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The name was adopted for the album because it is relevant to this period of my life (being in BL and being a user of the shops at the base) and, to me anyway, it is quite evocative. It has a tempo and rhythm that reminds me of Bueno Vista Social Club, whilst the words factory and metal of course have strong musical connotations too, all be they from other areas of music genre. But then, as Dejan likes to say – I am quite mad!! Anyway, I liked it and that’s enough to get the job done. Q.What’s the scene in Banja Luka? A. The picture that fronts the album is a partial shot of the studio control room at Pacifik in BL. It has been messed with, the studio isn’t really covered in red slime (ha, ha) – many things but not red slime anyway! Pacifik is one of several decent functional studios here and one which I chose through local connection and after asking around. The fact that there are studios, radio and tv stations that are head-quartered in such a (relatively) small city is great and an indication of the historical importance of art and music in BiH and former Yugoslavia. BL is a vibrant place for clubs and music generally. The live scene is small however and gigs are tough to get for local acts because of the limited number of venues in the town. But hey, its easier for the musicians here than in any other town of 200,000 people that I know – which are usually limited to a couple of social clubs and pubs! Q.Why choose BL for the recording? A. Because of the historical pull towards the arts here, there are more properly trained musicians per square meter than where I grew up. It is this rich pool of talent that created the opportunity for me to record the album here. And we mostly had a real hoot doing it, and that isn’t always the case either. It’s true to say that most people here are ducking and diving here trying to earn what they can and to get ahead. But it’s a tough environment to grow up in. The UK tv programme Only Fools and Horses is a huge success here and I think it is because the people can see people they know amongst the tv characters. So whilst I wouldn’t swear that my people are totally legal in everything they do, they are basically great to work with and can generally be relied upon – even if the timescales slip every once in a while (mind you, I slip time scales too, as Boris would happily tell you!). Q.And why start now? A. I have been writing songs since the age of 14 and have a stack of ideas on hold, a few of which have been used over the years for one project or another, but many of which remain available to work up into contemporary recordings. 5 of the songs on the album have been developments of ones played with my last UK four-piece Blue Bamboo circa 1992/94 in London. On the other hand, Without You was first recorded in a different structure in 1985. Mostly the others, like Tell Me I’m Right and Sunday School existed only as a few bars and have been completed, essentially from scratch, for the album. In essence, this is my book – you know, the one that they say everyone has inside them. Well this album is one chapter of a book that I wish to write before I forget how to walk. The now has been dictated by opportunity of having studio and musicians being co-located within easy access. True it took me 18 months to get my head into gear to push through with this project but once convinced it was the right thing to do, I have been able to pull things together with relative ease. Q.How do you write? A. This is something that is being asked of me with uncomfortable frequency and I say this because, actually, I don’t regard myself as a musician at all. True, I do dabble with bass and keyboards and I can hold a tune but I am actually a singer-songwriter of the old mode who happens to write using a bass guitar, a vocal mike and two very old tape cassette recorders (and do you know how tricky it is trying to get decent cassette tapes now!!??) So, I play melodies and sing a few lyrics into one of the machines and I leave the tapes to fester and after a while I go back through those that I can still find and have another go at ones which catch my ear. I wouldn’t call it a scientific process exactly but, so far, it works to the necessary extent. The development of the songs is another issue. I sometimes use a 4 track tape machine in London but in Banja Luka I have migrated (shock, horror) to a Mac and use the recording software that came with that. Its another approach not any better or worse, just different. Q.Why this sound? A. Yes, I am aware that many people think this is unusual or retro or something other than that which they expect but I always sounded like this. That’s just how it is. Yes, different studios and engineers and musicians make an impact but, it’s still me and this is what I do. So the mixes might be unexpected but, if it is possible to be objective about music, I think they work for the songs and they do work for me. But music is so personal and so subjective that I know others would do their own thing with the mixes – but that’s them! As to the actual sound, I cannot divorce myself from the era when music first attracted my attention. It’s still in my head and in my heart and that’s just how its going to be. If people like the sound, that’s really great and a real bonus for me but if they don’t, well there is a great deal of music available that I don’t like too. So all is fair after all. Q. But what do you hope to achieve? A. Tricky! I have to say that I don’t expect to achieve anything much. I hope to achieve much more than this pessimistic but real outlook suggests. I would like some airplay for the songs and the band and I would like to gig a little here and there and not be out of pocket doing it. Recognition is always great to have but few people achieve this in their chosen field and I am, despite my eccentricity, realistic when I turn out the lights at the end of the day! (Oh, there’s another song in the making – you heard it here first!). So, yes, sales and airplay would be good. We will have to wait and see. Q. And what now? A. It was late in 2005 when preparation for the album commenced, more than 15 months ago now. It is time for me to start a second chapter and hope that this will be ready for a late-2008 release. This time, we will video much of the recording process and see what we end up with. This will be a cool thing to do and it will support the web site too. Lets wait and see. I cant promise anything in particular for the second project except to say I expect the outcome to be even more eccentric than BLMF. Should be good then. |
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