revolution, the story behind Delphic Previously though, the band had tried out between Ewan’s place in Berlin, Rockfield when the trio were crafting the concept
getting signed to Polydor is reminiscent of a string of other producers to help put the Studios in Wales and various studios that would give birth to Delphic. An
the days when A&R folk were chequebook finishing touches to first single across London. integral part of the process, says Rick,
happy. ‘Counterpoint’. Tom Rowlands from The “I bought a new Pro-Tools computer involved using not only their musical/
One minute, says Rick, they were a Chemical Brothers, the third Chem Steve system just to do the album,” says Ewan. production talents — they all play
virtually unknown band, playing gigs in Dub and Orbital’s Paul Hartnoll were all “This was a brand new, state-of-the-art instruments, fiddle with laptops and sing
their hometown and working on their drafted in to have a go at interpreting computer and we basically brought it to its — but also their limitations.
album. The next, he was fielding calls on Delphic’s original version of the song for knees. On several occasions it’d be 3am “If Bernard Sumner had been Jimmy
his mobile from “every major label you release. and we’d be trying to put down the final Page then Joy Division wouldn’t have
can think of”, as well as Coldplay’s Chris “The version we got back from Tom was version of a mix and the computer would sounded like Joy Division,” reasons Rick.
Martin, who called him up trying to great, but too hard,” says Rick. “Whilst it’s just be spluttering, almost dying, “We believe that every idea is valid, and
convince him to sign to Island Records as got a punchy melody, ‘Counterpoint’ is screaming for mercy. There would be we all have something to contribute.
a favour to a friend. really all about lush soundscapes, created 100-plus elements on each track. But it That’s why we’re all involved in every
“It all kicked off after we played a live gig with real instruments. After working with was exciting working like that.” stage of making our songs and why we’ll
for a music show on a local TV station three producers we really respected, we do things like sometimes set about
called Channel M in early 2008,” explains still didn’t have something we were happy coming up with a melody made just out
Rick. “It was for a programme that’s a bit with, and we were starting to get Details of the black keys on the piano. We believe
like a modern day equivalent of the show worried.” ‘Acolyte’ is best listened to as a whole in happy accidents.”
Tony Wilson used to do in the 1970s and album, in a dark room, turned up loud. The
1980s.” That’s when the R&S folk suggested the title track is the very first tune the band In a current musical climate that chews
Less than 24 hours after Delphic’s band work with Ewan. came up with, a concept that they later up and spits out new bands with the
appearance on Channel M the frenzy “We’d heard his amazing remix of Cortney based the whole album on. So keen were speed that the fashion industry changes
started. Tidwell’s ‘Don’t Let The Stars Keep Us they to get the sounds they wanted that tack each season, it’s Delphic’s attention
“We didn’t get caught up in it all straight Tangled Up’, and that he’d produced some the guitars and vocals for that song were to detail that will, in the end, ensure
away,” says Rick. “At first we opted to of The Rapture and an album for M83, but recorded in Salford Cathedral. Listen their longevity.
release our debut single ‘Counterpoint’ we didn’t know much about the rest of his closely and you can hear the ambience and Delphic might be relative newcomers to
with R&S Records and then, eventually, stuff,” says Rick. “We were scared and reverb of the cathedral, the sounds of the music industry but they already have
weeks later, we signed a deal to license didn’t want to let anyone else into our people walking through hidden corridors complete control over their output. They
our own label Chimeric through Polydor world in case they destroyed it.” behind the altar, traffic noise from outside own their music and they have final say
and put out the album that way.” Ewan did a mix of ‘Counterpoint’ and sent and even the sound of the church organ on their logos, the artwork for their
it over to the band. And rather than add woven in subtly under the guitars. releases and their press shots. And, most
anything to the song, Ewan had actually It’s those kinds of details that are importantly, they’re constantly pushing
Reason taken certain elements away. embedded in every song on the album and themselves to come up with new
The release of ‘Counterpoint’ through R&S “He’d created space in the track,” says make Delphic stand out as a band. Before dimensions to their sound.
Records in April 2009 marked the Rick. “Whereas the others we’d tried had they’d coined the band name, Rick, Matt “We recently put together this project
re-emergence of the label after a 10-year maybe thought, ‘Right, I’m going to put and James (Dan had still to join) rented called Delphic Version 2.0,” says Rick.
hiatus. Label owner Renaat my stamp on it a bit’, Ewan was like, ‘I’m out a cottage in the Lake District and set “It’s basically us all DJing on stage
Vandepapeliere cited “this new band from just going to make this what it’s meant to about talking about the concept and the together using Traktor. We aired it for the
Manchester called Delphic” as his reason be’. He just understood it. After that we kind of music they wanted to make, and first time on New Year’s Eve at the
to restart R&S, and the label association really wanted to work with Ewan.” how they wanted to make it. As a teenager Warehouse Project in Manchester, and
pulled in Ewan Pearson to produce The months that followed were filled with Rick had read Brian Eno’s ‘Oblique what we play is quite techno-based. We
Delphic’s album. mammoth studio sessions, spread Strategies’ and used references from that play stuff by Gui Boratto, Tiefschwarz
and Joris Voorn. We basically have
Traktor running and Ableton too, and we
also run live loops of our own tunes
throughout, as well as making our own
loops on-the-fly with all the sounds
coming into the mixing desk. So it’s not
just tunes that we’re DJing, we’re kind of
adding our own live element to it as
well.”
As if that’s not enough, Delphic have
already started on their next album. Just
like ‘Acolyte’, the new longplayer will
come with its own concept, for now
closely guarded by the amiable young
upstarts.
Just as the interview is coming to a close
Rick pauses for a moment, sidetracked
from his excited chatter about plans and
designs for the future.
“The only thing I worry about is that we’ll
lose this spark we have to create new
music and new concepts,” he says. “As a
band we live together and bicker
constantly, but we’re always coming up
with new ideas and I don’t want that to
go.”
Maybe it’s that kind of attitude that will
keep Delphic on their toes, so they can
keep us on ours.
038
www.djmag.com
DJ481.delphic.indd 38 30/11/09 17:05:05
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