So So Gay
Scott McMullon catches up with fresh new duo LectroLips to talk about their fine home grown electronica.
Electronica duo LectroLips was formed in January 2009 and the pair have been releasing songs for free online, developing a fast growing legion of fans, all of whom are clamouring to hear their fresh take on the genre and their own unique sound.
So So Gay were able to catch up with Leo and Anthony fresh after the release of their latest track ‘Resurrection’.
So So Gay: What first drew you to going out and making your own music?
Leo: Well, back in 2005 I was a piano vocalist and would often play the piano in bars, hotels and also at weddings. I actually met Anthony who was in the crowd while I was performing one day. We eventually got to talking about the types of music that we liked, and I realised that Ant was brilliant at writing lyrics, while I was more interested in the music side of things. So we decided to get together and see what we could come up with. It was about 2009 when we decided to do it seriously.
Anthony: I grew up listening to pop music and recording songs off of the radio and I even did GCSE music while I was still at school, but I never got to carry that on until after I met Leo and we decided to start working together. He was able to help bring out the best in me, and I like to think I helped bring out the best in him too.
Who have been your biggest musical influences?
A: There have been so many. Personally, I have always been a massive fan of Madonna, and throughout my awkward teenage years I would listen to her music every day. I would even go out and put on concerts in the garden that were stuffed with her songs. Really I think she has been one of the hugest influences on my song writing.
L: I think that with our latest track ‘Resurrection’, our main influences came from us looking at all kinds of sources, especially with what is popular in the charts right now and some of the more retro 70s disco style, such as the music of Donna Summer.
Your latest track ‘Resurrection’ sounds like it was made to get people out on to the dance floor, is that something you want your music to do?
A: ‘Resurrection’ is definitely one of the ‘clubbier’ songs that we have put out. We probably didn’t think about it that much but our music is usually more uptempo upbeat songs, so making this track came to us quite easily. We just started working on something simple but then we just decided to just go for it. We have done some remixes of our songs ourselves to make them more like dance music, but here we just really wanted to create something fresh and original. If one person likes it then that makes it worth it.
L: I think as time went on we started to shape it as a dance track, but still with more pop elements. If people do hear our songs and it makes them want to get up and dance then that would definitely be amazing. We want people to feel good when they listen to it, but then who doesn’t?
What do you think sets you apart from other performers in the industry?
A: I think that we just really like to make the music that we both like ourselves and we are quite tongue-in-cheek about some of the subjects we sing about. I just think we love to have fun with what we do. People tend to describe our music in all sorts of different ways but we really just want our listeners to hear our music and make up their own minds about us.
L: I really find it hard to analyse our music, because a lot of people ask us what style we think we fit into. Really, we don’t try to fit into any particular genre, we just try to allow ourselves to make music that comes to us naturally based on how we feel at the time. We don’t really try to push ourselves in any one direction.
What are your plans for the future
A: We have just signed up with a publishing company which has helped us to get our music out there. It has also helped us to get our music on TV and we were lucky enough to have some of our tracks used on Hollyaoks and on Channel 5.
L: What we are really focussing on at the moment is our writing and our recording. We are working towards an EP at the moment, but we are open to trying anything in the future. If we end up gigging or making music with other artists then that is great, but we are both very much open to suggestions for how we want to go forward.
What would you like to say to your fans and the people who helped you get to where you are today?
A: I think the biggest thing that we would like to say is thank you. When we first started putting out music online we were surprised and thankful that even just one person would download it, link it and just generally enjoy it. We have also had so much support from music blogs and from fans and well wishers on social networking sites that we use.
L: There have been people who have been there from the very beginning, back when we first started putting our songs out there. Those people are still with us now and have stuck with us and we are so very grateful to them. They have been the ones who have been sharing our links and spreading the news about us, and we just really want to say thanks and keep sharing, and we hope you enjoy what we have to offer.
Catch up with the boys by reading their blog, and listen to their amazing music on their Soundcloud profile.
You can also follow the band on Twitter (@lectrolips)
