Rhythm Section and Ruf Dug Join forces again as THE COMMITTEE – this time keeping it in the family, with Bradley Zero’s sister, Olivia Lucy Phillip on vocals performing a song written by their Dad, Lenny, in the early 90s.

INTERVIEW

How did this collab come about?
Bradley called me up and said his sister had written a song and wanted someone to help record it. I love working with vocalists in general and so when ur mate calls u up and says do u wanna work with a west end / broadway / hollywood singer it’s not even a question really.

Had you met Olivia Before?
I’d met her once very briefly late night outside a warehouse party that Bradley & I had DJed at, and I also saw her perform on stage in Book Of Mormon in London.

What was it like working with her in the Studio?
A mega buzz. It was great fun to hang out but also from a music & craft perspective Olivia’s one of the finest vocalists I’ve ever worked with so it was such a joy to record her, I was encouraged to take lots of backing vocals and double tracks because she was such a pro and able to hit her notes every single time, each take was identical – and perfect. A machine!!!

What do you know about the genesis of this song?
I know it’s a Phillip family heirloom! I feel ultra privileged to have worked on it, I keep calling it ‘the family jewels’

How much was written on the day?
There were 3 ‘days’ – the first was an informal recording session at a friend’s house in the middle of 2019 which I then went away and sketched a beat around. We then reconvened at the Rhythm Section section a month or two later to properly track in the vocals and then Liv went back to the US while I did some bits and pieces. At this point the beat still had a hiphop/street soul feel to it. Finally, at the very start of this year when I went back into the studio after the Xmas break I decided I wanted to write a lovers rock-style beat around the vocals and the version you hear now came about very quickly, in a couple of sessions.

Have you ever met Bradley and Olivia’s dad?
Yes! He came to one of the Rhythm Section parties I DJed at, years ago. We all went for pizza and then kicked onto the pool hall. One of the biggest moments of my DJ career was when Bradley’s dad came over and gave me a little nod and said ‘nice tunes’. Serious approval!

Did you set out to create a lovers Rock tune?
We didn’t set out to make it a lovers tune but after it had been in my head for a few months I realised it would probably sound pretty good with a lovers beat under it – I would like to stress that this was all BEFORE the big Lovers Revival Of 2020 ™

Why is Lovers having a bit of a moment again in 2020?
I think there’s a lot of space and need at the moment for beautiful warm music with meaningful loving lyrics. I think the Small Axe Lovers Rock film does a fantastic job of showing how this music in part was a means of escaping some truly awful situations and while I’m not in any way trying to compare with or co-opt the Black British experience of the 1970s, I think it’s fair to say that many of us are seeking a way out right now.

PLUS ANY OTHER INSIGHT / funny story you may have! x
Just a testament to how good a vocalist Olivia is – when u look at the waveform of the different takes she recorded and the volume levels and all that, each one is pretty much carbon copy identical… this is what comes from having a voice trained to perform the same songs every single day and twice on saturdays. I’m always blown away by masters of their craft and aside from having been part of making a great song and having had a mega laugh along the way it really was a major thrill on a professional level to work with someone who’s so good at what they do.

ORDER

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