HOW DARE ANYONE ANYTHING EVER: An interview with Vincent Vocoder Voice!

 

Below is our interview with Vincent Vocoder Voice.

 

To stay up to date with future interviews like our facebook page at the following link - https://www.facebook.com/aldorabritainrecords

 

 

PART 1 - THE INTERVIEW

 

What is your earliest musical memory and what pushed you towards perusing a career in the music business?

 

"I was played Wagner's 'Ring Cycle' when I was in the womb. Perhaps that stuck with me, though I've experienced no latent anti-Semitic feelings bubbling up just yet. I've just started reading Schopenhauer (criminally late); in the preface the translator states that Schopenhauer considered music 'the genuine art and the sound of being', and 'in the playing of music and listening to music all our senses, including the sense of the mind, are attuned to the bad and good fortune of living'. I think I've always felt this on an intuitive level. I certainly didn't get into it for money, as there isn't any: nowadays everyone expects all music for free, and there are wolves in a hundred directions looking to rip musicians off. It's always been more or less pay-to-play in the UK and, unfortunately, I can't see things ever being any different. Perhaps worse."

 

What kind of records where on around the house when you were younger and would you say that these records still have an influence on your songs today?

 

"The eighties… Phil Collins. Dire Straits. Talking Heads. Early U2. The Police. I feel, as a general rule, that pre-nineties popular songwriters tended to write with greater humility, self-awareness and vulnerability, whereas now it's all peacocking and arrogance: 'if you can't handle me, you ain't man / woman enough'. The pop song has become clichéd and emotionally impoverished, whereas I can still feel something beyond simple nostalgia listening back to a lot of pre-nineties popular music. In that respect – I suppose I could sum it up as their 'integrity' – growing up on those sorts of records probably helps me to resist the trend for glossing over anything cool kids would consider pretentious or 'OMG, TMI!' Basically, they taught me to not give a shit about being cool. And irony, 'homage' and flippancy is for cowards."

 

Where did the name Vincent Vocoder Voice come from?

 

"About seven years ago I was struggling with the realization that some part of me is always sadistically ready and eager to point out the flaws in every single dream, joy and relationship I will ever have. Something in me was taking great pleasure in showing me the self-serving, greedy component behind my every nice deed or kind word; how doomed every romantic relationship I would ever be involved in would be; the hypocritical fault lines between my 'morals' and my actions; that I am doomed to strive for some mystical 'complete happiness' when it is fundamentally unattainable because I am a human being. And 'Vincent Vocoder Voice' just came into my head. It was in the manner of a mystical revelation except, rather than the comforting gold light of hearing the True Name of God, it was more like having cold oil poured over your brain by a Philip K. Dick-esque demiurge."

 

How would you describe the sound of Vincent Vocoder Voice?

 

"A psychological big crunch."

 

You have released one album to date. The album cover certainly stands out. What is the influence behind this and why did you choose it?

 

"I wanted something simple, stark, striking. A mask caricaturing human sorrow and horror staring down a black void seemed fitting. It's also a nod to the Tajitu. The blocks of black and white. I am, at heart, a Taoist. Vincent Vocoder Voice is a Taoist album."

 

The opening track of the album is called ‘How Dare Anyone Anything Ever’. This features a spoken word vocal. Where does this vocal come from and why did you incorporate it into the tune?

 

"I assume you mean the sample? It's an excerpt from Carl Jung. I felt it summed up the revelation I described above, this entity, with a squeamish kind of accuracy."

 

The penultimate track on the album is called ‘MEMEMEMEMEMEMENOW’. What is the influence behind this song and what is it about?

 

"It begins with the selfish, the present, the pettiness of the now. As the song progresses we zoom out from our human lives in space and time, until, from a cosmological perspective, all human suffering is rendered trivial and all human achievement meaningless. We face inevitable annihilation as individuals, then as a species, then as a concept. Heat death. Though it may appear that I'm just sadistically torturing the listener, I'm really trying to instil the correct perspective of what it means to be a human being, and through that understanding - though initially painful to grasp – acceptance, and peace."

 

Any live dates coming up?

 

"Sticky Mike's (Brighton) on January 29th. Then a tour of the south February 24th – early March."

 

Any new songs in the pipeline?

 

"There will be an EP out very soon."

 

When can fans expect the next official release?

 

"Around March."

 

 

PART 2 - THE QUICKFIRE ROUND

 

Favourite Beatle?

 

"Lennon, I guess."

 

Favourite band?

 

"The Paper Chase."

 

Favourite new band?

 

"Clarence Clarity, Kins or Cold Crows Dead. Sorry, couldn't pick just one."

 

Favourite song?

 

"Umm."

 

Favourite album?

 

"Off the top of my head, and for sheer personal influence, Madonna by And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead."

 

Vinyl, CD or download?

 

"Vinyl."

 

When you press shuffle on your iPod, what is the first song that comes on?

 

"Don't Go to Pieces by Hope of the States."

 

Style icon?

 

"Levon Helm."

 

Favourite film?

 

"Antichrist."

 

Favourite TV show?

 

"I'll go for Deadwood."

 

Who would play you in a film of your life?

 

"Some poor bastard with bent bones."

 

 

Hope you enjoyed this feature on Vincent Vocoder Voice! Check out our previous feature on Mayfield!

Check out Vincent Vocoder Voice here - https://www.facebook.com/vincentvocodervoice

 

You can also like our facebook page to keep up to date with all future interviews at the following link - https://www.facebook.com/aldorabritainrecords

 

AB RECORDS

HOW: Our interview with Liam McClair who recently released his EP, 'How'!

 

PART 1 - "THE INTERVIEW"

 

1 - What was your first musical memory and what pushed you towards pursuing a career in the record industry?

 

"My first musical memory was my mum playing a blues song on the piano and me and my best pal dancing around my lounge to it, we must have been about six or seven. It was fantastic and the effect the music had on us has stayed with me. I decided to pursue a career in music as I love singing and writing and the idea of touring is my dream. Visiting new cities and playing gigs to different crowds every night then moving onto the next place sounds incredible."

 

2 - Had you been involved with any other bands prior to becoming a solo artist as Liam McClair?

 

"No, I was never one of those kids who sang in all the concerts, I started the guitar through GCSE music then played in my room learning my favourite songs and writing my songs. Then I have always performed alone but I would love to play with a band."

 

3 - Why did you choose to become a solo artist instead of forming a band?

 

"It wasn't a particularly conscious decision, I decided to focus on gigging often and it seemed easier to just have my guitar and my head to take to each place. It has just been more manageable and I can do as many gigs as I can and I am not reliant on anyone but myself and perhaps I feel my songs are very personal and therefore, I like to perform them myself."

 

4 - How would you describe the sound of Liam McClair?

 

"Chilled, acoustic music. I hope my songs are catchy so there is a pop element to them as well as influences from folk music. My voice is quite unique too so I hope that makes me memorable. I am not sure what genre I would be in though. I will leave that to the listeners to decide!"

 

5 - Your most recent EP is called ‘How’. Why did you choose this title for your EP?

 

"There is a track on the EP called 'How' and it is named after that. I wrote it about when you feel besotted by someone to the point where you put them on a pedestal and in actual fact they are just the same as anyone else, but somehow their looks elevate them to a higher level of importance. I was trying to capture the feeling I had the first time I saw someone I truly wanted to spend time with and truly desired."

 

6 - Do you have any 'rituals' before going on stage?

 

"Not really, tune my guitar? I guess that is just good practice though. Usually I do not have a great deal of time before starting to play so I don't think I would have much time for any rituals."

 

7 - Any live dates coming up?

 

"Yeah, on the 20th October am I playing at Odder Bar on Oxford Road for Hive Radio, for more updates of my gigs you can visit my facebook page and twitter page."

 

8 - Any new songs in the pipeline?

 

"Yeah, I recorded another four track EP with Hourglass Productions in Manchester. It was fantastic; they are great guys to work with. It is currently being mixed but it is very exciting. I am also looking to record three more tracks with a producer in Liverpool called Steph Marziano so there is plenty of new material on the way!"

 

9 - When can fans be expecting the next release?

 

"I am not sure yet, the end of the year or the start of next year. Once the EP is mixed I can decide when it comes out. I only released 'How' in June so I may wait a while yet."

 

10 - Who would be your dream collaboration?

 

"I think Stevie Wonder, he is an artist I have always admired and his ability to write such upbeat and memorable songs is something I envy. His song 'Superstition' might be one of my favourite songs ever, especially to dance to. So to collaborate with him would be incredible."

 

11 - Who would be in your dream super group?

 

"Keyboard - Stevie Wonder, vocals - Bill Withers and guitar - Joni Mitchell. I guess it would kind of be folk funk, but I would dig it."

 

PART 2 - "THE QUICKFIRE ROUND"

 

1 - Favourite Beatle?

 

"George Harrison."

 

2 - Favourite band?

 

"Arctic Monkeys."

 

3 - Favourite new band?

 

"Alt-J, there debut album is the thing I have listened to most recently. It is fantastic."

 

4 - Favourite song?

 

"War, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble."

 

5 - Favourite album?

 

"The Bends, Radiohead. It was always on in the car when I was growing up so I have fond memories of listening to it."

 

6 - Vinyl, CD or download?

 

"Vinyl, I bought one in my second year of university and fell for it completely. The crackle at the start of each record brings such a nostalgic feel to the tracks and as it lends itself much better to listening to a whole album through."

 

7 - Style icon?

 

"I wouldn't say I had one really, I used to be criticised a lot in my house at uni for my dress sense, they would probably say Bananarama! I quite like nineties fashion so I like to shop in charity shops and to try and find more vintage style clothes but anything goes really."  

 

8 - Favourite clothing brand?

 

"Again I don't really have one. I guess I quite like Ralph Lauren polo's so I'll say them."

 

9 - Favourite film?

 

"Shawshank Redemption."

 

10 - Favourite TV show?

 

"Homeland."

 

11 - Who would play you in a film of your life?

 

"When I had longer hair I used to get people saying I looked like Zac Efron, so I'll chose him."

 

12 - Favourite food?

 

"Macaroni cheese."

 

13 - Football team?

 

"Manchester United, although I am going to try and get down to some Macclesfield Town games, support my local team!"

 

Hope you enjoyed this feature on Liam McClair! Check out our previous feature on Buffalo Clover!

 

Check out Liam McClair here - https://www.facebook.com/LiamMcClairMusic and www.twitter.com/liammcclair

 

You can also like our Facebook page to keep up to date with all future interviews at the following link - https://www.facebook.com/aldorabritainrecords