Your latest video, In My Car, shows a wonderful relationship with your grandmother. How did the idea come out, and what is the link between your music and your family?
I’ve always made music at home and that means making music around family. Originally I wanted to make a rap style kind of video with my crew but I realised I was just living with my Grandmother and doing stuff like buying vegetables for dinner and watching tv. I wanted to capture the beauty of the everyday and my local area. It’s not glamorous, it’s just a small segment of normal UK life. I’m luckily as my family are pretty close and we all get along (as well as possible) and so spending time with them is a pleasure.
Time Eater video seemed to stress the idea of “outside”, of movement, of travel as a perpetual force. Do your trips influence your art?
Actually I think it was more about work. The passing of time while trying to support yourself or others. Just to even exist.
How people have to do a day job that they maybe don’t like in order to sustain some other elements of their life.
I’ve only really traveled because of gigs, apart from Japan, I haven’t really traveled that much and I’m not sure I would be able to if it wasn’t for music.
Traveling for pleasure is very expensive!
Your latest album, Good Luck And Do Your Best, contains various musical inputs. What were you listening to while composing it?
Mainly 90’s hip hop. The Beatnuts, De La Soul, Cru. Random hip hop 12”s from that era. Really good home-made house music too.
You lived in Japan, a country that has always influenced your music. Do you have any favourite words in Japanese?
自動販売機
vending machine.
ナス
aubergine
肉じゃが
niku jyaga. It’s a dish of beef and potatoes but it sounds like people are saying “Mick Jagger”.
Which are your favourite tracks from the album?
It always changes, currently Pink & Green and Halyards.
Compared to your past, this album has a warmer atmosphere. Did melody win over darkness?
No, darkness will always win.
But I wanted to make a positive, happy, motivational pop album this time.
How did you get in touch with City Slang and why did you decide to release this album with them?
I met them through the bands Health and Caribou. I’d toured with both bands and they were both on City Slang.
I get on with all the staff there and it feels like a good home for GP at the moment.
