London Elektricity return together with their new album “Power Ballads”. After the success of their previous album, L.E. found a new sound, assembled a fully “live” crew, and are ready to prove once again why they are the true godfathers of drum and bass music. Arbiter correspondent Bryan Borcherds met the leader of London Elektricity, Tony Colman, who resembles Robbie Williams, to conduct an exclusive (world-first) interview following the release of the new album.
The new album, which, we should remind you, is released on 3 October, is called “Power Ballads.” Why?
It is a very diverse work from my point of view, and from L.E.’s point of view too. I could have made the album cover show Battersea Power Station, which I really wanted to do, because I am a huge fan of Pink Floyd, and the songs written by Liane and me are actually about the abuse of power. In general, there are many reasons to call our album exactly that. Besides, we hate power ballads!
Did you decide to move towards a different sound?
I tried to combine the live crew and the sound of the live crew as well as possible. There are several tracks with a completely new sound on the new album—that is exactly what I wanted to achieve.
This is especially clear on the first track, “Out of This World.”
Yes, it is one of the most “live” tracks, and its recording also took the most time. This album was put together differently because it was the first time we recorded with Liane (Carroll, a BBC award-winning vocalist). She would come into the studio, and we would work on proper songwriting. We ended up with a decent blend.
How did the song ideas come about?
All of last year I worked on sketches during our tour on my laptop. I made the foundation, and then Liane and I added our ideas. There is no substitute for inspiration, and you have to be inspired in order to “bend” a song. That is why it is good when two people work on a track, because you have to be ruthless about quality. It has to be excellent; otherwise, it should be discarded. That is what it takes to create a good song and album.
The third track (“Remember the Future”) has a very lively bassline. How did you arrive at it?
The starting point was a sketch I made in Cape Town when I was at Red Bull Music Academy. It begins with synthetic chords, and everything else revolved around that. Much later, during the mixing stage, I added this bassline. To make it, I used the Arturia ARP2600V and CS-80V.
“Watching You, Watching Me” is a brilliant electro-hip-hop composition. Was it a conscious decision to make it something other than d’n’b?
It was one of many ideas I was working on. I started with the drums—I was working on some breaks compositions at the time, and this composition was one of them. It seemed to me that it sounded very interesting. For me, it was unusually simple, which is what I liked about this track. We sent it to MC Wrec to add vocals, which he did.
So is the new album classic London Elektricity mixed with new London Elektricity?
I have progressed enormously as a producer: technically, I have become better at making beats, especially since I started using Cubase SX 3. I have also achieved a lot socially. I learned a great deal instead of doing only what I feel.
Did you mix the album yourself?
Yes, in SX (meaning Cubase SX3—translator’s note).
And is this London Elektricity from start to finish?
Exactly.
What did you use to create the sound of the new album, “Power Ballads”?
In Arturia CS-80V I found some excellent pads. That is exactly what I like. The instrument is also very well suited to whooshes, other special effects, and similar things. When writing “Remember the Future,” I used CS-80V particularly heavily. I use Native Instruments Reaktor a lot to create aggressive basslines. There is an instrument that someone uploaded to the NI website. It is called “Docktor Bassdrum” and is available for download on Reaktor’s page. This instrument allows you to get an incredible bass—very heavy! I use Reaktor not only for FX, but also for musical elements that revolve and genuinely develop in an interesting combination. I consider it very impressive. I would say that Reaktor is used extensively on roughly 80% of all the tracks. There are many other good instruments in Reaktor’s library on the NI website. I love the Arturia ARP2600V for basslines, but it is also well suited to lead parts, thanks to its synth emulation. To be honest, I do not think anyone else could do better than Arturia at the properties inherent in this kind of emulation.
Do you use anything else?
I really love the “Waldorf A1,” which comes with Cubase. It is very powerful, and many people use it because it comes free with SX. On the track “Hanging Rock,” I used the “Embracer” synth, which also comes with Cubase SX. Quite recently, I got Celemony Melodyne Uno. I am watching it very closely. It should be fun. I think I will end up liking it.
As a sequencer—Cubase SX3?
I use SX3 exclusively. I do also have Nuendo, but I use it for other purposes. For music, only SX 3.
What do you like most about it?
I create my beats in SX by chopping them up. I use this function because it is really good. I do everything in audio—I simply import a loop, open it, set hit-point detection, and cut off the end. All my drums are made in SX3, where everything is aligned. Except for the live drums, of course, which were played by Jungle Drummer, while I recorded them.
What advice can you give to beginner producers?
The only advice I can give is this: if you really have to do it, if you need to do it, then do it. It is in your blood. It is that simple. On the one hand, it is harder; on the other, it is easier for them. It is easy because they all have the technology at their fingertips. On the other hand, it is difficult because many people possess the same technology to an equal degree. The fact that there will always be people who genuinely want to make music—that is how you get to a level above.
A few words about Hospital Records, the label you head.
We have an excellent lineup... First of all, London Elektricity, of course, as well as High Contrast, Nu:Tone, Cyantific, Logistics, Landslide, and Q Project. We sell all releases and associated merchandise through our online store. The CD releases will also be available in regular music shops.
Thank you for the exclusive interview, Tony. I am sure the new album will be successful when it is released on 3 October.
Thank you, I had a great time making this album!
Originally published in English by Arbiter (interview: Bryan Borcherds). Translated from the Russian translation by Buran and Addams.
