Morcheeba
FREE AND EASY FEELING
Morcheeba Unveil a Soul-Saturated New Sound
Could hip-hop beats coexist with fiddles and pedal steel? British trio Morcheeba thought so, and back in ’98, their mix of acoustic instruments, turntable scratches, Skye Edwards’s enchanting vocals, and the occasional sitar on Big Calm redefined trip-hop, becoming that year's underground sensation. Honing their taste for melodic songs and irresistible grooves, the Cheebas return with Fragments of Freedom. Growing ever more distant from the gloom of trip-hop, the British trio look to close the door on their mopey past, embracing funk, disco, and soul in a freewheeling tribute to black American music. Paul Godfrey, Morcheeba's lyricist and beat-maker, told Barnes & Noble.com's Michael Endelman how they turned the beat around.
Barnes & Noble.com: How would you describe the sound of the new album?
Paul Godfrey: I think it's a very uplifting and joyous affair.
B&N.com: Were there some things in your personal life that led to this outlook?
PG: Yeah, I fell in love and got married, and we just had a baby two months ago. It was just a time of growth. I straightened up and stopped abusing alcohol and drugs, and just got my life together. I bought somewhere to live and settled down. Sort of got grounded, really, because the first five years of Morcheeba was just a whirlwind and a runaway train that I couldn't keep up with.
B&N.com: It also sounds like you have been listening to lots of American soul and disco in these past few years.
PG: The album is kind of a tribute to all the black music of the last century. Artists like Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Sly and the Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield, Jimi Hendrix, and Sam Cooke. Just all the classic stars. And that's the sound we were trying to achieve.
B&N.com: Have you met or performed with any of your soul idols?
PG: The closest we came to that was producing David Byrne's last record. He's very funky and pretty fly for a white guy. We also worked with Jim White on his new record. You should check out his first record, Wrong-Eyed Jesus. It's really good. He's a great lyricist from Pensacola, Florida. His lyrics are awe-inspiring.
B&N.com: Do you listen to any contemporary R&B?
PG: I listened to a lot of it while we were doing this record, because I really like the crispness of the sound. I also like to analyze the production and arrangements of it. I think some of it is amazing. Ninety-eight percent of it is just bland and crap, but there's some really good stuff that's worth searching for.
B&N.com: Which artists are worth searching for?
PG: Though it's not that recent, an amazing track is "No Diggety" [by Blackstreet]. Some of the Missy Elliott, Brandy, and Kelis stuff is cool. It's more about the song for me. That's what will really hook me. Even if the production is really good, it still needs a song.
B&N.com: Do you follow the American hip-hop scene?
PG: Oh yeah. I buy a lot of hip-hop. I'm kind of a hip-hop DJ by trade. I started DJing when I was about 11 on a pair of old record players.
B&N.com: What are some of the recent albums you've been listening to?
PG: As far as mainstream stuff, I like the new Dr. Dre [2001], mainly because the production on that is so killer. I also like Mos Def.
B&N.com: How did you connect with the three different MCs that you have on the album?
PG: Bahamadia's got a super sexy voice, and her lyrics are really cool. So we just approached her, and she was happy to do it. Ross [Godfrey, who plays guitars and keyboards] met Mr. Complex sitting on a plane, and so next time he was in town, he came down and rapped. With Biz Markie, he's like my hero. It took ages to track him down. We originally had a sample of him and we couldn't clear it, so we approached him directly and struck a deal with him. The tape came back, and it was just amazing. He's the original oddball funny rapper.
B&N.com: Would your fans be surprised by any of the records you have in your collection?
PG: Status Quo. That's all we listened to on our last tour, because it really went with the whole monotony of what we were doing with the touring and stuff. We also like heavy rock and all types of stuff. If it's a good song and a heartfelt performance, then that's a very magical thing. That's what we feel above any trend.
B&N.com: Will this album finally kill the trip-hop tag?
PG: Oh, God knows. Your guess is as good as mine. We were like a lot of the bands that came through with punk, bands like the Police and the Stranglers who weren't really punk, but were just waving that flag to get a record deal. That's kind of what we did with trip-hop.
August 1, 2000
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