The latest from Melbourne breaks sensation Nubreed: their debut album , ‘Nubreed – The Original’, is on the way! DB (Danny Bonnici), one third of Nubreed, gives us a little Nubreed insight into a sound that defies conventional classification.
It would seem Nubreed suffer from the very Zen-like complex of being the everything and nothing of dance music. It is a complex that has led to some very intricate descriptions of Nubreed’s sound. For example, a sound encapsulating the, “strategic knowledge from the hip hop underground, with lost moments of electro soul, fused into future rock, techno and drum ‘n bass”. On issues of classification, DB simply stated, “Our music sounds like everything. It is about all styles, all kinds, we are not about doing one thing. If generalisations have to be made then all our music is beat based.”
It is no surprise so many musical styles are connected to Nubreed’s sound when you learn that all three members have spent years gigging in bands ranging from anything to funk, soul to heavy guitar. Plus, they are influenced by all sorts of music be it jazz or the more obscure beat producers. For DB, at the moment, it is the technical brilliance of Aphex Twin and Squarepusher that he sees really pushing the boundaries, something that Nubreed actively seek to do. “Nubreed are about trying to push new things….and we are about staying honest to who we are. We don’t bend to trends for sales, we are about making all types of music”, says DB. “It is just about making great songs which is a balance between everything. ....it is fresh to see something new and indescribable then people really have to experience it for themselves”.
When you see Nubreed live you begin to understand how their music has become so dynamic. Nubreed’s, Jase (Jason Catherine), Mykel (Michael Walburgh) and Db (Danny Bonnici) infect an entire audience with their own childlike energy and enthusiasm. It is no wonder they were nominated for Best Live Act (as well as Best Debut Artist and Best Single) at the last Australian Dance Music Awards. When asked about whether the live element is in the foreground when writing songs, DB responded, “The music kinda steers itself about whether it is going to be a live track or not. We never say this has got to be for the dance floor or whatever. It gets dropped into the computer and just happens”.
Talking in general about the creative process, you get the impression it is a very free forming, natural evolution of sound. “I might come in with a beat which we may work from. We mix and match and put it all together. No one has anything over anyone else in the creative process…..there’s no real pressure…it’s all good!”, says DB. It all sounds so loose but the reality is Nubreed have had more than ten years working together to arrive at this point. They also share 40 years worth of collective musical experience plus a common understanding that their life path is solidly grounded in music.
So far, these boys already have a highly impressive remix c.v. featuring Tiësto & Junkie XL, Scritti Politti, Way Out West, Apex and Skunk Anansie, plus a release of a handful of globally acclaimed 12’s as well as the massive commercial success of ‘Welcome’, and on top of all this, they are mind blowing live! When you look at it this way, their debut album, ‘Nubreed – The Original’, has been a long time coming and we should have very high expectations indeed! DB gives us the low-down, “The album features old and new stuff (including the massive hit ‘Welcome’) as a lot of stuff came out on vinyl but not on cd.”
It took about 9 months to get together. Nubreed spend time sifting through their catalogue rediscovering tracks and deciding that there was material they wanted to release to a wider audience. The result is a broad representation of Nubreed’s sound that should be far removed from disappointment.
Nubreed – The Original’, has already been released in the UK by the underground electronic funk label, Mob Records. However, the Australian release is expected to come with a few bonuses, including some vocal tracks, so it should be worth the wait. On success, money and the commerciality of the industry, DB had to say, “We believe in staying true to what we do. Money will either follow or it won’t. If it doesn’t then it doesn’t matter as you have stayed true.” Not a bad note to end on!
Nubreed play Good Vibrations Saturday September 20th.
