EXCLUSIVE! The ZineUK talks to EQUALS
East London Electronic Soul duo ‘Equals’ release their much anticipated debut Album ‘1997’ this month alongside the ridiculously uplifting single ‘Triumph’ – out now.
Ade earned his stripes as a backing singer for Amy Winehouse, with whom he sung throughout her entire career. He has since featured on records by Kindness, Matthew Herbert, Mark Ronson and Quincy Jones and recently toured the world with Gorillaz. James took the more conventional route, grafting with bands, including members of Submotion Orchestra, who remain friends and collaborators.
1997 is an album which consciously comprises timeless studio production of the 80s with a crystal clear view of the contemporary. Picture food fight with Prince, MJ and Chic on one side, with Kaytranada, Frank Ocean and James Blake on the other – that’s Equals’ sound.
James, tells us;
“Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly and Solange’s A Seat at the Table inspired making a certain type of album - combining different musical styles, weaving each track into the next with skits or segues, repeating lyrics that reference and contextualise each other, still having songs standalone but, as an album, the songs paint a bigger picture…I’m not saying we come anywhere close to these incredible albums - but they created space in which it feels legitimate to try.”
We sat down with the guys one sunny afternoon to chat inspiration, Brexit’s effect on the music industry, dream collaborations and aliens!
You quote the late cultural critic Mark Fisher as your main inspiration behind 1997, his book Ghosts of My Life: Writings on Depression, Hauntology and Lost Futures stated that we are “haunted by futures that failed to happen”: how does this theory translate into the album?
James: A lot of promises were made in 1997 that things would get better, on a lot of different levels – politically, culturally, economically, socially... After Stephen Laurence’s murder, the police promised to deal with institutional racism, after nearly two decades of Tory government, Blair promised to restore social equality. We’re still waiting. After the creative momentum built in music through the 60s, 70s, 80s and early 90s you kind of expected it to continue – not park up in a capitalist cul-de-sac of remakes, pastiche and cover versions. This translates into the album in at least three ways. Firstly the lyrics are about how it feels to have lived through the two lost decades between 97 and 2017. For example on the song “Weary Eyes” Ade sings, “hold it, do you hear us slowing down, like the future’s gone to ground, weary eyes, blink at me even though they’re wasted” – living through this “slow cancellation of the future” (as Mark Fisher described it) is really depressing, there’s a tendency to medicate with alcohol and other substances to help you forget, or escape, but the horizon is no brighter when you stare at it in the morning. Secondly, it’s in the music, particularly in terms of the production – we use a lot of vinyl crackle as to comfort us, remind us of a time when things felt more hopeful. Thirdly, while writing about this idea we recognise that we are living and making music under these conditions and can’t escape it ourselves – the weight of musical history is on our backs when we’re writing songs the same as everyone else, so the song Hi-Def Retro is about how Ade has always loved Michael Jackson, and can’t escape that influence when he writes, so rather than fight it, track goes the other way and intentionally made it sound as Jacko as possible.
You describe the track ‘Letter To Leave as “rabbit punch and an olive branch to leave voter” - how do you see Brexit immediately affecting your own position and also the wider music industry?
James: I guess by the time it got to polling day, the referendum had been polarised in such a way that it wasn’t really about the UK’s membership of the EU. It was way more about migration, race and people’s sense of dignity and power. So there will be obvious ways that Brexit might affect touring across Europe but to be honest, for Equals, there’s already a massive difference between how easy it is for me (a white brit) to move between countries and Ade who has a Nigerian passport. The problem is that the Brexit vote creates a cultural momentum towards making that difference even more pronounced – so you see a rise in hate crimes on the streets whilst at the same time you see government policy introduced to make Britain an even more hostile environment for immigrants in terms of access to housing, education, healthcare and other essential services.
A strong vein of cultural criticism can be perceived while listening through 1997. Is there anything you would change in the current music industry climate in particular?
Ade: on the current industry climate. I would love to be able to disassociate music with the mere selling of product there has always been commerciality in music but its so blatantly about selling you things (beats headphones, new trainers) these days so much you don't even know where to look on your computer. Ads on the side, ads in the videos. I get it I just wish there wasn't so much of it
1997 features a number of impressive musical collaborations such as Submotion Orchestra, the Bonobo band as well as producers Loxe (Nao LP, Ghostown), Ghosttown (High Focus) and Titeknots. - What would your dream collaboration be and why?
Ade: I would love to work with a dude called Andre Younge. He made the soundtrack for the film Black Dynamite. it was all 70's blacksploitation but with a very fresh take. I dig stuff like that
James: imagine writing a song with Mark Hollis! To be honest though the team we have around us now is pretty amazing.
Finally; describe Equals to a visiting alien – what are you about and what do you sound like?
Ade: I imagine they operate on frequencies 'alien' to ours so I'm going to do a Rik and Morty and get schwifty!
1997 is out now! Stream it on Spotify HERE.