- Wed, 2011-04-20 15:47
Combining intricate finger-picking guitar and traditional song-writing with a love for the modern electronica of Modeselektor and Apparat, London multi-instrumentalist James Yuill spawns a rich sonic combination of ethereal electronics peppered with swaying accoustics and mellifluous vocals.
Signed to feisty London independent label Moshi Moshi, James Yuill released his third full length album Movement In A Storm last year and has just returned from SXSW 2011. I Like Music caught up with James to chat about the inaugural Texan music-fest, developing songs in his bedroom studio and his plans for the summer.
"I Like Music because… it comes from nothing and it can move you so much.” James Yuill
ILM: Can you tell us about your single Crying For Hollywood? What does it mean to you?
James: There are lots of things jumbled in there, I’m never really that specific when it comes to what songs are about! I suppose Crying For Hollywood was initially about being discovered, someone putting their faith in you. I was on EMI publishing for my first record, so it’s loosely based on people investing in you. I mention the Hollywood bit because a couple of years ago I travelled to Hollywood to play gigs. At the time I thought it was pretty crazy that I was wandering around Hollywood doing something that was like a dream for me whilst just writing music in my bedroom. I tried to make it quite upbeat, but I’m not that good at writing upbeat lyrics… If you listen to them properly, they sound quite, almost, evil…
ILM: It’s the third single from Movement In The Storm. Can we expect more singles from that album?
James: We were thinking of putting another single out from the album, but I’m now starting to write new material. I’ve always thought of albums as moments in time for an artist. As I’ve started writing new material, it seems a bit odd to go ahead and release an older track. It’s nice to be back in studio, well, my bedroom! I’m not sure how much of the stuff I’m writing will come out but yeah, I’m doing a lot of writing and producing, it’s cool.
ILM: When you’re writing do you reach for the guitar first or the production suite? How do you go about it?
James: It varies. With the last album I realised that the majority of demos that made it through to the final album were the songs I’d done with guitars first. I think that’s because when you’re sitting down with the guitar you don’t have the option to loop stuff, you have to play it through, so you naturally make sure you have a middle eight and a bridge and all these various things before you put it into the computer. It makes the songs a bit more dynamic, it allows them to stand up to repeated listens. If you have a computer and start just looping them up, it can tend to get a bit one dimensional. So, I try and start all songs on guitar, but there have been a couple of ones that I’m writing at the moment that have been done on the computer first...
ILM: When you start writing on the guitar do you have an idea how the electronic aspects will eventually filter in? Or is it a case of just seeing where it takes you?
James: It depends. The majority of times I literally just sit down with the guitar and I don’t think about what the electronic production is. Sometimes it differs. I had a very strong idea of where I wanted My Fears from the album to go, how I wanted it to sound. That’s why the guitar is quite minimal, I wanted it to be quite dance-y, so instead of having intricate finger picking, I just had chords. Same as On Your Own, those songs were made with dance music in mind. The more intricate ones I write completely on the guitar, then fit production around it. It’s a bit of both really, there’s no proper science to it. Sometimes it works great if you just come up with some random chords, record them on the computer and chop them up.
ILM: When you’re working in your bedroom studio, do you ever find yourself wishing there was someone else there to collaborate with or add to the creative process?
James: Kind of. Yeah, in a way. Although I think that’s more the live side of it. I started in bands and jamming with people, I really enjoy that style of writing because you’re not so worried about the theoretical side of if, it’s just about it sounding good. With computer music I think it’s very difficult, or at least I find it very difficult to sit down with someone and share an idea before it’s put in a computer. It’s such a long process, you have to choose the sound, figure out the part on keys. It’s much easier to do it yourself and then maybe get someone else to mess around with it after you’ve kind of had your fun! Live wise, I had the fortunate pleasure to play the bass for Casiokids last year, it was so much fun! I’ve always wanted to be in the Casiokids! It just reminded me how much I love playing in bands and jamming with people. It’s definitely something that I miss. Whether or not it’s something I’d do for my solo stuff, I’m not sure. But certainly if the opportunity ever arose to join a band, then probably…I would do it.
ILM: Your music combines strong elements of electronic and indie, and as a result, slides up alongside the Chill-wave movement which has garnered a lot of attention on a number of blogs over the last year or so. Have you paid much attention to that movement, those developments in sound?
James: I came quite late to the party on that one. I’m not very good at keeping up with new bands! I’ve just been getting into the Twin Shadow album that a friend sent me. There are obviously tons of people, mainly male artists, who do this bedroom production style. I wouldn’t associate myself with them musically, they’re a completely different style. But yeah, it’s pretty interesting that there is this huge movement now. Would Star Slinger be lumped in there as well? Yeah? Well, I’m a fan of the movement. Whether or not I try and replicate the style of production, I’m not sure. I think it’s all because of how easy it is to make music in your bedroom now. There’s a lot more people who appreciate all kinds of music, so there is songwriting combined with chilled out dance beats. It’s just a natural progression I suppose.
ILM: How much attention do you pay to musical trends? How do you channel your influences when you’re creating your music, does it play a big part in what you do?
James: Well...I’m not very good at keeping up with modern music! Most of the time I’m making it, so I rarely listen to it unless someone recommends something. When I know I have to write, I listen to a lot of stuff that influenced me at the beginning, like Joni Mitchell and John Martyn and people like that, alongside the electronic music which I try and keep up with. I listen to a lot of Modeselektor and Apparat . A lot of modern electro stuff. I guess that side I’m quite up on things. But yeah, I just try going back to my roots and find what influenced me right at the start, like decent songwriting. It’s more a case of listening to older stuff, proper songwriting.
ILM: You were at South By South West this year! How was that? Did you get a good reception out there?
James: It was good fun! The first time I went I only had one show, so this time it was quite important for me to do more than one - I ended up doing four, which is probably the right amount. You also want to see a load of bands as well, and it was great to do that, then come back and do all this writing. It’s seriously inspiring to see what other people are doing musically. So yeah, had the shows, they all went well, it was just about manageable! I don’t think I’d want to do too many more crammed into those four days. But, if you only do one, you kind of get lost as there as so many bands playing. It’s very important to do multiple shows. It’s great there, really good!
ILM: And it’s not a standard festival is it, there’s the strong element of industry showcase. What’s that like?
James: Yeah. You have delegates and people with wristbands. It’s quite expensive I think! If you want to go to all the official shows then you need to have a badge or something…It’s a lot of money to be a delegate. It’s certainly growing. There were loads more punters this year than when I’ve been before.
ILM: How does the atmosphere differ to a standard festival, considering the ‘industry insiders’ addition?
James: Yeah. There’s a lot of industry people. They do open up shows for fans though, which is good. But yeah, it’s a good place to showcase if you’re not American, to find a booking agent. The whole industry is literally there. You meet tons of people that you just wouldn’t meet at a gig in the UK as well. So yeah, it’s good for networking!
ILM: Did you see any bands that made a real impact on you?
James: Oh yeah, definitely. I saw this band called Too Fresh. They’re twins, and they make instrumental Hip Hop. It was so good that I went back the next day to see them again! They were fantastic! And Deadalus! He’s mental, absolutely amazing! He’s got this monome, it’s basically a grid of, I think, 32 by 32 buttons, and that’s how he controls his set! It’s just absolutely amazing to watch! Those were the two that stood out. I saw Clock Opera, they were very, very good. And Gallops as well, they’re someone I know of, I played a gig with them years ago, but they’ve come on so, so well. They’re really, really tight now. They’re a fantastic band, I’m going to go and see them next week!
ILM: Where can we see you in the next months?
James: I was meant to be going on tour with Fenech-Soler, but that got postponed, which is why I have this nice moment of freedom. I’m playing a couple of nights in Brighton at Concorde 2 and a night at KOKO for Playground, that’s 22nd and 23rd April. Festivals are still rolling in too, so it’s still early days for that. There probably won’t be any massive headline festival shows for me, I they’ve all been sorted now, but I’m just waiting to hear on some smaller ones…!
