Issue 33 / May 2013

8
Bido Lito! May 2013
We are at the Willowbank pub on Smithdown Road, sat outside
M.J. Cole and you’re not really left with much when it comes to
to a symphony of car stereos and police sirens that mercifully
icons. Far from a revival though, what producers like GhostChant
distract from my relentless use of “I know what you mean” on
are doing is taking the best elements of garage music - the
the interview recording. 21-year-old producer GHOSTCHANT, or
syncopated bass lines, the shuffling hi-hats, the looped vocal
Joe Cornwell, was raised in South West London, before moving to
snippets - and blending them with current trends in underground
Liverpool to study for a music degree. Following an adolescence
as a guitarist, he discovered the likes of Burial, Whistla and Crypt,
prompting a love affair with bass music that has found him on
these pink pages today. “Producing music was something
I picked up myself. Up until I was seventeen, I was
playing guitar in punk and hard rock bands, just
teenage dreams really. Then, when there was
no one else to play with, I decided to pick
up Fruity Loops and try and write some
songs.” His modesty almost sounds
sincere, as anyone with a torrent
client who has woken up one
morning and decided they
want to be a producer
(everyone) will testify:
teaching yourself on
electronic much music to create something with
more each other in a hot tub and, before you know it, Duke Dumont
has a number one hit whilst everyone else tries to subtly unlike
his Facebook page. Over the last ten years, house and bass music
have existed as a constant series of Russian Dolls, as a subgenre
outgrows its underground origins and a new
sub-genre forms from the ashes. In this posteverything
age, it’s vital that producers like
GhostChant keep moving forward both
sonically and technically. Stop and
think for a moment, before you’re
standing there with a daft face
on as a load of students laugh
at your AU Seve T-shirt. Call
it an identity crisis if you
like, as different groups
of social, economic,
audio
workstation
and
culturally
software might as
contrasting
young
well be quantum
people attempt to
physics.
characterise
the
Over
the
scene in a way
course of two
GHOSTCHANT
with which they
EPs and several
are comfortable.
free downloads,
And I know you
GhostChant has
want to say that
quietly cultivated
it’s just about
a reputation as
the music, but
one of the city’s
next time you
most
exciting
local
bookings.
Last year’s Fables
EP (AudioRejectz) is
rich in texture, as soft,
sampled vocals float
gracefully over spacious,
cinematic synths. Follow-
up Late Night Talks EP saw
him find inspiration in much
darker places, with mournful
vocal loops and more bass-heavy
synths creating an almost menacing,
haunting atmosphere. Electronic music,
of course, has always been celebrated for its
intricacies, and GhostChant can be defined by his
precision. Every reverb snare, every synth pedal note,
Words: Mike Townsend / @townsendyesmate
Photography: Nata Moraru / natamoraru.com
every vocal loop: all so deliberate to the point where you
wonder if the poor lad ever leaves his bedroom.
A self-proclaimed celebrator of ‘future-garage’, GhostChant is
feeling.
Gone are
part of a growing movement of producers incorporating 90s UK
garage into their own forms of contemporary electronic music.
As we tentatively reminisce over a genre that we are probably
too young to even remember, it’s clear that Joe harbours a deep
affection for the 90s and early 00s scene: “Everyone enjoyed
garage at the time and people still love it now. It’s a different
aesthetic these days though, more revisionist, as producers
incorporate garage with different aspects of electronic music”. He
is not alone. You can find the once-ridiculed genre rearing its head
the Casualty theme tunes and So Solid Crew sex tapes and what’s
left is the bastard child of the genre which, at last, feels like it’s
heading somewhere constructive.
Joe is keen to remind me that, above all else, he is trying to be
as varied as he can, both in his DJ sets and his live act: “I mean, I
love garage music and it’s important to have some context, but
I’m not looking to remain hard-lined in one particular genre.” His
actions speak volumes in this case, as he balances a residency
at the student-centric house/garage night Release with the more
ever closer to mainstream electronic music these days. Garage
music has always seemed dated and retro. Perhaps that’s part
of its charm. I mean let’s face it, scrape away Grant Nelson and
Gig Guide and Ticket Shop live at www.bidolito.co.uk
arty, experimental Deep Hedonia shows. Joe’s references to Deep
Hedonia and influences like Tycho and Burial demonstrate a
desire to keep challenging himself and his audiences artistically.
I’m not saying that there isn’t an art to crowd pleasing, but
there is making sure you are up-to-date with current trends and
selections and there is making new ones for yourself. I mean,
credibility exists within electronic music in its loosest form. All it
takes is a sync placement as the cast of Made In Chelsea grope
see a fake-tanclad
young person
shuffling to Bicep
in a G E E K T-shirt
and a Comme Des
Fuckdown beanie, try
and tell me everything
isn’t fucked.
GhostChant’s
latest
release, a remix of Frenchfire’s
excellent Antique, takes on a
more immediate sound, allowing
Sarah Zad’s smooth vocals to linger
wistfully above a minimal, yet potent
drum machine/synth accompaniment. It sees
Joe open himself to a wider audience, and will
certainly draw the attention of RnB fans in the same
way as Shlohmo and Lapalux have done already this year. An
appearance at Sound City alongside the likes of Mount Kimbie and
Oneohtrix Point Never beckons, followed by his second appearance
at Release alongside an as of yet unnamed Swamp 81 Records
heavyweight. It’s early days in this young career of course, but it’s
rare that you see a young producer traverse through his ideas on
what electronic music means to him with such confidence and
such ease. In GhostChant, Liverpool has a real shot at finding the
homegrown icon that this vibrant electronic music community has
been longing for. And this is only the beginning.
GhostChant plays a rare live set at The Bido Lito! Social Club at
East Village Arts Club on 23rd May.
Visit bidolito.co.uk for an exclusive GhostChant guest mix.
soundcloud.com/ghostchant