The Levitators are a successful and well known 5-piece live electro/breaks, drum n’ bass, funk and jazz band who have been playing in clubs and pubs around Adelaide since 2004. Previously playing along side massive acts like Lyrics Born, Shapeshifter, Nubreed, Grandmaster Flash and K-Oscillate, the band is due to participate in Adelaide’s huge Summerbreak festival next month. They are proud to announce the release of their new album Play It Like This to be launched this Saturday 15th November 2008 at the Crown and Sceptre Hotel in Adelaide. Sam from the band joins ITM to give us the details of this exciting milestone;
Congratulations on your new album Play It Like This. How long did it take to produce and how much work was involved?
A couple of the tunes are from our previous EP but have been edited. The rest of the tunes are new recordings. One tune was written about 4 years ago but most are new tunes. We spent a few months in the rehearsal studio refining the songs because what we do live is quite different to what we do in the studio. We had to change a few arrangements to make the songs work on record.
What can your fans expect from the new album?
It’s a diverse range of great music influenced by breaks, drum and bass, dub and hip hop and electro-funk. Every song is quite different to the next but it still sounds like The Levitators. It’s a solid release and I’m really proud of it.
Do you have plans to embark on a national tour to promote the new album?
Yeah we are currently talking to a couple of booking agents interstate and trying to lock something in for January. Hopefully Sydney, Melbourne, QLD and even Tassie!
How many releases does the band have to date?
We have released one self titled EP, and now our latest full length record Play it Like This.
Already experiencing a few major festivals in the past such as Parklife and the Big Day Out, are you looking forward to joining some of the worlds greatest artists at Summerbreak next month?
Yeah we are really exited about that show- festivals are where we come into our own because we can win over crowds that may not have seen us before. The line-up is huge for that show!
Well done to keeping the breakbeat/funk/dnb vibe alive in Adelaide; as major contributors, what would you like to see in the future for these genres in Adelaide?
I’m not sure really. I just hope the cheesy 80’s electro thing goes out of fashion!
In the last couple of years the club scene in Adelaide hasn’t been as popular as it once was; how has this affected the band?
I’m not sure I follow the question, but because we are a live band; we are kind of separate from the club scene in a way. I think things change and peoples’ musical tastes change as well. Essentially you just have to move forward and try to adapt. Whether you are a DJ or a club owner or a band. If you are good, and put on a good show, people keep coming back to see you.
Which are your favorite venues to perform in around Adelaide and why?
The Crown and Sceptre has been great to us and they are great people that work there. It’s sort of like a pub and a club combined so we like that vibe. We also enjoy playing at Rocket Bar and Jive because they are supporting lots of live and local music.
As quoted previously on ITM as being ‘Quality musicians, creating quality party tunes and they never seem to put a foot wrong’; can you explain the range of musical experience that each band member brings forth?
Well we have all played in different bands from Magma to Beat Smugglers to Kinetic Playground and Snap to Zero. The latter are rock bands and essentially we can bring a different attitude or angle to dance music. Everyone in the band listens to stacks of different stuff from hip hop to jazz, Frank Zappa, Rage Against the Machine, Massive Attack and Chemical Brothers. We are firm believers in that there are only two types of music. Good music- and bad music.
As a group, you have been together for many years and have grown in that time; how do you maintain a successful and ongoing relationship?
It has its ups and downs. Kind of like being in a relationship with 5 people I guess. We do have fights from time to time but tend to get over them really quickly. We are all in this for the reason we love playing music and that’s what we focus on. We are friends as well so that helps…
Who came up with the band’s name and what’s the meaning behind it?
I don’t think it means anything sorry! I think our drummer Andy came up with the name and it has stuck!
What other types of music do you listen to and where do you find your inspiration?
We listen to everything and often get inspiration from certain songs or other bands we see live. Shapeshifter are a great band live as well as bands like Salmonella Dub and local acts like The Transatlantics.
Where do you hope to see The Levitators in the future?
I hope that we can tour and make enough money from the band to pay the rent and food bills! We would love to keep making records and that’s about it. Keep living the dream y’all!!
Catch The Levitators at The Crown and Sceptre Hotel, Saturday 15th November.
ledz says...
nice work neetz! ;)