Page 56 - Zone Magazine Issue 006

artist spotlight [ireland]
cut once
Powerful, cohesive and original electronic pop, are words that have been used to describe the Sensational Irish duo Michael Heffernan (Dublin) and Aisling Browne (Waterford) of Cut Once, who have had quite a year with the release of their debut 5 Track self- titled EP ‘Cut Once’ and performing at the biggest festivals in Ireland, Body and Soul and Electric Picnic, whilst experiencing a journey that’s been intense, raw and over flowing with immense talent!
A cracking weighty analogue experience, we think at Zone, and very worthy so me (Mike) and resident chief photographer Keith McGovern headed down to Temple lane studios to get the latest scoops on their eventful year so far....
Michael & Ash what initially inspired and influenced you both musically in the early days that led you eventually into the studio to produce your own tracks?
Ash - We both come from very different musical backgrounds and I think that's why it was interesting to mush our two styles together and make it sound the way that it does. Back in the day I was, and still am, into all the rocky stuff, bluesy and gospel choir, in my house my sisters were into all the 80's stuff when I was growing up, and I progressed onto Aretha Franklin and Massive Attack, and I think for what we are doing now, all those influencer’s work or it’d fall on its arse ahah. Michael - I come from a family of 5 kids and I was the youngest and influenced by many different styles, my sister was a new romantic my brothers were into ska and Gun n Roses and the early 1990's rock music, I liked guitar music as much as electronic music. Later on when I starting working, one of the lads used to play dance tracks in the van and I saved the money to buy my first set of turntables and never looked back. Ash - It was synchronicity or coincidence in how we initially started working together, as it started as a bit of a barter thing, as Mick wanted some vocals on some of his tracks and I needed some parts written for my own solo tracks, and he agreed to produce them for me. I then started laying down vocals for his stuff and realized pretty quickly we both loved each other’s vibe, and what was the point in working on 2 separate solo projects when his stuff was what I wanted and, he wanted my sound, it was a no brainer really, and after a while we went for a pint in the local and we decided that we would became a duo.
‘Cut Once’ is an interesting name what inspired it? Michael - I like shapes and sounds that I can visualize, I like the sharpness of the 'Cut' and the roundness of the 'Once', we think it works, it suits the sound, without getting into any of
the deeper meanings that are maybe attached to it.
Your recently self-titled debut EP ‘Cut Once’ has received much critical acclaim and support nationwide and boasts some incredibly powerful and moving tracks, how did it come together?
Mike - The tracks ‘Institution’ and ‘Forget about the World’ Ash had been playing around with on the piano and had written the riff and played it to me. I basically took the riff and converted it to midi and took out some of the notes and that became the bassline in 'Institution', and it was a similar process with 'Forget about the World' as I took the chord progressions Ash had played and produced, and then I arranged the parts, chopped up bits and pieces and it evolved into something else turning it into the chorusy synth that's in the track. 'Playing with Fire' was something new, I added a raw bassline and a lead line and it went from there, then 'Colour Blue' was the first one we ever did and Ash played it on piano again and wrote the lyrics, as she always writes the lyrics. I added everything after that, 'Coat of Armour' was just Ash on vocals and the Moog nothing else.
Weighty synths, and driving basslines held by a powerful and cohesive central vocal define your electronic pop sound is this an apt description for your vibe? Ash - If someone asked us what we sound like I would personally pick a track that defines what we are what 'Cut Once' is, and use ‘Institution’ as a musical description of what we are overall, definitely off the bat.
Michael - Even though it’s electronic and dark, we still like conventional structure, we do like that pop vibe, verse chorus verse etc its part and parcel.
Walk us through the usual process of when you are in the studio creating a new track. What is key in the whole
production / lyric writing process? Ash - I'd never write a song that's not true or for the sake of writing it, it’s gotta be about something real or me or my family or someone else's relationship situation or a true story, something I'm aware of. I love the shapes of the words I’m singing, so I always write the melodies first, it’s always around the shape of the song and lyrics come after that. Michael - We start with a rough structure of 8 / 16 bar loop, drums, bass, rhythms, the synth lines and then write melodies around that and start building it and quickly mapping it out, it brings on more ideas vocally and it gives us the time to change parts, hooks, middle eight’s. I love groove so it’s always drums and bass for me always. I use 2 pieces of analogue, Moog Phatty and the Prophet because they sound so raw and weighty and also because of the tactile nature of pushing buttons, faders and interacting with it, they are the core of our sound, and I use bits and pieces of plugins etc I’ll programme a bassline or a melody or whatever and send it out to the Phatty or the prophet and play around with it.
What drives and motivates you both, and how do you maintain your balance with your hectic life style and schedule? Ash - mmmmm we have done different projects over the years and found different things we like and don’t like and now basically
I'm after finding what I love, for me personally I’m 100% comfortable with this. I'd think of something and Mick would think of something and we end up finishing each other’s sentences
when we are making music, as in we are on the same page nearly all the time, probably 80% of the time haha. It’s a quick process and it’s easier as he knows what kind of sound I'm looking for and then he auditions it and it fits. With 2 people there's no politics with us, and it gives us the freedom that maybe some other bands don't have, so there’s no stress.