Malpas Interview

BBMLive tracked down emerging Folk-Electronic duo Malpas to uncover what makes the band who they are and more importantly where they came from and where they’re going.

Where are you speaking to us from today?

I’m in New York city. I’m over here for a month producing a record.

How did Malpas begin?

Malpas began with a few rough demo’s Ali made using a load of acoustic instruments he had lying around at home. He took loops of mandolins, dulcimers, and acoustic guitars and made these strange little songs out of them. When I heard them I felt that if I added electronic rhythms and synths we could make a really interesting hybrid of Folk and Electronic music that I hadn’t really heard before. When we got together to test this theory out we were so pleased with the results we formed Malpas.

And how long have you been making music as Malpas?

We’ve been making music for about three years. We originally thought we were just making a one off EP but the project grew and before we knew it we had a whole album of material and a live show.

Did you have any other projects before Malpas?

Me and Ali were in a band together years ago which is how we know each other. After that band split up I started working in studios and have worked on various projects as an engineer and producer. We got back together to form Malpas.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

Although Ali and I share a lot of the same influences, we also have quite different references that we bring to the project that we fuse together to create Malpas. Ali is a Bob Dylan fan and brings that Folk storyteller element to the music. Nick Drake and Roxy music would also be an important influence on that side of the music. As a producer I was interested in the sound/production of the Beta Band early Aphex Twin and Talk Talk. Malpas is our attempt to combine traditional songwriting with the sonics and atmosphere of some of the electronic music that we
love.

‘Charlemagne’ is the first track you’ve released from your upcoming EP ‘Promises’, what’s the reason behind the title?

The lyric of the song describes someone imagining they are Charlemagne. It’s a song about losing friends who leave you behind.

Did you have anything particular you wanted to portray with your ‘Promise’ EP?

Hopefully our ‘Promise’ EP will give people a good introduction of what Malpas is about. All the elements that make up our sound are to be found somewhere on the four tracks and we explore the themes of loss, loneliness and hope that are really important to our music.

How has the process been for you starting out as a new act? Has it been harder or easier than you thought?

It seems to have taken longer than we would have liked to get our music out there but we’ve found a really good home for the project on Killing Moon records and are really excited about our EP release and further putting out an album next year.

Your music is available on a variety of online platforms, do you feel lucky to have such large tools to use, in terms of getting your music out to a wide audience and gaining a name for yourself?

I think one of the good things about the music industry at the moment is how available music is for everyone. In some ways its great that you can reach so many people so quickly. However, this does make it pretty difficult to sell any records. It’s swings and roundabouts really.

Have you any live shows coming up?

We’ve got our single launch show on the 20th September in our home town of Birmingham. We’re also supporting our friend Nadine Shah on her UK tour in late September and October, which we’re very excited about.

What’s been the highlight for Malpas so far?

I think the highlight for me was the excitement of creating the sound of the band and developing an idea into music we’re both really passionate about. We’re fortunate that the concept we came up with that, was the start of Malpas, actually turned out to work on loads of levels we hadn’t expected. We had a great time learning about our music through experimenting and we are really happy with the album we’ve made.

What do you think of the amount of boutique festivals there are now?

I think its great that their are so many opportunities for people to go and see live music. The festivals are kind of keeping the music industry afloat right now.

Do you have anything else planned for 2013?

Just lots of gigs and we’re remixing and being by some of our friends like Nadine Shah, Duologue and Cloud Boat. Should be really interesting.

Quick fire round to get to know you better: What was the first album you bought?

The Best of Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music

What was the first gig you attended?

The Spin Doctors at Brixton Academy in London.

What do you do for fun?

Mainly drink beer and talk nonsense, I’m pretty good at talking nonsense – ask anyone!

Where’s your favourite place in the world and why?

Where I live near Old Street in London. I have loads of friends there and love hanging out at my local pub with everyone. I love New York but am a little homesick so am looking forward to getting back there.

It was great to talk to you, thanks for your time!