Coerce steps up with likeminded gents such as PLK and Mako for the Re:Birth EP on Utopia and it seemed like a good opportunity to also talk about films, tanks, Sabbath and toy keyboards. Everything really. Such as…
Do you paint? If you were forced to paint at gunpoint what would it be?
No I don’t, I’m not very artistic. Plus it’s bit messy and there’s no command z option for when I make I mistake.
Interesting question. I wonder if philosophically there’s some kind of correct answer to this?
Given the the hypothetical scenario I would maybe take a risk paint and depiction of the gunman’s mother in bed, dying of some awful terminal disease. Assuming he didn’t blast my brains out there and then he would subsequently be so overcome with instant grief, sadness and newfound compassion. His brutal façade would disappear, he would put down his gun and begin sobbing like a child.
I would then walk around the corner to the gelato store that happens to be close by in this hypothetical scenario and buy us an icecream. He only gets vanilla though, I get pistachio.
I know of your work with Andyscopes over time… where are you based?
Yeah, Andy’s one of the main reasons I got into D&B and writing tunes. He’s certainly a guy who knows his craft. Myself and Andy are both originally from Croydon but neither of us live there now, I’m based in Haringey these days which despite being more central is a lot less intense than Croydon.
Your track for this Utopia comp is fantastic… how did it evolve? It transports me! I imagine being lost in it at that moment when dawn is about to break and I’m driving.
Thanks man. It’s interesting how subjective music can be and I’m glad it visually takes you somewhere. That’s what all music should do.
When I first started the track I wanted to try create something sparce and stripped back involving more of a focus attention to texture than anything else. I’d been listening to a lot of dub techno and stuff like Sigha at the time.
I later added in more different elements such as snippets of Arabic violins, samples from old sephardic folk and other field sounds to give more of a sense of surrounding environment with intention to give it a Middle Eastern vibe.
It’s quite a dirty-sounding track compared to the others on the ep that are all superbly produced… but feel it works to convey it’s own atmosphere and vibe.
I wanted to convey calm with a sense of unease, of gloom.
Can you tell us what ‘Merkava’ means?
‘Merkava’ is a tank. At the time of putting it together in 2013 I’d become more interested in the situation in Israel & Palestine. I had been watching and reading a lot of material online detailing the history and the differing viewpoints of the ongoing conflict when I stumbled upon a vid by an Israeli guy I’m assuming peace activist interviewing children at war museum there.
The kids were happily climbing and playing on the Merkava and candidly talking to the interviewer of how they would be excited to kill their enemies one day. It was grim to watch.
Just a small example of how the establishment there try to indoctrinate an insular mindset of fear, paranoia, hate and war instead of peace and tolerance at such an early age.
After seeing that the title ‘Merkava’ just seemed to work for what the broader theme of this tune is about.
What do you use setup-wise?
My set up is a bit of joke really. I produce on a 2003-era Mac linked to external monitor as the CRT on the Mac died. In addition to that I’m still still using Cubase sx2 and a Reason 2. I also have a PSS Yamaha toy keyboard I found dumped outside a block of flats in Gipsy Hill which I occasionally use.
It can get some cool sounds once processed. I keep on saying I’ll invest in new stuff but beer and the need for prolonged exposure to sun get in the way.
What else in life influences you?
Everything: Love, anxiety, joy, solitude, injustice. Enviroment too, whether it be human or the nature.
What’s something you saw recently that you liked?
The Scottish film Shell springs to mind. I rarely watch many films as I have a terrible attention span and generally feel robbed of 90 minutes if I sit down and watch most mainstream films.
This film’s as far from Hollywood as you could possibly get though. The plot’s very sparce based around a girl and her father living and working in a petrol station on the highlands. Throughout most of it nothing much happens really.
But it conveys a sense of isolation, the feeling of being trapped. It’s beautifully shot, but is quite sad. …if you like fast cars, tits and explosions it’s lacking these elements a little.
If you play live, what sort of people will be on the lineup and what stuff gets drawn?
As Coerce? I’ve never tried performing any of my material as Coerce live. The idea of pressing a button and doing little else would freak me out. I dunno how that guy from Sleaford Mods does it. I used to be in a band with Andy Skopes that combined combined post-rock with alt rap. That was fun.
I guess it would be cool to do something like that again where there’s live and programmed elements but it would separate from what I do as Coerce.
If you could be present at any album studio session ever which one and what do you imagine?
Tough one. I’d love to see how Godspeed You Black Emperor build their stuff in a studio or to have been kicking about when Geezer Butler first played those three notes defining notes from Black Sabbath would have been pretty special.
But for something game changing I would have to say it would have been great to have been at the studio when punk band Discharge were recording their Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing album.
I like a lot of hardcore and metal and that album really changed music. Completely. There was nothing as full on, noisy and aggressive as that before. This signalled that punk really had left behind obnoxious clowns managed by a fashion designer and had changed to being far less about aesthetic and more genuinely pissed off. It became a lot more angry, but it had a heart and anti-war message to go with it.
For me although D&B came from funk its energy and power originate from this stuff too.
In general, the Re:Birth ep is so good. I love that PLK tune but also the Sunchase tune is lovely and random! So insane and lush!
It’s a great ep isn’t it. I’m incredibly flattered to be included on it as all the tunes and producers on it are top notch.
A great thing having listened to all the separate tunes a good few times now is I how it works really well as whole. Each tune has its own vibe going it all ties in together and feels cohesive.
The PLK tune has a lovely spacious feel, very free, it flows really nicely – kinda reminds me maybe a little of Naibu.
It makes me wanna put on a backpack and go exploring some far off land. The Colab between Mateba, Hydro and War is darker piece. Eerie and deep in feel. Again incredibly crisp in production. They’ve got the sound on this track down. It’s incredibly tight.
The Mako redub of Sunchase’s track here has really brought a new feel to the original. The Sunchase track is super in its own right – I love his tune with Blu Mar Ten by the way.
But Steve (Mako) has really reinvented the feel of it with use of more texture and field sounds that pad it out and bring a different sense of environment. This version feels a bit more heady.
As with all things Mako, it’s produced to the kind of detail-orientated perfection that makes me envious and inspired in equal measure ha ha.
What tune is in your head today?
‘Brainstorm’ by Hawkwind and ‘Ali Baba’ by John Holt have been going round my head for days. Both classics. You caught me on a good day. It could have easily been something far more cheesy.
Shouts to Mako, Andyskopes, Utopia Artists and CPFC fans worldwide. Peace.