Music > Interviews

Luke Abbott

29/10/14

Luke Abbott is a local success story. Still a Norwich resident, he plays psychadelic electronica all over the world to clamouring crowds at gigs and festivals. He makes his complex and original music on his own, surrounded by a mountain of equipment he’s collected through the years. He’s done a residency at Wysing Arts Centre, played Green Man Festival and released his latest album all in 2014. Top notch. I spoke to Luke ahead of his UK tour, which culminates at Norwich Arts Centre.

How did you start making music?

I started playing drums when I was 7, because I liked hitting things and making loud noises! Later I was playing drums in punk and rock bands and became frustrated by the limitations of what it is to be a drummer in a band. I wanted to do more, more often and my way. I wanted to learn the skills that let you make music by yourself, and those are primarily electronic. It’s that or learning an instrument and I’m not really interested in being a virtuoso instrumentalist; I think that’s quite boring actually. If there’s anything that turns me off in music, it’s a talented musician showing off. I’d rather hear someone with no talent trying to express something. I hate the pomposity of it, and the whole idea that you’re supposed to be impressed by something is against the concept of what making music is all about for me.

Is it more difficult to be on stage on your own as opposed to being part of a band?

Yes definitely. I used to play in bands when I was younger and it’s harder to be on stage on your own. Having said that when I play I’m generally lost in what I’m doing anyway so it doesn’t really matter. If it goes wrong you can’t blame it on anyone else. That’s alright though! Whatever level you’re at in your musical career you always get bad gigs and good gigs so you just have to go with it.

It’s still a relatively new concept to go to a gig and it’s a person on their laptop, or on electronic equipment with not much to look at. Do you feel a responsibility to perform?

No, I don’t. If people don’t feel there’s enough to look at they’ve come to the wrong gig! One of my favourite gigs I’ve been to was an Autechre gig where they played with all the lights off. It was completely dark, it sounded great and you just got lost in the sound. Whatever gig I’m at I rarely watch the stage anyway; maybe it’s not music for people who want to watch stuff, more for people who want to dance and listen.

You’ve managed to get quite a strong foothold in the music industry whilst remaining living in Norwich. I wondered how important it is for you to live in Norwich rather than move to London, which a lot of musicians feel they should do.

I don’t understand why people feel they should move to London. Norwich is the perfect place for me and I don’t think I’d be able to do what I do if I lived in London. The cost of living is lower here, having workspaces is cheaper here, there’s more of a kind of community of people here, who you see regularly, when you walk through Norwich you’ll see five of six people you know, and I don’t think you can find that in London. And also travel-wise Norwich is really well connected. I’ve had a lot of support from people in Norwich, from the Arts Centre, and other places. Also, the majority of the gigs I do have been in Central Europe so far.

Do you have any formal music training?

I’d never had any music training until I did a Masters degree in Electro Acoustic Composition, but I came at it from an Arts School background, so at the start it was more about what my ideas about art were, and the fact I wanted to explore things in term of sound. At postgraduate level it’s not about practical training at all so I was there to do my own research. I’ve never had anyone teach me, it’s all stuff I’ve learnt or developed. I’m pretty sure I don’t do things properly, but I have my ways and reasons for doing things, which has come through a constant process of investigation and a willingness to find out how to do things; you just need to check YouTube and read some books. There’s so many ways of doing things; the how is not the hard bit, it’s the why…why you want to produce things that are not the same as everyone else.

What sort of equipment did you start off using, and what do you use now?

The first bit of software I used was Fruity Loops version 1, which a friend of mine gave me a crack of on a CD. Then I got really interested in synths, and then I got into circuit bending so I bought toy keyboards and started rewiring them to make silly noises. From that I got into building small pieces of circuitry and I got into Ableton and using my laptop, and a couple of years later I learnt about modular electronics which is the best short cut into electronics. Right now my studio is a mess of loads of synths and outboard equipment and mixers, just because I love it! I learn more from having the stuff around and just playing with it. I’ve ended up with a studio that can only make my music. But you don’t need all this stuff, that’s just how I chose to go about it. My way just happens to be like a jumble sale of equipment!

What music have you been listening to recently?

Some Zambian rock, a lot of American New Age music and a lot of Alice Coltrane; she’s one of my favourites. I’ve also been listening to a bunch of stuff my friends have been making.

Do you think that the music you create comes through to people in the way you intend?

I don’t think so, not ever! The process of making music for me is entirely an investigation into sound and music. The end product is the tangible thing people hear as a result but I don’t think about an end product when I’m making the music.

Spectro presents Luke Abbott at Norwich Arts Centre on 14th November. Tickets from www.ueaticketbookings.co.uk