Tony Colman is a busy man. In constant motion between London Elektricity live gigs and solo shows as a DJ, somehow he also co-manages Hospital Records, and squeezes in the occasional interview. Hot off the press is LE’s latest long-player ‘Power Ballads’ and Tony is as passionate as ever about great songs, and drum ‘n’ bass beats.
Things have been frenetic for Tony since April, leading up to the London launch of their third and latest album. Unleashing their ‘Power Ballads’ at eight hundred punters at a club in east London, Live Elektricity shook the room once again, with awesome displays of musicianship, songwriting and soul. Anyone who’s seen the band live or at least their ‘Live Gravy’ DVD will agree that they really are the global forerunners of live drum ‘n’ bass.
My own love affair with London Elektricity and it’s host label Hospital began with the unit’s first release, ‘Pull the Plug.’ One of two albums that broke me into drum ‘n’ bass in the late nineties, the other was the darker sound of Roni Size. I was instantly won by the jazzy sensibilities of the LE sound, and the driving beats which varied from light and skipping to hard and banging. When I asked Tony about similarities between first and third albums, he agreed immediately pointing out the ‘thread’ that links a tune like ‘Songs in the Key of Knife’ to it’s contemporary ‘Out of this World’. While Tony is now the driving force behind the project, it wasn’t always that way, the first album benefiting from the work of collaborator and equal, Chris Goss.
‘When Chris and I started Hospital, we actually started it just for our own music… we’d spend an equal amount of time, working together. Things happened, the label grew significantly… not only for LE, but for many other artists as well. He also started a family, having kids… and he couldn’t spend long nights and weekends in the studio anymore. The label had grown into a full time occupation for him, so it was a kind of natural decision.’
The decision evidently was not to leave the label, but to split the roles, with the music’s best interests at heart. Currently label co-directors, Tony assures me that they ‘still see as much of each other as they ever did.’ LE’s next change came with their second release, Billion Dollar Gravy. Something of a leap forward in songcraft, the album also saw the assembly of the live act, causing shockwaves through the world of drum n bass. While it didn’t take long for the band to raise a ruckuss, Tony allowed the band to grow organically over a lengthy period of connections and collaborations.
‘I didn’t want to do it wrong. I didn’t go “right who’s out there, I’m gonna get a band together.” I’d gradually met these musicians over time, I’d been working with them and it was a case of ‘now I’ve got the right crew’.’ Liane Carol has been a long time collaborator of Tony’s, her voice making steady appearances for ten years. The Jungle Drummer has been on side for four, and Landslide ( keyboardist) ‘has always been part of the hospital operation, from day one.’ When the chemistry was there, it was time to build a show and the rest, as they say, is history.
Listening to the LE band you can’t miss the wealth of experience that each instrumentalist brings to the stage. All working musicians long before drum ‘n’ bass even existed, the act is the only dance-music related venture for many of the band members. Liane is actually a BBC award winning jazz vocalist, while Andy Waterworth (the bass player) has a classical background, and an ambient string quartet on the side. Landside swung into dnb after cutting his teeth on garage, grind and breaks, leaving only The Jungle Drummer and MC Wrec… the two other d’n’b veterans.
Yet to experience London Elektricity Live, I told Tony that Australia is champing at the bit to see them. ‘It’s a priority for next year. We’ve been trying for the last two years to make it happen, but as I’m sure you’re aware, it’s very expensive to bring eight people all the way from London to Australia,’ says Tony with a chuckle. ‘We will make it happen.’
There’s a decisiveness in Tony’s voice, and I’m sure that aspect of his character has helped him build his empire thus far. The launch of ‘Power Ballads’ was filmed by ten cameras, and will form the basis of a forthcoming live album and DVD double offering next Autumn. Bringing the conversation back to the current release, I asked Tony which is his favourite ‘Power Ballad’.
‘It’s hard man, when you’ve made the tunes… it varies from day to day. Probably out ‘Out of this World’... in many ways it’s the most ambitious tune. Kind of ends up sounding a bit like a rock opera… the structure, the way it flows and also lyrically. I really, really enjoyed making that tune… basically it was 100% live elements. To pull that off in a d’n’b context is a lot more involved.’
When I describe the song-based nature of the album as increasing its accessibility, Tony points out that very fact has caused mixed responses. ‘I think a lot of people in d’n’b are like die-hard jungle fans, and don’t quite ‘get’ the songs. It’s the idea of having a complete song, with proper lyrics, verse, chorus, middle eight etcetera. Normally when you have a vocal track in d’n’b it’s like a sample from a House acapella, and that’s just lazy. For me the song’s essential. I love writing songs, and I get bored just rolling out beats. You have to have good strong songs to pull of a good live show. That’s the problem with most dance music, two things. One is that the songs are usually shit, and two, it ain’t live. We’ve got good songs, and we’re 100% live.’
Tony must have been raring to go during his studio years in the late nineties, having previously gigged regularly with his former band. ‘In the late eighties and early nineties I had an acid jazz band that lasted me a good seven years… 1988 to 1995. That was cool… it was a very successful band. That was when I started my own label, and I learned how to run one… a really good grounding for what I’m doing today.’
Nowadays, Tony seems to have it all. He’s performing live again, getting kicks out of DJ sets, and remains ‘very much involved with the business of Hospital.’ He’s in charge of A&R, business affairs, contracts, accounting and of course, songwriting. ‘If I’m not in the office, then I’ve got my laptop with me, and I’m doing business on the road.’ Already paved with success, let’s hope that road leads to Australia soon, and in the meantime, look out for ‘Remember the Future,’ the first single from the album (due February). The track will also feature a video directed by High Contrast, and is as hooky as hell.
London Elektricity’s new album ‘Power Ballads’ is out now through Hospital, distributed down under by Inertia.
