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Artist Interviews
Q&A: Cicada
By CMU Editorial | Published on Wednesday 30 September 2009
Cicada, aka production duo Alex Payne and Aaron Gilbert, made a name for themselves remixing the likes of Depeche Mode, New Order, Editors and more. Their eponymous debut album was released in 2006, and since then they’ve been working on crafting themselves as a live act, adding former GusGus vocalist Heidrun Björnsdottir and drummer Duncan ‘Pixie’ Mills to the line-up. After touring heavily, they returned to the studio to record album number two, ‘Roulette’, which was released in June this year. The latest single from the album, ‘Psycho Thrills’, is out now, and you can catch the band live tomorrow night in London at 93 Feet East. We spoke to Alex to ask our Same Six Questions.
Q1 How did you start out making music?
I was first introduced to Aaron through our label. We had a lot in common musically and in a rash moment decided to do something together in the studio and the rest as they say is history.
Q2 What inspired your latest single?
I guess it’s a seventies disco idea that ended up clashing with some eighties electro and a quirky vocal. That’s the joy of electronic music. You can throw different ideas and influences into the pot, play around with them and then see what takes your fancy, or what you think works the best – be it French disco house, prog rock, psychedelic or eighties new wave.
Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
It will usually start with a musical idea and then we will try to develop it using different styles and influences until we find a synthesis that works and excites us and makes us smile. The lyrics/vocals tend mostly to come after that.
Q4 Which artists influence your work?
I think there is view that electronic/dance music has a narrower set of influences than a lot of other music. But we have pretty varied musical influences and there isn’t a sequencer in sight in a lot of it. These vary from Jimi Hendrix, King Crimson and Bernard Herrmann to Blondie and Can, not to mention Chic and Daft Punk.
Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
As little as possible! Hopefully the music speaks for itself over the whole album. Also go back and listen to it again… you might have missed something.
Q6 What are your ambitions for your latest single, and for the future?
Hopefully the single will get more people to go and find the album, come and see us live which in turn will allow us to keep doing what we are doing, keep developing and making good music and out of the rat race!
MORE>> www.cicadamusic.com
