Phantogram
by Alex Suskind
With all the different layers in your music, do you find it difficult to translate what you do in the studio into a live performance?
Josh: It was a challenge to begin with. But we practiced enough and figured a lot of things out with our samplers and everything else where we are getting it down and so it’s a major challenge but it is fun.
Sarah: Yeah, whenever we write, we always try and make sure we are writing a song that we know that we will be able to perform it, because it won’t get that same energy out [live] if it is missing this piece or that piece. We always make sure it can work.
Josh: I think we have made the mistake, I know I have in the past, you write a tune and record but you can’t figure out how to play it live and now we write everything live and make sure it can get done.
What kind of instruments are you guys using to create the Phantogram sound?
Josh: A couple samplers, a drum machine, guitar, loop pedals. On our album there are four-track tapes, all kinds of percussion, drums, some analog synths, [and] some software synths.
You guys are playing overseas in a few months. Is this first time you have played over there as a band? Are you looking forward to it?
Sarah: Yep it’s our first time [and we are] very very excited.
Had you gotten a big response overseas when you were signed to the British label [BBE Records]?
Sarah: Yeah, it has been a pretty good response for [our album] Eyelid Movies and I think we will find out more once we get over there. We are going to be headlining most of the shows out there, so I guess we will really confirm [if] people like it.
What was it like being signed to a label that had released the likes of J Dilla and Madlib?
Sarah: Unreal, definitely. It was very unreal when we got the email from BBE for the first time [saying] that they liked our music. It is an honor to be part of a label like that, that has put out artists that we are highly influenced by.
Now how did the name for your album Eyelid Movies come about?
Josh: I think it goes back to what Sarah was saying about a lot of our songs and our lyrics are about just little daydreams and different scenarios while we are writing. An actual eyelid movie is, you know when how you fall asleep at night sometimes you feel like you are in a dream but you are not quite asleep yet? That is what an eyelid movie is. We thought it was fitting for the sound of the record and what we were trying to do with the record.
You think that idea translates to the visuals you guys use during the live show?
Josh: Yeah
Sarah: Yeah, for sure, I mean we try…
Josh: We don’t get to do visuals a lot though
Sarah: We wish we could have a video guy follow us around everywhere because it would just complete our vision for our sound. Sometimes we have a friend locally that does some video for us and it really just completes our entire vision. But when we are on tour [now] we just use lights and strobe lights.
Thanks a lot for taking the time out to speak with Wax Poetics and the best of luck to you guys.
Sarah: Thank you!
Josh: Thanks.
