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Their break out track “On My Way ” says it all, The Melodic are definitely on their way! The South London band has created a one of a kind Afro-Andean Folk Pop sound and pushed the boundaries of their unique music to an exciting new realm. GroundSounds recently had the awesome opportunity to catch up with Huw and Rudi from the band, check out the interview below!
For those just discovering The Melodic, how did you guys come together and form the band? (Huw)
Me (huw), John and Rudi all went to the same school together in south London since we were 11 years old, so it spawned from a friendship that goes way back. We started learning instruments together and writing songs at about 16 in Rudi’s attic, sharing an interest in some of the 60’s folk revival artists like Bert Jansch, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez and reggae and dub producers Lee Scratch Perry and Augustus Pablo. More recently I was performing in another band that played traditional folk songs with Lydia. This was after we had already recorded our album, but she fitted in so perfectly with what the rest of us were doing, so The Melodic took it’s full shape when she jumped aboard with us and we started performing all together.
November 5th can’t come soon enough! We are highly anticipating the release of your debut album Effra Parade. What can you guys reveal about the album? What was it like bringing it to fruition? (Huw)
It’s been a long process getting to this point so we are delighted it’s coming out so soon now. We recorded and mixed the record ourselves in a home built studio and are very proud of what we have created so can’t wait for people to hear it. We converted Rudi’s bedroom in his family home into a studio, Rudi had to squat down the road whilst we set up camp writing and recording day and night over the course of two years. The record took shape as we honed our production skills and arrived at a body of work we were happy with. Some of the songs that feature are ones we had been playing in our set for a while and others developed through the recording process so we’re excited to give our fans something new of ours to listen to as well as new recordings of some of our older songs.
We heard that there were a huge variety of instruments used for Effra Parade, can you tell us a little bit about the instrumentation? (Rudi)
All the members of the band play a number of instruments along side the main one or two. We listen to a lot of different types of music and naturally want to explore the variety sounds and textures we encounter. The instrumental base of the album is very much nylon string guitar, charango, melodica, bass and drums. These instruments work very well together, occupying different spaces and leaving a lot of room for melody, and rhythmic nuances. But our approach to the album was to create something of a mosaic, weaving different colors and textures into the songs, and finding complimentary combinations of the other instruments we had picked up along the way such as the metal stringed charango, kena, piano, flute, kora, marimba.
As we recorded the album at home, we did not have the same time restraints you would have in studio where you are paying a daily rate. This can be a curse and a blessing. A blessing as you have a lot of freedom to experiment, and develop tracks, and this extends to the instrumentation. We were at liberty to let our minds wander, and so we asked a lot of musicians we knew locally to help out… Oh yeah… the curse is that it becomes hard to know when to stop. Luckily our label gives us deadlines, and that helps(or makes) us get things finished.
“On My Way”, has been on repeat. What was the inspiration and creative process behind this song? (Huw)
On My Way was actually written in a secluded cabin on top of a mountain in the French Alps, we were staying there completely isolated for a few days after trekking to the top. Without electricity and cut off from the world the song echoes the sentiment of that experience.
What are you guys currently listening to? (Huw)
We listen to a wide variety of stuff in the van on tour, Sean Nicholas Savage and Mac Demarco are two current favourites, both Canadian acts with really interesting sounds. A fair bit of Talking Heads and Fela Kuti get a lot of air time too.
You guys are currently on tour in America, how has it been on the road? What cities have you enjoyed most? (Huw)
It’s been a real adventure for us, the distances between shows can be colossal and a bit of a shock to the system for us compared to UK touring where everything is a stones throw away. Our van broke down outside Denver on the first day of our West Coast tour so we had a bit of a bad start having to drive a solid 24 hours to catch up with the tour but since then it’s been more or less plain sailing except for the time we drove the wrong way out of San Francisco for three hours thinking we were heading south instead of north! We spent the most time in LA and would say this was our favorite city so far, can’t argue with burritos on tap and blue sky all day long!
It’s pretty clear that there are diverse musical influences within the band’s music, could you touch base on some of these influences and possible life experiences that helped to mold the sound of The Melodic? (Rudi)
As with a lot of artists, we have a lot of trouble coming up with a label for our music. But the latest was something like Afro-Andean Folk Pop. The two key melodicinstruments are the melodica and the charango, and looking at these instruments reveals much of our influences.
The melodica was picked up after listening to a lot of Augustus Pablo, and while our music is not always obviously influenced by reggae, something of the Pablo and the reggae approach; using melodic chord progressions, and the importance of memorable melody is always prevalent. This influence extends to the bass, which is often syncopated and melodic, and of central importance to our sound.
Rudi had been playing the charango for a few years when he took a trip to Chile and Bolivia to pay his respects to the instrument and learn the tradition a little more. He ended up learning with some of the best players out there, and touring Bolivia with a folk ballet and orchestra. This trip, along with the music of Andean artists such as Inti illimani, Jaime Torres and Ernesto Cavour are central in shaping how he plays the instrument and its melodic input in the band. But our approach has never been to mimic, rather to gather influences which feed into our own style. For example the charango playing is also influenced by central african electric guitar and the rhythm of reggae singing. Though these may not be as obvious as the Andean influence, its all there.
The same goes for guitar, Huw has learnt a lot of traditional English and American music, while also listening to African, Latin and Caribbean music. He may jump from gentle strum to a folk-skank and then some afro-tinged folk plucking, but you wouldn’t notice a huge stylistic difference in the transition. An important part of the sound is the way the guitar meets the charango and the charango meets the guitar; they both bring different things to the table and they both influence the way the other is played. At the same time if you haven’t been exposed to these things yourself you would be forgiven for saying “well that’s just folk music”.
What is the music scene like in South London? (Rudi)
We’ve been lucky growing up around such a varied music scene. In our local area you can find free live local jazz at least five nights a week, Nigerian highlife, a lot reggae, and just about everything else. You get some really high quality music put on by Good Evening Art at Cable Cafe on tuesday nights, and we’ve joined the Malphino, our local Cumbia band, a bunch of times for their weekly jams at the Colombian butchers in Brixton Market. Another great local band is Soothsayers, they blend afro beat and reggae, and work with a lot of reggae legends and did the music for the British Production of Fela! the musical. Two of their members, Idris Rahman, and Robin Hopcroft, played on our album. Overall there is a real sense of musical community, and that is growing all the time.
Do you guys have any goals or expectations for Effra Parade? (Huw)
We just hope for it to be received well enough to enable us to keep touring and making music, we’re already looking forward to making the next album!
What advice would you guys give to aspiring musicians? (Rudi)
There is good and bad music, but there are no good and bad genres. So listen critically but be open to everything and try to find your own style.
Where do you guys see yourselves in 5 years? (Huw)
On tour it’s hard enough thinking as far ahead as the next day so five years is a bit much to consider right now! But hopefully still making music together, that would be the main thing.
