“It’s quite weird going into a studio and having that role reversal. Usually I’d sit behind the desk and get some other people to sing. It was quite different.” Justin Robertson is reflecting on the making of ‘Nine Days’, the debut album from Thee Earls.
For the past fifteen years Gez and Justin’s careers have kept them at the forefront of Dance music’s evolution. Gez gained his reputation as a studio wizard with releases as part of The Oval Five, Doi-oing and The Experiment, scoring a top 40 hit as part of Heliotropic. He was Presentation Controller when MTV Europe launched in 1987, which eventually saw him become the architect of the mash-up generation, creating the legendary and hugely influential Partyzone Megamixes, alongside James Hyman. For the past ten years Gez has also had a foot in the world of synch music, initially as part of Other Productions, with erstwhile writing partner Nick Hale, before setting up Revolution Music, producing and providing music for film, TV, computer games and adverts.
Justin needs little introduction as an internationally renowned DJ and producer. He has toured the world as guitarist and lynchpin of Lionrock, who notched up several hits, which included a memorable appearance on TOTP for their ‘Rude Boy Rock’ single, replete with Justin in dashing purple suit, playing a pair of gramophones. Following the demise of Lionrock, Justin produced the acclaimed Revtone series of dance floor destroyers, that came out variously through Nuphonic and Bugged Out, captivating both the press and his peers alike. Name-checked as a major inspiration by the likes of Ulrich Schnauss and the Chemical Brothers, Justin’s influence in the Dance scene can’t be underestimated. In the past decade he has explored several avenues outside of dance realms. In 2004, he revealed his love for the likes of Nick Drake and Neil Young, with the release of ‘Twisted & Torn’ on Slut Smalls, and recently he released a single co-written with The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess and production hero Rob Playford on his own Blister Ballads label.
“We met through our publisher, Gez heard me sing ‘Push And Shove’ on the Fatboy Slim album and asked me if I wanted to do a track.” recalls Justin. Originally intended as a one off collaboration, the project soon gathered pace.
A bona fide super-group, Thee Earls’ pedigree is pure thoroughbred quality. With Justin, taking on the front-man role and Gez providing the original music, production prowess and live keyboards, the band also features some true heavyweights. Akasha’s Charlie Casey graces guitar, Nick ‘Avin It’ Abnett, who has played with Sabres Of Paradise, The Aloof and Death In Vegas, provides the bass; with Simon Hanson, who has laid down grooves for the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Liam Gallagher and Iggy Pop, filling the drummer’s berth. Between the five of them, they have been involved in almost every single significant development in UK Dance music since the heady days of Acid House.
Collectively, as Thee Earls, they have created ‘Nine Days’, an album that Gez and Justin readily describe as Art Rock. Wearing their influences loudly and proudly on their sleeves the album celebrates the music Thee Earls grew up with. The essence of David Bowie, Joy Division, The Fall, ‘Sandinista’ era Clash and A Certain Ratio distilled into nine superlative tracks. A musical link back to the early 80s, ‘Nine Days’ is a collage of influences; the eclecticism of John Peel’s radio show, Factory Record’s white-boy funk vibes and memories of Stockport town centre, all as viewed through a 21st Century lens.
Nine tracks were demo’d with Gez contributing the initial backing tracks and Justin bringing lyrics and guitar to the table. The band then quickly completed the resulting songs. “It evolved fairly organically” explains Justin. “It was part of the whole concept to have a succinct statement, we always just worked on those nine songs. That’s the only conceptual bit of it. It’s always been ‘this is it’. Not like albums where you have fifteen or twenty tracks and whittle it down, it’s not been like that at all.”
Recalling David Byrne at the height of his Talking Heads powers, or perhaps Mark E. Smith from some carefree parallel universe, Justin’s stream-of-consciousness vocal style adds a distinct flavour to the Thee Earls’ sound. The abstract observations of everyday life set against the bands driving riffs give the album a familiar warmth. Bowie-esque album opener ‘Only Dancing’ sets the stage for fifty minutes of blistering digital soul. The proto-electro grooves of ‘Let It Rain’, that lyrically harks back to Justin’s Manchester roots; the charged riffs of ‘Bombs To Fall’ and the dubby textures of ‘Hold A Light’, give ‘Nine Days’ a breadth and depth of sound that displays Thee Earls’ passion for the classic songs that shaped their own career paths.
With Ed Chemical and Mark Moore amongst early supporters professing their love for ‘Nine Days’, Thee Earls are quietly confident. Nathan Detroit received his first ever noise complaint from his neighbours whilst rocking to the album, which is surely the highest of praise. A single is due in Aug 2008 and a series of live dates will precede Nine Days. I edited my profile with Gez's Myspace Editor V4.4
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