Page 37 - Zone Magazine Issue 014

Do you feel the need to perform within a band scenario?
Bands? Oooh, tricky. I actually
don't miss being in a band, although at times, it was extremely enjoyable, but sadly I never felt like I was actually in
one in the first place. A band, I would imagine , is a gang, or a unit and to be like-minded people writing in a room and creating a sound and style unique to them. Burn The Negative was different. Predominantly because the two members of the band joined an almost complete project. The tracks were being written and produced for the first album, before the full band line up was even set in stone. It's very difficult to let a song go, in the respect of handing it over to let another musician add their thing. So I tended to write most of the guitar lines on synths and just have them replicated.
You played a lot of established places early on, did you have time to perfect your sound?
I think we needed more creativity from the live side of the synth and keyboard performance too, I felt. A keyboard player would of been handy, instead, it was just one fingered sample triggering and looping what I'd already created from chord sequences. So there was never any real room to allow the tracks to breathe and become more dynamic live. Although it worked for a time, it really was beginning to grate on me. I just wanted to avoid playing keys at all costs and just wanted to perform out front and be free of all that side. I wanted to become more involved playing guitar and was maybe on the cusp of that prior to the split.
MONZZA / Mark Zowie or We Take Polaroids albums in 2017?
Yea, a We Take Polaroids album and it's looking like March or April 2017 The follow up to RADIO is a track called SIMPLIFY. I'm excited as much as I was back with Burn The Negative's 'How To Weigh The Human Soul', only I feel less clouded by other people's judgements. The latest tracks written have had few airings to anyone, some of the tracks are around 5 years in the writing. I just
couldn't
approach
some of
them,
mostly
personal
reasons.
Lyrically some
tracks tell a real
tale and resonate
heavily back
towards 2011. There
were so many
transitional points in
my life that became
apparent back then, after
a while, I literally couldn't
listen to them, they really
me, a kind of bookmark in my life which, on listening to, really made me feel both nostalgic and uneasy. Last year and 2016 seemed to allow me to complete them without any apprehension. I really enjoyed the re-approach.
Any other musicians on the album?
Not at present. All synths, bass and guitars are written and performed by me. There may be some other elements added at a later date. But we'll have to see about musicians availability.
So, if there's a We Take Polaroids album, is there any We Take Polaroids live?
Well, let's just say that it's taken a GREAT deal of time before I could make any decisions about even considering such a thing. My main concern is gathering people who won't just drop the project
because they aren't writing on it. I
really want to work with some great musicians. People who
can bring some creativity to the songs in a LIVE capacity. There are some very real possibilities in early 2017, that some rehearsals could take place. I won't say who for now, as these things change in a heartbeat, but, at present, I've the potentials of doing it live, is all I'll confirm.
We Take Polaroids - RADIO is currently on TRAXSOURCE as Exclusive promo, but hits iTunes and other digi-stores on 30th December 2017...
Connect:
https://facebook.com/wetakepolaroids/
pic by dLUXX
Words By John Ricketts
caught
" There was a certain freedom I was looking for with JULA. An artist who writes
and produces his work specifically for a label is not working to his best. You
instantaneously pigeon hole ideas, I know, I've certainly been there many years ago. "
ESSENTIALDANCEMUSIC 37