Having been four years since your debut release, at what moment did you know you were ready to release an album and how long were you working on it?
This record is essentially an amalgamation of some of our favourite older tracks that we had written a few years ago, and some newer productions. It started off as an idea for an EP, intended for Kaoz Theory, but the size of the EP kept growing until it got to about five or six tracks and we thought let’s turn this into an album. It’s quite hard to say how long the album has taken as there are a few tracks in there that we’d written four or five years ago but have been refreshed a bit, but since the time we started on the EP idea until the album, has been about a year. It’s been a long journey and a lot of hard work but we feel the album works really well and it represents our varying styles and genres.
Can you talk us through how you go about making your music - what is the creative process and what hardware/software do you use to make it on?
I wouldn’t say we have a set process when making music, as we often approach tracks differently. Sometimes we’ll be listening to a song and hear a sample, and that will start the process, whereas other times we’ll just start with the drum grooves and then sit behind a synth or keyboard and develop the track from there. We have quite a few bits of hardware and depending on the style of the tracks, other bits will get used more than others. But we use the Ultranova, Nord Stage II, Maschine and MPC the most I’d say.
Do you have a particular piece of kit in the studio you couldn't do without?
To be genuinely honest, the Technics 1210. We sample a lot, even down to the individual drum sounds. Following that probably one of our samplers or the space echo.
What notable differences were there to your approach when constructing a fuller length release compared to previous three/four track EPs?
We feel it gives you a whole lot more freedom on the creative process, and also gives you a chance to showcase some other tracks, which you wouldn’t usually get the chance to release on an EP. With the track Seamless Seamstress for example, we really felt we could take our time on it, arrangement wise, whereas if that was for an EP it would have probably been quite a bit shorter.
Naming tracks is something some artists find the hardest bit about making music and some don’t think twice about it - which one do you lean towards? Can you tell us what the story is behind the names on this release?
I would say we lean toward the latter, however some pieces of music go through various names as the ideas develop. Some track titles often stem from a defining part of the track. The track titles on the album are pretty varied. Silents, the name comes from all the multiple layers of ambient room noise taken from the piano recordings. Seamless Seamstress is something very random that had a poetic and sibilant feel to it, Leo’s mum is also a trained seamstress so there’s a nod there too. With the track Tough Love, we felt the track had this one side to it which is beautiful sounding and emotive, whereas it also had this raw harsh side to it.
I is being released on Kerri Chandler’s new imprint, Kaoz Theory, his third label to date. Kerri has been instrumental in your rise - how big an influence is he to you both and can you give us an insight into what it’s like to work with the House legend?
Kerri has been a great friend to us over the last few years and all of our music tastes are so entwined. If you told me a few years ago that our relationship would be what it is today, I would have laughed. He has been such a great help in our work, if we ever can’t figure something out or need a second pair of ears on something; we give king Kerri a call. However, he has always insisted that we find our own path and sound. He has been a massive inspiration to us both, even before meeting him, and not only just music wise but also his character.
Following on from your debut album release what is next up on the horizon for Voyeur?
We have a track coming out with Apparel in December and are currently finishing our next two EP’s. Keep your ears peeled!
Voyeur ‘I’ (LP) drops on Kaoz Theory on 31st October 2016.
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Words by Ben C
