Cut Copy Interview with Tim Hoey

photo credit: tommy salmon

Tim Hoey from Cut Copy answers a few questions prior to their soon to be epic show at the Echo on March 10th. I already have friends asking me if I have extra tickets as the buzz continues to grow louder. I told my friends they better start lining up at the Echo now because it will be a packed house.Their new album "In Ghost Colours" drops on April 8th and I already have them down as a must see for their Coachella slot.

AC: What are some of the synthesizers that you used on the new album?

TH: Prophet 5, Jupiter 8, Moog Prodigy, CS 50.

AC:Have you dabbled in analog Modular synths?

TH:Whatever we can get our hands on.

AC: What was it like working with Tim Goldsworthy from DFA?

TH:It was everything we could've hoped for. He is a true gentleman and made us feel completely comfortable in the studio. It was quite voyeuristic for us at times being in the plantain studio in New York and getting an insight into how these guys work. Most of all Tim was there to serve the songs first and really pushed us to experiment. We certainly took advantage of his knowledge, gear and the coffee machine they keep upstairs in the DFA office.

AC: I loved your remix of the Presets of "Girl and The Sea". Any other remixes that you have been working on? What artists would you like to remix?

TH:Many thanks! We just finished a remix for Mercy Arms and our brothers in arms, The Midnight Juggernauts. It would be great to remix Phoenix as they're few and far between.

AC: If you could tour with any 4 bands, who would you choose?

TH: Dr Dre, Wu Tang Clan (ed. note: That is two votes for the Wu Tang Clang seeing that Angus from Liars said the same thing), Chic, The Avalanches

AC: How does the songwriting process work for you? Do you start with a sound? A patch?A Melody? A lyric?

TH: Our song writing process is always evolving. We each have studio set ups in our bedrooms so we tend to work on stuff separately and exchange ideas that way. Then we'll get together in a room with our instruments and work together. I think most of the time we just start with an idea.

AC: I am anxiously awaiting your show at the Echo. What gear do you bring with you for live shows?

TH: twin guitar attack, live bass and drums, keyboard, MPC trigger pad, good old fashioned mac book pro and good times.

AC: How difficult is it to recreate the textures from your album in a live setting?
TH: I guess we tend to to treat the two quite separate. The live aspect is more of an interpretation of the record, so at times they can sound quite different which i think is great. We try to do as much of it live as possible and use the electronics and sequencer to add the textures so it's not sounding thin.

AC: I liked your blog post about how cheap guitar pedals are here in the U.S. Any new additions to the pedal arsenal? What are some of your favorite guitar pedals?

TH: The echoplex we used quite heavily and love. We've been mucking around with space stations as well, some of the old maestro gear...

AC: What was the first keyboard you owned? Do you still have it?

TH: Yamaha portasound...yes!

AC: What was the tour like with Daft Punk down in Australia?

TH: It was amazing. We were totally blown away by their show. There's not anything more we can say that hasn't been said already but it was honour to share the stage with those guys for sure.

AC: Cut Copy wouldn't exist if which three albums were never made?

TH: Beach Boys-Pet sounds, Daft Punk-Homework, Sonic Youth-Bad moon rising

AC: Your mixtape was quite colorful and varied. Any plans for another mixtape? How did that come about?

TH: Sure. We love making those. It certainly passes the time in the van. The whole process of writing this record started with passing around mix cd's of music we were into at the time. Some of that stuff made it onto the record another part of it was songs we were listening to at the time. Others are just party jams we were playing out.

AC: What are some of the software/hardware you use to record songs?

TH: Computers and four track recorders.

AC:I was also excited that you made it on the Coachella bill this year. Any other bands on the bill that you look forward to checking out? Any special collaborations planned?

TH: We're excited too! Definitely looking forward to seeing Animal Collective. We'd love to collaborate with Giorgio Moroder on a soundtrack to an Al Pacino film circa 86.