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Once a band mate of those Hot Chip boys, Grovesnor is definitely one to watch. His former band recently told Pitchfork how much they dig his new single 'Drive Your Car' - out 31 Mar on Greco Roman Records - and rightly so, it's a great tune.
But Grovesnor, aka Rob Smoughton, has actually been around for a while, with two albums under his belt plus a number of compo appearances, including an appearance on the 'DJ Kicks' album compiled by the aforementioned Hot Chip. With that new single upcoming, Rob answered the questions...
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Q1 How did you start out making music?
Drumming I think came first. My dad would often tap against something with his fork at the dinner table or shake a container full of rice in the kitchen while listening to Talking Heads or something. I liked that from an early age and wanted to join in. As a teenager I played guitar (who didn't?) and fiddled about on the piano. I've played drums for a good few years now but I think I'm playing the piano the most these days. I think I really connect with the fusion of percussion and melody combined.
Q2 What inspired your latest single?
Musically 'Drive Your Car' was inspired by a lot of old disco and 80s soul music. I like synthesizers, and there's a lot on this track. I wanted to re-create that sound of layered synths and electronics that you get in old disco and 80s soul. Plus, I wanted to make something to make people dance with a kind of hands-in-the-air abandon. Lyrically, it's sung from the point of view of a chauffeur who's driven young starlets for many years. He's seen them come and go - sometimes losing out in the fame game. He falls for his latest client, and wishes he could get the chance to show her the simple pleasures in life - away from the red carpet and the flashing lights of the papparazzi, on the open road.
Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
I sit at the piano first. No computer, no drum machine, just me at the piano. This way, I ensure that I'm not trying to re-create some sort of beat that I've been listening to recently or what's currently in vogue. I sit there and thrash out chords, jazzy chords usually and just sing / wail over the top until words or melody comes. Often when the words and the melody come together then I know I've got something worth pursuing. When the song's fleshed out a bit more I take it to the computer and start recording rhythm, bass and synth parts. This way I feel that the punctuation and the stresses fall on the natural places - rather than having the melody dictated by the beat.
Q4 Which artists influence your work?
A lot of old 70s jazzier soft rock. For want of a better phrase. Steely Dan, Billy Joel, I've been listening to 'Lowdown' by Boz Scaggs a lot lately. The later Doobie Brothers stuff where Michael McDonald just came in and gave them a new life is never far from my record player. This stuff is certainly where the melodies and chord arrangements come from. But retro is not much fun on it's own. I'm influenced by modern electro or RnB producers. Together I think you start getting close to the Grovesnor sound. But to be honest, I think as a songwriter the influences of other artists has a much wider range than can be explained in one answer. I'll be playing live and remember during a song how I got a line or a chord change and remember it was influenced by The Police or Gilberto Gil.
Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
I hope you like it. I seem to divide opinion somewhat. I don't mean that people love or hate Grovesnor songs, I mean that often people have told me that they really disliked them at first, but then started to change their opinion. I guess what I'm saying is let it sit and fester for a while then see what you think.
Q6 What are your ambitions for your latest single, and for the future?
I hope the single gets me out to a wider audience. Playing live is great and I'd love to be playing more - and further afield. I used to play live on my own, but now there's three of us in the live band. It's working really well and the show's are a lot more exciting. I hope this single means we can get to play some interesting places. Then it would be great to record a new album.
published feb 2008
