| |
| Showcase Artist: Cassette |
Cassette
Electronica, Chilled, Vocal
London, UK
|
|
|
Cassette are a new UK Electronica band. Their first record 'A Little Respect' is available online and is soon to be on general release. 'A Little Respect' is a deep emotive re-working of the Erasure classic.
...
Listen to it here or visit www.cassette-music.co.uk
Cassette is a creative collaboration between Oli Freke & Lucy Bugiel.
Oli was the founding member of Contact Assist and Medikal Records and has been producing and engineering electronica and dance music for the last 5 years. He has built up an impressive catalogue of tunes. His most recent release 'Radium' on Phil Reynolds and Steve Blake's label (Impact Records) was recently featured on Radio 1's Essential Selection and the Sundissential 3 CD.
Lucy Bugiel provides the unique vocals on 'A Little Respect', combining these talents with a deliberately organic approach to electronica; she has performed at the Big Chill and made numerous other UK appearances.
Official Press Release:
Cassette 'A Little Respect' (White Label)
Cassette are proud to present their cover version of Erasure's 'A Little Respect'. Re-imagined as emotive electronica, Lucy Bugiel's vocals transform the song into a slow deep epic whilst staying true to the passion and soul of the classic original.
Preferred by 9 out of 10 Erasure fans...
"Bravo! A heart-wrenching tribute to the King of Pop.
Beautiful stuff, I am completely hooked, and the remix is stunning." Mig, Slovakia
"Great version! I just love the warm and gentle sound of Lucy's voice" Maira, Germany
"This track really does blossom into an interesting,
imaginative Erasure cover version" Onge, London
"I've just listened to two clips of your version of 'A Little Respect. I like what I hear -
nice sounds, nice voice, great! " Fleming Jensby, DJ, Copenhagen
"A beautiful and imagainative cover... hugely refreshing take on a great song"
DJ Hercules, Collars 'n' Cuffs, London
Cassette have infiltrated the hidden cabals of the Erasure Fan Network and are now poised to take on the world!
www.cassette-music.co.uk info@cassette-music.co.uk
Oli: 07961 985 103
 More Less
|
|
|
1 pages:
Steven(A Certain Kind of Different)
Very Impressive, Reminds me of g.e.m.i.n.i w/ hints of ladytron but not the minimal structure they have. Your sound is more "Full" sounding. keep up the ace work!
Friday, May 19, 2006 @ 7:39 pm
J
I like erasure. But I truly love the remix. Awesome.
Monday, May 8, 2006 @ 8:18 am
|
|
|
This interview was conducted by EDM Spectrum Team Member, DJ Life, and was conducted via Instant Messaging.
EDM SPECTRUM:
"Cassette" a bit of an unusual name in this day and age of CDs and MP3s, how did you guys come up with it as a name?
...
CASSETTE:
Oli: In this modern digital age of wonder, we liked the contradiction of being named after possibly the worst music carrying medium ever created...and there's nothing like seeing the word 'Cassette' printed on a CD for a bit of a double-take. But also, proper analogue is great & I sometimes master to my 1/4" Revox tape machine just for a bit of that genuine tape saturation sound!
Lucy: Yes, putting the word Cassette on a CD is, in some ways, quite perverse. Which, hopefully some of our music is too.
EDM SPECTRUM:
I can enjoy the mindset behind that! =)
If you could describe, in one word, your artistic style in music, what would it be?
CASSETTE:
I think we've plumped for good ol' 'electronica', though I did quite like the sound of electropopfolk!
EDM SPECTRUM:
LOL! Electropopfolk, that's good!
I've been listening to your rework of Erasure's "A Little Respect" (One of my fav Erasure tunes) and I must say both the Original Mix and Atmosphere Mix make me want to melt in my seat! Other than Erasure, who would you say are your biggest influences?
CASSETTE:
Oli: Cheers man! When I was 6 I had two tapes - one had a Kraftwerk album on each side (Computer World and Man Machine), and the other tape had The Monkees on one side and Frankie Goes to Hollywood on the other. I hold those largely responsible for my sound! And then I got into all the other electronic stuff of that era, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, even Jarre, and the dance scene after that. I've always been drawn to electronic sounds, but I do listen to a wider range these days!
Lucy: My influences are fairly guitar-based/blues rock. I'd say Led Zep, Neil Young, Jeff Buckley, Janis Joplin (c'mon, the woman could sing!), but am also a big fan of acts like Cinematic Orchestra and Unkle - the way they weave together so many different sounds and samples and make utterly amazing music is awe-inspiring. Oh and creatively and from original song-writing point of view, you can't fault PJ Harvey & Moloko.
EDM SPECTRUM:
So, how did you guys get started? Were there any obstacles that you had to face and overcome? How did you overcome them?
CASSETTE:
Oli: I was producing a dance track that needed vocals and a friend of mine who was working with Lucy at the time suggested that she might be suitable. As I was producing less hard dance and moving into other areas, it seemed a perfect time to try a more collaborative project.
Lucy: Yep, we just seemed to click from the start and both wanted to go in the same kind of direction, despite our differing influences. The only real obstacle we've found so far is the time factor - not being able to spend as much time as we would like on music (having to earn a living etc etc.)
EDM SPECTRUM:
Tell us what you used to use to produce and how you and your tools have grown over the years?
CASSETTE:
Lucy: I come from an acoustic background, so guitar is my main 'tool'! Working with Oli has meant being able to experiment a lot more with different sounds - which has, in turn, allowed me to develop my song writing in ways I wouldn't have been able to otherwise.
Oli: I currently use a G4 running Logic 6, with plenty of plug-ins, like my favourites Supatrigga and Vanguard, as well as a Virus, and an ancient JV1080. Compared with what I had a few years ago it's pretty minimal, but is far more powerful. I'm really looking forward to trying Ableton for though, as that seems to offer a much more intuitive way of working, and is hopefully more spontaneous for live work.
EDM SPECTRUM:
So, take us through a typical Cassette track. What plants the seed in you to create a particular track? Is it something emotional, spiritual, or just something you happened to be humming at the time?
CASSETTE:
Oli: Most so far have been songs written by Lucy on the guitar, which I then develop the direction for - sometimes even dropping the guitar part altogether. Then it's a creative process of bouncing ideas back and forth until we're both happy. But we try and make sure each track has some kind of soul to it - we try and avoid anything sounding too cold and digital.
EDM SPECTRUM:
"Chemical Thing" has a bit of that "Nancy Sinatra" moxy to it. What was the driving inspiration behind it and why the name "Chemical Thing"?
CASSETTE:
Lucy: Why, thank you! Chemical Thing is about being trapped in a recurring situation where two personalities clash and there's nothing you can do to stop the same scenario playing over and over - ie like two chemicals that have a known reaction and will always react in that way.
EDM SPECTRUM:
What does music mean to you?
CASSETTE:
Oli: Well, without wanting to overstate it, for me, it's everything!
Lucy: Music is parallel universe where, whether you make music or just listen to it, you can own your little bit of it.
EDM SPECTRUM:
How do you feel about the music industry in its current state?
CASSETTE:
Oli: I think it's a hugely exciting time with the possibilities the internet offers the independent artist. You no longer have to be on a major label to reach people and while there's always been an independent music sector, it is becoming easier to reach even more people. Which of course is how come we're talking to you now...the power of Myspace & the Internet!
Lucy: I'm with Oli on that - this interview is evidence of that. There is so much fantastic stuff out there you can just reach out and grab. That said, however, major labels jumping on the gravy train, making their mint, then dropping bands when they are no longer the Next Big Thing, does make me slightly nauseous. It's all about the money, never really about the music. (Does that make me sound too idealistic?)
EDM SPECTRUM:
Is there anything you'd like to see happen in the industry, say, the next 5 years?
CASSETTE:
Oli: I would love the major labels to make all of their back catalogue available at a reasonable cost to people over the internet - much cheaper than the 99cents of itunes for example. I don't think the companies have realised even now how much money they could make by doing that and how happy they would make music fans! They should also make them available at full bandwidth - mp3s are awful, but they are a useful staging post on the way to full CD quality.
EDM SPECTRUM:
If you had the opportunity to collaborate with one other artist right now, who would it be? Why?
CASSETTE:
Oli: It would be great to have someone like Fourtet or Amon Tobin do a remix, to see what slant they would put on our stuff.
Lucy: Eminem. Ha, joking. William Orbit would be up there.
EDM SPECTRUM:
LOL! Eminem would be different! If you could perform at any club in the world, where would it be? Why?
CASSETTE:
Lucy: I'd love to do some festivals - The Big Chill is one of my favorites as it's got such an amazing atmosphere- having played there on the Sanctuary Stage before (with Popdamage in 2005), I think Cassette's stuff would be go down really well.
Oli: I'm hoping we'll get to a point soon where we can be doing gigs at venues like the Brixton Academy and Fabric in the UK, and if you have any suggestions for places in the US, let us know!
EDM SPECTRUM:
I've gotta few you'd like. Now! Let's have a little bit o' fun! If you were stranded on an island and you could have three things, what would they be?
CASSETTE:
Oli: A Moog synth, a fully stocked (and magically replenishing) bar, and a helicopter for when I needed a change of scenario.
Lucy: A good book. Sun-tan lotion (one can't be too careful in this day and age). And Ray Mears (only for his survival skills, you understand).
EDM SPECTRUM:
Any book in particular?
CASSETTE:
EDM SPECTRUM:
If you could be someone or something for one day, who or what would you be?
CASSETTE:
Oli: I'd like to be me doing music full time!
Lucy: Ditto.
EDM SPECTRUM:
Favorite cartoon character and why?
CASSETTE:
Oli: There's a very obscure children's programme from the 70s in the UK called Ludwig, which was this amazing egg that could change into any shape he liked, and would rescue the other animals in the park when they got into scrapes. This would all happen with Beethoven as the soundtrack. Maybe that's how I got into music...and eggs.
Lucy: Mr. Benn. 1970's cartoon about a man who liked to put on fancy dress in his lunch hour.
EDM SPECTRUM:
What's your favorite quote?
CASSETTE:
Oli: "I am not Jeffrey Lebowski, I am the Dude...or El Duderino, or His Dudeness if you're not into the whole brevity thing". I love that film, can I quote all of it please?
Lucy: I'm a girl, we do not obsess about film quotes (nothing to do with having a really bad memory for quotes, honest).
EDM SPECTRUM:
What was the first job you ever had?
CASSETTE:
Oli: Working as a waiter at the Royal Festival Hall in the summer holidays.
Lucy: Temping in an office where I was made to type manual invoices on a typewriter. No delete button, many ruined invoices. Lasted 3 days.
EDM SPECTRUM:
What is your favorite Monty Python line?
CASSETTE:
Oli: "He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy"
Lucy: "We are the Knights who say... NI"
EDM SPECTRUM:
Last two questions. What advice would you give to those who are aspiring Dj's and Producers?
CASSETTE:
Persistence - we don't do music because we like it, we do it because we have to! If you're not driven there's no way you'd put yourself through the nightmare that is the music industry. On a more practical note, learn the craft. Learn about music, its history, and not just the niche you're into. Learn to play an instrument and work with other people who you can learn from.
EDM SPECTRUM:
What do you think of THE EDM SPECTRUM? Would you change anything about it?
CASSETTE:
We think it's great to see websites that spread the word of electronica & that act as hubs for people to come and discover even more music. It's good to mix up the dance and other genres, people can get a bit obsessive over one style, and it's good to remind them to check out a range of stuff. I like the guest map too - consider it signed!
EDM SPECTRUM:
Thanks Lucy, Oli, for spending the time with us, and most of all thanks for the support. It's been a pleasure, thank you for taking the time to let me interview you!
More Less
|
|
|
| |
