Will, you played a DJ-set in Berlin on May 25th, which was also the weekend of the European Parliament election. As a British citizen, did you go voting during your visit to Europe?
Will Holland/Quantic: No, I didn’t vote. Actually I am not quite sure about my voting status (laughing). I voted in the last UK elections, now I should have voted too, but I am a little disorganized. I live in the US and with voting it is a bit complicated, you have to pre-register long time before the election.
Do you still feel yourself as a European citizen?
Yes. I was actually in the UK when the Brexit referendum happened, I voted in the referendum and I was deeply surprised by the result. At the same time I understand that there is this mixture: There are people who travel a lot, they are proud of being a part of Europe, of the European project. And then there is a lot of people who aren’t. The referendum has been a waking-up process for a lot of British people to realize, that actually we are a really divided country.
I feel European, for sure. Especially in the States I notice my mentality is rather European.
What is different to US mentality?
The first thing you would know is the accent (laughing). Well, it’s a different approach. But it is hard to say, as New York is not the real America, it’s more like ‚America light‘, while the true America lies deeper south. NY is an amazing place, an international experiment, with lots of people from everywhere. And it’s still very new to me even six years after moving there.
I grew up in England, watching American TV shows, so in some ways I felt I knew the US, like an extension of British culture. But now living there I am starting to understand the deeper side of America, starting also to see the problems… I started building my studio in New York the year when Trump got elected.
But Trumps election obviously did not stop you setting up your studio in NY…
No. Now it’s even a better time to make music, to make meaningful music. To collaborate and have a community based culture. Across Europe, too, actually. I feel lucky to dj and to perform in these multicultural events. People from a lot of different cultures, places and age groups are coming to my shows, which I think is really good.
Your musical approach seems to contradict the current political movement of nationalism and separation…
Ya, my personal view is: I don’t believe in that kind of approach to society. I do believe society should be all-inclusive. Especially in Europe we have a responsibility not only to be an open society, open minded, accepting people. We also have a responsibility as given the history of European intervention in the rest of the world. If you look what Europe has done over the last 1000 years to the rest of the World… The British Empire in itself is enough reason, why Britain should be having its borders open… Sure, everything needs control, but there are a lot of arguments to say, that we are better if we are multicultural.
What are your thoughts about living in a country, where so many people can legally carry a weapon in their pocket?
I mean, some of the best music was made in the most dangerous places. If you look at the music that was coming out of Colombia during hard times, there was amazing music made.
I now live in Bushwick which I really like, in some ways it’s a little bit like Berlin. A great neighbourhood with a lot warehouse space, many musicians, visual artists – there is a lot going on.
Some of the best music was made in the most dangerous places.
You were born in the UK, you lived in South America and now in the US. What was the moment in your life when you decided to travel, to leave your home region?
I think that stems from growing up in the countryside. I grew up in a small town, there you needed to leave to see the world, especially for djing or for finding music. There was a record store, but then it closed. So you had to go to the big city. That was always a part of me, getting out, starting dj nights – you kind of gravitate towards bigger cities.
When I started making music, the scenes were in Bristol, Brighton and London. The first Label I was working with, Breakin‘ Bread, they were based in London. So I was going down there to dj with them, later to Tru Thoughts in Brighton. That was just a natural thing.
And then I got bit by the travel bug. Also, especially when I started touring the US, I would make it a part of my journey to go to the places, where I had the music from. I bought a lot of northern soul records, music from Chicago and Detroit – so on my US trips I made sure, that I visit these places and got to know them. In the end we could say: Music made me travel.
So I guess it was a record from Colombia that made you travel to Cali?
Yes. I became really good friends with Nickodemus, he was one of the first DJs playing my music outside England, in New York. We were doing beats in his house, and then I went with him to San Juan/Puerto Rico to record some music. There we did “Mi Swing Es Tropical”, with the Candela Allstars Crew. On that trip I found a record shop with lots of old jukebox records. Within that I heard a bunch of Colombian songs and discovered the label „Discos Fuentes“. Shortly after that I was talking to a Colombian friend who offered me to stay at his fathers house in Colombia. And this way I got to know Colombia.
During your time in Colombia you founded two bands, Combo Bárbaro and Ondatrópica.
For a while I was always looking for these old Cumbia records and I really idolized these musicians that I found on the back of the jackets. The standard and quality of musicianship, of record production in the 60s, 70s and 80s – I guess that was the peak, the microphones, the disc cutting or even the piano tuners… And then in Colombia I got to meet a lot of those musicians, we were hanging out, recording together and became friends. Through that experience I ended up, thinking: Actually they are just like us. They were just young, hanging out, cutting some records – just like we are doing. It was this moment when I realized: We all just have to be creative and do our best, make as much music as we can and collaborate and be creative.
How did you actually start with music production? What were your first influences, inspirations?
I grew up listening a lot to John Peel. As a teenager I was very much into guitar music, I played in punk bands… John Peel was cool, because he would play guitar bands – and then a HipHop song, or a Tricky song. I think Tricky and Massive Attack were the first influences I had. Also I was listening to Gilles Peterson. And the first St Germain record was a big influence for me.
At college I was in an audio engineering production course and this was the time when I started with music production. I had lots of friends who were also making beats, it was like a friendly competition between us. And of my teachers, who used to work with Goldie, showed me how to use an Atari, how to program, to use samples. He also invited me to a Banghra music studio to produce Indian pop music with him, at that time I was 16. Being in an environment where a lot of people were making beats and experiments was probably the biggest influence for me.
Did you come from a musical household?
My earliest memories of hearing music they are like hearing my mom and dad play and my sisters sing. My dad played banjo, my mother had a classical guitar. My parents also were founders of a folk club in Cardiff.
Did they encourage you to be a full-time musician?
My mother encouraged me to be a sound engineer. And that is what I started to be in the end. Today I think that’s what I can do the best. My sisters are pretty good musicians. I am ok, but I am a better sound engineer.
I once had a conversation with Bonobo about the term composer, which he said he uses more often these days do describe his creative work. What about you?
Normally people think of “composition” in a classical setting, they think of notation. I can get around a music sheet, but I am not classically trained. For the new record I did a lot of string arrangements, so I’m getting more into that now.
I mean, people like Simon (Simon Green aka Bonobo) or me… We are all self-made people, we are just making the music we want to make, there is nobody telling us: ‚You need to make the song in this way‘. Or ‚You need learn how to record strings‘. We are just doing it because we want to do it.
Your label never asked you: Please do this, please do that… ?
No. Maybe it would have been nice…
Is this the reason why you are still on Tru Thoughts?
One of the great things about Tru Thoughts is, that they always released vinyl. Generally, they always released my music, they are very open minded, we never had a problem. It is nice to have artistic freedom these days. And I really value that I can press out records and sell them.
Did you ever thought about signing with a major record label?
No. But I started to work with a manager last year, for the first time in 20 years of making music. And now I see the benefits. And I wonder what would have happened, if I had a manager already ten years ago. But to be honest: I quite enjoy my life. Maybe I am a bit lazy or just want an easy life… I just want to express myself as an artist and make the music I want to make.
But I guess to produce an album like “Tradition In Transition” with the Combo Barbaro is also a big financial effort…
Sure. I mean, there are records that I have made money on – but many times it was first of all the thought: I have to do this. Maybe I don’t make money with it, but it is a cultural importance for me, an important record to make.
Why would you call for instance the Combo Barbaro a ‚cultural importance‘?
Because at that time it was just really hard to hear this music being played. Especially in Colombia, where time and music move forward so quickly. Maybe the Combo was in some ways about revivalism and about getting musicians back in the room. Because with the closing of the these big studios it all became about smaller bands, smaller productions.
It was great to find these musicians and play that music. The same with Ondatrópica, which was on a bigger scale because we had funding from the British Council. There we work with 26 different musicians that we found all across Colombia.
© B+
Let’s talk about sampling: What is your perspective on it today?
In the beginning, when I started to make music, I often used my lunch break to go to jumble sales, or to charity shops, digging for records, looking for sounds. I didn’t know to record these sounds, so this was the only way. Where nowadays when you ask yourself ‚how did EMI record these flutes‘, you probably will find a plug-in that gives you exactly that sound.
Do you still use samples in your music?
A little bit. Today I make most of the sounds myself, which is much more fun. But it can also be weird: Most of the drums on my new album I recorded with a certain Ampex machine (Ampex MM1000 8 track). The same model has been used for many of the great samples that we love from early 70s records. Now I am very happy with the drum sounds – but they sound really authentically like samples. So it happens, that friends tell me: Hey, your drums are sampled. But in fact they aren’t.
I do sample myself a lot. When I need a special sound I open the folder with of all of my songs and skip through it to find the sound.
And what I think is quite interesting now: In the 90s it was all about taking a loop and maybe repitching it. Today you have much more tools and young producers have a different approach to sampling. With tools like Ableton you now can sample the groove, the timing, the feeling of a drummer. You work out what the drummers shuffle is and then reapply it to another drummer. This is a new way of thinking about sampling.
You have been working in different genres, like Jazz, Funk, Cumbia and electronic music. What comes next?
Actually I would like to get more into Country, Gram Parsons and that era. Living in the US I now have more access to this. And I haven’t done a North-eastern Brazilian record. I did some recording in Brazil last year but I still haven’t finished the record. Actually there are a few records that I still have to finish.
What about genres in general: Will there evolve new genres, beyond HipHop, House and Drum’n’Bass?
For sure, I think the real interesting stuff will be coming from young Latino musicians and producers within the US, that’s gonna be really exciting over the next few years. Because there you have a lot of young kids with musical background, growing up and making beats… Another interesting approach I find these days is the music of El Guincho and Rosalia, Flamenco with urbanization – that’s cool! Ya, there will be some interesting new styles, for sure.
You mentioned the vinyl format before. Do you think there still is a potential to technically improve the vinyl format?
I think there is somebody working on a smaller record, miniaturizing the format again. But we also must consider that RCA and CBS, the companies that were developing the vinyl format back in the days, put millions of dollars in getting the formula correct. And it is actually an amazing concept. From one or two stampers they can press these millions of records.
At the same time it is one of the worst industries for the environment, vinyl is an oil based product that relies on the plastics industry, the waste products from vinyl are crazy.
I always laugh about musicians who are so environmentally focused, and at the same time they release these massive reissues and vinyl box sets.
Do you have sleepless nights releasing your music on vinyl these days?
I do actually, but I mean… I’m also taking all these planes from one DJ gig to the next, so the vinyl waste is not the only problem I have.
Coming to the end: Where do you feel home today?
I think home is where your family and friends are. I really feel at home in New York these days, I love the place, I have a great community there and I feel part of something. But I also feel at home in England and so do I in Colombia. It’s where you are connected, where your people are.
Is there anything British in your music?
I think there is a melodic element to my music that is in key with a lot of melodic elements of the British Isles. In general the folk music of the British Isles is very melody based, and most of my stuff is centred around good melody. So, that is probably a very British trade.
You were talking about ‚cultural importance‘ before. What is the ‚cultural importance‘ for you today?
To me the importance is always: If you run into somebody who has this amazing talent and you feel like you can give this person a new platform, you can work with him or her, then just do it. It’s happening very often to me, I got to meet a lot of musicians where I just think: Man, you are amazing! I need to record you and I need people to hear you, I want people get to know your music.
This is also a reason why many people know my music: Because I met somebody who I collaborate with. That is the way music works, you get into different people through these collaborations.
And I think, the duty right now is to record the unrecorded. When I think about new projects I usually ask myself: If I wasn’t here right now, would this get done? If I wasn’t recording this right now, would it be recorded? And if the answer is ‚No‘ then it’s important to do it.