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Interview with Ben Lamdin - Nostalgia 77
Influenced by free and spiritual jazz as well as 60’s funk, soul and Afro sounds, Ben Lamdin’s edgy creations are helping to bring 'Jazz' to a wider audience.
Youv'e just returned from a DJ tour in Japan– how was it?
The Japan Tour was great, it was a grueling schedule but i had a warm welcome everywhere we went and it was good to find out what people in japan were making of the records.
Which do you enjoy more, DJing or performing live?
I enjoy both. Really it depends on the crowd and your mood. Djing is a solitary art compared with live performance but it's set and setting and i couldn't choose between them.
Some of your earlier music was heavily sample based, after switching to producing with live instruments, do you feel you can ever go back?
I have been experimenting with sampled stuff again recently, however the freedom of working with good musicians is very liberating as a producer. You can not only write more freely but also the sonic possibilities of well recorded performances are distinct from using sampled sources. However, i think there is something fantastic about the good use of samples, they have a distinct aesthetic and can inspire and contribute to a great production. Ultimately I think you have to put the piece of music you are making at the time first and then use all the tools at your disposal to make the track sound right. The music must come first - and by any means necessary!
Did you have a classical music education, and how much did you have to teach yourself?
I learnt a little piano and guitar as a kid but this didn't really constitute a classical education. I really have to cobble together my arrangements, but his has meant teaching myself a little bit of music writing skills. Ultimately I have to say that when your working with musicians being able to write it the best way to communicate your ideas.
You’re producing Lizzy Parks debut LP, what can we expect? Did you approach the process differently to producing one of your own albums, (if so how?)
You can expect a full LP of songs that span the whole range of styles from funk to jazz and soul and from upbeat numbers to ballads. I approach it very differently from one of my own records because really my job as producer is to support Lizzy in making her record and that means making sure she is happy and excited by the music she has to perform.
There are some great remixes on the 'One offs, remixes & B sides' album - any personal favourites?
I love the examples of twelves mix of quiet dawn. I think it give the tune a really expansive quality which contrasts with the intimate feeling of the original.
“Songs for my funeral” would have made a great soundtrack to the original ‘Wicker man’ film, has composing for film ever interested you?
I'd love to do some film work. A lot of people make the comparison to film music.... i'm sure at some point this would be an enjoyable project .
What’s next for the Octet?
The octet is playing a few gigs this year but i've found myself doing more and more studio work which has made it hard to get out on the road much. It's also quite a big band to tour, especially for jazz venues so I'm quite content to do a few enjoyable shows when things fall into place!
How did Impossible Ark records come about? (what’s next?)
Impossible Ark came about because Riaan Vosloo ( The nostalgia bassist ) found ourselves working on projects that we thought were really cool but didn't have homes. It's a very small concern - at the end of the day we just put out music we think is good and don't worry beyond that.
The public perception of Jazz. Do you think that as a genre it needs some good PR?
I think the fast show pretty much summed it up for everyone with their jazz club sketch, if anyone was still under the impression it was cool the Mighty Boosh's Harold Moon put paid to that.
So you could say it needs PR, but in a world dominated by PR and a music industry obsessed with image I think the jazz scene is a good place to find straight up people more concerned with sound over style and feeling over fashion.
There does seem to be a resurgence of young jazz artists. What’s next for Jazz in general?
Via impossible ark and on other labels i've worked on nearly 10 new jazz records for other artists in the last year. It's a very fertile scene but as you've said not necessarily well represented to younger audience. I think this is a shame but i know that the people making this music get huge rewards just by working hard on their music and pushing themselves as performers. I think that while there may not be chart busters in the jazz scene these records will be enjoyed for years to come.
Nostalgia 77’s “One Offs, Remixes and B-Sides” is available from etch shop.