We’ve ‘Before Your Eyes’ (listen below) from Friendly Fires and Andrew Weatherall & Timothy J. Fairplay’s AA-side single, out March 31 on FF’s Telophase label, and now we’ve got a first play of the second track, a motorik sprawler, ‘Velo’ – listen below:
Ahead of their Boiler Room set tomorrow – stream it live from 2 pm here – we asked Friendly Fires’ Jack Savidge and Weatherall to fill us in on the collaboration:
How did the collaboration come together? How did you set about writing the tracks?
Jack Savidge: We’ve long distance admirers of Mr Weatherall’s various recorded and live/DJing projects for as long as we’ve been into music. Tim’s music I think I first heard on the World Unknown label. Their Asphodells album of last year was wonderful, and we thought it would be a thrill to work with some firm heroes of the underground.
The process was a kind of in-proxy back and forth. Andrew, quite rightly perhaps, doesn’t like musicians cluttering up studios, so we passed parts back and forth via CD and eventually the final track is a final edit of that process.
I see that you recorded using Conny Plank’s old desk – how did you come into possession of that?
JS: It belongs to Mark Ralph who mixed ‘Velo’. He bought it from Conny’s son and restored it to its former glory. It features Conny’s venerable weed pot and leather leaning shelf.
Are there plans to take the collaboration further in the future?
JS: None at present, but the atmosphere is good between us… I wouldn’t rule it out.
What was it that attracted you to the project? What did yourself and Timothy want to bring to the collaboration?
Andrew Weatherall: We had nothing on the production line and we thought we could bring some fresh ears to a track they had difficultly completing.
What do you make of the cut of Friendly Fires’ gib?
AW: They appear to wear correct shoes which is always a good starting point as far as gibs are concerned. I’ve not seen any of them wearing sportswear which is always a plus.
What three things would you save from your studio if it was on Friendly Fire?
AW: My 1968 Vox Invader guitar, my rockabilly seventies single collection and one of the children.
