Nubreed first came to the public’s attention last year with their single ‘Welcome’. With its funky bassline, progressive breaks and soaring vocals it had a little something for everyone and got high rotation on Triple J. The subsequent release of Nubreed’s E.P. ‘Sleeping with the Enemy’, and the high calibre of their live shows have quickly propelled them to envious musical heights. Recently they have played Gatecrasher, Vibes on a Summers Day and Two Tribes. And soon they will be in Canberra for the electronic music extravaganza Satellite. I recently chatted to DB (otherwise known as Danny) about all things Nubreed. Nubreed formed in 1997, but DB, Mykell and Jase have been friends for 12 years. When they were deciding what to call themselves they came up with the name ‘Nubreed’ as it seemed to encapsulate the groups desire to take their music to new heights. DB says, “When we got together our mission statement, if you like, was to make new music, whether it was taking from the old or creating totally something different, it was going to be a new breed, a new style of music to come for the new millennium.”
They are definitely achieving this goal. Their E.P. is a refreshing mix of old and new styles. When I quiz DB on the influences that helped to shape their music, he rattles off a list of different genres that have served to inspire them. “I think the fact that we’ve got a lot of influences in general from different types of music, we grew up through a lot of different styles in our lives and took from all that to the electronic level I suppose. I mean our major influences what would they be? Anything from hip hop to drum ‘n’ bass, R’n’B, funk stuff, jazz, you know, classical, all sorts of different types of music, and then a whole heap of different genres within techno itself you know, breaks obviously.” I mention that some of the dirtier sounds even seem a bit psytrancey at times. “Yeah, that’s it. We were into psytrance early on and really liked the dirty sounds that it was getting out.”
You would think that with such wide-ranging influences, perhaps the finished product would be disjointed or dissonant. However, Nubreed blend everything together like a fruit smoothie. The original ingredients are still there but they have now united in new textures and forms. They are obviously doing something right with their mix-it-up approach, their first single ‘Welcome’ was a huge success. DB says, “I think our aim was just to welcome everyone to our music and [show] that these are the type of influences that are going to be in our music in that one song. And it just worked. I didn’t expect it to happen like that but I’m glad that it did.”
The support of radio stations like Triple J really helped Nubreed to get their sound out. DB gives them props for their assistance, “Triple J had a lot of good support for us, and a lot of other local radio stations and stuff too, so that’s basically what helped us get around the country, cos people heard it on Triple and were like ‘Yeah, let’s get them down.’ That helped us in a big way as far as live potential goes, to get around the country and have a play.”
Nubreed have since been fortunate enough to play some absolutely massive gigs. At Gatecrasher last year, they got the chance to meet Karl from Hybrid. In fact, Karl actually came up to DB, gave him a big hug and asked him to sign a copy of Nubreed’s record Midi Killer! DB laughs, “Yeah, it was a weird experience, hey. That put us on a real high, we were like yeah, this is cool the big dudes are like recognising the little dudes!” They also met up with Jodie Wisternoff from Way Out West. “We’re working on a remix for them right now as we speak. That’s what I was working on before you called.” You heard it here first kids!!
Unfortunately, they probably won’t release their spectacular remix of Bjork’s ‘Hyberballad’ due to the difficult process of clearing the rights for the vocals. “Hopefully someone will just go ‘Yeah, that’s a mad tune, lets try and get it cleared for them’ and someone will release it. But we haven’t actually recorded it, you know what I mean? It’s just something that we did live, just played on the spot type of thing. And we’ve never put it down as a recording.” When I mention that I would love to be able to get it on CD, DB replies, “I think its good to have songs that you can only get live so then you get the whole experience and not just get the CD.” So if you’re a huge fan of the song like me, you’ll have to go to see them live!
But what about if you need to get a Nubreed fix, you can’t see them live, and the E.P just isn’t enough… Is there a Nubreed album in the pipeline? “We’re working on songs for an album and we’re doing a lot of remixes at the moment. And just putting out a few 12”s on some overseas labels. ‘Ionosphere’ a single from the EP is coming out on the 12th on [Tayo’s] Mob Records.” They also have some tracks on various compilations, including Kid Kenobi’s Ministry of Sound CD. So there’s no chance of an album release anytime soon? Unfortunately, DB says no, “We’re just writing the album on the side at the moment, keeping it slowly chugging along, cos we are always changing and evolving and when we think we’ve got the right material for an album – that’s probably when we’ll put it out.”
It seems to me that many groups are changing and the future of music is in a constant state of flux. I mention that there is a lot of fusion in music these days, with many styles coming together to create new forms. DB wholeheartedly agrees, “Yeah, that’s it. I think it’s all crossing over as well as far as, you know, band based music like your typical rock stuff, and I think alternative music is a new word. You know what I mean? It doesn’t mean just your guitar-based stuff, it means all of it now, and there’s a lot of different stuff going on.” DB thinks that this crossing over and fusion in music is an exponential phenomenon that will definitely keep progressing into the future. “I think that the generations of people to come are going to be a little bit more educated about what’s going on, cos there’s so much going on and there’s so many things that you can get into through the internet and stuff like that. I think a more informed audience are going to get into a lot more different things in the future, instead of being fed the same old shit.”
With groups like Nubreed at the frontline of this innovation, it’s a very exciting time for Australian music. Experimental groups like this, who fuse past and present styles in a big melting pot, make the idea of set music categories virtually obsolete. It is difficult to label the basic underlying sounds of this ‘new breed’ of music, without restricting it. By pigeonholing music under a structured label, you detract from the vast array of elements that unite and infuse to create a unique blend. Nubreed’s style probably fits the breaks category best, but if you haven’t heard them yet then don’t file them neatly away as another ‘breaks’ group because you’d be missing the point. The only way to understand what Nubreed are about is to see them play live, and immerse yourself in the intricacies of sound that merge to form their music.
Luckily, you won’t have to wait too long to see them play live as they will be performing at Satellite on the Easter long weekend. I ask DB if he’s looking forward to it and he says, “I heard that it’s going to be a really good party.” We start chatting about the diversity of music, and the many live acts on show at Satellite. DB says, “That’s what’s cool about Canberra, they’re sort of up for all of it, aren’t they? Up for all types of music. Like in a main room you can switch from your hard stuff, straight into breaks and it’s not like people are going to walk off, they’re still there dancing. They pretty much get into everything.”
Nubreed recently jammed with Tactical (formerly Wicked Tribe Collective); another of the live acts performing at Satellite. One half of Tactical (Ed) is an old friend of mine and I mention that I
am really proud of them playing at such a high profile event. DB says
warmly, “Oh wicked, its good you know, its good to see everyone just getting out there and doing it. It’s like what you were saying before about ‘Welcome’ being on Triple J. It was good for us, but it’s also good for everyone that’s wants to do independent music. [People] that know you say “Oh yeah, he can do it, he’s been there, we can all do it. It’s like it’s easy, you know what I mean? If you just put your heart and soul into what you want to do and really believe in what you’re doing, then you’ll get there, you know? It’s not about anything else.” Very inspiring words indeed.
So what can the Canberra crowd expect from Nubreed’s upcoming gig at Satellite? “Some new stuff they haven’t heard. At least four new tunes that they haven’t heard before, which will be really cool, because its some more dance floor kinda stuff I reckon, so get your grooving shoes on!”
You heard the man, get along to Satellite, get your grooving shoes on, and dance the night away to an indescribably good Nubreed of music.
