Are you equally as captivated by tribal rhythms as you are by getting lost in the bass bins of a beefy club sound system? Then Percussion Junction are the act for you. Fusing traditional percussion and hard hitting drums with funky basslines, they consist of three drummers on stage along with DJ Bentley, to bring you live electronic music covering everything from hip hop to breaks to house. And now their debut album The Beat Cartel is about to be released. To celebrate, Percussion Junction are about to hit the road for a tour around NSW that will see them playing at events in all the different corners of the state. ITM finds out what they’ve got in store.
Your debut album is finally at the doorstep, and in a few days it will delivered to the world. How do you feel after the creative process?
Matt Bourne: It’s been a long time coming and involved a good deal of nurture. The CD involved recording sessions over a period of close to 12 months; it was very much the result of experimentation and trying new things to capture the essence of the music. The original concept and intention of the CD remained firm during this period, but the actual end result is far better than any of us had imagined. So it certainly is a pretty gratifying experience to be finally holding the end result
What is the purpose of including Spanish, French and English in Bust Down Brown? Is it to suggest that even though we come from different parts of the world, we are all experiencing similar world forces?
Matt Bourne: In a nutshell, this is it. It’s basically a statement that despite the perceived differences between people we all have common aspirations and needs and essentially experience the world is the same way. The variety of languages in Bust Down Brown also reflect the variety of percussive instruments in the band which range from Latin, African, Arabic and more conventional drums.
Benjamin Chinnock: I have also wanted to write a trilingual track, and after I convinced Kane to write a down beat track the two ideas had a perfect platform. The vocalist where given the brief to write about the state of the world as they see it and as it affects them, so while their verses are different there is a common theme. Their experiences however are unique, but they can be related to by everyone. In terms of not understanding the lyrics, I hope that Australian radio can embrace this track like do multiculturalism. You don’t have to understand the words to enjoy the song and if you really want to know the translation will be posted on our website soon.
There are various featured artists on the album. Do they bring with them their own lyrics and influences, or are you their directors?
Matt Bourne: It was very much our intention to allow the lyricists to express themselves. We limited our involvement to providing them with the intention or feel that we were hoping to develop. You could say we provided the paper and ink, and they did the writing.
Benjamin Chinnock: We chose the vocalist to suit each track, and while we hinted at subject for some songs most were the ideas of the vocalists. Songs like Iron Eagle with two different vocalists was written separately, but they both worked around a central theme. It’s good to see that most of our songs have a political or social edge to their lyrics.
There are also several tracks without lyrics. Do you think the listener can be just as moved by a track that does not have moving lyrics?
Matt Bourne: It was important for us to feature such songs without lyrics, as it is more reflective of many of our live shows. One of the things we were always conscious of was trying to ensure the end product was not unrelated to what the band does live particularly. I think people respond equally to lyrics as they do to listening to percussive expression or the flow of the music. They are equally as addictive and moving
How do you compose a track? Is it drums first and then DJ Bentley synthesises their rhythms or visa versa?
Matt Bourne: The composition of tracks is very much a mish mash creative process… sometimes a song may develop out of someone playing a simple drumbeat and the music is built around this, other times it might be a case of synthesis being programmed and the percussion slotting in to this mould, either way all members of the band have input and direction into a tracks development.
The album encompasses a variety of styles like hip hop, breaks and house. How do you chose which style to use for a track or is the variety on the album created spontaneously?
Matt Bourne: I think its a case of the creative process mentioned above… Each member of the band has their own preference for what they enjoy playing and hearing and that’s why the various styles develop. So it is more or less a spontaneous process but there are circumstances where we attempt certain types of music to suit certain occasions. For example, a drum and bass tune may have developed as a result of the band playing a gig with a drum and bass theme.
What you want the listeners to feel after listening to The Beat Cartel?
Matt Bourne: It would be great if they could be inspired to come see us live.
Benjamin Chinnock: The need to dance, the album is written to move the band floor and while we are a band, it’s dance music that we make. Also with the lyrical content it would be nice to think that maybe we have made people question the way the world is little and think about making a positive difference to society.
What is the best thing about producing an album?
Matt Bourne: Watching the music on the CD develop and grow to its final result, and having the creative input of so many great artists along the way.
Do you ever wish you could change something in a track because it sounds differently live than in the studio?
Matt Bourne: It’s always been a challenge for us because playing live is so enjoyable and important to us. We really wanted to capture this on the CD, and I think this is part of the reason it has taken us so long to get it finished. But I think its been worth the journey and we are happy with the vibe of the album.
The Daily Telegraph reviewed your gig at the Beck’s Festival Bar, writing that you guys produced “some seriously good, base heavy, tribal rhythms.” How does it make you feel to know that your name is getting out there, and more and more people can’t get enough of you?
Matt Bourne: It’s great to hear some of the positive feedback from our shows. Playing live and watching the crowd respond in such a positive way is a real buzz and inspires you the play better and push what your doing.
What outcome do you hope for with this album and the up-coming tour?
Matt Bourne: Hopefully it will lift the bands exposure and open-up a few opportunities for us. It’s a good feeling to think that what you have been doing for the last year or two will soon be floating around peoples lounge rooms and filling the air.
Experience Percussion Junction at the following dates across NSW…
4th Apr: Beach Road Hotel, Bondi
5th Apr: Heritage Hotel, Bulli
6th Apr: Queens Wharf Brewery, Newcastle
12th Apr: The Gum Ball Festival, Wollombi Valley
27th Apr: Loft King Street Wharf, Sydney
2nd May: Baroque Bar, Katoomba
16th May: Band Wagon at The Stag, Leichhardt
22nd May: Dust Tones at Loft Bar, UTS Broadway
