Rob Swaine meets The Living Graham Bond ahead of the Chew The Fat! boat Party this weekend.
Those of you who follow Graham on Twitter (MrTLGB) will know him for his unusual breakfast eating habits, but there’s more to this chap than just his talent for devouring the leftovers from the night before. Take a listen to his ‘Winter Hunter’ EP, recently released on Fat! Records and you’ll soon discover that for yourself. Perhaps originally intended as a winter warmer, the title track incorporates elements of house, nu-disco, carnival and pop that would work just as well on an Ibiza roof terrace as it would on a dark, sweaty London dancefloor.
Having been picked up a little under a year ago now by the up-and-coming house label, Venga Digital, he’s fast moved on to bigger and better things, regularly playing at Chew The Fat events across the UK and Europe, alongside some of the biggest names in house and electro, including Foamo and Trevor Loveys. His flair for reinventing a tune with a killer remix has seen his popularity soar, with his remix of Kidda’s ‘Everything Bad is Good for You’ tearing up the blogosphere, as well as his Baltimore-tinged remix of ‘Boy’ by Fugly stirring up massive support on Soundcloud.
Catch the man himself this Friday as he creates waves aboard the Chew The Fat boat party, setting sail at half six from the London Eye Millennium Pier. In the meantime, here’s some questions that Graham was kind enough to answer for us:
The title track to your latest EP, 'Winter Hunter', sees you collaborate with folk singer, Fiona Bevan – how did this unlikely collaboration come to life?
As most of these things seem to, it came about purely because I've known Fiona for years. I sent her a couple of loops and ideas and I was cock-a-hoop when she came back to me with that sweet chorus. We've worked on a couple of poppy electronica-based projects before but they didn't seem to work as well as this did.
With such a strong remix package from Bare Noize, Blaze Tripp and one still to come from Shooting Horses, do you have a favourite remix?
All three are excellent in their own right but you have to give it to the Bare Noize boys! They turned it in to the soundtrack for an emotionally charged vampire movie that should star Arnold Schwarzenegger... which is quite a task. The Shooting Horses remix also has great qualities and I think it's a really forward thinking style, I can see a lot more of his blend in the future.
In an ideal world, who would you get to remix one of your songs?
Two of my favourite producers would be Boys Noize and Trentmoller. Both have very significant and individual styles that have really influenced my way of approaching music production, especially for the former as Alex Ridha refuses to repeat himself. He could've knocked out a hundred of copies of 'My Moon My Man' but he just let it be and moved on to the next idea – legend!
How does it feel to have your second EP released on the recently relaunched infamous Fat! Records?
Pretty special really as I've been a fan of Paul Arnold's projects for years, especially Certificate 18 Records which put out one of the daftest and most stimulating albums I've heard, Pilote – 'Kingfood'. Also following Randomer and Foamo on the release catalogue is a massive Brucey Bonus, two amazing artists!
Your recent output has seen you head down a more Baltimore house route. Has this been a conscious decision?
Yeah, I suppose it is conscious. The best advice I received recently was to just write what I like and at the moment I really like house tempo stuff like that. I think the world missed a trick when Baltimore Club raised and lowered its head recently. Boy 8 Bit has done some amazing B-more styled stuff and it's such a refreshing break from electro. I would prescribe it to anybody with a case of bassline blues.
You've put out some incredible bootlegs in the past, including your take on Beenie Man's ‘Dude’, Olive's 'You're Not Alone' and Stardust's 'Music Sounds Better with You' – have you got any more in the pipeline?
A firm YES, watch this rectangular computer shaped space.
It's the Chew The Fat boat party this Friday – have you ever DJed on a boat before? I hope you don't get seasick.
Nope, this is a first for me and I'm really looking forward to it. However, I might drink until I create a perfect simulation of sea sickness... Just for authenticity.
How do you get your hair so shiny?
It’s a combination of half decent shampoo, conditioners and some of the best hair genes known to man. If you see me out and want a touch then please, just ask.
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