He’s friends with Ghostpoet, who tipped Giles Peterson off resulting in a deal with Brownswood Recordings. Meet 23-year-old Will Ozanne aka Gang Colours, who brings us the deeper side of dubstep.
How would you describe the In Your Gut Like A Knife EP to someone who hasn’t listened to it yet?
A little introduction to my own style of experimental electronica. Expect emotive melodies, quirky drum loops and some spontaneous happenings.
What can we expect to hear from your debut album?
A more developed sound… With live vocal and piano recordings in the mix!
How do you write your songs?
I get all my patches ready then get the metronome started at a tempo that tickles my fancy, and then start playing with the sounds that I have in front of me using my midi keyboard. One riff might inspire the next and that continues until something pleasant comes up. I have a pretty standard setup at my student house at the moment… laptop, midi keyboard, monitors and Logic 8. I was borrowing microphones to make tracks for the album for a while, but then I finally bought a mic and soundcard which I left set up at the piano so that I could get recording as soon as I got home from my student house, where the track would usually begin its journey.
Do any particular artists inspire your music?
I like to take inspiration from all kinds of music, but I guess if I had to name a couple that are inspiring me right now with their unique take on music [it] would be the wild textures that Lapalux is creating and the amazing technical abilities from the young Frederic Robinson. There are also a few albums that I listen to every now and then and still inspire me a lot, such as Dr Dre’s 2001 LP – it still hits the spot!
Do you think that the fact that bass music and its many sub-genres are so popular right now is a help or a hindrance to artists starting out, such as yourself?
It has got to be a help rather than a hindrance really. Whatever the name of it, I think it is a genre that allows you to be yourself, and that is extremely important to me. That notion has been celebrated so immensely with artists such as James Blake, who made a very unique LP that is loved by the same people who loved his eclectic bass heavy numbers. It’s all about an open mind.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
On a first class Virgin Atlantic flight to Hawaii to film an advert for my own brand of cereal! Nah, 5 years is a long time, I have no idea whether that dream will become reality, I just hope my life will involve happiness and creating music that excites me.
In Your Gut Like a Knife by Gang Colours
In Your Gut Like A Knife is out now on Brownswood Records.
