An Interview with Beach Ready

What are your musical influences? 

Very wide. As a child I loved rock, pop and HM but then found Jazz, classical and ambient. I have always had a fascination for music that is used for visuals and film

Which albums impressed you the most? 

When I was about 12 I would go to my local library in Hampshire to see what records they had. At that stage I was listening to top 40 radio. There was a record there that I had never heard of before that caught my eye. It was Watercolours by Pat Metheny on ECD. I used to spend hours listening to Oasis from that record on headphones in the dark, Truly beautiful piece of music but also much menace lurking. It still informs my musical approach to this day

How did the idea for the Beach Ready project arise? 

At the start of 2020 I wanted to do something different from scratch under a different name, that wasn't as formulaic as what I do in Jack Adaptor. I also wanted to make music that had fragile and fragmented structures that weren't necessarily to grid. I had been listening to Jon Hassell and Richard Skelton quite a bit, artists that don't play by the rules that are very sensitive. I put a couple of things on soundcloud and that's when I started talking to Snow In Water about releasing an album. They judged the music purely on the sound. I was happy that BR really fitted well with what they do.

How did you build your songs and how did you record them? 

I start with a central idea and a set of rules that I sometimes discard. Then I sculpt away and collage that central idea. I'm very critical and ruthless about what I use and don't use. I record a lot and therefore discard a lot but only use what gives me the right feeling. It's an instinctual process whereby sometimes I'm jamming with myself but then only distil then best parts

We are all ready to go to the beach in France, but these will probably be closed until the end of the summer ... What would you advise us? 

Stay at home and listen to the Beach Ready album and all of the Snow In Water Records back catalogue.

I immediately noticed this "human pattern" side in your music: can you tell us more about this? 

That's important in my music. I leave as many mistakes in as I can possibly get away with. If I haven't heard anything like it before then even better. I love precise, machine music but it wasn't right for this project. I was trying to avoid putting any obvious up beats in the music and to use found and field sound wherever possible

We also feel that there is a whole visual universe behind your music, is this an aspect that you want to develop more fully? 

That's also very true. In my warped mind I'm composing for visuals that have yet to be shot. The listener should be able to see the pictures in their head when they hear the sound. I still have the ambition to be invited to write film music. I'm in awe of David Shire, Bernard Herrman, Morricone and many others

What are your other current musical projects, and how do you make them interact with the "Beach Ready" project? 

I have another Beach Ready project that has spoken word go over the instrumentals. I'm doing this remotely with Mara McCann and Max Vanderwolf. It has a Laurie Anderson type thing going on

Something we can wish you? 

In these days it's important to thankful for health and to not get too distracted from that. Hopefully the same can apply to my family and that we can enjoy the ride along the way

A word for the end? 

I'm hoping there will be some big and small silver linings from Covid 19. Maybe a re-evaluation of how we live and what is fundamental. Also more time available for people to sit down and listen to music, possibly mine LOL