Making a call to A Guy Called Gerald

>> The style-shifting producer on the Essence of things

by KRISTA

The Cream festival covers a lot of stylistic ground--house, techno, drum & bass, hip hop and more--so it's suitable that they should book A Guy Called Gerald, based in New York but from Manchester originally.

Gerald claims his first inspirations came from Flora Purim, Airto Moreira and Chick Corea, but he made his mark on electronic music in the late '80s and early '90s with a frantic hardcore jungle tune called "28 Gun Badboy," and a now-classic 10-times-over house tune called "Voodoo Ray" that nobody will let him forget. A true lone wolf in the ever-expanding wilderness of electronica, Gerald's productions have never been easy to track or pigeonhole. However, with his latest album, the Studio K7 release Essence, he takes a step towards a more recognizable sound with a fluffy, sensitive edge. A strange twist since he now lives in the big, bad Apple...



Mirror: So what made you want to leave London?

Gerald: Well, I had a deal with Island Records that got me a visa for the U.S., so I decided to come over and check it out. But I really love this city--there's something electric here that I'm drawn to. Every time I'm away from New York I miss it. It has a really strong magnetic spirit. I never get homesick for Manchester or London, but I miss New York. It feels safe.

M: New York feels safer than London? That's different.

G: Well, I think it's that everyone's a little more cautious here. I don't know, I'm just in my element. This city is a little bit more musician-friendly too, and the next thing I'm working on is going to involve more live musicians, so all in all it was a positive change for me.

M: So all the inspiration for your Essence comes from New York then?

G: Not totally. I did all the pre-production in London. Like, all the vocals and writing were done in London in the old studio before I moved, and then I moved here and finished it all up when I got here.

M: It must have been a pain in the ass to move your whole life in the middle of a project. I mean, wasn't it hard not having access to your gear and being in limbo like that?

G: Actually, it worked out really well. It's not the first time I've done that either. Black Secret Technology, my previous album, was also done in the middle of a big move, when I left Manchester and went to London. It's almost as if I work better in that frenetic energy.



It's so you

M: About the new album, I've read a few articles and interviews where people say that this album was "too out there," or that it was "really brave." But, and I'm not saying this in a bad way either, this album sounds a lot like I thought it might--it sounds like something you would do. What do you think about that?

G: Well, yeah, some people say it was a bit brave, or bold, that I went out on a limb, but I don't know. I think that's because this album focuses more on the vocal side of things. I wanted Essence to have songs as opposed to tracks, and that's the way it was written.

M: And what about the whole drum & bass thing? I mean, you've always been on the perimeter of that sound too, and this album still has a lot of the drum & bass elements that are found on Black Secret Technology--that very Gerald sound.

G: I wanted the old-style drum & bass feel because I needed it to be soulful. But as for the d & b scene now, it has really moved away from the vocal stuff so much, it's like it's not cool anymore. And a lot of music these days has no soul. I wanted to recapture it.

M: I think there's still good electronic music out there, you just have to look a little harder to find it because there's so much more coming out.

G: Oh, definitely, but that's it. I find that a lot of producers these days are so far into knowing all the techniques and tricks with their equipment, their studio, that they miss the basic goal of making good music. It's like a carpenter who trains for years to know all the best ways to build things and finally becomes the best builder, but he has no artistry. What good is your skill if you don't know how to use it to make something beautiful? It's about entertainment, and that's what my music is about. I guess I'll leave the other side for the kids just learning how to use their equipment.

At Sona on Saturday, Aug. 26, 1am, $25