Druid Fluids is a psychedelic sonic adventure spearheaded by Jamie Andrew who recorded most of the album himself in his studio in Kaurna/Adelaide. The music draws heavily from the 60s, though Jamie pushes it to new worlds, using analogue equipment to shape and hone the sonic palette that makes up the new album Then, Now, Again & Again. Ahead of the release we spoke to Jamie about his creative process, as well as laying it all down once the songs were written.
Congrats on the release of Then, Now, Again & Again! We understand this album happened over quite a long period. How did it begin?
Merci! The inception of some of these songs came at the age of around 16/17 years old; long before the intention that each song would serve as a fragment of an album. I think this is why it seems to be a bit of a stylistic and thematic whirlwind. At the time of writing the majority of these, my set up was quite primitive using only a digital 8 track recorder (comparatively, now seems like cereal box toy), so I’d flesh the majority of the arrangements out with an acoustic guitar and a note pad, while pretending the rest of the instruments were happening in my head. I upgraded my set up relatively quickly, leading to everything revolving around Ableton with the use of some [Sennheiser] MD421’s, [Røde] K2s & [Shure SM]57s. This massively improved my work flow & allowed me to further refine the arrangements.
How do you feel producing the record over a long time affected the outcome?
Jaded. Haha. Nah, it’s been a really interesting experience. Each song is a stylistic and thematic time capsule, all with different narrators and influences. This, to me, underpinned the concept of the album – that who we were, are and will be is ephemeral. In regards to the production aspect of it, it’s the first album I’ve ever made or produced so it was really me just going in blind and learning as I was going along. Looking back, I made some hilarious production/recording decisions. To make myself feel better I find solace in thinking it adds character to the record. I appreciate that my progression from musical ability to producing is documented. I’ve felt confidence in innocence and learnt the humility in reflection.
What does producing a Druid Fluids album look like? Is it session musicians or do you track it alone piece by piece?
For the majority of the album I tracked all the instruments by myself. Typically I’d record a guide guitar, then layer drums and use them as the foundation to multitrack along to. It was a lot of trial and error in my approach in order to achieve the sound of a whole band playing together. Certain songs I felt needed more of an emphasis on the live feel and perhaps required more than I could offer so I’d get Eli Biles to track drums while I was playing guitar. On select tracks Jess Foenander also contributed harmonies and piano, and Oscar Ellery performed sitar.
How do you describe the music of the completed album? It spans and transcends genres but we’d love to know your thoughts!
I seem to have this image in my head in which each song serves as a fragment in of a kind of contorted, demented mosaic. As the timeline for writing this album was long, the inception for some of these songs coming at the age of 16/17, meant there was no real calculation of how they’d all fit into one piece. Despite the stylistic dissonance between each track there does seem to be a kind of unity through juxtaposition. I’ve always felt strongly about following feelings rather than genre.
How and why do you tie in visual and light shows with your music?
I’ve always valued the symbiosis of visual arts and music. Music carries profound ideas, and when incorporated with visual arts, it adds layers of meaning and depth.
Miles Dunne, our projection artist, and I spent a lot of time working on what we wanted the live set to look like visually, and how we could further enhance the emotions that the music is attempting to convey. Not all gigs, unfortunately, can facilitate projections so there are times where we have to go without. I’d like to the think that the music stands alone with integrity, perhaps you’d have to survey the audience. I am not really a rockdoggin’ frontman, so I’m glad that his visuals can satiate that element for the audience.
From: https://mixdownmag.com.au/features/gear-talks-druid-fluids/
