Much to the delight of music fans, recent years have seen a new wave of bands raised on the internet come out of the woodwork. While each band is unique and increasingly obscure, each one is linked by the way they completely obliterate genre boundaries.
Sitting seductively at the intersection of Afro rock, boogie funk, township jive, kwela jazz, soca, R&B, folk, psychedelic, and soul are Melbourne’s own Broadway Sounds, who cite artists as diverse as the Beach Boys, Hank Williams, and Eric Dolphy as influences.
To find out more about the behind-the-scenes technical logistics that goes into expert genre-bending, we caught up with Broadway Sounds’ Andrew Diamond Phillips ahead of the band’s performance at Society of Tastemakers & Elegant People’s upcoming Melbourne event (see details below).
The Essentials
Technics SL-1200 turntables. For me, it all starts and ends with these (although obviously you need records to make these happen). I have some Mk II, never had to get them repaired.
From time to time I still look at them for ages on end and think, “Wow, these are cool.” Your whole room looks so much for the better with a pair of these in it.
I’d also need my Roland RE-501 Chorus Echo – I could play with this for ages and ages and not get sick of it. The possibilities are endless and ridiculous. I could make a million unlistenable relaxation tapes with this thing, and I have. They are coming out soon.
Roland Jazz Chorus Amps – it’s the only amp I like, although carrying a JC-120 is the equivalent of carrying an air conditioner to a gig.
Evolution
My rig has been a long game of experimenting with equipment, but I think I’ve finally settled on a studio rig that I’m completely happy with. However, I do remember saying something similar three years ago.
My rig mainly consists of old Roland, Korg, and Yamaha synths from 1973 to 1985.
Computer Love
We used to be anti-computers live as we really did want to make the live show as live as possible, but people seem to love watching a band that has a computer on stage with them!
So we use a computer to flesh out our sound and make it fatter by putting a few talking drums in there. Occasionally we use plug-ins, especially if we are mobile.
Going Hunting
There used to be a few places around Melbourne [to get great gear], but they are all long gone. My man lewis at Found Sound has stepped up and filled the gap.
It’s the best shop in town, hands down. You’d be hard-pressed to find any other place with a couple of TR-808s for sale.
From The Studio, To The Stage
Apart from four electric pianos, ten synths, two samplers, turntables, a Fender bass, two soundcards, and various outboard gear and effects units, it’s pretty much the same on stage as it is in the studio.
We use Roland, Korg, Yamaha, and Fender – that is pretty much it.
Getting Weird
The strangest piece in my collection is an old parlour piano that my parents were given by my grandma.
It resides at my parents’ place. It has no name and we don’t know anything about it. You can come up with stuff on it and it sounds great and then you go play the same thing on another piano and it sounds terrible.
Society of Tastemakers & Elegant People: Melbourne – The Music Capital
Wednesday, 15th April 2015
The Toff In Town, Melbourne
Tickets: The Toff In Town
