For our next band spotlight, we chat to Eddy Temple-Morris (of Losers and XFM-fame) and dubstep music producer Rednek who are both members of the innovative Jagermeister-sponsored one-off collaboration, REABO, alongside Arya Goggin (of Skindred), Yorkshireman Oli Drake [of Evile] and grime artist Beaupierre. In this interview, the pair talk about the building of, and inspirations behind monster debut single, ‘Whatever May Come’.
S] Rednek, what are you up to right now – set the scene?
R] “I’m currently working on my new album called ‘Guitars And Cigars’ which is sponsored by JägerMusicUk. I’ve unleashed a couple of songs from my new album on my Soundcloud as I needed my fans to hear the change in music as I set forth into the land of EDM.”
S] Talk us through the Jagermeister involvement in the birth of REABO?
E] “I was the first non-rock artist approached by Jagermeister, and they are a brilliant, forward-thinking brand that has cultivated and supported new (rock) music for years. Now they support all kinds of music and artists. As soon as we joined up, they loved throwing mad ideas at me, and vice versa.
We ended up doing a live set at Creamfields with me DJing remixes of rock riff classics, Stitch [D] from The Defiled playing guitar and the Freestylers’ MC, Sirreal, singing and hyping. That was the genesis of this really, Jagermeister having the sense fun and adventure to throw kindred spirits from totally different worlds together, with just creativity as the end result. It’s a wonderful thing. When they told me about The Strongroom Sessions, I leapt out of my sofa, the idea of working with such different artists in such a legendary studio – I’m close to The Prodigy and have heard great stories about that place – filled me with joy and excitement. They wanted Ol [from Evile], Arya and Beaupierre involved, I suggested Rob Rednek, and thus REABO was born.”
S] How did you structure the 12 hours to build the song, what came first, what was each other’s input like?
R] “Everybody was amazing on the day of recording! At first, of all we had to go on was an e-mail from Eddy. Fortunately, Eddy has the amazing ability to seamlessly paint a picture of his vision via a simple e-mail. I took this on board and got to work. Both Eddie and I worked very closely with all aspects of this song from vocals in the booth, to the smashing and crashing from the guitars and drums.”
S] Can you give us one or two fun memories from that recording time?
E] “I had such awful insomnia at that time, I was sleeping around 8 hours per week, which made the experience that much more intense. When you’re that tired things feel quite emotional. I remember being mostly in awe of the musicianship. Arya is such a versatile drummer, he can rock and skank with equal skill. That’s rare. And as for Ol, Ive never seen or heard anyone make noises like that with a guitar. The sounds he came up with were astonishing, just off the chart. He owns some insane looking guitars as well. When they were lined up against the wall, it looked like aliens had landed but left some of their weaponry behind when they’d gone home! I wish I could give you some funnier or more rock ‘n’ roll stories, but we were so busy in there, we just got our heads down. Unlike the recording of ‘Definitely Maybe’ by Oasis, we didn’t have time to shoot each other in the face with air rifles full of cocaine.”
S] With you all being so busy, is this just a one off single, or can we expect more, sporadically?
R] “I accepted this as a challenge as I’m not one to stick to the same format. I think you can expect more like this but maybe on different platforms of music. Jager seems to have a great way of bringing people together and it shows dramatically through the art of sound.”
S] What are the chances of getting you all together for a short tour – is that something you’ve thought about, or are you keeping it studio-based?
E] “The whole idea of the Strongroom Sessions is to see what a bunch of musos can do in just one day, so that’s it. We have the one song, which even with this array of talent, is not enough for a gig, let alone a tour, but I’d never say never to the idea that we may do something else. It was such a pleasure working with all those guys so I’d relish another opportunity.”
S] With friendships being formed here, has there been conversation with regards to you collaborating on each other’s work?
R] “Most definitely. I’ve already remixed Skindred’s last single, ‘Kill The Power’ which has done extremely well. As for everybody else on the project, I am always here with arms open ready to conquer the next challenge. Before I leave, I would like to say a special thanks to Eddy Temple-Morris as if it wasn’t for him and his belief in what I do, then maybe we would not be talking today. Thank you to all at Soundsphere as well, for your time! Respect.”
S] What were your goals with ‘Whatever May Come’ and its content – did you want it to be a proper club tune, as well as something motivational from a lyrical perspective?
E] “It’s an idea Jagermeister came up with as a novel way to support new music, have some fun and do something more positive than just making a poster and putting it on bus stops. I love how they promote their brand in this way, it’s very philanthropic. When we made it, the process was so automatic, we didn’t have time to think, only to act. We had one day to record it, so there were no goals as such, just to ignite the touchpaper and see what happened. It’s such an instinctual way of working, and I think there’s an undeniable energy about the track as a result. No over thinking, it’s raw, and it’s honest. The track is actually year old now, but still has such an impact. Beau’s lyrics are definitely motivational, inspiring, a rallying call with a theme that reflects the camaraderie we shared.”
http://youtu.be/ILjJqxQIkJw
