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Interview
by SashaS
26-6-2001
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| Please, Sir Bent, can I have some more? |
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Bent appeal
Purveyors of spectral Balearic beats and emotively charged
house re-released their album and expand the tracklisting: "We got the idea from De La Soul."
First things first: why and wherefore the electric blue coiffure? Bent's Simon Mills launches into the story of his colour choice while his partner-in-sound Nail Tolliday listens on.
"The official name of the dye," Mills explains animatedly, "is 'Rockstar Haircolour'; that's what it said on the first bottle I bought. We went to a meeting with a record company executive and he had that colour... I thought it was cool and, as I was a student at the time, I used to do it myself. But now I'm having it done professionally."
Meeting the Bent duo in their record company's interview room we talk about the band's album 'Programmed To Love', its special, 'director's cut' version where 11 numbered tracks are interspaced with some vignettes, sonic sketches, little gems of tonal treasure. It turns out the re-release will feature this extra material excluded from the debut Mark I.
"The original version was deemed too long," Tolliday doesn't attempt to hide incredulity in his voice, "and the record company claimed to have to drop some tracks because it was too long... But, they were obviously wrong and they've finally managed to get all the music on one CD. This is a complete version, it is more of a journey, it's much more bent! "
"We got the idea from the De La Soul album," adds Mills.
Then & now...
Like many bands who define the best in music at any one time, Bent haven't arrived on a crest of hype, but have built through word of mouth from those who've stumbled accidentally across their music -by turns hauntingly hypnotic, unbearably poignant, and whimsically astute; phat beats and killer bassline one minute, acid-fulled operatics the next. And buoyed throughout by the breathtaking vocals of a host of guest singers.
In the beginning Nail Tolliday was making house music while Simon Mills, an art student, was travelling the world and collecting weird records. The two got together after Naill's girlfriend went on holiday and they ended up sharing a flat in their native Nottingham.
"I've been trying to make music for living for ten years and Nail's been at it for even longer," Mills reflects. "Our every attempt has been met by people discouraging us from doing it, telling us that we'd never get anywhere. Friends and relatives kept telling us that it did not happen to people but we believed that it did happen to somebody."
"At one point I refused to do any music with real sounds," Tolliday proudly proclaims, "I wanted it all to be electronic. People like Karftwerk were a huge influence and Chris Lowe of the Pet Shop Boys said once 'The guitars were dirty' and you agree, as a young person. But then you think -why restrict ourselves, why not try something different, something without limitations..."
More tingle in your spine, sir?
If you like your boy and girl-bands, then you're about as likely to go see a guitar-band as tune into an AM radio frequency. But succumbing to temptation is key to Bent's musical mindset -first their material seems dance and chill-oriented, then you fall for its deeper attractions and savour the atmospherics. Its crossover potential is huge -appealing to pop fans as well as obsessive musical analysts. 'Programmed For Love' offers a truly cinematic experience, imaginative, emotional and flowing with a dream-like fluidity.
For a studio band the two have become renowned for their madcap shows. But live dates are still nervewracking affairs for them. "We know we can play ," Tolliday explains, "but it is the nature of the situation... We don't use backing tapes but sequencers and play on top. I don't think our music is for watching but if people are happy to stand there and look on, they are welcome."
For added floor attraction Francois Kervorkian also remixed them...
"He's incredible," Tolliday enthuses, "and adds elements to our music we weren't even aware of before; he knows how to highlight segments and it really works great. We've been so lucky to be remixed by Francois..."
"He makes our music even more bent," Mills adds with a grin.
SashaS
26-6-2001
'Programmed To Love' by Bent was re-released on 2 April 2001 on Sport/Ministry Of Sound
The band later on added new material for downloading on their site
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