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Sub SubArticle from Music Technology, July 1993 |
Forsaking guitars and drums for a wall of keyboards and racked modules, Sub Sub turned a home studio into a hit factory. ‘Ain’t No Love (Ain’t No Use)’ peaked at Number 3 and took everyone by surprise - except Phil Ward, who heard the single pre-release and contacted the band immediately.
'Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)'. It didn't come from nowhere: it came from the underground dance scene in Manchester and a select bunch of modern musicians who know a good sample when they hear one...
Jimi agrees that there is a move afoot towards grainier, more organic sounds. "There's even an argument about Akai S950s and S1000s: some people think that when you play a 950 sample in the S1000 it loses its character. That's why a lot of people do a basic loop on the S1000, and when it comes to the bass drum and snare, they put them over the top on a 950. It has a snappier, brighter quality."
For the stage, the trio make a special mix of each track onto DAT, taking out some of the percussion and all of the song's main melodic themes, which are performed live. But they're not keyboard 'players' in the traditional sense, so it's a question of expediency: elements which retain a meaningful visual impact are reserved for live performance, while complex sequences essential for the character of the track are left on tape. "It's not about how proficient you are," says Jimi, "as long as you get the end result."
An abiding enthusiasm for sampling unites the band. When not expanding their generous record collection in the hunt for original loops (Andy wants to be able to go into a record shop tomorrow and spend about £800), they're hard at work on those loops to keep ahead of the game. "We'll maybe drop the loop low in the mix, pick something out of it and re-create that feature over the top. Re-emulating loops is something we do a lot of," says Jez.
"We're not boffins, and we struggle sometimes to get the best out of the JD800, for example. But it's worth it. You've got to get into programming"
Disguising samples is a technique motivated by a concern for originality, as much as fear of the lawsuit. So sample CDs - Jez quotes the ubiquitous 'Funky Drummer' - are a low priority. "We'd rather do editing tricks," he claims, "like moving elements of the loop around, and things like triggering on the offbeat, pushing them through effects, or an LFO, and resampling." And sounding cheap is, in fact, a goal - "the rougher the better," as Jimi puts it. It's speed that counts, rather than polish, according to Jez: "Get a loop off a record and into the sampler, put an effect on it, get it down on DAT, whip a jack lead into the DAT and bung it back in the sampler. We didn't have a mic until recently, and we sampled through headphones - pure buzz and hum. Horrendous. But the vibe's right."
"All that stuff on 'Ain't No Love' - the chatter - is basically me," reveals Jimi, "sped up, distorted, and with a crowd sample behind it, to make it sound like a really cheesy hip-hop sample. And it was done through the headphones in the bedroom. Some things that sound cheap sound right."
Mention of cheap sounds unearths an envy that the band feel of local lad Graham Massey, whose success with 808 State in America enables him to undertake frequent shopping trips over there in search of rare and unusual synths - at knock-down prices. "I want to get old ARP stuff, like Stevie Wonder used to use," Jimi admits. "Great string sounds..."
But having too much gear is potentially as much of a drawback. Sub Sub take a certain pride in working their limited amount of equipment "to the bone", and recognise the profligacy inherent in collecting for collecting's sake. "It's like house," continues Jimi. "All these kids putting tracks out over the years - they've had cheap gear, just the very basics, but it's the ideas that are hot. They're just that desperate to get their music out there, they'll really work what they've got, and get the best out of it."
Sub Sub get the best out of what they've got by building up tracks at home using Cubase, and 'roughly' (rather than finely) honing samples until they have enough information on disk to be able to transfer to a studio secure in the knowledge that they won't have to be in there for very long. Not only are MIDI parts meticulously prepared, but guitar and vocal phrases are sampled and incorporated onto disk too. The whole track can then be transferred onto multitrack in the studio, requiring little more than a mix. Details may be adjusted in the light of the superior monitoring, but the overall picture is established before they leave home.
"Sub Sub tracks are a long process," says Jimi. "Sometimes you turn back to the guitar for inspiration. And if there's nothing happening there, you can go back to the keyboards. As long as you use technology for your own ends, you won't become a slave to it."
Jez concludes on a fittingly celebratory note, and provides an antidote for technophobia as potent as Sub Sub's music itself. "Technology has expanded our knowledge of music. With us, we don't have specific roles to play - we all handle the keyboards and do a bit of everything - and there's no specific formula or style. It's helped us to be diverse, not just the same old monotones, whilst retaining our own individual stamp.
"All our songwriting is through sequencers. I mean, I used to write songs on the guitar, but the progress I've made through using sequencers is incredible. It's just gone mad. People think if you're using technology, you're just doing 'techno'. I hate it when people diss technology, and think of it as their enemy. It actually can help them."
In December 1989, the year in which the band formed, a debut single 'Space Face' was released and subsequently licensed by Ten Records. But it was Manchester's robsrecords, not Virgin, who signed the band and released an EP Coast in July 1992. The title track was a club success, while 'Past' was included on an American compilation album Excursions In Ambience courtesy of Caroline Records.
The band's third release, 'Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)' was unleashed upon the world on 29th March, and after predictable success in club and dance charts crossed over into the Top 10 on 4th April, peaking at No.3 just two weeks later. The finishing touches are now being put to Sub Sub's debut album on robsrecords.
Interview by Phil Ward
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