ZOMBY

Zomby reprises his raw antidote to the industry’s polished banality

The most uncompromising agitator in the landscape of electronic music is back. This time he’s given us With Love, a comprehensive summary of his sound palette which resurrects the spirits of dance music’s most potent epochs once again.

The widespread fascination with Zomby is largely to do with the notoriety which surrounds his name. Via his Twitter account, which at the time of writing has around 20,000 followers, he digitally projects a cool-as-fuck anti-hero persona. It’s a relentless stream of insightful, obnoxious and hilarious statements where you might find him mocking the music industry’s increasing reliance on corporate sponsorship, dissing slanderous music journalists by name or proposing that Gucci Mane’s face is carved into the rock of Mount Rushmore.

And then there’s the no-shows. It’s hard to bring up a conversation about Zomby without someone immediately mentioning his infamous habit for not turning up to gigs, or the fact that when he does show up, the erratic tempo switches of his records can transfer to a seriously sketchy approach to mixing. But actually, putting together a lengthy list of these non appearances – with solid details of the date and venue etc – is harder than you might assume. This reputation could be an unwanted side effect of his self-mythologising behaviour, or the result of lazy journalism – are all these articles which state that ‘Zomby doesn’t show up to gigs’ simply based on other articles that do so, generating an exaggerated feedback loop of misinformation? But then, surely there’s some substance behind the reputation. Either way, when he’s asked about it in the interview published below, our conversation comes to an abrupt close.

Zomby’s music first emerged around 2007, a time when the UK’s underground club scene was encouraging producers to explore slower BPMs, syncopated rhythms and the adrenaline fuelling effects of abrasive bass levels. But Zomby vehemently distances himself from the ‘dubstep’ genre, possibly due to the continued bastardisation of the term. And those early records were always too twisted, too defiantly bizarre to slide neatly into a journalistically conceptualised movement or a party friendly DJ’s setlist, instead finding themselves on the forward thinking Hyperdub label alongside his similarly conceptual and mysterious peer Burial.

On his exhilarating debut full length Where Were U in ‘92?, Zomby summoned the ghost of old skool jungle and hardcore. Like a 35-year-old ex-raver daydreaming of pilled-up motorway misadventures to unknown destinations from his office desk, the record channelled the intensity of an era when dance music represented a genuine counterculture through a hazy lo-fi mist. And while the 4/4 rhythm’s current stronghold on the ‘credible’ dance mainstream means a lot of kids can only listen to such material with a condescending, snobbish tone of irony, Zomby’s homage was affectionate and sincere. Like the fragments of garage, early grime, airhorn noises and ragga vocals that recur throughout his catalogue, Zomby’s deep love for jungle signals an unyielding desire for the collective euphoria and rebellious thrill that electronic music can provide if blared out in an unlicensed warehouse or transmitted to fuzzy car radio speakers via pirate broadcasts.

The release of Zomby’s 2011 10” Natalia’s Song marked a signing with the legendary but consistently relevant indie label 4AD. As unlikely as the hook up initially seemed, the deal completely relieved him from pressure to create club-ready tracks or step on the conveyor belt of a typical DJ tour schedule. Zomby blossomed in his solitude, with the result being the downbeat Dedication, an album characterised by an overarching sense of nocturnal poignancy which paid tribute to his late father. It was this year that Zomby exiled himself from London to New York.

And now Zomby presents With Love. Across 33 tracks and two discs, he explores the ideas which have characterised his post Where Were U… work. There are bangers here – a ghostly MC roars “It’s time to go fucking mental!” over a menacing drum ‘n’ bass beat, and demonic jungle cuts Overdose and 777 are the work of a producer who couldn’t muster up a shit to give about a 4/4 snob’s idea of ‘tasteful’ if he tried – yet the overall feel is melancholic, contemplative and strangely tender. The album’s second half is particularly pensive. Drifting grey clouds of ambience and minor key piano loops with a metallic aftertaste are contrasted with muffled 808 thuds, rolling snares and fluttering hi-hats. It’s a style of drum pattern you could relate to trap, but that’s another term which Zomby can’t stand due to the pollution of its definition. We’re talking about a Givenchy-worshipping artist who soundtracked shows for Tokyo Fashion Week and En Noir – he doesn’t want any tacky associations tarnishing his music.

As you can imagine, tracking down Zomby for an interview is quite the headache. Elusive and reluctant to talk to journalists, the interview request process feels a little like a stab in the dark. But we install the iChat instant messenger service – Zomby’s medium of choice – and after waiting for weeks, 4AD finally manage to form a direct line of communication with him. We’re hyped of course, but unfortunately, it seems the feeling isn’t entirely mutual…

So the new album has just dropped. Roughly how many tracks do you think you’ve created since you released the Nothing EP in 2011?

No idea man, I just keep writing. Sometimes I’ll write for a purpose, sometimes I just write freely.

This one seems to have a real thematic quality, right down to the artwork and the song titles. Did you have any conceptual ideas which made you want to present it this way? Or are we gonna have to figure this one out for ourselves?

The concept is largely a love letter of my own work, to music and us as fans of music as a whole, you know? I wouldn’t say it’s a self-portrait or a work of vanity; rather it’s just a concentration of my work and passion for music. If I stopped writing freely and conceptually wrote a ten track album, I’d feel it was contrived, and then accordingly I’d have to market it that way and I’m not that kind of artist. 4AD have given me the freedom to work as a real artist, in the sense that I get to explore and create my own narrative carefully and thoughtfully.

33 songs is a lot, but I’m a musician, I love to write music. I could do 3333 tracks if I was allowed. Not even by 4AD, I mean by my own respect for the music I love myself, rather. But obviously, if you work with people who won’t let you express your own work what’s the point? I often think that what major labels do to some artists makes the music so generic and formulaic. But I just do my thing, and I don’t give a shit about any of that really.

You often put tunes together (let’s say between track two and three on Disc One of the new album, for example) where there’s an abrupt, sudden change in tempo and style. Is that a conscious ‘fuck you’ to those of us demanding comfy, slick mixes or are you not really thinking about that?

I want them to jar at times, if everything’s grey, you wont see any colour. You see the idea of progression as everything being a comfortable smooth ride, which is fine. But if a track has no intro, it’s because it doesn’t need one. The body is self-explanatory, it’s obvious what the intro would be, and the same for an outro or the length of a song or whatever. I mean how large should a painting be, or which color should a sculpture be and why? The artist decided to create his narrative is all.

It’s about conviction, I don’t like to dwindle on my work, I just move on. I don’t think I’ve ever gone back to a song, I do everything in one take and it’s over. I just stab the titles on the keyboard, and I can never find the fucking titles again anyway. None of that’s important to me.

Right, are we talking like 15 mins working on a track? Two hours? Three?

It depends what I’m doing, if I’m zoned it can be 15 minutes, if I’m fucking around it can be a couple of hours. So to do it fast or slow makes no odds, just how you wanna do it really I guess. I think that became a new realisation for modern music if I’m honest … Scoring music is a lot slower.

Like the stuff you’ve done for fashion events?

What do you mean?

In terms of ‘scoring’, you’ve worked on soundtracks right? Tokyo Fashion Week etc…

They’re perhaps the most purposeful ways my music enters a realm. I’ll write purposefully for that, or they choose a song of mine.

Have you ever cooked up tracks with their ‘club functionality’ in mind?

The ability to control the entire dynamic of your work is to be able to create what’s in your mind. All of my music is built with club functionality in mind and also none of it is. I don’t want it to be defined too intently, so I sit it on the edge. I mean Where Were U in 92? is a club or rave album, but at the same time it’s another love letter to music of our past, you know?… I don’t make delirious sing along festival music.

There’s an assumption about you I think – maybe because of the mask, maybe because of the distant sound of the tracks – that you’re somewhat detached from ‘raving’ or ‘clubbing’ in the physical sense, is that a misconception?

I don’t even give a fuck to answer any assumptions to be honest, haha. I’m not the phantom of the opera, that’s retarded. I mean anyone can assume anything, that doesn’t necessarily mean it deserves a response. Who would know if I’m out anyway, and whose business would it be if I’m out with my friends? Not being rude … but that’s half rude. I mean why would anyone think that … I don’t have a day job, I can work all month or not at all. I hate that kinda dumb shit, no offence.

It’s just that discussions about your music have assumed the distance/murkiness of your tracks has something to do with it, or the fact that it’s inspired by distant memories from your past, if you get what I mean? But we’ll move on to the next question yeah?

It’s because I write my music to be that. I don’t want it to be in the pile of all the other genres. My music is a reflection of my taste in art and I just don’t like unnecessary decoration.

I’m proud of my life and everything I’ve done, and all the artists who’ve created the great work I love. I’m not in some nostalgic or retrograde, and neither am I emo about it. I’m celebrating it. Where Were U in ‘92? was an invite to enjoy the music.

It’s said that the UK underground/dance/club scene is thriving right now, I guess in terms of attendance and profit generated – but from your perspective, does it seem in good health now?

I dunno to be honest, I’ve been in New York for the last year and a half, but it doesn’t look like it if lads are shuffling to bait house from about 15 years ago though.

It’s a different art form to what was happening in the 90s. Back then pirate radio was a strong culture, the clubs were great, DJs were great and there were record shops everywhere. Independent fashion, music and art was thriving, it was a different period, I mean you can watch any video of any rave to know that, listen to the music – it even sounds that way. But don’t just take my word for it, ask anybody who knows about the whole culture of this.

But that’s only that music, it doesn’t reflect on anything going on now. It wasn’t better then than now or vice versa, it was just a different genre of music by different generation of artists, but what leant to it being created was maybe a bit more soulful than what we have now…

Can we talk about rap?

Yeah.

You’re into new Chicago/Drill stuff in a big way right?

Not in that way, it just happens that a bunch of shit I’m listening to is from Chicago.

The reason I asked about Chief Keef, Young Chop and all them is because – like the beats you’re passionate about – I imagine you look for intensity in rap.

I like their sound, just sounds like what I wanna hear right now.

There’s drum sequences in your tunes, and particularly on With Love, fragments of sounds you could relate to ‘trap’ or early Memphis hip-hop beats…

Well yeah I guess I like the syncopation, it allows for more abstraction, rap’s more abstract now than it’s ever been really, it’s just about a perfect sound for me – half a darker R’n’B sound, and half old Memphis rap sound. I love Tommy Wright III, old Triple 6 Mafia shit, Lord Infamous etc, so this is my taste I guess. There’s no real dots I’m trying to connect to push an image, it’s just the sound I like, I explore it myself, but in my own style. But I don’t wanna talk about trap or have that word anywhere near my name.

[Record label inform us that we have one question left]

OK – no worries if you’re sick of being asked about this – but the fact that so many articles say you have a reputation for missing gigs, do you think that’s just a total exaggeration. I ask, because when your music is discussed, that seems to be mentioned straight away, and I’d like you to have your say.

Oh man. I’m not answering some stupid shit from 2007, it’s 2013 I’ve been round the world about three times. This isn’t music shit, this is sensational shit. I’m out.

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With Love is out now via 4AD records

Words: David Reed

Photo: Shawn Brackbill