“It’s funny because when we travel to other countries, sometimes people don’t even know what a banoffee pie is.”

According to Wikipedia, a banoffee pie is an English dessert pie made from bananas, toffee, cream and biscuits. This pie, consisting of fruits and condensed milk, is a portmanteau of toffee and banana. A delicious, fruity dessert, best served chilled. The boys recently embarked on a tour of Australia and to their amusement find people often have no idea what a banoffee pie even is. In a world of serious labels and serious music the the label wanted something playful and fun. Ell and Sandy, label owners have given numerous definitions and anecdotes as to why they named their label after a dessert. But truth be known, it is not that deep.

“At the time i was looking at label names and thinking they were pretty serious. We wanted to do something that was not serious and just a bit a fun really.”

Banoffee Pies has forged a delicious back catalogue of treats, ranging from Romanian minimal on their Black Label series to hip hop on their Beats tapes series. The recipe for their continuing success is ‘collaboration’ and the duo often work with friends, bringing a number of producer pals together on their limited series and bridging artists on projects such as Clifford Brown and Jeen Bassa’s forthcoming LP with Ella Mae, a collaborator on the beat tape who was brought on board for this project to reignite a previously instrumental only piece to a full album with vocals. Recorded on karaoke microphones and arranged on Garageband, the record has shades of Erykah Badu in Brazil fusing R’n’B, Latin, and Soul grooves. We caught up with Ell and discussed their forthcoming releases, polyphonic ringtones, Channel U and their top 5 deserts.

Banoffee Pies Top 5 Deserts

1. Ice Cream
2. My housemates Banoffee Pie
3. Brownies (all types)
4. Sticky Toffee Pudding
5. Trifle – What is that about? Cheers Nan

*note to reader 5 is actually the worst – this can be read as top 4 and the worst

The release is incredible, what is the story behind it?
“I knew Ella, we had done a record on the Beats Series before with “Stop Rewind” from BPBEATS01. I met her through Slim (a friend), he had done a track with her and we stumbled across it, she came to Bristol and was really sound, we got along. We spoke about doing more stuff and ideas flew from there really. Jean Bassa of Mo Kolours ws also living in Brighton with Clifford Brown and Ella at the time and randomly showed her the music (that himself and teo aka CB made roughly 5 years ago) and then the idea of some vocals came to action. She sent instrumentals and said what do you think? We had stumbled across a massive gem. Then Ella jumped on it. It was random to be honest, it just happened!”

What was your reaction when you heard it?
“It was super fresh and we were really interested. It reminded us of Mo Kolours, just with more a different spice. Latin, percussive record that is perfect for listening. It is a record record. One that you will put on when you are making dinner or something.”

The record was recorded on Garageband, which is a free music DAW, do you think it adds a certain aesthetic to the record?
“It adds a simplicity. Anyone can get Garageband, it comes free with your laptop. They had two microphones from family members and a free DAW – the microphones were literally karaoke mics, like the ones you had with Playstation 1!”

The record has Caribbean and South American influences and they meet in a hip-hop, soul middle ground. If the record was a dish, what would it be?
“Maybe a stew – lots of flavour and spices but hard to tell where it exactly came from. A surprisingly well spiced stew with lots of different flavors. I am going to say a Tagine. A deep vegetable tagine with a nice rice on the side.”

You guys have a lot of sister and brother labels, each with a different sound. What is it you are looking for when you find new music?
“We get sent a lot of demos and I make sure I listen to all of them. I have friends that make music and, If it feels good, you have to put yourself out there. It’s all about collaboration. For example, Limited Series – rather than making artists do 5 tracks, and thinking how will this sound as a piece we are able to be diverse and think more about the music. It is almost a DJ approach. You wanna hear good music and make it work together. Hearing your mates music and thinking it will go well with your other mates. In a way it is like a DJ mix. Listen to the whole record all the way through, as you would with a mix. Merging different peoples sounds or style and seeing how it sounds with something else. Pushes creative people together.”

Banoffee Pies Top 5 Fruits

1. Banana
2. Mango
3. Kiwi
4. Watermelon
5. Pear – you can make cakes with it. Pear cake, pear crumble, pear trifle 

   

DJ or Live Set?
“It’s nice seeing a band. I like going to a gig but only if they are real good. I find the most. Inspiring DJ sets can be few and far between. I went to see African Headcharge a couple weeks ago, and they are so good. They’re a dub band, Adrian Sherwood is also a boss. The lead bass, guitar, drums, vocalist. One of the best gigs i have been to in Bristol. Also Khruangbin, fuck have you heard them? You need to!”

OK, you are Simon Cowell and you are creating a superband. Who would be in your band?
“They would be called Fan Boy Business. Prince is on lead vocal, D’angelo is sat on the side clicking his fingers (no one knows when he’s going to sing), Laura Lee of Khruangbin is strumming on bass, Miles Davis makes a late entry and Fred Wesley is jamming on a trombone.”

Fan Boy Business?
Prince
D’Angelo
Laura Lee
Miles Davis
Fred Wesley

You guys have a wide scope when it comes to the releases, from hip hop to jazz and even Romanian minimal stuff. For me, my watershed moment was not vinyl. Vinyl is nostalgic, yes. But I remember Sony Walkmans and cassettes. I couldn’t afford a record, so I bought tapes. Random hip hop and garage tapes. What was your watershed moment?
“It is interesting because we are part of the internet and everything that came with it. Channel U, Limewire, Polyphonic ringtones. There is still an option with our distributor to convert songs to polyphonic ringtones. Imagine hearing a polyphonic ringtone of your release now? But yeah man, I remember watching channel U / mtv all that jazz, old dnb podcasts, minimal house shows, punk pop bla bla and downloading music for the first time and discovering it, then making cd’s etc. Cassettes too, but they would skip and break easily.” 

The release is out on 22nd June**** and available at all top record stores or support local here: http://found.ee/Samba-Del-Sol

Interview by Sameed.

Cet article Banoffee Pies: Top 5 deserts, polyphonic ringtones and channel U est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.

Originally coming from a hip-hop and downtempo background, Crackazat really emerged when his sound decided to go in a more house-leaning direction. Warm jazzy chords, swung grooves and quirky melodies are a staple in his productions and can be credited to his formal training in jazz composition and performance. Disco and boogie influences are also very prevalent in a lot of Ben’s work, sounds that he credits as having helped him make the transition into a more 4/4 oriented sphere.

[soundcloud url=”https://soundcloud.com/boltingbits/mixed-by-crackazat”/]

INTERVIEW

To start off, can you tell us a little about your foray into house music? You mentioned that it was a bit of luck that your housier productions received more attention than your beat-oriented stuff, due to them being released on the well-known Futureboogie Recordings.
I think it was safe to say that the beat scene was already beginning to end by the time I released my first EP. The house revival was already well underway, and I think I made some sort of decision to jump on that wagon. After working with FutureBoogie records, it became clear to me that I wanted to continue making dance music. The functionality really appealed to me. Plus all my earlier experience in playing jazz, funk and disco helped me create my own sound.

Is your passion still in the hip-hop sphere? Do you see yourself going back to your roots a bit more in the future?
No I don’t see myself returning to music I have made in the past, but I will always love hip hop. The process of releasing this beat tape has been a bit of a nostalgia trip. I learnt a lot about production and sampling during that time, and no doubt impacts the music I make today.

Why & when did you decide to compile these tracks for the Beat Tape?
I have had these tracks sitting in a folder for 7 years. After releasing my first album, I suggested releasing the idea of a mixtape featuring these unheard beats. Tooli suggested we do an actual tape release, and I happily agreed.

How much has changed production wise if you compare the process back then to now?
First and Foremost, I now use Ableton, where as all these old beats where made with Reason and Cubasis. Most of these old beats were made with little to no automation, where as my current productions have a lot of automated synth work and effects.

If Crackazat today could go back in time and tell something about the tracks back then – what would that be?
As it would be my current self traveling backwards in time, I would repeat then what I have said now, then vice versa in the equivalent parallel universe.

 Is there any of the track(s) on your Beat Tape you enjoy listening to these days?
I have been revisiting all these tracks over the years. My favorites are Ballad of Seas, Machine Heart, Setting the sun and Ouch Row. Perhaps now they are released I will look back less often.

Can you give us some insight into your formal jazz training and background? You were also teaching guitar and piano lessons, do you still do that or has the Crackazat project taken on a more full-time role?
I discovered Jazz around the same time I found Hip Hop. I heard so many jazz samples in Hip Hop, and I just became fascinated with the harmony. I then realized that this is where it all began for me. My problem was that I couldn’t work out what musicians where doing on Jazz records. It was like a hidden language, so I decided to study it at university.

 I have always taught music, and to some extent I think I always will. I get a huge satisfaction from teaching. I currently teach evening classes to both children and adults. I then spend the rest the time I have on Crackazat.

 “About Jazz” is the name of a mix series that you curate. What was the premise behind these mixes? Is it just a way to share your love of jazz with the world or was there something else behind it?
Yes it is pretty much about sharing the Jazz :) “About Jazz” is my tribute to the golden era of jazz. Mostly 1940’s and 50′, or pre “modern”. It was also a time when jazz was both a dance and intellectual music. clubs. I also grew up tap dancing to jazz with my mum, which is why have strong links to this era of Jazz.

Tell us a little bit about the mix you recorded for us. Since you primarily play a live show when you’re booked for gigs, is it nice to step away from your own material every once in a while?
This mix features the music I associate with the beginnings Crackazat and my newly released Beat Tape on Omena Records. It’s a mix of downtempo beats and hip hop. At this time (the mid to late 2000’s) I was discovering underground music and culture. I started digging digitally, burning my mp3s to CD and doing my own artwork on each CD. As I don’t have CDJs I had to import these CDs to my computer to make this mix. I am not a DJ foremost, but I really enjoy making mixes and DJ’ing occasionally.

What does your live show entail? Tell us a bit about the gear you use. Is it any different than what you have at home in the studio or is the process fairly similar? You were planning on adding a bass guitar to your live shows as well, has that happened yet?
My live show a one man set up, where perform my own songs on keyboard, bass and controllers. All my synths are soft and run through Ableton which I control with and APC40.

There is a strong emphasis on improvisation, whether that be taking extended solos, Looping new ideas, or changing the structure of the music as I go. As I play often in clubs along side DJ’s I like to have the freedom to control the builds and drops for each song. I recently did my first show with bass guitar, and am hoping to add vocals soon.

Can you name some of your artist influences, past and present? Anybody out there right now who’s really got your ear?
Some early influences are Jamiroqaui, Herbie Hancock, George Duke, Madlib, and James Brown. Some artists I have followed for a while are Floating Points, Lone and Leon Vynehall. Some more recent cats are really blowing me away like Jacob Collier, Tom Misch and Louis Cole.

You’ve got an EP out right now that seems to really be in demand, especially as it’s not available in Europe or North America yet. “Coffee Time” is the Japanese EUREKA! crew’s debut release and the title track features vocals from an a cappella group. What made you decide to work with these vocals and how did the release end up all the way over in Japan?
The sample is from an A acapella group I know personally called Vocado. I had been listening to their album, and this song ‘Coffee Time’ kept getting stuck in my head. The lyrics are graceful, the harmonies are beautiful, and the bassline is tremendous. Upon the signing of the EP, I contacted Vocado asking for permission to sample their music and kindly they said yes.

The Japan release on EUREKA was orchestrated entirely by Mad Mats at Local Talk and Midori of EUREKA!. Together they orchestrated this project, and I was more than happy to supply the music.

Finally, a question we always have to ask. What else can we expect from you for the rest of the year and possibly beyond that? Any notable gigs, new music?
I have a couple more remixes coming this year. Most of my time is going in to my second album, which will be released 2017.

Igor

Cet article MIXED BY/ Crackazat est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.

Here is the story behind this new Crackazat‘s “Beat Tape” on Omena Records explained by the man himself:

House music in general seems to be having a revival for a few years know. Perhaps that’s why I make a lot of house these days, and why I’m primarily know as a ‘house artist’. I release music on house labels and play house live. But like many others I’m sure, I have roots elsewhere. So here’s what I was doing a while back, during the underground post hip hop beat movement, of the late 2000’s.

If you don’t know what that is, People like Flying Lotus, Hudson Mohawke, Dorian Concept and Onra all are the tip of that iceberg. I was listening to all these cats, and doing my thing at the same time. I might even still be making this music now if had a successful release back then. In fact that very nearly happened, but it didn’t. So two years later I tried to do a more ‘housey’ remix for one of the artists above, and then had the offer to make a ‘housey’ release for an established label. That was the tunnel EP in 2012 on Futureboogie Recordings. I actually released two beat EP’s the same year, but they gained less attention. After a couple more house influence EP’s, I’ve released a house album, “Crescendo” on Local Talk where many of my older beats also where featured. As the beats on the album where well received, I decided to make a compilation featuring a whole load of music from that period. I’m happy to have the opportunity to release them, especially 8 years later on.

Now you may wonder how I found hip hop and beats in general?

My first interest in making beats, was when I formed a non serious rap duo with a friend of mine. we both rapped and wrote lyrics, and I took care of the production. We took inspiration from a lot of underground hip hop that was booming at the time. UK People like Jehst, Brain Tax, Lewis Parker, and US artists like Madlib, MF Doom and Danger Mouse. When that came to an end, I continued making beats and made a myspace page, and came up with the name ‘Crackazat’.

Tape can be ordered here : https://omena.bandcamp.com/album/beat-tape

https://soundcloud.com/omena-records/crackazat-beat-tape-omena

Cet article Crackazat – Beat Tape [ Omena Records] est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.