INTERVIEW WITH ANDREW (BURDY) BURDALL FROM
BABY MAMMOTH (PORK REC).
(JANUARY 2000). By Steve Hutchins.
You make music which is imaginative,
creative, and uplifting to listen to, and gets
played
to people all around the World. Not a bad job is it?
It's not a bad job really. It certainly beats Civil Engineering and
Accountancy!
 Does your laid-back mellow
sound in any way reflect
your smoking habits?
Not really, no!! And we're not as mellow as people think. Check out the new album ‘motion
without pain’ and you'll see a different side to us.
The remix we've just done for The Groove Collective also
shows a different edge to the Mammoth.
The new album does have a
more dance floor orientated feel to it. I
especially like the track ‘Pigs in space’, you must have been very
happy with it?
I am pleased with that! The whole track was written with the intention of it having a live sound
and feel, the bass, Hammond, guitars
etc all recorded live, and guitar work (me) and Hammond stuff (bliss)
were 'jammed' out and
used as the start point for the rest of the track. It's
evolution therefore a little different to many Mammoth Tracks! One
we're looking forward to playing
live! In general the new album does show a shift
in emphasis, with a generally more up-tempo feel. The Mammoth sound
also continues to develop a more 'live' sound to it. We feel it's our
strongest collection of tunes to date.
Can you put us all out of
our misery and tell us where
that sample on 'The Ghost of Henry' comes from?
I couldn't possibly tell you
that!!!!! Needless to say it's a cheeky little
steal, and something we rarely do!!! You'll just have to dig deeper
into the old record collection, or
seek assistance from a trainspotter!!!!!
Which tracks from the album
do you intend to release as 12"s?
Funnily enough, The Ghost of Henry (named by Mr Pork himself!)
should be available on
12" soon. The second 12" is still 'up for grabs' but may
well turn out to be ‘Tasty Maloney’.
Your albums are littered with layered,
intricate, understated
guitar parts. How important is the
electric guitar to the way you write songs?
We generally use the guitar to add to ideas that have already been
created, i.e., we don't usually
start with the guitar but add it later. In that sense,
it's not that important, as many tracks don't include guitar work,
but occasionally if we're after a
particular sound then we may add the guitar
to things early in the development of a track. It's different
when we work with Tom.
How is it working with such an
accomplished jazz musician like Tom Harland?
Working with Tom is great, a good experience, and a chance for all
parties to learn about different ends of the musical spectrum, and how
jazz and electonic music can be brought together. He's a very talented
individual, and also a lot of fun to work with. We'll jam ideas with
him and take recordings from these sessions, and then Bliss and I will
work them into a whole tune later on, feeding on the ideas that come
about during the original jam session. We're certainly looking forward
to working with him in a live setting.
How is the Baby mammoth live experience
shaping up then?
Very well, at Board Room level!!!!!, we're hoping to be ready for
the public before we do our US/Canada DJ Tour in mid-March. We'll tell
you how it's shaping
in a couple of months time!
Which artists/musicians get the Baby
Mammoth seal of approval?
Approval = Bambilla, Animals On Wheels, Drum Island, Boards of
Canada, Tosca, Peace Orchestra et toutes les artistes de porc!
What do you do for fun when you’re not
working in the studio?
You've not been to Hull then? Fun = Playing Football, Stealing
Bikes.......
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