Interview with The Boats

Andrew Hargreaves and Craig Tattersall have known each other for 8 years, and have been making music together for 6 of them. In that time they’ve built up an impressive body of work and maintained a pace that saw them put out an album a year between 2004 and 2007. But it’s not just volume with the Boats; they match the prolific release schedule with an insatiable to push forward, to refine yes, but also to experiment with material spread across labels such as Moteer, Music Related and the Tokyo-based label Flau. Tracks like “Hemihorn”, from the Faulty Toned Radio album, channels the paranoic insularity of Thom Yorke, setting it against a burgeoning acid line and a sense of ebbing, chiming bliss. It’s a distillation of The Boats chief characteristic: the inability to remain static for long.

This sharp ear for detail is brought to the fore on throughout this Alpha-ville podcast which sees them crafting what they modestly refer to as a ‘short journey’ through washes of ambient textures and floating melodies tailor made for late night earphone listening. The perfect introduction to a band set to make the 2010 edition of Alpha-ville a very special night indeed.

How did you meet each other? Did you have a lot of common ground musically?

We met at an “Art Happening”, which was basically a cheap imitation of the final scene of the Wicker Man (without the human sacrifice). I say cheap because instead of a giant wicker man it was chicken wire stuffed with paper and was about 1 foot high. There was a high wind that day and it took quite some time to get the fire going. It was all rather disappointing – I approached Craig as he was wearing a rather fetching t-shirt.

You’re both producers in your own right (Craig’s made music as The Archivist and is an ex-member of Hood, and you’ve released music as Beppu ) Do you have a shared musical vision or is the collaborative process more about experimenting with different ideas?

Before working together we were both involved with other groups (Craig is still half of The Remote Viewer), and we always made music solo, it just took us a little longer to release these things. When working together there is always a goal we set out to achieve, a goal that we could not realize in our other projects.

With regards to the podcast that you’ve put together, can you explain the significance of these records?

The mix is a little self-absorbed as we have a hand in the majority of the tracks.

The mix unfurls very gradually, were you trying to craft a narrative from the sonic textures?

Not so much of a narrative but a short journey.

Your records come across as being very detailed – there’s a comment on your bio about how you described your album Faulty Toned Radio as sounding like techno through ants’ earphones. Is this something you strive for, a reaction perhaps to bloated, loud production?

A lot of people refer to our music as insect like; I cannot say that this is intentional. We are just drawn to certain sounds and spaces.

A result of this subtle production is that your music is able to capture mood but not in a sweeping, vague way but on a more personal level. Is the creation of music something quite personal to you?

Ralf Hutter once remarked that with electronic music you can create the biggest emotions with the smallest movements. I think we share that aesthetic.

How would you describe the music you make?
Electronic.

What, outside of music, inspires you?

Columbo and Midnight Caller (thanks to James for the MC hook
up).

Are you able to pinpoint any enduring influences?

Craig always says Glen Campbell, but also The Carpenters are a big influence on him; he generally keeps this quiiet as he thinks they are less rock n’ roll than Glen. For me it’s Kraftwerk.

Are there any artists working now who you really admire?

There is a new group, The Cynthia’s, that are really interesting. I’m also enjoying US Girls and the Moritz Von Oswald Trio.

You’re playing at Alpha-ville 2010, can you give us a insight into what’s in store?

Throughout August we are recording our new album so we will use the festival to test some of this new material!

What would you say is the biggest challenge facing new artists today?

With so much technology at everyone’s finger tips it is hard to get your work noticed in the information overload of the Internet.

You’re from Manchester, a famously musical city, do you feel that the environment around you has shaped the music you make?

Manchester is just the city we live in. I’m actually from Burnley and think that this shaped the music more than the city. In small towns if something doesn’t exist you have to make it yourself.

What other plans have you got in the pipeline?

The Boats are recording a new album for release next year. Craig has some solo things he is working on and collaboration with Emmanuel Witzthum. My solo album “Defragment” will be released in September. – Review by Louise Brailey

ww.alphavillefestival.co.uk
www.oursmallideas.co.uk
www.myspace.com/bepputheboats
www.homenormal.com
www.flau.jp