Arm-wrestling with the Belfast trio
Belfast three piece Deeply Armed began round a decade again as little greater than three mates who knew one another from golf equipment and gigs experimenting with “basslines, beats, bleeps and drones.”
There weren’t even any plans to launch music. However Andrew Weatherall was a fan, David Holmes began dropping considered one of their tracks at sure occasions and, finally, Weatherall’s sparring accomplice in Two Lone Swordsmen, Keith Tenniswood, persuaded them their music was too good to maintain hidden away.
Their debut 12″, The Therapeutic’, has simply surfaced, full with remixes from Andrew Innes (Primal Scream) with Brendan Lynch and Tenniswood himself, though their very own, dreamy tackle Krautrock headnoddingness greater than holds its personal on this exultant firm. We had been greater than curious, so we tracked down Michael McKeown from the band…
Hello and thanks on your time…. Initially, are you able to inform us the place you might be proper now, and how much day you’re having… Been anyplace already or going anyplace attention-grabbing later?
Hello Ben,
I’m at house proper now, attempting to tidy up a mountain of previous information. It’s a course of that’s been ongoing for 20 years, with none clear indicators of progress.
Later, I’m assembly my pal Richard Fearless and going to see him DJ with Daniel Avery at Twitch in Belfast’s Ulster Sports activities Membership.
Inform us who Deeply Armed are and the way you fashioned – what was your widespread floor initially and the way did all of it take form?
Deeply Armed began round ten years in the past. It was a low key, part-time studio collaboration between three long-time associates who knew one another from golf equipment and gigs. All of us felt the urge to create one thing collectively, so we began assembly as soon as every week to experiment with basslines, beats, bleeps and drones. We used principally classic devices, previous pedals and tape loops to develop the sound, and used that basis to construct up some demos.
We labored at a glacial tempo, recognized a number of collaborators, remixed our personal music and pieced an album collectively, monitor by monitor. All the pieces was written and produced by us. We’re not curious about utilizing software program to shine the sound so it was all blended by ear.
We’ve been calibrating our stay band for the final yr and a half and still have a stockpile of mind-altering remixes by some very gifted producers.
Give us a fast run down of your musical upbringing – parental/sibling tastes and your first musical loves, first steps into music making and so on
Rising up, high quality music was at all times filtering round my household house. My Dad liked Buddy Holly, Howlin’ Wolf, Glen Miller, Credence Clearwater Revival, Robert Delgado and Johann Strauss. His stereo was sacred in our home – when he put his headphones on it was the one break he acquired from work and youngsters! My Mum loves Buddy too, and the Beatles. We used to go on household holidays and the Bob Marley cassette can be performed on repeat within the automobile. I’ve 4 siblings and there have been at all times attention-grabbing sounds belting out of their bedrooms. I keep in mind a lot of African stuff like The 4 Brothers and Bhundu Boys, Irish conventional music just like the Bothy Band and Planxty and extra modern bands from that point – Pet Store Boys, Pleasure Division, Fairport Conference, De La Soul and The Smiths. My brother is an enormous Dylan head, and I keep in mind being intrigued by how vivid the lyrics had been – Snarled in Blue, Buckets of Rain and Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts all stood out.
As an impressionable 12-year-old, I noticed the video to ‘Kinky Afro’ by Completely happy Mondays, and the entire thing blew my thoughts. Bez wanting wired, Rowetta’s vocals, Gaz Whelan sporting an Eire jersey and Sean Ryder in a corduroy jacket surrounded by elegant girls. My sister purchased me the 12” – that was a watershed second.
We love your debut single ‘The Therapeutic’ – it’s fairly a easy, mantra-like vocal, is there a message behind it?
Finally, I feel the message is regardless of the listener truthfully feels once they hearken to it.
Via the centuries, there’s been a connection between religious development and psychedelic experiences, and I feel that filters down on this tune. Mantras are central to prayer and meditation. They’re often easy and repetitive however restorative and uplifting. I feel we subconsciously tuned into that frequency after we recorded it.
From our perspective, it’s a easy message in these determined occasions – that therapeutic is feasible, regardless of the climate.
You’ve lined up Andrew Innes from Primal Scream and Keith Tenniswood to do mixes on it – fairly spectacular for a debut single… How did they arrive about and what do you assume their mixes carry?
I requested Keith Tenniswood to DJ at a membership I ran in Belfast years in the past and he turned an important good friend. We weren’t meaning to launch this music, however he mastered the album and appeared to fall in love with the physique of labor. He’s largely chargeable for persuading us to launch it.
Keith’s combine is a wonderful sonic journey – hypnotic, hazy Kraut pop that nearly sounds orchestral.
On the again of that, Keith and I chatted about different individuals who may take pleasure in it – Andrew Innes’s identify cropped up. I’d met him in passing a number of occasions over time, and it didn’t shock me that he was into it. He was optimistic and eager to become involved. He invited Brendan Lynch on board and requested his daughter Dee Dee to sing do-wop vocals.
The ensuing remix is sort of a punch within the face with a velvet glove – a glam punk hailstorm channelling Hawkwind, The Chantels and XTRMNTR-era Primal Scream.
You’ve additionally acquired remixes coming from David Holmes, Brendan Lynch, Mad Professor, Richard Fearless and Andrew Fearn (Sleaford Mods)… Phew! That’s fairly a listing! Are all of them of this monitor or others? What different tracks do you might have up your sleeve?
Richard Fearless from Dying in Vegas has remixed The Therapeutic and it’s popping out quickly as a restricted version, hand stamped white label. It’s wonderful, absorbing and usually hypnotic. The best way techno needs to be.
Mad Professor and Andrew Fearn are on remix duties for the second single and each tracks are stone chilly winners. Keith Tenniswood returns with a category Radioactive Man remix of the third single and David Holmes has additionally reworked the tune right into a euphoric psychoactive mind-bender. He’s been destroying dancefloors with it over the previous few months and fairly a number of individuals are asking how they’ll get their palms on it.
Except for the singles, we’ll be releasing our eponymous debut album and some bonus tracks that we’ll drip feed right here and there.
You latterly performed stay at David Holmes’s legendary ‘God’s Ready Room’ night time – how was that? He’s a towering affect on Belfast’s music scene, isn’t he?
We performed a personal gig again in December, however this was our first public present.
It was stunning and felt like a correct underground night time with folks residing within the second quite than holding telephones within the air. Musically, a standard thread ran by way of the entire night time. The Manifesto of Bliss guys from Glasgow warmed issues up completely, then we performed stay, and David closed the night time out, so all of it flowed completely.
We’ve been flying underneath the radar, so folks didn’t know what to anticipate, however we had been properly rehearsed, match-fit and we nailed it. Some tracks had been angular and had an actual punk edge whereas others had been melodic, with a lot of elongated grooves.
On David’s affect, to be sincere, Belfast doesn’t actually do heroes! I feel most individuals concerned in music within the North of Eire regard David as considered one of our personal, and we’re happy with him. It’s a small metropolis so we frequently see him at gigs on the town. He’s very supportive and beneficiant along with his time and genuinely curious about folks and artwork. Regardless of his success, he has that excitable aspect that’s evident in each actual music fan. He’s blazed his personal path, labored extremely exhausting, and by no means bought out, so extra energy to him.
What’s subsequent for you within the brief/medium/long run? What are you listening to that’s inspiring you? Any extra stay or launch motion we must always find out about?
After working with Mad Professor, we invited him to play with us in Belfast on the finish of Might. There’s actual curiosity within the gig, and we’re buzzing about it. After that, we’ll launch the Fearless remix, adopted by our subsequent single. We’ll then play stay in Glasgow.
When it comes to present inspiration, we love The Vendetta Suite. He’s a gifted Belfast-based producer who fuses ambient electronica, dub, home and techno. I heard a brand new album by a producer referred to as Artwork Goth Uncle immediately. He’s additionally from Belfast and his work sounds nice. Contact Delicate Data and Emotional Response are unbelievable impartial labels, run by gifted and devoted folks – you’ll be able to’t go mistaken with their releases.
I additionally love the music on False Idols – Tough’s label, particularly the current Theis Thaws album. Different present favourites embody Vox Low, Radioactive Man, Roman Flügel, David Murphy, Holy Tongue and Bal 5000 from Budapest.
Oh, and loads of dub, however I’d be right here perpetually if we acquired into that.
To purchase your 12″ vinyl copy of ‘The Therapeutic’, click on right here
