22 December 2011
DailyWhatNot interview (2011)
DailyWhatNot (DWN): How much Roxy Music means to you?
Daniel Hunt (DH): It's obviously a band we like, but the band name is more of a coincidence than anything else. But Brian Eno is obviously someone who we've been in contact with and that meant a lot to us. But if you listen to our music, I don't think you could hear a lot of Roxy Music in it.
DWN: What's the big difference on being 17 and 21? Is it really like your Seventeen song?
Helen Marnie (HM): I don't think there's much difference. 17 you're younger, 21 you're older.
DH: But there's a big difference between 21 and 36.
HM: Hahaha! I think you're still fun really on 21.
DH: It was just someone else's opinion, not ours.
DWN: You guys are Liverpudlians rite?
HM: The boys are.
DWN: So, Liverpool F.C. or Everton F.C.?
DH: Liverpool of course! If we supported Everton we wouldn't be here in Jakarta.
HM: I'm not from the Liverpool but I supported Liverpool as well over Everton.
DWN: Which new artist do you like now?
Reuben Wu (RW): I've been listening to Connan Mockasin. I'm not sure where he's from, but he's a singer/songwriter, sounds kinda like early Bowie stuff.
DH: I really like a band called Other Lives. Their record this year is been my favorite so far.
HM: I quite like the kind of fun aspect like Foster the People, like catchy fun stuff.
DH: For a big mainstream record that's really good.
DWN: Foster the Hipster!
Ladytron: Hahaha!
DH: Foster the Hipster, I like that, hahaha!
DWN: Do you guys care about Kate Middleton's pregnancy rumor that been going on for months?
DH: No.
HM: Care about what?
DH: Kate Middleton is apparently pregnant but we don't really care, hahaha!
HM: No, I don't care, hahaha! But I'm very happy for them.
DWN: Which of your song had the biggest impact for your music career?
DH: Destroy Everything You Touch is probably the biggest. In terms of all of the action we get when we play it anywhere in the world. It's the one that everybody knows.
HM: And people consider it to be our biggest hit.
RW: But there are a lot fan favorites though, like the first single Playgirl and He Took Her to a Movie was very important at the time.
DH: They got us attention.
HM: I think Playgirl and Seventeen are probably are the big ones majority people know and people always want to hear when we play at a concert.
DWN: Who do you really wanna see tonight at Djakarta Warehouse Project '11?
Ladytron: Jazzy Jeff.
DH: We met him at breakfast.
DWN: What or who influenced you in music?
DH: It's too many things, it's like now, it used to be an easy question to answer what music do you like maybe 20 years ago when you're in school or something, cause you normally like one thing, you like one band and you wanna have every record, but I couldn't describe what music I like and I haven't been able to for at least 10 years, it's impossible. Hmm, you can pick out a couple of bands you've like over the years or that they've been important to you but they don't themselves constitutes and influenced, so I don't know, it's really the hardest question, it's impossible.
DWN: You guys know Trent Reznor right?
HM: Yeah, we toured with Nine Inch Nails.
DWN: How is he like?
HM: He's a serious guy.
RW: He's loads of fun. He loves throwing jokes.
DWN: So he's serious or a joker?
RW: He's a serious joker.
HM: Hahaha!
RW: You should've seen his dressing room on the last tour.
Ladytron: Hahaha!
DH: He's a nice guy and he was helpful to us, but he's a serious guy.
HM: He knows what he wants and he knows how to get it. He was nice to us, so it's cool.
DWN: Is this your first time in Jakarta?
HM: It's my first time.
DH: And me too.
RW: I've been here before with Mira.
HM: I saw a monkey here!
DWN: Where?
HM: On the street.
DWN: With the doll mask?
HM: No.
RW: Do they make the masks themselves?
DWN: Hahaha! Come on!
RW: Monkey mask.
Ladytron: Hahaha!
15 December 2011
12 December 2011
11 December 2011
Ladytron - Selector Festival, 2011
Format: MP4, 640x480
Size: 148.5 MB
Source: audience recording
Content:
1. Runaway
2. Seventeen
3. White Elephant
4. Destroy Everything You Touch
Download
Altitude Blues (unofficial video)
"Altitude Blues" unofficial video based on Gravity the Seducer trailer by Neil Krug.
Soccer Gaming interview (2011)
The first SG Music interview of 2011 sees us catch up with FIFA 11 featured artists, Ladytron. Having been on the scene for over a decade, the 4 piece featuring members from Scotland and Liverpool have created quite a cult following amongst festival goers and are renouned for their live shows. Their track, Ace of Hz can be found on FIFA 11, and their music has also been featured on EA titles such as Need For Speed and The Sims along with the recent release for PS3, LittleBig Planet 2. I caught up with Reuben from the band to discuss football, music and performing!
Firstly, Ladytron could you explain a bit about your name and how you came together?
Ladytron was the name of a song on Roxy Music's first album. We formed in 1999 when I was back in Liverpool doing a masters degree in design, Danny was DJing at his own club night and Helen was doing a degree in music. We met Mira through a friend of ours while she was doing her PHD in genetics in Oxford.
Your music has a very strong electronic vibe, who would you class as your main musical influences?
Although we sound electronic, our influences are much wider-ranging than that, and it's impossible to list all of them, as the 4 of us like a lot of different music. With me, it's My Bloody Valentine, Brian Eno, Goblin, The Fall, Serge Gainsbourg, Curve, Wire, Broadcast, Stereolab as well as stuff like Aphex Twin, Pansonic, Nine Inch Nails, The Carpenters, Angelo Badalamenti and JS Bach which I have loved over the years.
Your are widely praised amongst music fans for opting for creativity ahead of conforming to the generic musical styles. Is this a conscious decision about the direction as a group or something that comes naturally?
When we are working on music or anything requiring creative thought, we automatically end up asking ourselves whether it's original and whether it's any good. I can't think of any time when we have decided to do something which was similar to anything in the mainstream media - I guess we are just not wired that way and many of the decisions are made solely by the band rather than a record label. In answer to your question, it's probably a combination of both. It also helps that there are 4 of us.
Ladytron are renouned for putting on top level live shows when they performing, and have developed something of a cult following. What are the best parts about performing live?
The best parts of live shows are seeing the crowd react to the songs we play them. We built up our live shows from scratch. When we first played live I'd say it was an attempt to replicate the early recorded material, whereas we're now at the stage where the quality of songwriting is matched by the ability to play them all out live. As electronic artists, it's very important that we keep it as live as possible and not resort to easy ways out, as it's just not fulfilling.
Having released your first international EP in 2000, how do you feel the music world has evolved and changed over the past decade, both positively and negatively?
Well, I can only comment on the music world that we are part of. I know that nowadays it's totally mainstream to feature synthesizers in music, whereas when we released our first records, only a very small handful of artists were using them as prominently as we were. Every interview we did asked us why we were using keyboards, compared to now when every band uses synthesizers but never get asked why! One aspect of modern music-listening which is both a curse and blessing to me is the internet allows anyone with a decent connection to listen to everyone else's music but at the same time it has nurtured short attention span and increasingly homogenised music.
Onto gaming, your tracks have been featured on games such as Need For Speed, The Sims 3 and of course FIFA 11. Do you feel these mediums are the best way to give mainstream audiences the opportunity to hear your music?
Definitely, we've always been quite an underground band so having our music included on these games is really refreshing. It's a whole new platform and adds a new dimension to music-listening. Our tracks as a soundtrack to a visual experiences work really well.
Do Ladytron game as a band at all, and if so, what are your favourite games to play, and ultimately, who is the best gamer?
Not really! I used to be an avid Super Nintendo player though. My favourite game was Legend of Zelda which I once completed in one day on one life after I pulled a sicky off school.
Music within video games is becoming a massive thing, with soundtracks being commonplace amongst many top level titles. Would you ever be interested in one day composing and developing an entire musical score for a video game?
Yes, we'd love to compose a whole score.
Regarding football, and with a band made up of people from both Liverpool and Scotland, do you follow any teams and are there any in group rivalries?
Not really. Danny's a big LFC follower but the rest of us aren't really huge fans. One thing's for sure. If there's a big LFC match on then we won't be in the rehearsing room.
Finally, there are very few groups that are mixed gender and manage to stay together for ten years. What are the best and worst parts about having both male and female elements to Ladytron?
It's all good. Seriously, I think this is one of the reasons why we are still together! Things are a bit more civilised when ladies are involved.
Source
Firstly, Ladytron could you explain a bit about your name and how you came together?Ladytron was the name of a song on Roxy Music's first album. We formed in 1999 when I was back in Liverpool doing a masters degree in design, Danny was DJing at his own club night and Helen was doing a degree in music. We met Mira through a friend of ours while she was doing her PHD in genetics in Oxford.
Your music has a very strong electronic vibe, who would you class as your main musical influences?
Although we sound electronic, our influences are much wider-ranging than that, and it's impossible to list all of them, as the 4 of us like a lot of different music. With me, it's My Bloody Valentine, Brian Eno, Goblin, The Fall, Serge Gainsbourg, Curve, Wire, Broadcast, Stereolab as well as stuff like Aphex Twin, Pansonic, Nine Inch Nails, The Carpenters, Angelo Badalamenti and JS Bach which I have loved over the years.
Your are widely praised amongst music fans for opting for creativity ahead of conforming to the generic musical styles. Is this a conscious decision about the direction as a group or something that comes naturally?
When we are working on music or anything requiring creative thought, we automatically end up asking ourselves whether it's original and whether it's any good. I can't think of any time when we have decided to do something which was similar to anything in the mainstream media - I guess we are just not wired that way and many of the decisions are made solely by the band rather than a record label. In answer to your question, it's probably a combination of both. It also helps that there are 4 of us.
Ladytron are renouned for putting on top level live shows when they performing, and have developed something of a cult following. What are the best parts about performing live?
The best parts of live shows are seeing the crowd react to the songs we play them. We built up our live shows from scratch. When we first played live I'd say it was an attempt to replicate the early recorded material, whereas we're now at the stage where the quality of songwriting is matched by the ability to play them all out live. As electronic artists, it's very important that we keep it as live as possible and not resort to easy ways out, as it's just not fulfilling.
Having released your first international EP in 2000, how do you feel the music world has evolved and changed over the past decade, both positively and negatively?
Well, I can only comment on the music world that we are part of. I know that nowadays it's totally mainstream to feature synthesizers in music, whereas when we released our first records, only a very small handful of artists were using them as prominently as we were. Every interview we did asked us why we were using keyboards, compared to now when every band uses synthesizers but never get asked why! One aspect of modern music-listening which is both a curse and blessing to me is the internet allows anyone with a decent connection to listen to everyone else's music but at the same time it has nurtured short attention span and increasingly homogenised music.
Onto gaming, your tracks have been featured on games such as Need For Speed, The Sims 3 and of course FIFA 11. Do you feel these mediums are the best way to give mainstream audiences the opportunity to hear your music?Definitely, we've always been quite an underground band so having our music included on these games is really refreshing. It's a whole new platform and adds a new dimension to music-listening. Our tracks as a soundtrack to a visual experiences work really well.
Do Ladytron game as a band at all, and if so, what are your favourite games to play, and ultimately, who is the best gamer?
Not really! I used to be an avid Super Nintendo player though. My favourite game was Legend of Zelda which I once completed in one day on one life after I pulled a sicky off school.
Music within video games is becoming a massive thing, with soundtracks being commonplace amongst many top level titles. Would you ever be interested in one day composing and developing an entire musical score for a video game?
Yes, we'd love to compose a whole score.
Regarding football, and with a band made up of people from both Liverpool and Scotland, do you follow any teams and are there any in group rivalries?
Not really. Danny's a big LFC follower but the rest of us aren't really huge fans. One thing's for sure. If there's a big LFC match on then we won't be in the rehearsing room.
Finally, there are very few groups that are mixed gender and manage to stay together for ten years. What are the best and worst parts about having both male and female elements to Ladytron?
It's all good. Seriously, I think this is one of the reasons why we are still together! Things are a bit more civilised when ladies are involved.
Source
25 November 2011
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