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Artist Interviews
Q&A: Fair Ohs
By CMU Editorial | Published on Wednesday 13 July 2011
Formed about a year and a half ago, east London trio Fair Ohs began by harnessing their DIY skills in conjunction like-minded musical peers, pushing their jubilant line in afrobeat-inspired post-punkery across an abundance of self-released singles, cassettes, compilations and splits with the likes of Male Bonding, Women and Spectrals.
Taking no less of an independent approach to distributing their debut LP, the band will release ‘Everything Is Dancing’ through their own label Honey High Records. A carefree collection mixing summery psych-rock with tropical funk rhythms, the album’s title track and lead single is available as a free download on the band’s website.
Following the album’s release earlier this month, Fair Ohs guitarist and vocalist Eddie Frankel (who, in his spare time, runs the Moshi Moshi world music imprint Dream Beach Records, by the by) was kind enough to oblige with answers to our Same Six Questions.
Q1 How did you start out making music?
We started out by just being three friends who wanted to make super fast hardcore with our buddy Steve. We just wanted to have a good time and play really really fast.
Q2 What inspired your latest album?
Good times, positivity and the amazing amount of music in the world that’s just waiting to inspire us.
Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
I come up with a bunch of riffs, and Matt and Joe re-write them so that they’re less awful. I generally do a bunch of really odd sounding things, influenced by music from somewhere obscure, and Joe makes them sound super steady, and Matt simplifies them and makes them punk. We all arrange together and knead the dough til we’ve baked a nice Fair Ohs loaf.
Q4 Which artists influence your work?
Paul Simon, Fleetwood Mac, Deep Wound, Kakai Kilonzo, Minor Threat, Steely Dan, Talking Heads and Bobby Womack. And Deicide.
Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
Shhh.
Q6 What are your ambitions for your latest album, and for the future?
We just want people to hear it, and hopefully like it. We want to play everywhere, to everyone, we want to see the world. We’re just in this to have a really good time. Let’s hope we never forget how to party.
MORE>> www.fairohs.com
