Pyongyang City Sessions

Neko Neko is a name we have already introduced you to on this blog, and one whom those with fingers on the pulse of Electronica/Hip-Hop should have learned by now.  Our attention was drawn to him after a glowing recommendation from Dave Fortune, owner of Manchester based Hip-Hop label My First Moth.

A release on MFM and another on the Mind On Fire compilation both impressed and further investigation revealed an even more impressive and ambitious project undertaken, a superb, track for track remix of Pink Floyd’s seminal ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’, given away as a free download.

Neko Neko agreed to compile what turned out to be his debut mix for us (bottom of the page), and we sent him our customary PYC questionnaire for you to enjoy whilst listening, so, enjoy!

Who are you and what do you do?

I am Graham Shortland aka Neko Neko. I make electronic/hip hop music with elements of a lot of other genres mixed in and have released a couple of records with My First Moth and Mind On Fire.

Who and what influences you?

I find it really hard to pick my influences out but if had to they would be Four Tet, Caribou and Dj Shadow. Those guys all influenced me in different ways which had a profound effect on me. I guess I could pinpoint waves of influence. When I was young it was classic rock and psychedelic , then electronica, hip hop and funk and more recently newer electronic stuff like Flylo, Lone, Gold Panda.

Elements of styles of music influence me in ways like percussion of cuban stuff, hypnotism of techno and dance stuff, grooves of afrobeat, beats of classic hip hop, souly vocals from funk, soul or motown… the list goes on. It kind of works like that for me, these little elements seem to seep into my music in some way from almost all the stuff I listen to. Other things influence me like sunny days, memories, conversations with friends, colours and experiences.

Worst answer to that question ever!

How do you create your music, what gear/software do you use?

My main setup at the moment is an MPC 2000xl, 6 track tape machine, laptop, outboard effects, homemade synth, analogue synths, keyboards, guitars, pedals, turntables and of course vinyl.  Software wise I use Cubase sx 3 and various software synths and effects.  Live I use Ableton Live, APC40 and Korg MS-20 controller.  For me it’s not about the gear you use but about what you end up with.

I don’t really have a set way I create stuff. Most of the time it will start with an idea of some sort. Could be I’m messin about with a melody or chords on synth/keyboard and I’ll just run with it once I’ve got the idea and create the rest of the track around it. Sometimes it could be a sample or a beat instead or even just hearing something in my head and i’ll try and convey that idea on an instrument. I come from a background of playing intruments so a lot of stuff is played in live and not sequenced, i.e. drawn in with a mouse.

Once the ideas there I’ll useually finish the track quite quickly, maybe a few hours or a day. Some tracks take a lot longer and others might be left unfinished and dormant for months and then I’ll come back and finish them. I tend to mix tracks as I go along and then do a final finished mix once everythings in place.
Also I get this thing where I see colours when I hear music, sounds or notes. This thing helps me kind of visulise the music as each colour and shade represents a note, key, chord or feeling and I can change tunes until the colours fit. Kind of like painting with music. It’s hard to explain but it works for me.

How would you describe your sound?

Badly? Manctronica!! haha. I always struggle with this question. Probably electronica/hip hop best describes it at the moment but there is so many elements of other genres in there that the labels are a bit limiting. My set style mutates a bit too with newer material but people seem to be able to pick up on a continuous sytle or sound to my stuff so probably best ask someone else.

Any forthcoming releases planned?

There are some plans in motion but nothing concrete so can’t really say, but I can say there’s plenty of Neko Neko stuff sitting about.

What would be your dream collaboration?

Four Tet on wackyness, Hendrix on guitar, Richard Wright on keys, DJ Shadow on samples, Pete Rock on beats and Otis Redding and Nina Simone on vocals… but seriously probably Four Tet or Caribou. Never really thought about it.

Where did the name Neko Neko come from?

Contrary to everyone’s belief the name is not a play on the Japanese word for cat. I got the name from an article in the Metro newspaper about lost words or phrases. It means someone who has creative ideas or urges that are damaging or hurtful to their life and consume their thoughts. I thought it was fitting for me as I often put music before everything else, even when it meant sacrificing other areas of life.

How did the My First Moth connection come about?

I knew of Dave (DJ mischief, owner) when I was at college and he was teaching there but didn’t properly meet him until one night at Upper space gallery. I asked for a gig at his night The Pinch and he let me play. A little while after he set up the label and then asked me about putting out stuff. Not a very exciting story really!

What was the thinking behind the Orange Side of The Moon project?

Well one day I was kind of bored of working on some tunes and wanting to remix some tunes instead, so I had a crack at ‘Any Colour You Like’ from dark side of the moon. It was really fun and I was happy with the results, so I tried another track and it just went from there and ended up doing the whole album.
I never set out to remix the whole thing it kind of just happened and I was happy with the results. The whole thing was great fun to do and a challenge when you don’t have the separated master tracks. Also I had to be careful and be respectful to the original.
I love the original album and have learnt a lot from it music wise, plus it holds some sentimental value as it was one of the first albums I really got into when I was a kid. It was a bit scary when I decided to put it up on the net because of obvious backlash of it being completely slated as disrespectful towards the original but I think it was worth the risk.

Give us some words of wisdom….

I’m not sure I have any! I guess just be yourself and stay true to what you want to do. Don’t bandwagon jump on music and keep an open ear and mind.

Neko Neko – Pyongyang City Session Mix by Neko Neko on Mixcloud