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Post by Captain Crieff on Sept 28, 2022 16:11:27 GMT
Chilean interview with Justin: www.humonegro.com/magazine/entrevista/justin-lockey-de-editors-somos-una-banda-muy-democratica-para-componer-nuestra-musica/Machine translation: Justin, first of all, thank you very much for taking the time to talk to us.
No problem, my pleasure.
Chile is a country where Editors certainly has a lot of fans. In fact, I was talking to some friends before the interview and practically all of them asked me to ask you when you were coming to play here.
Oh yeah (laughs), every time we post something on social media or a video on YouTube there are the "come to Chile" comments over and over again. We've wanted to go to South America for a long time. We're trying to make that work and it's very difficult to get a tour down there, but believe me we're always trying.
Hopefully it will be with this new album. I want to start by talking about "EBM", specifically your experience creating it.
It kind of started in a conversation with Ben, Blanck Mass, when we were making the album "Violence" (2018). We were going to do a show with him where we would incorporate special arrangements, kind of like techno, but then the pandemic came along and we kept working on these ideas that naturally morphed into an album with Ben involved. We kept developing what we had during the quarantine, and we realised it was sounding like an Editors album. After that, we went into the studio and spent a month putting all the pieces together and shaping this work; we drew from all these little pieces that we were each working on in our own studios at home and sending to each other virtually. That's when Russell (Leetch, bassist) and Ed (Lay, drummer), the rhythm section, kind of shaped the record and worked really hard to get the end result.
I've been listening to the album and I feel many songs have a very fresh sound, but at the same time sounding like the band has always done, especially tracks like "Heart Attack" or "Picturesque". Did you always want to keep that bit of your spirit or was it something that would inevitably stay there?
I think it's one of those things that, no matter what formulas you adopt to make a record, at the end of the day it always remains, that essential factor above all else, and in our case it's Tom's (Smith, vocalist) voice. We could literally record a bag full of rocks and put Tom's voice on top of it and it would sound like an Editors song (laughs). His voice is so powerful and commanding, wherever he sings it will always put things in our territory, but I think when we started making the record it was just the way we play that would make this record sound like Editors, even with Ben involved, it's something that stays in the way we play. It's all in line with the evolution of the band every time we make a record and change the way we produce, the sound, the influences, whatever. At the end of the day it will always sound like an Editors album, it's just like a new chapter in our ongoing story. I don't think there's a way out of that, especially with his voice being so strong.
Yes, it's a very strong voice. In fact, "Heart Attack" feels like a song specifically for live chanting, you can almost hear the audience singing along with Tom in a concert with thousands of people.
Yes, it absolutely feels like that.
This was the first preview and also the song with which you confirmed Benjamin (Blanck Mass) officially joining the band, how would you describe the working relationship you've had with him?
It's great, we worked on "Violence" before and it's like bringing a friend into the band, it was very easy. There's no process that we had to deal with, it's almost like it was always there.
Do you feel any difference now that he is an official member of the band and not a collaborator like he was before?
I think the differences are mainly the advantage of having another set of ears that can listen and analyse what's missing in our music, guide the conversation and the music to where we want it to go. We are very collaborative as a band, we like to work together and get the opinion of our collaborators, be it producers or sound engineers, and make it count. We are a very democratic band when it comes to songwriting, it's not about one person, it's about the band as a whole. It feels great to have another friend in the room giving ideas and incorporating their knowledge. When you have a new member, they will always add what they know into the music, and in Ben's case it's this heavy, almost industrial-like energy and sound that he definitely incorporated with a lot of desire, so it's been great to work together.
Justin, I want to take you back nine years in time to "The Weight Of Your Love" (2013), the first Editors record you were involved with. What do you remember about that period being the new guy in the band?
It was great. I've been in bands since the late nineties, I've been in music for many years, I remember my old band, Yourcodenameis:milo, a post hardcore and math rock project, was once a support act for Editors when they were starting out, so I knew who they were and I knew their early records. The producer Flood, who is a friend of mine, worked with the band on the album "In This Light And On This Evening" (2009), when they were parting ways with Chris (Urbanowicz, former guitarist) suggested they contact me and see how I fit in with them. Anyway, it was weird to take that phone call, I didn't know anyone in the band, I'd never spoken or hung out with them. One day they called me and it was like, "Hey, would you like to come and play guitar in Editors?" and I said, "Yeah, that would be fun", then I flew to Nashville and we created the album "The Weight Of Your Love", which was a tremendous process and I had a great time. After I arrived, Elliott (Williams, keyboardist) also joined and it was a really good period for the band, which had already had a great career so far and was feeling a bit disoriented after Chris' departure. Finally, the album was able to reunite them and continue their career. It feels like a long time ago, now that I think about it (laughs).
Yes, nine years. Time flies.
Yes, it feels far away, but it was a great process. We had a great time making the record.
Justin, I want to know about one of your other projects, Minor Victories, is there a chance that project will continue or was it just a one album thing?
Funny you should ask that, because right now I'm in my studio going through the pile of music we have for a new Minor Victories record. We have a ton of songs in the works, but the problem with the band is fitting in the times and schedules, we're all pretty busy this year. I have to focus on the Editors tour, Stuart (Braithwaite, guitarist) is concentrating on his Mogwai thing and Rachel (Goswell, vocalist) is also busy with Slowdive, plus we don't overlap our free periods. We need to find a time when we can all be together and make the record, and I'm sure it will happen at some point. I love the first album we made and I'm sure we'll make another one again, but it will take time for that to happen.
During October you will be playing live with the band again, after taking some time off from touring to focus on your mental health. What have you been doing these days to prepare for and return to the shows?
Most of my time is spent in my studio working on new music, also playing with cameras, I've been getting into photography lately. I'm also working on some scripts for future productions, composing music, I've got some photography projects in mind as well, enjoying time with my kids, basically keeping myself in a position where I'm ready to go back on tour from October. After the quarantine I wasn't ready to come back, we were all hit differently by the pandemic and I've never been ashamed to talk about my mental health, I was honest in the sense that I didn't want to play again, I wasn't ready to tour again. After everything that had happened over the last few years, I felt in a safe place being with my family at home and experiencing new things. I participated in rehearsals, I was ready with everything that comes with getting on the plane and starting the tour, but my mind wasn't, so I told the guys that I didn't feel ready and I needed more time. They all understood and supported me.
I thought about this a lot because I think a lot of people found it hard to get back to "normal life" when the pandemic started to get a bit more under control. In my case, it was a challenge to go to the first few concerts after live music came back and I don't even want to imagine how hard it is for you, who have to be on stage playing in front of thousands of people every day.
You are right. The main thing we can take away from all this is that not everybody was ready to reconnect to everyday life, you know, nobody has touched on that, but sooner or later people would have to face that. Clearly there are people who had no problems and went back to business as usual, but there are also those who don't work like that. If you have the world taken away from you for two years and then it's thrown in your face from one day to the next, don't expect everyone to react the same way, there's bound to be problems. I wasn't ready to go back, I needed to go through that process of preparing and doing things again, I couldn't just pretend nothing happened because there were so many things that happened. We all lost our lives for two years, we basically put ourselves on pause and it was very strange, we couldn't even be near each other and suddenly everything was the same as before. The virus hasn't gone away, my family got it for the third time a few weeks ago. It's not something that is over, the fear is still out there and, if people felt that fear for two years, it's natural that they still feel that fear because there are still deaths. It's a very difficult period.
Yes, it's a very difficult thing. Are you preparing in a different way to come back or did you just need a bit more time?
It's a bit more time, all to process what you really want and move on. When your life changes, you get to think about what you want and where you're going, it's important to be honest with yourself to understand what you want. I needed some time to think and process if this was my life, and it clearly is, I just had to think about it more and realise it. Now I'm grateful to be able to sit back and say "okay, I'm ready to go back". The guys were supportive, they let me take the time I needed and now we're going to start rehearsals. Ben will be joining at the same time as me, so it will be like an official restart of our activities.
I remember when you announced your temporary departure, you ended the statement with the sentence: "The more we talk about it, the easier it will be to deal with it", and I really liked the way you said that. Have you always been open to talk about your problems or is it a process that you also had to understand?
Yes, I have always dealt with these issues. I've been in therapy and support groups for all these years, it's a problem you have to know how to deal with. Over the years I have lost friends who have committed suicide because they couldn't talk about what was happening to them. For me it's medieval, we get to a point where admitting you're in trouble is showing yourself to be weak, when you're not. In my case, I let my close ones know that I wasn't well and they understood, and it should always be that easy. You see a lot of times in rock bands this bullet-proof personality is shown, but it's not like that. Look how many rock stars have committed suicide, they are people with problems like everybody else, just like the postman or somebody who works in the supermarket, we are all the same. For me, saying something like what I said, it shouldn't be a problem, it should be an everyday thing for everybody. We don't have to stigmatise mental health, we should be looking out for each other all the time, all that stuff about men being strong is rubbish, it's always been bullshit. The only thing that does exist is that suicide kills young people because they swallow all that shit and don't get to talk to anyone for fear of feeling weak in front of everyone else. Talking to someone should be the easiest thing in the world, you don't have to be afraid.
Justin, maybe someone reading this interview is going through something similar, is there any advice you would like to give to someone who doesn't know how to handle it?
Everyone deals with situations differently, what I said is the best advice I can give: the more we talk about it, the easier it is to deal with. This normalises something that should be regular, I have children and I want them to talk to me whenever they have a problem, everything can be solved; even if you are in a period of depression, anxiety or stress, you have to open your mind to understand that nothing is as terrible as you feel, there will always be someone or something that can help you. They may not all be able to help you, but at least they will understand. It is important to talk to friends, family, even strangers, you can go to a therapist and talk about what is happening, it will always be possible to move forward. The best thing you can do is to understand what is going on and find a situation by taking your time, it is a step by step thing.
This will be the last question as we are running out of time, are there any of the projects you are working on that you want to have ready before you go on tour?
There are a lot of things I'm developing, but I don't think I'll have anything ready before I go on tour. There will be things next year that will take shape, projects that I've been working on for a few years. I'm looking forward to the tour to take some photographs as well, it's something that is a huge relaxation for me, just having a camera and using it as a vehicle to understand the world.
Well, Justin, thank you very much for your time. We hope to see you here someday, you know people are waiting.
Yeah, we know (laughs). We'll be there someday, I assure you.
Thank you very much, see you.
Thanks to you, take care and be well.
and a Polish one: soundrive.pl/pl/article/4943/editors-mam-czterdziesci-lat-i-nie-zamierzam-odstawiac-cyrkow-na-tiktokuMachine translation: Lukasz Brzozowski: Do you like to get a bit bored sometimes?
Justin Lockey: When I'm not doing anything for too long - which is extremely rare - I start to get restless, my mood deteriorates. I have to keep my head constantly occupied with various activities, but I have very broad interests and I hope that never changes.
The reason I asked this is because Editors sound completely different on every album. You never know what to expect from you guys, but doesn't constantly reinventing yourself eat up a lot of energy?
It can be very tiring and sometimes after a recording session we can feel quite tired - the same goes for collecting new ideas - but the results are worth the effort. We'd rather work hard on something and feel satisfied afterwards than do the same thing over and over again. Playing the same songs, recording albums in a similar style and using the same tricks over and over again means the death of the band. We can't stand stagnation, we want to explore and each time we come up with ideas that we wouldn't suspect ourselves of. It's thanks to this attitude that Editors are doing well, recording more albums and having good relationships within the band.
Even your live setlists are very variable - you don't just play your greatest hits and squeeze two or three fresher tracks in between.
We like to change and we like to try out new things - sometimes we have a deeper purpose in it, and at other times we want to see how we bite on an idea or prove to ourselves that we can do something. Change is probably the most essential part of Editors, it keeps us alive and reinforces the desire to create. If we went round our own axis and made records like 'The Back Room' over and over again, fans would probably be delighted, but we ourselves would probably die of boredom.
Journalists and fans swear that Editors' stylistic twists and turns are an act of bravery, but is that too big a term? After all, you've been constantly changing from the very beginning, so this state of affairs must be natural for you.
For me it's quite normal, we function as we feel like it. No one has ever forced us to play a particular style, we have never been forced to do anything - the band has always been given a free hand, which we make abundant use of. However, I understand the comments about boldness. We're quite a big band, we've got a big fan base, so the safest thing to do in a set-up like this would be to do what people expect us to do, and we're going in a completely different direction - it's quite an unusual move for a recognisable band. A lot of Editors fans aren't keen on the newer albums and the subsequent changes further piss them off, but we don't give a fuck. If you prefer the first three albums, then go listen to them as much as you want.
Having said that, listeners are rather happy with what you're doing - if they weren't, you'd quickly be relegated to the club leagues and playing for a few hundred rather than a few thousand people.
People are somehow used to what we do. Even if they would prefer us to go in a different direction, they respect what we do and don't try to put pressure on us to play their favourite songs - it's not a request concert. The attitude you mentioned is mostly about people who have been with Editors from the very beginning, listeners who are constantly watching the band develop and drawing the right conclusions. It's always nice for me when someone compliments songs or records that we've put a lot of heart into, but that's not the most important thing. We function in our own way and don't give a fuck about anything else. It may sound unpleasant or even brutal, but it proves our sincerity and authenticity.
Have you always approached the band's activities in this way or has it only been popularity and status that has allowed you to loosen up?
We've always had this approach, but I think the bigger the band gets, the harder it is to loosen up, so I'm happy with our unchanging style of operation. When you become more and more recognisable, there's an inhuman pressure around, the band turns into something like a very intense company. It's easy then to take the easy way out and look for compromises, but fortunately that never crossed our minds. When we go into the studio or compose music, we don't think about how others will perceive it. If the fans turn their noses up at us, we don't care at all.
I assume that you are not keen on promotional activities either.
No, I don't mind promoting the band and I understand that it's a very important thing in terms of pushing forward new releases. I like interviews and I like to bite into other people's interpretations of what we do - I could sit for half a day and talk non-stop about the process of making 'EBM', so it's not like I'm talking to you or anyone else because I've been forced to. While interviews are fine, however, we are completely disinterested in algorithms, matching singles to radio station expectations and other such nonsense. We're not businessmen or social media specialists, we're musicians, so our focus is on the music, not on matching tags to it. We are aware of the consequences of this attitude, because we are not getting impressive results on streaming services. If we were to ensure our livelihood solely from listening profits on Spotify, I would probably live in a tent. Do I have any regrets? Absolutely not. I prefer to be honest with myself. I'm in my forties and I'm not going to put on a circus on TikTok, it would be extremely forced. We grew up in the 90s, when promoting a band was about being ahead of your time and experimenting. Look at R.E.M., for example - that's the path we want to take. What matters is artistic development, not contracts, money or fitting in with one trend or the other.
Don't you find it amusing to see older artists trying to make a name for themselves on TikTok, but you can see from them that they are completely out of touch with the platform?
Yes, it's a bit funny and I would say downright embarrassing - both for the artist and the viewer. I have a 14-year-old daughter who is on TikTok, embraces all the nuances and gets all the fun out of it. Brilliant stuff, but what do you think, on the level of taste and entertainment demand, what do I share or have in common with her?
Not a lot?
Exactly, and this is because my daughter and I come from completely different worlds. We have a lot in common, but the generational difference between us is big. We look for different things, we prefer different humour and it's completely normal. We each operate in our own bubble, so I don't try to forcefully understand or like something I don't understand at all, because that would be completely unnecessary. I would change absolutely nothing in this way, and at most I would expose myself to ridicule. I come from an era where people made car playlists on CDs, so I don't think TikTok is the best platform in the world for a white dude from a miserable rock band.
I can tell from both the interviews and the character of 'EBM' that there is less unhappiness in you than there used to be.
Yes, because music is one thing and private life is another. Editors has been endowed with a particular emotional charge from the beginning, we call it uplifting sadness. But on a day-to-day basis, we are far from the bitter types who complain about everything. We know how to wring out feelings that match the music we perform, but we are rather happy people.
You sound like a purebred member of a British rock band - no melodrama or theatrics, just straightforward solutions and coffee table.
What is it like to be purebred British at a time when England and other countries are incredibly divided and divisive? Today, half the country says one thing and the rest says something completely different, but I agree that we're committed to clear thinking. We don't need to add great values where there are none. The less you fuck around in the dance, the more chance you have of avoiding foolish slip-ups.
That's easy to say, but every artist experiences a spike in ambition at some point, and then it's quite difficult to avoid getting fucked in the dance.
That's right, we've always had a lot of ambition in Editors, which is one of the reasons why every record sounds different, but we know how to put the boundary where it needs to be. Even when we come up with different ideas, we're excellent at putting them into practice. In this respect, we rely on straightforwardness. For this, we do not need to learn new things. Each of us has spent hundreds of hours in the recording studio, we always know what to do and how to do it, which of course makes the whole process easier and saves a lot of time.
In 'Strawberry Lemonade' it says: 'Can you feel the broken nation', which is an obvious reference to the social problems the UK is facing, but don't you get the impression that the Queen's death has somehow brought the British people closer together?
I disagree. I take the view that after her death things got even worse than they were, which is quite an achievement. I would also like to mention the multidimensionality of the line you quoted - it can be applied to the situation in almost any country. We live in a world ruled by fucking populists and utter idiots. Some people uncritically support the people in power, but there is also the other side of the coin, the people who want change. This breeds conflict. In our country the situation is so bad that for twelve years we have been watched over by a government that is tearing society apart from within, embarrassing itself internationally and sowing unrest. The Queen's death has created a lot of hype in a not necessarily good way, so I see the coming months as black.
Can the people of the UK do anything to improve the current situation, or are your hands tied?
Of course there is something we can do - next time I would suggest voting sensibly and not letting the fucking idiots in power, because that's what makes the situation what it is. There has been no unpleasantness beyond our control, because we have created this mess for ourselves. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't understand this at all and blindly trust the propaganda of success, so I doubt that there will be any positive changes in the near future. At the moment it will be difficult to have any meaningful discussion on the subject, everyone is just talking about Elizabeth II and she remains the centre of attention.
It's funny that so many people are shocked by the death of someone who passed away at the age of ninety-six.
Of course we can do something - next time I would suggest voting sensibly and not letting the fucking idiots in power, because that is what has made the situation look like it is. There has been no unpleasantness beyond our control, because we have created this mess for ourselves. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't understand this at all and blindly trust the propaganda of success, so I doubt that there will be any positive changes in the near future. At the moment it will be difficult to have any meaningful discussion on the subject, everyone is just talking about Elizabeth II and she remains the centre of attention.
It's funny that so many people are shocked by the death of someone who passed away at the age of ninety-six.
It doesn't surprise me, because a large number of Britons, especially the older ones, see the royals as something of a symbol of the power of an empire that is performing, in fact, on average. It all stems from an attachment to sentiment and a false sense of grandeur, but fortunately just as many people realise the façade of it all. It's just a theatrical performance, not real life. We are talking about one of the richest western countries where you still find people who rely on food banks cards and can barely make ends meet. Instead of the press is bemoaning the Queen, where is the press bemoaning the starving kids walking the streets? The media is latching onto the death of a ninety-six-year-old woman instead of covering the important issues.
I conclude that the death of Elizabeth II should also be followed by the death of the monarchy and power understood as bloodshed and a façade empire built from cardboard.
People also have very different opinions on the matter. Many people who come from royalist homes wear blinders and consider the Queen to be the greatest figure to have walked the planet. On the other hand, you see working-class families wondering why they don't have a penny to their soul in a country full of rich people.
You've touched on another important topic, that of class division - we love to define ourselves and others in such terms, but does anything good come out of it?
Absolutely not, but our government doesn't mind it at all, and it even helps, because the division makes them feel that they have the poorer people at their mercy. If the working class started to protest, they would immediately be intimidated by the news of a wave of foreigners who want to bankroll Britain and take jobs away from the locals, which is of course utter nonsense.
You're an active musician, producer and director - how do you keep from going mad from a plethora of different tasks?
I know my limits, when I feel overworked I just take a break. It's simple, and being active in such different fields from each other allows me to have a good dose of varied tasks, so I don't get into a rut.
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Post by Captain Crieff on Oct 9, 2022 12:46:56 GMT
www.wr.de/kultur/veranstaltungstipps/synthrock-statt-tiktok-editors-melden-sich-zurueck-id236606589.html (in German) Machine translation:
ESSEN. Editors quickly deleted their TikTok account. However, the six Brits will be present in Düsseldorf at the end of October with their new album "EBM".
Success confirmed: Like its predecessor "Violence" four years ago, the new Editors album "EBM" just entered the German charts at number six. On the record, released at the end of September, the English present themselves more electronic than ever. From the indie rock of the first two albums in the mid-2000s and songs like "Munich", "All Sparks" or "Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors", the sextet around singer Tom Smith has now generously distanced itself. Now, it's no longer The Smiths or The Cure that dominate as comparative values, but above all Depeche Mode and New Order.
Benjamin John Power is largely responsible for this. The electronic musician released several albums with experimental and noisy techno sounds under his pseudonym Blanck Mass and as a member of the band Fuck Buttons. The first collaboration between Editors and Power took place during the production process of the "Violence" LP in 2017. A remix album with versions of Powers called "The Blanck Mass Sessions" was released in April 2019, initially only planned as a limited special release for the annual "Record Store Day". However, it didn't stop there; due to euphoric fan reactions, a regular CD version followed just a few weeks later.
"Intimidating" situation for the new Editors member Three and a half years later, Power is preparing for his first tour as a full-fledged Editors member. The chemistry between him and the established quintet was so good that the five colleagues decided they wanted him to be a permanent part of the group. "For me, it's a bit intimidating to come into such an established band. I've been working with them for a good five years, but now of course it's something completely different," he admits in the interview.
He wants to dose his contributions to the live sound in such a way that both long-time and new fans will enjoy the tour: "I have now added some parts to the old songs, but of course treat the pieces with the necessary respect. We're not going to play 'Munich' as a techno banger from now on - the fans wouldn't want that either."
Clear statement in the music video On the other hand, another song on "EBM" (abbreviation for "Editors Blanck Mass") is fully aimed at dancefloors. For the almost eight-minute synth-pop stomper "Kiss", guitarist Justin Lockey shot a video together with his brother James in which an seemingly homosexual couple dances romantically with each other. This earned the band some nasty comments from reactionaries on internet platforms such as YouTube and Facebook.
Power: "As a band, we didn't consciously talk about how we would cast the characters in the video. Justin was looking for the two people who best fit from an aesthetic perspective. When he cast the video, these two men made the most sense. The video can be seen as an inclusive statement, a statement against homophobia. We, as six straight cis men, see ourselves as 'allies', as supporters of the LGBTQ+ community."
No added value in TikTok Perhaps it's because of comments like these that Editors have always done the bare minimum on social media. Last summer, the band set up a TikTok account, quickly amassing over 900,000 fans there - and promptly deleted it again. "In fact, I've overheard some conversations about it and switch off every time (laughs). But I know that our TikTok has been deleted and may be reinstalled at some point. It's a social network for younger people, isn't it? I don't want to come across as a boomer now, but I also don't see how this is going to work for Editors and add value for us," Power asks.
A much bigger problem for the band is Brexit. The musician also has a clear opinion on this: "It affects us in many ways, customs, tour buses, transport, above all it makes everything much more expensive. I still don't understand how anyone back home could and can think that the Brexit was and is a good idea."
A shot to Brexit An employee of the Michelberger Hotel in Berlin saw it the same way. That's why Power, who lives in Scotland, has a special memory of the day the election result was announced: "I played a Blanck Mass show at Berlin's Berghain the night before. When I came in for breakfast the morning after, an employee who guessed I was British put a glass of liquor on the table, said 'I'm sorry' - and left. I think that says it all."
well I'm curious to hear a techno version of Munich once (maybe only once though lol) tbh. also they definitely did not get 900,000 followers on TikTok lmao and yes the homophobes in the comment section of Kiss on YouTube can indeed fuck off
Richard and tribble like this
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