 |
Nigel Of Bermondsey, aka Nigel Hoyle, enjoyed fleeting success in the late nineties as the bassist for Gay Dad. Following the band's split in 2002, he worked as a session musician and songwriter for hire, as well as working on an Ian Brown remix with Freelance Hellraiser and briefly forming a new band, Gramercy, with Crispin Hunt and Dylan Rippon (formerly of Longpigs).
More recently, though, he's been concentrating on solo work, taking inspiration from his surroundings in the south London borough of Southwark, specifically (you guessed it), Bermondsey. His eponymous debut album was released via Pure Mint last year, and his latest single, a cover of The Inspiral Carpets' 'This Is How It Feels', is out this week.
We spoke to Nigel to find out some more. |
Q1 How did you start out making music?
I started playing guitar in my teens and have been in bands ever since. I made the jump to music production four years ago. I had been doing a lot of pop writing and session work, but I found that I needed to do more. I got Logic and never looked back. I found that the years I spent in studios working with great producers had given me enough experience to get the sound in my head onto a record. I got myself a studio space three years ago and pretty soon after that started concentrating on solo material.
Q2 What inspired your latest album?
Trying to cope with the responsibilities of being a husband and dad, plus the experiences of life in South London. I tried to communicate through song how I felt when I was struggling to make ends meet, knowing that I had the skills to be a good artist but, prior to making the record, not knowing who the heck I really was as a writer and how the hell I was going to pay the rent! The local paper Southwark News became a bit of an obsession; I connected with the stories about Bermondsey and the rest of Southwark, and the rich vein of history which runs through this ugly/beautiful place. I suppose a lot of my songs are about finding beauty in everyday pain. I also wrote a song about Chernobyl. I am currently working on an album dealing with regret, one-night stands, and the fatal shooting that happened outside my studio last August.
Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
Quite often I will write the song on a guitar at home. I often start with a chord progression and melody, but quickly I focus on the lyric, which for me is key. If the lyric doesn't communicate, what's the point? I then take the song into the studio where typically I will get a tempo and key then lay down a basic guitar track and then start working on the vocal track as soon as I can. Once I have a good guide or master vocal I will either programme the drums or get session drummers in, add piano and then spend time on guitar, bass and synthesizer arrangements. Once I have got a track up to a certain standard I leave it for a week or two. If when I come back to it I still like it, I will complete the arrangement. Other times I spend days in the studio writing on the piano or on the moog and build a song from scratch on the keyboard with no idea how it's going to turn out. Sometimes I 'commission' myself to write about a subject which interests me. In these cases I research a story for a few weeks and, if I connect with the story, it just kind of falls out.
Q4 Which artists influence your work?
Harry Nilsson for his beautiful voice and smart writing style, John Lennon for his amazing cynical idealism, Randy Newman for his amazing lyricism, Paul McCartney for writing 'Live And Let Die', David Bowie for going into the future before anyone else, The Incredible String Band for their freedom of expression, Kraftwerk for their disciplined hooks, The Flaming Lips for their chaos, Albert Camus for his elegant and concise nihilism, Raymond Chandler for his amazing use of language, and Kate Bush for being one of the best British writers of the last 30 years who wrote a song about the number Pi on her last album which blew my mind.
Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
Results may vary from person to person, but just sit back, let the music take you on a journey and I hope you enjoy!
Q6 What are your ambitions for your latest album, and for the future?
I want to make a record that is better than my last one. I would like to be involved in challenging artistic projects: songwriting residencies in interesting communities, like a Bermondsey poet laureate. I would also like to meet David Bowie!
published june 2009
