- Mon, 2011-06-20 16:21
Friends Stuart Francis and Howard Whatley grew their musical duo from a shared love of film scores, odd guitar tunings and heavy beats, leading to their self-titled debut Plants Plants EP and a live show combining samplers, guitars, bass, digital piano and 15+ effects pedals including Voice Boxes, Woolly Mammoth fuzzboxes and Kaoss Pads.
As a result, their music is a kaleidoscopic blend of washed out electronic ambience, scuzz math rock sequencing, manipulated instrumentation and dreamscape melody. We sent some questions across to the London duo to find out more...
"I Like Music because...it just keeps on fucking growing." Plants Plants
ILM: How did Plants Plants come to be?
Plants Plants: We met each other in 2005 while both playing in different bands. In 2010 we both found ourselves bandless and wanting to do something like what we’re doing with PP. We started writing some tunes together and here we are.
ILM: How would you describe the EP?
Plants Plants: It’s a combo of heavy beats and odd guitar tunings ... while trying to maintain a simplicity that's often forgotten in innovative modern music.
ILM: You have some great artwork both for the EP and your FB / myspace profile pics. Where are they from?
Plants Plants: Around the time of recording the early demos one of us spent a bit of time in Mexico and brought back these masks from Zihuatanejo. We started taking photos of them in different locations and later decided on one of those photos for the EP cover. All the drawings are done by a friend of ours, Mo Rah Man, exceptional artist. You can check out all of his art work at www.plusmomo.com
ILM: How would you describe your process of making music, how do you work together?
Plants Plants: It normally starts with a beat or a guitar loop, we grew up listening to a lot of Hip Hop so we try and keep things loop based and then build it from there. It’s quite a natural process for vocals, we know who is best suited to sing on what track as soon as we start putting the bare bones of it together.
ILM: What equipment do you use?
Plants Plants: A shitload of stuff from dual cassette decks to Boss SP202 Dr. Samplers (great built in condenser mic.)
ILM: Who / what are your biggest inspirations?
Plants Plants: There are honestly so many, we try and take something from everything. From DJ Shadow to Yanni. Yanni is sick.
ILM: What can we expect if we come to see you live?
Plants Plants: The songs are harder and more aggressive live than on record, just through the nature of using guitars and the way in which we perform. Live shows are fuckin fun so hopefully that comes across.
ILM: Out of all the live shows / DJ sets you've seen, which have been some of the most memorable?
Plants Plants: Jeru The Damaja at the Jazz Cafe last year, insane performance. Always loved Jeru ... serious mic skills and he was crowd surfing and shit, just one of those shows you’ll never forget.
ILM: What have you been listening to recently?
Plants Plants: Kurt Vile. Old Production House records. The theme song from 80s Canadian children's program Blizzard Island. Also recently rediscovered a band from the 90s called Self Scientific. Sick.
ILM: What are your future plans?
Plants Plants: We’re nearly finished writing our 2nd EP which we'll mix with Jas in the month or two and likely release towards the end of the year. Lots of gigging on the horizon and potentially an album next year.
ILM: Anything else we should know?
Plants Plants: We've just finished off our 3rd mixtape which involved Disney's The Little Mermaid OST and some mind bending chemicals ... so look out for that to surface sometime soon ...
