this, but we've always tried to avoid commercial pressures", he says. "Take 'Seventeen'. It was a hit in Australia, Sweden and Spain and people in those countries assume it was a hit here too. Sometimes I think I'm glad it wasn't. It was small and interesting, like the band. I would have hated if it had become an albatross".

"But then I remember that it was released at Christmas, that it suffered from distribution problems, that the Tuesday of the week of release you couldn't buy it in the shops, and none of that can be termed useful for Ladytron".

The group are hoping for a better deal in every sense from Island, who were Roxy Music's old label. This most style-conscious of bands love the old palm-tree logo. But Aroyo, their most style-conscious member - she used to have an amazing, rocket-shaped haircut - is keen to play down the aesthetics this time.

For instance, when we're talking about their common interests, and I ask if it's true they have a shared appreciation of architecture, Aroyo says: "Kittens".

Sorry? "We like other things as well. In fact, we probably like kittens more than architecture". She thinks for a moment. "Kittens In Architecture - should that have been the title of the new album?".

The group are an intriguing cultural mix. Hunt's roots are "black Irish" but he's 100% Scouse. He reckons he's still on a high after DJing for 30,000 Liverpool football fans in Istanbul before the European Cup triumph ("You'll Never Walk Alone", obviously, "Teenage Kicks" and The Fall's "Mr Pharmacist" in tribute to John Peel, and a new team anthem, Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire").

The other bloke in the band is Reuben Wu, who confused the locals during Ladytron's recent British Council-sponsored tour of China. "They thought I was in the group to provide 'Asian effects'. They wouldn't believe I was Chinese because I don't speak Mandarin. I told them I spoke Cantonese and they were like: 'Why?'".

A number of things were lost in translation during this visit to a land where the band had previously sold just 250 records. "I was complimented on my 'Roman' voice", says Marnie. "I suppose the world looks different to China, so I politely suggested to them that I thought it had a Scottish lilt".

During the official welcome, Ladytron's Liverpool base was utilised by their hosts to bizarre effect, through a pub-singer rendition of "Yesterday" and a film depicting run-down streets in the city. Hunt, though, takes positives from the trip. "We were there as an apology for Wham!, the first Western pop combo to play China", he jokes.

The four met on Merseyside, where Marnie did a music degree. She was a "typical pop kid" in her youth. "I was in a group before, but the boys made me sing indie covers", she says. The rest of Ladytron were DJing in clubs when she met them. "I wasn't, I was dancing in clubs, but I guess all of us were looking for something that wasn't happening at that time".

Completing the line-up is Aroyo, the joker in the pack, who talks about their shared sense of humour as being like a "donkey-powered comedy train". The much-travelled Ladytron recently played her homeland, and Hunt admits his expectations of Bulgaria were of a "big grey cloud". "Instead", says Wu, "there were red Ferraris everywhere".

Nothing is what it seems these days, not even Ladytron. The new album is called Witching Hour, and while synthesizers are still very much to the fore, it has got more of a proper band sound, with real bass and actual drums. Aroyo suspects they're turning into "rock pigs".

They might wonder what life will be like in the 23rd century, but no more than anyone else does. "We don't want to be defined by it", says Hunt, who is probably only half-joking when he reveals that a new band rule forbids them to be photographed in front of buildings such as power stations chosen to illustrate future foreboding.

In the early days, according to Aroyo, people meeting Ladytron for the first time were disappointed to discover they weren't humanoids. Now - before our food is consumed in pill form, and music through a chip storing our record collections inserted in the brain - they would love a hit.

Source

12 January 2014

Scotcampus interview (2011)

When it comes to serious synth few acts can compare with Ladytron. Formed in Liverpool back in 1999 the foursomes brand of consistently slick and sexy electropop has seen their music coveted by everyone from top nightclub DJs to the most sound savvy film producers. Now set for their fifth studio album Gravity the Seducer, lead singer Helen Marnie talks with Scotcampus about the band and what to expect from their latest release.

It has been a while since your last studio album. Why the long wait?

Well, we released Velocifero in 2008 but we've done quite a lot since then. We toured that album for about a year and a half then took some well earned time off before going into the studio again to make Gravity the Seducer. We released our Best Of earlier this year so there needed to be some time between that and our new studio album, hence the perceived delay.

I couldn't believe it when you released your Best of earlier this year; it doesn't seem to me like that long ago since your first album. Does it feel strange to you guys to think you've been on the go for over a decade?

Time flies when you're having fun. 1999 does seem like a long time ago now though. I was still at uni when I met Danny. It feels weird when I think of it in those terms. However, I'm proud that we've managed to stay together this long and make music we're really happy with.

Not many acts make it this long. Has it been easy to keep Ladytron going?

Oooh, you're making me feel old now. Like any relationship if you want it to continue and flourish you need to be dedicated and put a lot of graft in to make it work. We've all done that. Its never easy, but it's worth it in the end. There have been highs and lows. Thankfully, the highs outweigh the lows.

What have been the best things about being involved in the band?

You get backstage passes at festivals and no longer have to trail through mud to get to a bar! Seriously, we get to visit some amazing countries and cities and get paid for it. That's pretty nice.

And the worst?

I always wanted to be in one of those really mysterious bands that doesn't do interviews. That would be delightful. I am an interview-phobe. They scare me.

Tell us about Gravity the Seducer, how similar or different, does it sound compared to your previous albums?

I'd say its very different to our previous efforts. It still has the Ladytron-esque instrumentation - synths galore with added Harpsichord, bells, and floaty vocals - but is more ethereal and lush. The tracks seem to flow into each other and fit together like glue. Its a softer record. The softer side of Ladytron.

What are your personal highlights from the album?

I love the emotion of "Ambulances". It often makes me cry when I listen to it. "White Elephant" is just a slice of dreaminess heaven.

Has the way you make music changed much since your first release?

Not much really. We write at home, sometimes pass around for additional ideas, vocals or lyrics, then take the songs into the studio for development and see where they go from there.

What next for Ladytron? Will fans have to wait long to hear new material from you?

Gravity the Seducer will be on sale in September, so not too long to wait now. Next up for us is a tour of North America starting mid September. Looking forward to it.

Source

22 July 2013

Ladytron in China diaries (2004)

Shenzen 21st – 25th September

Helen

Before going to China I had no idea what to expect. Shenzhen is a city of skyscrapers, revolving hotel restaurants, chaotic roads, and concrete surrounded by lush green countryside. Also, this is my first taste of real Chinese cuisine, and its amazing. I won't want to eat a Chinese meal in the UK for quite some time!

The gigs in the true colour club went really well, especially the second night. I haven't had so much fun on stage in ages.

Danny

We began our China tour in Shenzhen, a 1970s purpose built 'special economic area' across the bay from Hong Kong. Played two ecstatic shows, a lot of fun, The second night, the audience being predominantly those who'd made the short (but apparently tough) trek from Hong Kong itself. We amused ourselves in the interim with fake Rolex. Shenzhen is interesting, but we expect it to be little like the real China.

Mira

Taking a rickshaw ride with a huge bunch of flowers through the streets of Shenzhen surrounded by golden skyscrapers at 6am was a pretty good way to finish off the night of our first gig for over a year. Even if riding on the wrong side of a dual carriageway with trucks speeding towards us did feel more like a ghost train ride at times.

We had landed in Shenzhen 4 days earlier after more than a day spent in the air making full use of the Virgin Atlantic on board entertainment system or at airports trying out exciting new packages of super noodles. We arrived in the midst of a tropical rainstorm so it felt like we had been teleported straight into the opening scene of Blade Runner. As soon as we checked in the lovely Echo and Suzanne from the British Council took us out to a restaurant. I kept an eye out for origami unicorns on the short walk through rain-drenched streets reflecting colourful neon. At the restaurant about 15 of us sat around a huge table with a revolving glass plate in the middle on which the waiters kept on piling delicious food that none of us save for maybe Reuben knew what it was. Whatever it was after a few days spent wrestling food off revolving tables with chopsticks or spinning around food in revolving roof top restaurants we just learnt to accept that Chinese cuisine is about orbiting around food and it tastes great.

It didn't take us long to find the revolving bar at the top of our hotel, but it took us much longer getting to it since it was on the 55th floor and to get to it we had to negotiate a network of lifts. Not an easy task on a jet lag and a few glasses of rice wine. We ended most nights before the gigs there, though we did venture out to the near by 'Piano Bar' on John's (bass player) birthday. The name of the bar turned out to be a bit deceptive since the DJ was playing the theme tune from 'The Omen' to a hard trance beat. The music was so loud the speakers were making the flames from the candles dance around the empty room. That, the full on laser show, a Hong Kong cyber sex flick projected on one of the walls and waiters dressed in suits serving us water melon on the side of our drinks made for quite an experience.

We spent most of our days at press conferences, rehearsing, swimming in the outdoor pool surrounded by skyscrapers or going to the local market where we learned how to bargain for Rolexes, clothes, sunglasses, visors and bags. We were yet to discover the joys of DVD shopping. Shenzhen is brand new city, which until 1979 was a tiny fishing village on the Pearl River on the border with Hong Kong. Deng Xiaoping developed it into the metropolis that it is today as the first Special Economic Zone, i.e. an area of free trading and market economy. We were aware that the real China was yet to come.

The gigs took place in a state of the art modern venue called True Colour. Most of the kids on the first night were local. They had either heard a few songs on the internet or were just keen to find out what a Ladytron is. It felt great playing after a year break and the response was amazing. We played a few new songs as well, but I guess to these kids most of our songs were new. Most of the kids on the second night had come from Hong Kong and were hardened fans who had waited to see us for a while. We had a lot of people singing along and a crowd surfer. There was a whole lot of hand shaking going on with the first couple of rows of the audience. We probably felt as ecstatic as the crowd.

After the gig each band member was given a gigantic bouquet of flowers. After the second gig we were spoiled with Ferrero Rocher. The Ambassadors reception. We stayed out drinking in the club and watched a Chinese trio do covers of The Beatles, Oasis and ouch... 'no more tears in heaven' by Eric Clapton. On the second night Reuben and our Chinese guardian angel Nee Bing took over the decks. Nee Bing put on Pixies and we all fought our way onto the dance floor. Meanwhile, on the other side of the building the ceiling opened up and the stage on which we played and which had only just been cleared up got flooded. Had it happened a second earlier our precious ancient synths would have been killed. Had it happened 30 minutes earlier a band member or two would have been electrocuted. Time to move on.

Chongquing 26th September – 1st October

Helen

I think I had the best room in the Hilton hotel we were staying in. From the 33rd floor I looked out over the tops of skyscrapers, a massive sports stadium, and in the distance, through the smog, the mouth of the river.

There aren't many westerners here, which accounts for the stares we get from passers by. Children are especially curious. It's funny. I even got girls in the market giggling at me and pointing to my eyes. Very strange considering blue eyes are so common over here.

The gig is in one of the weirdest and most wonderful parks I've been to Shaping park. First there was the miniature world landmarks, then there were the singing Mynah birds in tiny cages strapped to the trees, and then we stumbled across a ladies choir singing away surrounded by all these trees. I wanted to take a little boat ride across the lake, but Danny put my off - scaring me with tales of disease from water. Oh well.

Chongqing is like no place I've been to before and I'm glad I've experienced it. However, I can't wait for Shanghai!

Danny

Now we're 1000km inland in what we're told is the Real China - Chongqing, in the southwest, the biggest and most polluted City in the country.

It's completely breathtaking, newly constructed tower blocks sit side by side with shanty houses, ancient alleys and street stalls. Apparently 4(!) British people live in this municipality of 30 million. Less than 500 westerners total. We've met half the Brits, indeed our party quadruples the British population here. This is very near the site of the three gorges dam, a hydroelectric generation project originally conceived in 1919, which will create an inland sea 550km long, submerging 11 cities and 180 towns in the process. Scale. Spent a lot of time in the pool and jacuzzi as the experience became increasingly like 'lost in translation'. Heading for Shanghai on Friday, where the future is happening.

Mira

Airborne treats on China Southern airlines included dried beef, some odd tasting peanuts, a lovely China Southern wallet and a body art TV talent show in which kids used their hands, knees and legs as part of the structure of musical instruments, 2 guys formed a car while a couple of rotating girls dressed in pom-poms acted as the brushes at a car wash. One gentleman's 'talent' was to simply put a mask on the back of his head thus pretending to have his head screwed on the wrong way around. Genius. We landed in Chongqing in thick fog. The skies there only clear up for 20 days a year and when they do the sky is green because of the pollution. As a result of that, we were told, Chongqing girls have very pale skin and are very beautiful. The three things everyone had mentioned to us about Chongqing were the traditional hotpot dish, the fact that it's built on steep hills and so there aren't any bikes around and the beautiful girls with pale skin.

Chongqing, population 13 million, is southern China's dynamo and China's most industrial city. It is a busy port based around the peninsula at the junction of the Yangzi and Jialing rivers 2400km upstream from Shanghai. In 2009 it will find itself on the banks of the Three Gorges Dam. The controversial dam will be constructed by blocking and diverting the Yangzi river 670km upstream from Chongqing, thus creating a lake the size of lake Michigan. In doing so thousands of villages, hundreds of towns and cities and countless historic relics will be submerged. 10 million people will have to be relocated, but when completed the dam will provide 10% of China's power.

The views from the window were very different to those of Shenzhen. Tall concrete blocks, lots of flyovers tiny workman shops, kiosks selling building materials, machinery and food. Not much neon or not much that we could see through the fog. We spent the days before the gig doing press conferences, answering questions such as 'Are you planning on incorporating human voices on your next record? Did you choose Reuben to be in the band because he is Asian for his special effects? Will your show be adequate for Chinese audiences?'. In between we relaxed in the pool and Ivy showed us around some shopping centres.

On the morning of the gig we went out for a walk to the river. At first we followed the main busy roads, but then we noticed narrow winding staircases that lead away down the hills into a dark abyss. Following these staircases was like stepping through the looking glass. Tucked away behind the flyovers and skyscrapers are urban villages. Crowded little houses, people on the alleyways selling food, tiny markets, men sitting outside their houses playing MoJong, a man getting his hair washed ready for a haircut and everyone looking at us smiling and waving hello. When we stepped out of the looking glass we found ourselves on yet another busy road, but the river was in sight. The only way to actually get to see it was for us to buy tickets to a Wedding park. A very snazzy enclosed area where people could do everything from buying their wedding dress, to getting their wedding photos taken, to having the reception and staging a party. The Yangzi was the colour of the chocolate river in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In the distance we saw a woman raking out a solitary plot of land on the riverbank for cultivation. All in all a pretty surreal start to a pretty surreal day.

The gig took place in Shaping Park, an amusement park containing some ancient rides spinning around and miniature landmarks from around the world. We saw Sydney Opera House, the tower of Pisa, Notre Dame, the statue of Liberty. Apparently there was a Big Ben but we didn't find it. And where was mini Southend Pier? From the stage we could see people sitting on top of Mount Rushmore to the left. A huge Ladytron poster with 'Way to Toilet' written on it was draped on top of Arc de Triumph on the right. The gig fell on the night of the mid-autumn festival and we were told there was a full moon, only we couldn't see it through the fog. Around 3500 kids came to the gig. The show was free to get into but you had to phone up for tickets in advance. As there are only 4 other Brits residing in the city we weren't expecting a lot of ex-pats to turn up. Most of the people had either heard a few of our songs on the internet, came to see the support Flowers, a Chinese version of Busted, or just came for the party out of curiosity. The reception was great. Kids had made reversible heart shaped banners with Ladytron written on one side and Flowers on the other. Everyone was waving glow sticks and occasionally throwing them in the direction of the stage. There was a 90 year old raver in the front row dancing his socks off. After the 2nd song a six year old came on stage to present us with flowers on behalf of the mayor. He said 'We love you Ladytron, you rock!', then shouted something in Chinese and threw a glow stick at the crowd. After the gig we signed a whole lot of autographs. We hadn't even left the venue before the builders started tearing down the dressing rooms and stage they had built for us by hand the day before. Efficiency. Nee Bing took us to the grand former French Embassy for an after show cocktail.

We had a couple of days off after the gig. The first day we spent walking around the city and taking a cable-car over the chocolate river. On the other side we went to a Hotpot restaurant. The Hotpot turned out to be a Chinese version of Fondue. You order a bunch of different raw vegetables and fish and dip them in the boiling broth full of spices and chillies in the middle of the table to cook. We caused the usual amount of commotion as our table caught fire. On our last day the British Council had organised a daytrip to the Dazu rock carvings. These are a series of impressive 8th century Buddhist statues and images carved in rocks and caves. To get there we travelled for a couple of hours through misty mountains and paddy fields farmed by ox and hand, girls sweeping up the motorway. When we arrived a bunch of smiley 6 year olds ran towards us. I looked in my bag and all I could find was a Ladytron laminate pass to give to them so I chose one of them at random and there and then recruited him as a new crew member. I took a photo of him so we can track him down in a few years time when he grows up to be stronger. My favourite bit of the trip was visiting the Dazu Buddhist temple. We got sung to and blessed by a monk. A very beautiful experience. Then we got pointed in the direction of the cash box and after contributing got asked to bow down three times to it. Nice to know they hold the money God in high esteem. We lit gigantic incense and left after tour manager Chris set off some fire works off the edge of a mountain.

On that last night in Chongqing it rained and the skies cleared for an hour to reveal a beautiful mountain range on the edge of the city. It was strange to see clearly after a week of seeing everything in a kind of soft focus.

Shanghai 4th October

Helen

I almost thought we weren't going to make it. The internal flight from Chongquing to Shanghai was awful! My fear of flying is not getting any better.

Shanghai is a breath of fresh air though. I love it. The tree lined streets are so pretty and remind me of New York. With all the fake Prada I've bought I feel like a girl from Sex and the City. I've never shopped so much in my life! The clothes are so cheap in the markets I've been snapping everything up.

It seems like there's a lot going on in Shanghai. A lot of clubs/bars/restaurants. It's a fun place to be. At night everything turns to neon and the city glows.

The gig at Fuxing park was another good one. I think we may have converted a few people. What better way to top off a gig than with karaoke!

At first everyone is a little shy, but after a few more drinks everyone's dying to sing. For some reason Danny keeps putting all these really high and difficult songs on for me ­ like "For Your Eyes Only" by Sheena Easton. Yikes! Its a lot of fun tho, whether you can sing or not. Singing "Like a Prayer" with Bamo was a great laugh.

On the morning we leave Shanghai we get one last treat ­ a first class ride on the Maglev high speed train to the airport. I cannot believe a train can go so fast. When we reach 450kmph it feels like we're flying, and as I mentioned before I am not the worlds greatest flyer! I must admit I was a little nervous, perhaps a little scared ­ and thanks to Jackie, it's all been captured on camera!

Danny

Arrived in Shanghai yesterday, already in love with it. The New York/Paris/Barcelona/Milan/Sao Paulo/Osaka......etc...etc of China. The French/British colonial influence is all around, but this is a distinctly Chinese city overall, and there seems to be a new energy and optimism here that is infectious.

Been shopping all day, bargaining in markets and visiting traditional tailors for measurements. Tonight a few of us are going to a Chinese football game, followed by karaoke, a full report of which will follow.

Reuben

We spent five days in Shanghai and had only one show scheduled, so you can see how much free time we had to entertain ourselves. Shanghai is twinned with Liverpool because of its trade links from the turn of the century. There were a few striking similarities, including an almost replica waterfront, apparently to give Liverpudlian sailors a sense of home from home, a city-wide arts biennial event happening at the same time and the bizarre habit of girls roaming streets in nothing but pyjamas.

The clubs and bars here play a lot of funky house and jazzy beats - there's not much electroclash going on in this town, which suits us fine. Bassist Pop Levi played an impromptu set at a cool bar called Tang Hui and was later joined by the rest of Ladytron to perform a Francoise Hardyesque version of "He Took Her to a Movie". Our karaoke session at Shanghai's 'Partyworld' took place in a private room and lucky participants were privy to Helen's rendition of "Genie in a Bottle", Danny's version of a "View to a Kill", Mira's deadpan remix of "Centerfold" and Reuben's E Smithesque rant of "It's Tricky".

The scratch-built venue at FuXing Park took a couple of days to come together. Thanks to Ladytron's talented crew, the band played an hour-long set, with full brand new visuals and light show, including a some new tracks from the new album. A few thousand people turned up, some of whom had flown in from Beijing to see us, some of whom had heard "Playgirl" on the internet and some of whom had no idea who the band were at all. One irrate old man even turned up and started shouting at 'everyone' to pack up and leave because the show had disturbed his sleep from a late night of MaJong... We ended the show with an encore of "Playgirl" and a decelerating version of "USA vs White Noise".

Support band Supermarket played an interesting electronic set beforehand, sounding like a cross between old LFO, The Beloved and slower Orbital... Flowers, coming on like the Chinese version of Busted, ripped the crowd into a frenzy with their camp kung-fu flower show... fantastic.

After 3 weeks of being in China, we've only just started getting used to the lifestyle here, even with it mainly consisting of fake Rolex, pirate DVD, bartering, magnetic levitation, incredible food and intrusively rude Chairman Mao musical lighters... that's our Christmas shopping done already...

Source

20 July 2013

Disturb.org interview (2001)

New Liverpool Fab Four, with 2 DJs and 2 singers, Ladytron was spotted by the NME, always looking for new sensations and trends, which awarded the title of "single of the week" to all the band's releases. These strange, black-clad characters, Kraftwerk-style, great eighties fans, release their debut album, 604. We met one of these men in black, Daniel Hunt, who is certainly less austere than we might think.

Where does the name Ladytron comes from?

There's a song called like that, written by Brian Ferry on the first Roxy Music album and also the Disney film "Tron". It's a nice idea. That's just a name that suits us.

And this title: six-o-four?

You know this film called The Andromeda Strain? It was actually a reference to that film. We wanted a number, something that was really pure and open to interpretation. Since then, people have come up with hysterical interpretations of it. It's just a nice thing that looks good on the cover of the album.

Your singles have all been singles of the week for the NME: how do you live it and what do you wait from success?

We're still in a learning process, cause everything has happened so accidentally. It seems more coherent over here, because we've signed to labels and everything's organized, but in England, it's been a really slow build, with a little bit of press here and there. The NME have never given us a feature, just a few singles of the week. It all feels quite strange and accidental, so all we really wanted from success was some kind of recognition. In 10 or 15 years, if some kid goes to a second-hand record shop and buys our album, that'll be in a way more appealing than anyone buying it now, because of the idea we might do something that might last.

The newspapers have described you as "the eighties dreaming of year 2000": is it a good definition of Ladytron?

I think it's a valid definition. When I was about 17, I started acquiring synthesizers and I really wanted to find avenues that music never took, but nowadays, we just think our music is our version of "now". It's not a revivalism of anything or an anticipation of the future, it's just our version of the present.

What were your influences? Kraftwerk? Depeche Mode? Chemical Brothers? Gary Numan? Magazine? Devo? Brian Eno / Bowie? NIN?

I started doing music when I was about ten years old, I was into Duran Duran, things like that. My older brother didn't like that and got me into Mantronix and electro records. I had a Casio keyboard and I tried to make music and record it to cassette. The first thing I did was a sort of copy of Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me" featuring Michael Jackson.

The bands from the past that people compare us to aren't as influential to us as it might seem. People pick upon Kraftwerk, Human League, etc., but they're not as influential as it might seem they are. They are more reference points than influences. I think the songwriting is something more classic, it's a pop sensibility, whereas Kraftwerk never did songs like that. I feel more affinity with The Chemical Brothers as I do with some of the other bands we get compared to. We're all into dance music.

I have heard you like Black Sabbath too?

I'm a fan, there's a song we did that ended up sounding like Black Sabbath although it wasn't intended to. It appears on Mu-Tron, an EP that wasn't released in France. It's called "USA vs. White Noise".

You only use keyboards and voices, but no guitars at all: why?

We wanted to construct it from the ground up with keyboards, cause mainly I think in England people rely too much on building songs with guitars. When a band says it will go into an electronic direction, it just means they add some analog synthesizers in the background and it's still the same guitar sound. Moreover, these were the only instruments we had, we just had one guitar with 4 strings on it. We hadn't changed the strings in 6 or 7 years. We had the synthesizers lying all around, we just used what we got.

Is your look on stage very important to your music?

When we're together, we dress the same. It's important in a way, because we want to be a unit. It's not a purely stylistic thing, it feels like the right thing to do. It also distances us from a kind of revival in fashion from the 80s and things like that, because, as a band, we are not interested in the visual element of the 80s at all. We like the technology from that time, but not the graphic design or the fashion. If you listen to a record like "Fade to Grey" now, the production is amazing, it sounds modern, but then you've got Steve Strange, with his harlequin costume... We're not into that side of it. It think in England, the credibility of that music suffers because of the image in a way. People don't take this music seriously because they associate it with people dressed as pirates. (laughs) Our clothes are supposed to be utilitarian, not stylish.

Would you consider writing music for a fashion show?

We've already been used in fashion shows, to be honest. It's nothing to do with us, maybe the music has got some kind of compatibility with that. It's quite a strange thing. We don't mind it, but I think the fashion industry is quite farcical.

Ladytron are two DJs and two girl singers: how did you first meet?

Reuben and I grew up near Liverpool and we had very different upbringings: he went to a public school and I went to state school, but we were both DJs and we knew each other from hanging around in the same record shops. He went away to study in Sheffield for a few years and when he came back, he'd written music and I'd got the recording equipment. We decided to do something, we didn't really know what it would be. It didn't become a band till we met Helen and Mira. Helen was studying in Liverpool (she's from Glasgow) and Mira was introduced to us through friends.

Recently, you've been touring Europe but not in England: why?

We went on tour with Soulwax in England in February, that's our first tour in England. The reason why we didn't bother was we didn't really see the point. It hasn't done us any harm not playing, we did a couple of shows in Liverpool, then left it and played in Europe. We didn't go to London, even though people were asking us to partly because we couldn't be bothered, partly because we wanted to wait for the album and play in front of people who already liked us, have an audience. It was also good to concentrate on making the record because that's something really special, whereas a live show is so ephemeral. You won't remember it in 20 years, although you'll remember a record. Another reason is that, since I'm from Liverpool, I have this twisted kid of resentment of London and I didn't want to have to pander to the media or the industry in London. It was just a "fuck you" thing, you know. I don't like the way people think you HAVE to do it.

You don't play much live: is it more fun to be DJ'ing? And to make records?

Yes, it's fun DJ'ing, but we're gonna do an American and a European tour. The album's been out two months longer in America. It was good that we didn't waste energy, we put all our efforts into the album.

Will you shoot videos?

We've done a video for "Playgirl", it's cheaply-made, but very nice. It's mainly a shot of Helen singing the whole song. Live, we're gonna use video stuff, it's being made at the moment. Nothing too pretentious, just graphic stuff.

You've been touring with Soulwax, who made this song: "Too Many DJs": how were you received by the audience and how did you live it yourselves?

It was strange, because we hadn't toured before and these were very big venues. Since Soulwax are very rocky, we thought it could go very badly, but it actually went really well. We do some remixes in the sets, but it's mainly a live thing. I think Soulwax are bigger DJs than we are. (laughs) It was cool, lots of kids who had never heard of us approached us after the show.

You're DJs, but remixers too, for Soulwax for example: do you intend to do more remixes? And produce bands?

Definitely. I want to do some production too. I don't want to protect any kind of indie credibility. I'll do whatever I want. The biggest act of subversion you can do is getting into pop music itself.

How do you see your future and what are your wishes for it?

I can't see even two years in the future now, because the future has already happened, so it's really hard to imagine what it's gonna be like. I just see myself behind a record shop counter 10 years from now. (laughs) Hopefully, I'll be living somewhere hot.

24 March 2013

City Weekend Shanghai interview (2013)

At the close of the '90s, the chasm between electronica and indie was vast. Integrating lush '70s analogue synths with indie sensibilities, a new quartet called Ladytron helped bridge the two communities, and neither indie rock nor electronica has been the same since.

Founding member Reuben Wu continues to navigate disparate worlds—whether as member of Ladytron, DJ, artist or photographer. Ahead of his DJ set at 390 bar tonight, Wu shared a few insights into how he connects the dots, both personally and artistically.

His photography depicts some of the planet's oddest cultural and natural landscapes with meticulous minimalist composition and selection of colors. His series on the Atacama Desert, for instance, juxtaposes the sparse rocky palate of the landscape with colossal futuristic telescopes of local observatories. The photography is as stunning as Wu's music, with which it shares more than a few parallels.

Fortunately, in the role that brings him to Shanghai—as a traveling DJ, Reuben can embrace lighter digital technology, performing with an arsenal of CDs that spans several eras and styles.

We're excited to have you playing Shanghai again.

I can't wait to come back. It's always exciting when I'm China. There's lots to explore.

We've loved your music for years, but only recently discovered your stellar photography. When you're touring, are you also working on your photography or are the visual and sonic missions separate?

Creatively, I see them as separate entities, but practically, they've always been intertwined. Essentially, it was traveling with the band that encouraged me to do more photography. That's where it was inspired from: all these places that I was traveling to. I'd be on tour or DJing and I'd make time to explore these amazing places around the world. In this case, though, I won't be doing as much more exploring because I'm also busy writing new material for the next Ladytron album.

Is your art photography strictly film or do you do digital work as well?

98% of it is shot on film. However, I do own a digital camera and use it occasionally. I like film. I like the look of it. I enjoy the process of having a negative in front of me. It's not entirely analog. I'm not a purist. I have my negatives processed then I scan them digitally. It's like the music in that we use a lot of analog equipment. But the way we sequence and produce on top of that is via digital means. So, it's a combination of the two worlds.

In terms of the analog element with your synthesizer work and photography, are there other aesthetic parallels?

There always has to be an element of balance. That's as far as it goes really. I don't like images that are too complicated. I like simple images that show composition and lines, and simple subject matters. And I suppose in the music that's what I attempt to do as well. I go for rich compositions that sound simple but there's a lot of texture embedded in that. The other parallel is of course that you're always carrying huge amounts of equipment with you. My camera is big, and so are the keyboards.

What's your setup for your DJ tours?

Very simple. I just use CDJs. I enjoy DJing and having a drink while I DJ, and if I drop a beer on the laptop, that's the end. But CDs, they're kind of disposable.

What do you like to see in a crowd?

I just want people to dance. I can see that while we're performing with the band and Helen and Mira are at the front, they have to have their on stage characters. But DJing is just a bloke playing music and it's nice to see people dance and not worry about who's playing the music. I like to be down in a corner, where I can be as close to the crowd as possible.

What are you playing on this tour?

There's a lot of tracks I'm playing at the moment. One of the artists I've been following is Daniel Avery, who's on Erol Alkan's Phantasy Sound label. I enjoy playing his stuff. It's kind of house-y, electro-y. Goose is another band I've been playing. What else? A lot of old stuff. A lot of acid. "Voodoo Ray" by a Guy Called Gerald. "Acid Thunder" by Fast Eddie … It depends on what the crowd is like. With me being in the band, sometimes they'll want me to play something more indie, a little more post-punk, a bit more raw. I'm anticipating that Shanghai will be more electronic.

With Ladytron, what's the process after you decide that you're going to create a new album?

We start writing individually. We've never really lived in the same city before. We've always been geographically apart. Now more than ever. I'm in Chicago. Daniel's in Sao Paulo. Helen's in Scotland. Mira's in London. It would be hard for us to get into a room and write together. And that's never been how we've worked together.

It's always been first as individuals, and then reviewing everything together, and then working on each other's songs. That's how we've always worked. And it goes well with how we make music. We do get together down the line and in the studio when we start fleshing out the tracks.

It sounds very organic in process. Or, do you plan ahead to have a certain feeling?

It comes from the first demos we create. Each of us has different tastes musically, but we have a lot in common. That allows us a diversity ideas, and I also think that's how each album sounds different from the others and at the same time maintaining identity, which we've always had. Working as a group, we get so many more ideas than if it was just one person coming up with the songs.

You said you're writing some of the new album while you're traveling. Is the laptop how you approach songwriting or do you have other equipment when you travel?

I'm living in Chicago, and while I'm away, I do have a laptop and MIDI controllers with me. I do try to take out analogue synthesizers with me too. But in terms of writing demos and coming up with basic ideas, soft synths are useful tools. What we end up doing is layering a lot of analogue synths on top as well. When we get into the studio with all the dusty old gear, that's when we stop swapping sounds out.

What do you think of the analogue revival with Korg's MS-20? Exciting, or do you still prefer the old analogue synths?

We've used a lot of MS-10s and MS-20s and they're fantastic. But they are old and weren't really designed to be taken out on tour. And many times on tour, we've had MS-20s go down just like that. One's broken, then another one's broken. So, we've often found ourselves on eBay on the road, winning these MS-20s and have them delivered to us to cities downstream. And we pick these up and they replace the old MS-20s.

It's a costly and stressful process. We've had missed deliveries. We had one missed MS-20 that we kept missing and it kind of followed us around. So, we've thought for more than 10 years, wouldn't it be amazing if Korg came out with a new MS-20 that didn't break down? And finally, the new MS-20 mini has come out and it looks like everything we've wanted. I just wish it was full size.

Anything else you should tell our readers that we forgot to ask about?

I think it will be exciting year. I hope we will be playing shows. And we'll have a remix album out of remixes by other people of our last album in the next few months. And I hope the new album will be out in the autumn.

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