bomb the bass

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++
For Live Bookings and General Enquiries please contact Doug Smith - [email protected]
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++
BOMB THE BASS > FUTURE CHAOS
It has been a quite a while since Clear, the last Bomb The Bass album. Fourteen years worth of a while, to be precise. But you can stop counting now, because a new one is on the horizon. It’s called Future Chaos, it’s released in May and it’s a cracker. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++
Tim Simenon has never had much interest in repeating himself, so it’s no surprise that Future Chaos is quite different to anything he’s done in the past. For starters, it’s more overtly electronic than the earlier Bomb The Bass albums. The bulk of the music has been created with a Minimoog, the classic vintage synthesiser, giving the tracks a totally unified sound. A warm and inviting and enveloping sound, too.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++
At the same time, Future Chaos is very much a collection of songs rather than soundscapes. And the clarity and purity of those songs is striking. If there could possibly be such a thing as electronica unplugged, then Future Chaos might be it.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++
SIMPLE AND DIRECT ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++
‘It’s basically a Minimoog album with vocals on it,’ says Tim. ‘I suppose the key element is its simplicity. A lot of the original tracks were quite complicated, so the choice was made to strip everything back and get rid of anything that was cluttering up the song. I just wanted the songs to stand out clearly. I wanted it to be as simple and direct as possible.’
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++
As with previous Bomb The Bass albums, Future Chaos sees Tim teaming up with a number of other artists. This time around, his associates include former Screaming Trees and Queens Of The Stone Age singer Mark Lanegan, the Krautrock-loving and decidedly un-Japanese Fujiya & Miyagi, and Richard Thair and Jakeone of the frighteningly groovy Toob. Most notable, however, is the role of Paul Conboy, who is best known for his partnership with Adrian Corker in APE and Corker Conboy.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++
Paul is responsible for the vocals on six of the nine songs featured on Future Chaos. He has also co-written much of the music and co-produced the album. It’s the first time that Tim has worked so closely with another person on a Bomb The Bass recording.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++
NO MESSING ABOUT ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++
‘Paul and I are old friends and we've been trying to put something together for ages,’ explains Tim. ‘In fact, a few of these songs date back to a project we started several years ago but never managed to get off the ground.’
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++
‘Some of them were initially written to be played using guitars, bass and drums, so we’ve had to make a lot of changes,’ says Paul. ‘There have obviously been changes to the arrangements, but there have also been changes in the lyrics. It all happened really quickly, though. I was amazed at how fast we pulled this album together.’
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++
‘That was a good lesson in itself,’ says Tim. ‘Instead of messing about with lots of different ideas, we knew exactly how we wanted everything to sound and we kept going down that road until we got there with the songs we had. We had a plan and we stuck to it.’
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++
DREAMY TONES AND UGLY THREATS ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++
The fact that the final cut of the album came together in a short space of time is kind of ironic considering the 14-year hiatus since Clear. It’s been worth the wait, mind. It begins like all great experiences with an electronic throb, and ends in ecstacy. In between, Mark Lanegan croons in the shadows, Fujiya & Miyagi enjoy some nimble wordplay and Paul Conboy flips from dreamy tones to ugly threats without drawing breath. There’s hollowed-out techno and squelchy soul and slo-mo pop. There are cinematic sweeps and ambient vistas and noir-ish twists and turns. And let’s not forget the songs. As if there was any chance of that.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++
‘Making this album has been a very rewarding experience,’ says Tim. ‘Throughout it all, I was conscious of the fact that, because it‘s been such a long time since the last album, there’s a whole new generation of people who have probably never heard of Bomb The Bass before. But that made me feel that anything was possible, which was very liberating.’
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++
BOMB THE BASS LIVE ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++
2008 sees Bomb The Bass heading out on the road for a series of live shows. The on-stage set-up centres on Tim Simenon and Paul Conboy, Tim’s principle associate on Future Chaos.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++
The pair are ably assisted by Italian brothers Claudio and Valerio Spoletini, a scratch DJ and VJ team known as V-Scratch who have been appearing at festivals across Europe over the last couple of years. Tim and Paul are responsible for the instrumentation, with Paul playing the Minimoog and also taking care of the main vocal duties, while additional vocals and other sounds are scratched into the mix by Claudio.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++
A DIFFERENT DYNAMIC ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++
Tim acknowledges that the desire to play live informed his thinking when he was recording the new album. Hence the clarity and the cohesion of the music and hence the promient role given to the Minimoog. The fact that Paul sings many of the songs on Future Chaos also means that performing large chunks of the album is a relatively straightforward enterprise – and that’s not something that could be said of earlier Bomb The Bass albums, each of which boasted an army of guest vocalists.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++
The current set isn’t just made up of new songs, though. There are also one or two tracks from the back catalogue, such as Beat Dis, Megablast and Bug Powder Dust. Each of these are given the Minimoog treatment, with samples and vocals fired in and scratched in live on the night.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++
‘We wanted to make everything as flexible as we could,’ says Paul. ‘And having an audience to bounce off makes it all really interesting and really exciting. It gives the songs a completely different dynamic.’
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++
INFINITE POSSIBILITIES ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++
Another important dimension to the live Bomb The Bass experience is the V-Scratch visuals, with VJ Valerio cutting up and scratching film to create fast-moving, ever-changing and totally unique projections. But these projections do much more than simply accompany the music, because the V-Scratch audio-visual interface means that what appears on the screen is partly determined by what happens on the decks. Every nuance of every sound on every record is transposed into a fresh image.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++
‘If there is silence, there are no visuals,’ explains Valerio. ‘But when there are sounds, there are infinite possibilities. It’s very inspiring for Claudio and I to be involved in a project like this, so we’re constantly coming up with ideas we want to try. At the moment, we’re looking at using two layers of visuals at the same time and experimenting with typography.’
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++
‘Adding visuals to the music takes it into another world,’ says Tim. ‘For me, the live shows are about creating atmospheres and people will hopefully come away feeling they’ve seen and heard something a bit special.’
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++
!-START Block to Place Custom Banner at Top of Page-! !-Create div with image. Replace my image with the URL of your own image-OR replace img block with your own code block! !-END Block to Place Custom Banner at Top of Page-!