Hi. We are Baptism of Uzi. We are a Melbourne band. We play rock music. We started out as an improvisational band then gradually became more structured as we learned our craft playing live.
Congratulations on the superb new EP, Stray Currents. Have you paid any attention to the endless amount of praise it’s been getting?
It’s good to know people have been listening to it. We were convinced it only existed in our minds.
It was quite a long time in the making, but the end result is some of the finest production to come out of 2013. How would you describe this extensive process behind the EP?
It was a weird way to make an EP that’s for sure. We tracked it as a live band then abandoned it because it seemed like an amorphous blob. ‘Stray Current’ in its original form was 9 minutes, ‘Believe’ was 6 minutes, ‘Carnal Need’ was 8 minutes long. There were spaces and arrangements for song structures. I (Bojan) always had planned for song structures but no one else could see them and some of us thought it should remain instrumental. It was left for about a year before we thought of going back. In that time we had played live and added all these bits and pieces to the songs we had already recorded and I had also come up with bits to add too in the open spaces.
We started going back to Irene’s community warehouse at Steve Fraser’s studio and overdubbed stuff. It was usually myself with a Thomas or Leif or alone. With Steve we made sure to create a good structure to house a song. Then we overdubbed to make clear lines with the melodies that seemed kind of buried. Vocals came on at the very end. It was great to work with Steve because we learnt each other’s working methods – like how to do overdubs as quick as possible. I dubbed us as the production duo AstroTwins because we are born on the same date. We both wanted to bring out the pop side or more to put it more aptly the song side of the band. We wanted to maintain the attention of a listener with a clear focal point.
We also brought guests such as new musical friends like Patrick Hannan (backing vox Stray Current) and people I played in a band with when I was growing up in Canberra like Sam Johnstone and Simon Despoja. It was great to come full circle and have the people I started music with back in 2003 on the record in 2013!
After about a year the arrangements were complete then came the mixing phase with Gareth Parton which took 4 months.
You said on Facebook that the brilliant lead single ‘Stray Currents’ was ‘mastered in the UK by some dude who did Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears’. Wow. This must be explained.
I’m not sure how interesting this is: with the internet you can send your files to be mastered by just about anyone and the rates are pretty good. As far as the mastering goes it was pretty crazy to play the mastered version after other mastered songs. For instance – I played “Get Lucky” then “Stray Current” I was amazed how quiet “Get Lucky” was in comparison. The mastering makes the song “Stray Current” inescapable like Britney Spears or Backstreet Boys.
There’s definitely a pop edge to the EP, and you even call the title track your ‘pop baby’. The sprawling, psych-tinged jams you’re known for in your live performances sound distinctly punchy and infectious across these five tracks. Was this move towards a more accessible sound a conscious decision?
I think the band likes pop music but we just didn’t know how to make it. In the beginning I think we were trying to avoid song structured because they seemed clichéd.
I kept thinking that we had a great sound but there wasn’t any song that the audience could remember. So we strove to make melody lines, textures and rhythms clear and crisp so people listening could remember and get hooked. We love songs and we love pop music so for us it was like breaking new ground because we’ve been more interested in how an atmosphere makes an audience feel. Someone said that Stray Current the song sounded like JT and I think they meant it as an insult but for me it seems like a compliment: in 2003 my band in Canberra covered Rock Your Body which I believe remains an excellent track to this day. I still can’t get over the chord inversions they use in the verses, the chords in the bridge – I had the sheet music – the bass line and kick drum pattern. I deliberately wanted those kinds of elements in the song. Stuff like David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’, Devo, Ariel Pink were in the background when we were realising the architecture songs together.
You’ve become much-loved familiar faces on the live music scene, especially in your home town of Melbourne. What are some of the most memorable gigs you’ve done?
The last gig at Ding Dong for the aaunch of Alive in a Buzi world was pretty great. It felt really loose and spirited but tight and the connection with the crowd got deeper as the set progressed. Also it was cool to watch the audience reaction: I could see one guy twisting around and getting upside down in his chair like he was having a sexual fit. We try to amp up the absurdity when we play and combine different genres together to make people confused let down their guard so they can get loose and also so the band and crowd can lose their inhibitions.
Do you have any particular ritual before you go on stage, or even a lucky charm you take with you?
Eat a light dinner. Once Thomas had a meat platter at Jim’s Tavern before we played at Pony (this was when we were a three piece). Needless to say Leif (drums) was not happy sharing the air on stage with him.
If you could curate your own festival, where would it be, who would be on the bill, how many people would you let in and what features would it have?
Curating a festival, logistically, seems like the worst headache I could imagine. Especially with all the articles Tone Deaf prints about failed festivals and festival scams. It would be a extremely well organised festival – it would not be like Woodstock which seems like a living hell to me.
If I could just choose the bands I’d have Leonard Cohen, Bruce Springsteen, Kurt Vile, Daft Punk, Gucci Mane, Frank Ocean, The Drones, Neil Young, Balck Sabbath, The Stooges, Kim Salmon,
You’ve released Stray Currents exclusively on unique, coloured 10” vinyls, which makes us think you’ve got an appreciation for records. Confess: what are the best and worst vinyls in your collection?
I’m pleased to say that my favourite vinyls at the moment are new ones: Kurt Vile’s Wakin’ On a Pretty Daze and Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories (I got sucked in by the hype). Sometimes the worst vinyl’s can be the best. For instance I’ve got a record that i bought in the 90s called The Finest American Dance & Soul and it has all these 80’s R n’ B tracks from people who never made and seasoned pros like Lou Rawls and Roy Ayers all with an 80s production style. I would have hated these 10 years ago but it’s amazing how current it sounds. I love the track “Artificial Heart (Dance Mix)” by Cherelle. I should be pretty embarrassed about this but I have ceased to give a fuck.
What would you say your spaced-out vibes are the best soundtrack for?
Different songs suit different things: Carnal is a for soccer hooliganism, Fire Penguin is for doing maths homework, Believe is for fishing, Stray Current is for having breakfast or doing a mainy.
You’re set to launch the EP in Sydney at Brighton Up Bar on June 28 and in Melbourne at Northcote Social Club on July 6. For those who haven’t been baptised at one of your live shows before, tell us why we should be there front and centre
We’re a good band to see because we combine the intensity of a rock show with textural elements. We are an all-inclusive band and want people to participate and rock out with us. We come from an improvisational background so we stretch things out and push and pull with the crowd response.
Finally, what’s in store for the rest of 2013? Can we expect a full-length album in the near future?
We will go back to the studio pretty soon. We will record a song which may or may not be from an album. I think I’ve written side 2 of an album. One of those songs is about 8 years old and I’ve tried recording it about 10 times so maybe this time it will work.
Baptism Of Uzi 2013 Australian Tour Dates
Friday 28th June – Brighton Up Bar Sydney, NSW
Saturday 6th July – Northcote Social Club Melbourne, Vic
Listen To ‘Stray Current’ the single:
