Resident Focus: Weird Weather
Following the release of their album Visceral Snacks out on Avon Terror Corps, we spoke to Weird Weather about their sound, production aesthetic, inspiration, radio show and much more. Dig in and learn a little about this industrial powerhouse.
What is the Weird Weather show? How do you find tunes?
WWLaurie: I started out DJing by going to parties in and around Stockwell & Brixton, South London 10+ years ago. A lot of old industrial, new beat, techno, and also balearic. Real, heavy balearic records that are basically weird pop records that sound really good loud and when everyone’s ‘loose’. I’d say that’s still my approach to finding tunes. Maybe it’s me getting old(er) but I’ve found myself going back over CDs and artists that I listened to maybe 20+ years ago, mainly experimental metal, post-hardcore, illbient. I often find things at the back end of the album, a version or mix that really fits, stuff like Release Entertainment (offshoot of Relapse records), Jim Plotkin (O.L.D, Khanate, Phantomsmasher), early Young Gods stuff is unreal, the way they approached sampling was so far ahead of its time.. When it comes to the radio show, some sets are mixed like a DJ set and some more like a mixtape, whatever works really!
Duncan: 'I feel like we have the format - the style parameters or whatever pretty much down so It’s quite easy to sift through and find stuff that’s gonna fit. Quite often I hear a track that’s a beautiful oddball - something that stretches our remit and I attempt to build a mix around it. We also sometimes do loosely conceptual episodes - like a Halloween theme or something. It often helps thread things together. I've DJed in some odd places over the years, I used to have a side hustle playing records in rock bars for a while but the less said about that the better
Laurie: Oh yeah I think I got us fired from that for playing a Simple Minds record.
Tell us a little about yourself, where you are in the world.
WWDuncan: I run a recording studio called MAP in Kentish Town, I’m a recent father and owner of a highly strung whippet named Arrow. We’ve kinda operated from opposite sides of London, I’m North, Laurie South. I’ve had a brief hiatus living on a boat for three years - mainly out in Hertfordshire on the Grand Union and then switched things up to be down in Camber Sands for stretch. Just moved back to the capital - It’s good to be back.
Laurie: I’ve been living in Lewisham, South London for a long time. I’ve moved so far out over the years I feel like I’m dropping off the map but there's still plenty to love here. Small venues like Spanners in Loughborough Junction and Black Tower Projects in Sydenham are throwing wicked DIY parties with live sets full of surprises. The studio has a load of cassettes we've collected during our travels: preachers, folk singers, meditation tapes. Sometimes we plunder those for voices by creating loops using an old Walkman. We did that a few times on the new record, like on The Drunken Monk
Tell us about your new record.
WWDuncan: Good things come to those who wait!
Laurie: Tell me about it, so happy it’s out of our heads and into the world!
Duncan: Our process usually starts by creating a really elaborate fucked up audio signal chain and just taking it from there. It usually means a good deal of editing, shoehorning and smoothening is required later down the line! We’re lucky enough to have access to a pretty nice studio with lots of gear, some quite posh - like an (Eventide) H3000 (legendary multi-effects processor) and something kinda trashy like a Dynacord Echo (tape echo) or a Boss HM2 ‘heavy metal’ distortion pedal. Our sound is basically combining those elements - taking absolute crud and polishing it until it starts to sing!
Duncan: I think it was always our intention to get some vocalists involved in our music so having Avon Terror Corps on board made a lot of sense and then Franco really smashed it. We also ended up doing vocals of our own on some tracks.
Laurie: I always loved what Anna Homler does as a vocalist from the Voices of Kwahn and Breadwoman projects, so when I reached out to ask if she wanted to make a track together I was kind of blown away that she said yes. Anna has this generosity and warmth that is amazing. We made the track (Ring) when she was in LA and we were in London, the name of the song is a (bad) joke about someone calling long-distance. I think the record builds on the last two self-released 12”s, with more of a focussed approach to the sound set and writing. We refer to ourselves as a band, I guess mainly from the live shows with sampler, mixer n fx, but this time we tried to make a record that sounded more ‘live’: from working with sounds of ‘real’ drums to creating riffs that sound like they came off a guitar (spoiler: there’s no actual guitar). Working with the remixers and collaborators from ATC was amazing - it’s definitely taken it to another level.
Duncan: We got Nat (Philipps) on board to play sax fairly early on. I’d seen him play a couple of times when he was in a band called Still Moving and he’s a regular at MAP’s Sunday jazz sessions. I’d really enjoyed his playing and figured he’d bring the right energy to the track ‘Visceral Snack’.
What artists do you think are criminally underrated?
WWDuncan: I was pondering again today how ahead of his time Bernard Parmegiani was and how he was basically the great grandfather of industrial. I remember being introduced to his work when I was at Uni, it still blows my mind he made all those rich visceral sounds just using tape. I’m still at a loss as to how he achieved it. It was so much more forward looking than the other music concrete composers of the time.
Laurie: Trevor Mathison, an artist / filmmaker / musician from the Black Audio Film Collective. ‘From Signal to Decay’ is an incredibly inspiring vision of dub-industrial at its best.
What song is playing at your funeral?
WWDuncan: I dunno probably For Whom The Bell Tolls (by Metallica) or something…
Laurie: Lars hitting that anvil as you’re lowered into the ground.
What is inspiring you outside of music right now?
WWDuncan: I’ve been on a bit of a wild ride of back to back house moves sandwiched with the arrival of baby. Not had a huge amount of space for cultural inspiration per se but actually the ride has been pretty inspiring in and of itself. Also the recent stretch living down in Camber (near Dungeness Nuclear Power station) has had some inspiring moments - the skies down there are incredible.
Laurie: I went to Mexico a couple of months back. My first time in Mexico City and Oaxaca state. 100% inspiring: vivid colours, amazing birds on the pacific coast, kind people, mezcal.
Favourite thing to hear in nature?
WWLaurie: Probably the sound of the sea at night.
Duncan: I’d second that, I’m also a big fan of creaking trees
What can we expect coming up from Weird Weather?
WWLaurie: Working on new music - the album took a while so we should get started on the follow-up now whilst we’re only half-grey (!). We’ve got a couple of unreleased remixes by Mother that are finally going to see the light of day. Look out for those. Putting together tracks for DJ sets and then there's the live set…
Duncan: The live set is definitely the next thing on the list. We’re not in such bad shape as we’ve done gigs with the album material last year. It’s always good to refresh things though - keeps us on our toes. Should have some gigs lined up for later in the year. Stay tuned!
