New Music?

Recent months in America have witnessed heads of the moral majority and Rock stars alike waxing irate and polemical over the issue of explicit lyrics. The debate came to dominate much of October's Sixth Annual New Music Seminar held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City, whose already sensitive political focus was sharpened by debates over the Apartheid issue as well.

Apartheid, constantly in the news and being brought to even wider attention through the efforts of artists like Steve Van Zandt, Arthur Baker and Melle Mel, was debated most forcefully by Dick Griffey, founder and chairman of Solar Records and chairman of the Black Music Association. He called on people in the industry to allow artists to educate the people of the world about change in South Africa, and he criticised performers such as Tina Turner, Frank Sinatra, George Benson and Rod Stewart for making money while playing there rather than pledging those profits to help the struggle against Apartheid.

The Campaign for a labelling and censorship system for Rock and Roll records (similar in concept to the censoring already used in the film world) currently being waged by the Parent Music Resource Centre (PMRC) has already made for such hilarity in televised debates over the issue. Frank Zappa, who by and large has concentrated on a poised and witty approach, suggested to a certain US senator's wife that her husband made a habit of jerking off, whilst W.A.S.P's Blackie Lawless asserted in no uncertain terms his prerogative to write songs about bondage, cannibalism and rape.

At the seminar, Zappa, who has emerged as a spokesman on this issue, outlined his strategy for combating the anti-explicit lyrics campaign, and warned the public with the words 'Don't bend over for the wives.'

On the last day of the four day programme of panel discussions, Marianne Faithfull added an inimitable contribution to the proceedings, rudely cutting into everyone else's statements, especially those concerning explicit lyrics. The climax of her performance came when she slid off her chair in what appeared to be some kind of stupor, a manoeuvre that could not have been better executed by an under cover agent for the PMRC. SM

A meeting with DOD

It's not often I get invited to a press reception, so when the invite to attend a DOD Seminar popped through the door I couldn't resist. Held at the posh Grosvenor Hotel in Victoria, DOD went for the hard sell-American style do. First off was an audiovisual show with guitarists Steve Wilkin and Adrian Dessent giving a short and dramatic demo of DOD FX. Next, up popped Mark Ellen, he from the Whistle Test, to compere the event and introduce John Johnson, Vice President of DOD. Despite being the worse for Jet Lag Mr Johnson gave an enlightening view of the DOD story. Of course, being American did hinder his perspective a little but they would never have got anywhere without believing in themselves. DOD's angle is to presents concerned caring company with the public interest at heart; whether or not they achieve it is up to the public!

However, the good news is that the Digi-Tech range is soon to include a digital Flange/Chorus, presumably on the same lines as the dual distortion unit, and it'll be available at the beginning of the new year.

Also, of course, there is the Chain Reaction rack mounted digital effects unit. This features Distortion, Flange/Chorus, Digital Delay, Parametric and something called Input/Output Enhance. Lookout for a full review in next month's IM. DB

Neat Tequila

By the time you read this the bald heads and moustaches of latin percussion/vocals team Robin Jones and Vik Hugo, aka No Way Jose, might already have become familiar chart faces. If not, it's a fair bet you will have heard their upful version of that ultimate Latin American standard Tequila (4th Broadway/Island Records), blasting out your local club PA. Either way, though – are they anything more than yet another stab at making Latin The Next Big Thing (Again)? Read on...

"The first thing to get straight is that we are not a Latin band!"

This from Venezuelan-born singer, Vik. Robin Jones, who despite the monicker, hails originally from India, nods his head in agreement.

"...Obviously, with my background," Vik continues, "...when I start to scat in that song, the notes come from a certain kind of range, a certain background, you know – and Robin's playing is often very 'Brazilian' – so the music has that genuine beat. But we're aiming for a wider audience..."

Street-cred 'authenticity' is not going to be a problem for the boys. By their own admission, they've both "...been around the world a few times," working together as sought-after session to a succession of obscure but respected Latin bands, and latterly to UK acts like The Style Council, and latin-tinged chart smoothies Matt Bianco.

MB vocalist Mark Reilly has returned the compliment by producing Tequila, and working with the boys on a projected album. The single, meanwhile, most obviously bears his imprint in the lazy MiniMoog bass line which weaves in and out an intriguing fusion of hard-edged beat-box dance and thunderous Latin drive. In hands less deft, the result could well have been tasteless, but as Vik points out, by choosing an (instrumental) standard like Tequila for a first single, the band are 'free to concentrate on the sound of the thing': and despite the techno-tinges, it is Viks' vocal interjections and the raw, live sound of the Percussion that makes NWJ's debut so exciting. Ironic, really, since that 'live' excitement is built on no less than six Percussion overdubs, all performed by Robin as first takes, in less than three hours!

Was it hard maintaining that feeling of spontaneity, especially playing against a drum machine?

"No, not really. I'm used to it, through my work with Matt Bianco. We left the machine running all the way through the song, as a kind of elaborate click-track, but it's only thereabout 25% of the time in the final mix."

How do you go about building up the track?

"The bottom end goes down first, the congas, and anything else that's going to keep steady. It's important to get those sounding good. When I started playing, engineers didn't know what to do with congas – they'd close-mike them, with very directional mikes, or put them right down in the mix... the left hand always got lost – but these days, things are much better, both technically, and attitude-wise...

"To pick up all the overtones, and the left-hand slaps, I played the congas on stands in a live room, with a suspended mike over the top. Phil (Harding, who coproduced and engineered the track) got a really great sound, and I just built it up from there... guiro, cabasa and cowbell. The solo instruments – the timbales and bongos – go down last, and then it's a matter of dropping out, adding in... There'sa little bit of mechanical cabasa mixed in, very subtle, and I added the Sheklee (A large gourd with beaded netting stretched over it, like a looser kind of cabasa) to the start of the track. That was it!"

Tequila also benefits from some stylish supporting players – respected Jazz guitarist Esmond Selwin, Mark Fisher on keyboards, and Don Rendell on tenor sax: all friends, and, in the case of Rendell, a fellow band member in one of Robin Jones' other interests, an outfit called Jazz Turbo, for whom he plays kit drums.

"It's all very incestuous," explains Vik... We're both in another band called King Salsa, and Robin also plays in Don Rendell's own band, Dance Quartet, though obviously No Way Jose is our prime concern at the moment."

Can we expect to see you playing live?

Vik again: "Oh, I hope so! The stage is my first lady... We'll hopefully be doing some other gigs quite soon, with the guys who helped us on the single if possible. It'll be quite a small band, by Latin standards – only eight musicians – but you can be sure that even if Donor Esmond or any of the rest can't make it – Robin and Viktor will be there!"

On the evidence of Tequila, I rather think you should be, too. TR

No tool trem

Those with frightfully good memories may recall that the three new Fender guitars reviewed in the October issue of IM&RW all came fitted with the same 'System I' tremolo unit. Since then we've clapped eyes on the latest all-singing, all-dancing 'System III' version, featuring a 'no tools to lock' design. It's undoubtedly a very clever piece of design; unfortunately it puts some £200 onto the price of a Contemporary Stratocaster – bringing it up to within a whisker of £650.

The most obvious innovation is the height-adjustable combined nut and nut lock, having a small lever with a sideways cam action which locks the strings very successfully without the need for an Allen key. However, Fender have been even busier at the business end. Captive fine tuners cannot fall out at the end of their travel and have a low profile: strings are loaded from above without tools (though they do need to have a couple of bends put in them before installation), and the bridge assembly locks for non-tremolo use when you swing the tremolo arm backwards.

Even the arm is clever, concealing the necessary Allen keys for adjustments and having no thread to get stripped (it's a push-fit). It's a more familiar shape and size than the System I version and can be altered for torque too.

Tuning stability is dependent upon how well the unit is set up: the first one we saw was average, but the second sample was really exceptional. The feel is good too, not far removed from that of the Vintage unit. A retro-fit looks likely to be very difficult owing to some complicated routing (the spring tension adjuster, for instance, is located near the back strap button) but then the guitar in question left little to be criticised in terms of finish, sound and feel. The System III must be tried if you're a dedicated (well-heeled) wammy bar fan... MB