Before Today

I’ve come from an electronic background, making my own music as a kind of therapy. I didn’t have a lot of money, was in and out of rubbish jobs and unemployed quite a lot; so, making music was definitely about creating a soundtrack to escape from the world.

As a teenager, when the Walkman came out, you’d be with your family, but you’d be in a pair of headphones permanently. That becomes the soundtrack to your life when you’re a teenager. I’ve got a strong memory of sitting with my family watching TV, flicking the radio on, on my Walkman, and this track ‘Reward’ by The Teardrop Explodes came on. It was quite a mature track to be listening to at ten, but I just remember it filling my head and thinking, ‘Oh my god’. Headphones were great for that kind of experience.

Back then it felt like a really big thing. Now it’s more normalised. People listen to podcasts while jogging, they’re not immersed in Howard Jones or something like that. It was a very conscious choice back then.

Nature, Lockdown, and Albus

Albus was made during lockdown when I was staying at my parents’ house. I was kind of trapped there at the time. Where my dad lives there’s a path that goes into Lincoln, so I’d put my rucksack on and cycle into town for shopping. Lockdown was fully in place, so the streets were empty and it was really strange. I’d listen to unfinished versions of the tracks on those bike rides. They were longer versions because it was about a six-mile ride, so they became a soundtrack to that journey.

I have a love of nature, landscapes and gardening. When we moved into this house, the garden was one of the things that sold it to us. The people we bought it from were always in the garden. There are so many birds and so much great planting.

The layers I added to the album later were inspired by how lush the garden is in the summertime. I did try to embellish things more, because I can happily listen to a synth line for twenty minutes, but other people might need a bit more to listen to.

Working with Sleaford Mods has taught me how to make music a bit more accessible.

Space, Minimalism, and Patience

There’s quite a lot of patience in your solo work. What do you enjoy about letting sounds evolve and having space?
It’s a minimalist thing. I like being able to hear everything that’s there. If music gets too cluttered or too full, I lose focus on what I’m supposed to be listening to.

A lot of modern electronic music can be like that. Modern pop music is like that. K-pop is like that. It’s almost the opposite of a fear of open spaces, where everything has to be filled.

I’m an ’80s kid, so music from the ’70s and ’80s had a lot of space in it. Joy Division, early electronic music, synthesised music from that period. That sense of space has always stayed with me.

When we think about ambient music, it often feels like it sits between foreground and background. When you’re making music, do you imagine it being actively listened to or sitting alongside the listener?
I hope it’s down to the individual. I’ve always liked instrumental music, instrumental hip-hop and stuff like that. I like vocals, but they don’t have to be there. Music without singing makes it easier to escape into. It transcends language. It depends what’s going on in your brain, really.

People have said in the past that music I’ve made that they like is good for cleaning the house, or for driving. It has got that driving quality. But some people find what I do too hedonistic to listen to while driving, because it’s too ambient.

A lot of people like something with a vocal narrative to sing along to while they’re driving.

Solo Work and Sleaford Mods

The Sleaford Mods video for The Good Life was shot in one take. How was that?

It was amazing. It was directed by a brilliant Director; Ben Wheatley. We turned up and he had it all set up. We rehearsed, broke for dinner, then did about five takes and nailed it.
We also did different versions with the lights out and with strobe lighting. I’d never done anything like that before. One-take videos are brilliant – you’re really seeing what was actually happening.

When you’re creating, is there a sense of wanting to leave something behind?

I’m just in the moment really. We live in strange times. When I grew up there was 3 tv channels and everyone saw the same film, everyone watched the same things on TV. There was a shared experience.
Even epic things don’t get remembered now. Everything fills the void so quickly.

Do you think being grounded in nature is becoming more important as the world speeds up?

I do, yeah. I don’t know if it’s my age. You get to fifty and you adjust. You see the world differently. You’re more reflective and more appreciative.
When I was younger, especially in the ’90s, I was more nihilistic about my existence. Lots of drinking and drug taking, a sort of no-future sensibility… and maybe it’s still like that for young people now.
Nature is really rewarding if you can connect with it. Once you do, it can’t be taken away from you. It’s really connective.

What kind of music do you like listening to?

All sorts. Since we moved here, I’ve been rebuying old stuff like Future Sound of London records. But all sorts really; if we see records in a thrift shop - you never know what you’re going to buy. I recently bought a Grace Jones album, the one with Pull Up to the Bumper on it.

Any new music recommendations?

Big Special. There’s a London band called Pengshui - banging metal drumnbass type sound. I heard an Estonian duo called Puuluup recently, who do traditional Estonian music but with contemporary melodies. And there’s a hip-hop artist called Jaz Kahina – it’s a tune. A bit old school – really good.