Advanced Sound: An Interview with The Presets

July 21, 2008 1:53 PM
by Marcos Colón [email]

It's a difficult time to compete with the electronic live act scene. With bands like Cut Copy, Walter Meego and Midnight Juggernauts, there's only so much artists can do to not sound repetative or even be associated with the said acts. One band that's managed to make a name for themselves, as well as become one of the leaders of the sound are The Presets. The Australian duo hailing from Sydney broke out onto the scene with their 2005 debut Beams, getting high praise from critics and media.

After two years of touring and developing new tracks, Justin Hamilton and Kim Moyes returned earlier this year with their sophomore effort, Apocalypso, an album which they refer to as 'techno-pop,' but is well on its way to surpassing the success of Beams. In September The Presets will be co-headlining a tour alongside Cut Copy, a group who also struck gold with their latest release In Ghost Colours, making it a tough ticket to pass as any fans of electro-pop would cringe at the fact of missing these two heavyweights on the same bill.

CoolJunkie was lucky enough to catch up with The Presets' Kim Moyes while he was on vacation in New York and chatted about the release of Apocalypso, Glasgow being their second home and Australia's music scene.

CoolJunkie: How’s the year been treating you so far?

Kim Moyes: Really good. I can’t complain. I’ve been touring around the world and it’s pretty fun.

CJ: Did you do the festival circuit in the UK?

Kim Moyes: A couple but mainly club shows. We’re doing a whole bunch more of the main ones in August.

CJ: What kind of mindset did you have going into the studio after already having a successful album under your belt?

Kim Moyes: We toured for two and a half years after things came out and we were just aching to get back in the studio. To be honest it took a while to get back into the studio mindset. We were more interested in the momentum that we had built up from touring and we really wanted to capture that momentum and make the most out of that situation. We really gave ourselves a limited amount of time to do a record so that we would spend more time promoting it. We went in with a huge sense of focus and we worked way faster than we ever worked before. We got a good rhythm going on and we did a lot more of independent work instead of working with each other. We would get together every morning or every second morning and talk about ideas and then leave each other and continue working. It was a really cool process and a lot of it was left up to trust with each other.

CJ: So many bands dread the sophomore slump, did you guys feel any pressure at all?

Kim Moyes: Not really. If it had been a massive debut album and sold a million copies then I guess we would have felt that pressure more, but it was a pretty underground thing. There were a couple of club hits that people knew, but it was never that extreme. We had more the idea that we wanted to slam dunk it this time and capitalize on all of the hard work that we’ve done and everyone around us did as well. Everyone in Australia and all of the people working for us in the record labels were really behind us, so everything just felt right and it was a real steady climb and there was no worry about it. We were just like, lets do this shit and it was just there waiting for us to grab it and we said lets just grab it. There was no worry or paranoia.

CJ: How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard of you guys before?

Kim Moyes: When we go through the States and to Canada and they ask us at customs what does it sound like we say dance music. If I were to explain it in layman’s terms it would be techno pop. There are all sorts of funny ones we’ve come up with like punk techno and spazz dance or warped pop. (laughs)

CJ: What are some of your musical influences?

Kim Moyes: Oh man there’s so many, it’s almost hard to go into. Daft Punk and Chemical Brothers are up there as well as Underworld. But more in the pop side of things there are Pet Shop Boys, New Order. All of those fucking things that we sort of sound like. (laughs)

CJ: Where do you think you get the best response besides Australia?

Kim Moyes: Canada and Glasgow, Scotland. Glasgow is almost like a second home to us, it’s kind of crazier than it is in Australia. They are up for it there and they get it. They get it in Berlin as well but the insanity of Scottish people is intense. Our music touches that note, its intense. In Canada we always have a really good time. Maybe it’s an Australian, Scottish and Canadian thing. Secondary countries that have this oppression thing. I dunno. (laughs)

CJ: What new bands or artists out there are appealing to you right now?

Kim Moyes: There are these guys that are Israeli called Chame and Guy Gerber. They do this cosmic kind of acid trance that is really crystal and beautiful. I’ve been listening to Aphex Twin a lot and it’s been blowing my mind again and I don’t know why I stopped listening to him. I think it has to do with the speed of his music and I sort of have a new appreciation for that tempo now. There is one guy we played a couple of shows with in the UK called Heartbreak, he is ironic like Peaches or Har Mar, but is kind of tele-disco. I just discovered Arthur Russell as well. He’s a New York post-disco cellist.

CJ: How is the music scene in Australia? Is there a big difference with the scene there to what we have here in the States?

Kim Moyes: Yea, I think so. It’s like everywhere, music and clubs and people getting wasted. I guess drugs are really big in Australia, like ecstacy and ketamine. Kids really are into that and the club culture is quite chaotic and too much for me these days.

CJ: Do you think because of that they look out for more of an electronic vibe?

Kim Moyes: Yea. When we started it was all a bit indie and the stuff we were doing was just coming in. It has taken over quite a bit. Australia’s popular music has always been pop rock and somehow it has turned into the big peak of house and techno and club culture of the 90’s that has really filtered down to an underground scene. It’s really about little clubs now and it has always been there especially in Sydney because of the gay culture.

CJ: How do you like touring the States? Do you have any favorite cities?

Kim Moyes: I like playing in the big cities, but it’s surprising when you get to a small town like Salt Lake City or Denver. There is a higher appreciation for you because smaller bands like us normally skirt around the major cities first. If you go to a little town, they’re like “We’ve been waiting for you for five years!” (laughs)

CJ: What can everyone look forward to from you guys next year?

Kim Moyes: Probably not much more than what we have now. Hopefully by next year everything will be on par and we will be able to bring the biggest shows to everyone.

Click here to hear more from The Presets.