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Interview
by SashaS
14-4-2004
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| Dark Globe: all-smiles off-camera |
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Heathen futurism
Dark Globe for the droll 2morro
There is so much more usage of contemporary music generally [than in the past] that you may know work by artists you don’t know. Film & TV are the main culprits to using ‘new’-reshaped-remixed music as backing/accidental tunes and then - the commercials. Dark Globe is a duo whose work found place on ‘Lara Croft: The Cradle Of Life‘ OST, had Boy George vocalise 2002 dancefloor anthem ‘Auto Eroritc’ and, aside compilation ‘Beats By Dope Demand’, their singles were grouped on a collection, ‘Tales of Dirt and Sparks’.
Dark Globe are Pete Diggens and Matt Frost who are busy finishing off their proper debut album, ‘Nostalgia For The Future’ that is preceded by a single, ‘Break My World’, on Monday. It is a song that is funk-dosed, armoured with tech-breaks and adorned with SFX to compliment Amanda Ghost’s beautiful vocals.
‘BMW’ is a cross between Basement Jaxx’s latter-day cyber-urbanity and atmo in the Zero 7 manner. But, it is different, it is Dark Globe and not a clone, a slice of near-perfect [“Perfection may be dull,” the band reasons] digi-pop, or as they like to term it, “Epic pop made by twisted little f**kers”. Signed, sealed and delivered, babe!
The single is accompanied by a video that is very Japanese-y, Manga-like, defying the two dimensional quality of animation by looking all-action. The idea for the clip came from the record company; after years of independent attitude - i.e. musicians’ equivalent to self-employment, Mr Taxman - how is it dealing with the ‘profit-before-all’ major boys?
“The main difference is that we have to run our ideas through people,” Matt Frost is the first to formulates a reply, “whilst before we just ran with it. There is more departments to deal with and it slows the process but it is the fact. It’s been good, everything we wanted to, they’ve been up to letting us do it.”
“Musically, they knew what they were signing,” Pete Diggens expends, “so we were able to run with what we wanted to do. They signed us on the fact of knowing what we were doing and realised that we wanted to make a slight change, from a more purist music to a more… Being more ambitious ourselves and bringing in new elements; they liked that in us and it’s been a happy marriage.”
“We obviously give a large percentage of our income,” he adds quickly, “to a number of charities!”
Yeah, in future tense.
Time's side portion
Busy completing the album, ‘Nostalgia For the Future’, these twosome find promotion an interference in their working method that, as it turns out, is far from the top Trabant speed… ‘Break My World’ has been created over an eight-year-period!?
“It’s been written over that time,” Diggens explains, “we work slowly and prefer to do it our way. We prefer to craft rather than record throwaways. For about ten years the attitude’s been - bang a track a day and release it. It’s time to make it sound like us and like nobody else could have done it. Crafting is what we love and enjoy getting into details.”
Thus, the album is taking shape at a pace that is not yet touch-n-go but it is getting too near to its scheduled June release date and July is being looked at already.
“The problem is that we are really never happy,” Frost hints perfectionism which is then denied, “with what we get and think we may make it better. You have to try your best.”
“There are 12 tracks planned,” Frost continues, “with eight vocal tracks and four-to-six instrumental pieces…”
“Some instrumentals could be very short,” Diggens clarifes, “like 30 seconds, musical interludes… It is more ambitious, bigger sounding than our previous stuff that was rhythm orientated music… There is more melodic substances and details…”
Star-zone
The only vocalist on the album, so far, is the single’s chanteuse Amanda Ghost. But, then during the interview the confirmation arrives that Tom Verlaine, the legendary Television frontman, will be contributing to a track.
“The idea was to have him sing,” Frost admits, “but he’s agreed to play the guitar, so far.”
Are they attempting the David Byrne‘s ‘Lazy’-kinda crossover?
“That’d be nice,” Diggens is frank, “but you have to let him decide for himself. There are thousands of people impassioned about music out there…”
Diggens, once a drummer in a psych-punk Electric Sex Circus - his childhood friend Matt opted for producing and releasing electro-discs - would love to have Scott Walker guest on the album. The reclusive ‘voice of a generation’ [that’s the ‘60s, mush] - who produced a Pulp’s album not that long ago - has recently signed a contract for a first album in 7, 8 years.
Sparring you three fans’ ranting on the ‘Howard Hughes of Popdom’, Dark Globe will not take as long as Walker to hit the road.
“Being studio-bound people for a number of years,” Diggens replies leisurely, “we last did Glastonbury, dance stage, in 2000... We had done three or four years of clubs but realised that it was affecting music so we stopped because we never had time to do the recordings. Once the album is done, we gotta pick it up again, we reckon.”
“It is not going to be a tour,” Diggens qualifies rapidly, “just selected dates, sort of events.”
Dark Globe may sport a fatalistic moniker but the music is much more positive. As a therapist should prescribes at this time of strife.
SashaS
14-4-2004
Dark Globe’s single ‘Break My World’ is released 19 April 2004 by Island
Dark Globe album ‘Nostalgia For The Future’ is due out in June/July on the same label
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