Brrr, bit chilly isn’t it? Is there a draft about?
The Draft is an elusive experience. It rarely does what you expect, it keeps you guessing, captivates you and then swiftly destroys the evidence and moves on. The cover is abstract and mysterious. And author Klute was evasive about the nonspecific title too.
But then Klute does come from punk rock, where different rules apply. He’s not a typical D&B mass producer bashing out club anthems: he’ll always relish the prospect of delivering the unexpected: check his influences specific to the album at the end of the piece for a quick glimpse into his world. But before that, I had to ask…
Klute, you’re a DRUMMER. You play thrash, you use all limbs, live. Surely being behind a drumkit is a more interesting vantage point than being behind decks, live?
I’ve always seen them as kind of the same thing. You’ve got a layer of protection. I’ve played guitar, bass, drums and sung vocals live at one time or other and you’re far more vulnerable up there at the front. Whats great with the drums is the mischief you can cause with those two sticks. If something pisses you off you can accidentally let one slip and it goes flying into the audience, or you can pound those drums harder. With decks you can be more aggressive with the crossfader. I guess.
Isn’t it interesting that, up to fairly recently, being in a ‘band’ once seemed sort of archaic. Then it changed.
I def remember a time in the 90’s when it seemed so outmoded – at least for me which was strange because at the time you had Brit-pop owning everything. It’s funny how it’s all changed again isn’t it?
It’s all down to a process of creation., regardless of the tools one uses. So when did you start creating The Draft? WAS there a ‘start’ as such or did it just happen as in ‘hang on, this is now evolving into something’.
It all began with moving my studio. It usually takes time to adjust and once I had I started to build up some tunes.
Since the 90s I always geared myself towards being album orientated. I aim to get on a roll, usually in batches of 4 tracks and I tuck them away in my pouch. They become stages, little micro eras of my album if you like. I definitely like to keep these sets together as much as I can. I think after this one I might try bunging out singles again for a bit.
And ‘The Draft’; what’s the title mean? Like a (once) rough draft, maybe evolved?
It’s more coming from the sense of being drafted into some kind of duty. It’s ominous and ambiguous to me but it hints at where I think things might be headed, not in a literal sense but something else.
What’s the artwork?
It’s a picture I took in Tokyo of a lady on her way to work.
Travel leads us to something you’ve never told anyone…
I collect useless things. For example. I collect hotel pens but only from hotels I stay in. I have hundreds. Fridge magnets from places I’ve been and enamel badges. I love it.
Speaking of ornamental things, how do you work with vocalists? I know that may sound strange but is a vocal an organic element of the music, to you like a bass sound is, or a hi hat. Or is it sometimes bolted on later?
Yes, to me a vocal is another instrument, it happens to be a human being as it’s the last thing that they haven’t quite been able to make into a plug in.
I love Naomi Pryor’s voice.
Naomi was astonishing. I sent her a couple of rough sketches which she happened to lock into right away and quite quickly she came back with these incredibly orchestrated and layered vocals. She was a dream to work with.
I heard My Black and White on Friction’s show and thought ‘what’s that title mean?’ Can you tell, and talk us thru the track?
The lyrics were written by another of the album’s collaborators Klose who is another great vocalist/MC from North Carolina in the States. The line goes “colour over all of my black & white” when the lightblub in your head turns on and you realise all is not as it seemed.
I like that. Can you isolate another and talk us through? Maybe House of Macgiver?
A couple of years ago for a favour I did a bunch of TV work for a friend of mine. I ended up doing work on about three shows but what I really enjoyed was the strange sense of freedom it gave me. In the atmosphere of this liberation I generated a lot of ideas and sketches, a couple of which I used for the album. And this is the only one that made the cut.
There’s loads of variation on The Draft, ‘naïve’ sounding, other bits are rugged and tearing. Do you just do what you feel? Or is that hippy cobblers.
I wanted to convey some different aspects of what I do as Klute and put it into some kind of context. I’ve always been the cat who sits down to make an arse tearing tune and comes out with some romantic jazz instead. It’s the chaos that excites me.
You work with people like Phil Tangent and Tokyo Prose… what are other comrades in the music, that keep you happy, invigorated and on your toes?
I have a small circle of friends I enjoy discussing music making with. Nymfo, Dom & Roland, John Tejada… we all share bits and pieces with each other. Silent witness is another fantastic collaborator. Very impressed when I work with him.
Lastly what’s three inspiring bits of music you would play that may have influenced you, the album or just in general. Think of it as ‘influences’ in the Autonomic sense, but just to The Draft.
Bobby Hutcherson Stick Up
In the late 90s my world revolved around jazz; it was a huge influence in earlier Klute releases and about halfway through my LP it returned to me in a big way and I went in heavy.
There’s a lot of Jazz in The Draft but not in your typical pastiche way. You’ll have to search to uncover it, but it’s there. I picked this LP ‘cos it kind of groups together a lot of my fav jazz musicians. I love the Vibraphone and Bobby Hutcherson is a legend. Also Mccoy Tyner – absolute fucking legend. Beautiful LP.
Other greats listened to heavily: Yusef Lateef, Thelonius Monk, Walt Dickerson.
JK & Co Suddenly One Summer
I’m a huge fan of psychedelic music, I’m a sucker for swirling drones and backwards voices etc and its always been a key element to the sound of Klute.
This album is just one of those crazy obscure one-off albums from the 60s. Some things just age well I guess. What I like about psychedelic music is that it really is quite limitless: there’s so many different sounds and energies and I like to take inspiration from that and try and bring it into my D&B stuff.
Cliff Martinez Drive OST
Not particularly one of my favs from him at all but I’ve been a fan of Cliff Martinez since I saw Traffic when it came out and rushed out to buy the soundtrack. I’ve followed him ever since. Solaris is considered his masterpiece but personally I’ve been more blown away with Only God Forgives. Anyway, Drive seemed to constantly pop itself into my head during my writing process. From the dreamy ambience to the faux 80s pop from Kavinsky.
httpv://youtu.be/MV_3Dpw-BRY
The Draft is out now. Listen and download.
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