TLOBF Interview :: David Holmes

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Whilst David Holmes was recovering from a severe bought of Man Flu I had the opportunity to fire off some questions to him, with a view to finding out a bit more about his most recent album, the lovely Holy Pictures. It didn’t quite hit the heights I’d hoped, but here we go…

Hello! Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions, your latest album, The Holy Pictures, has been getting a lot of my attention recently! What made you decide that now was the time to make and release another “proper” album, rather than another mix selection or with The Free Association?
I’ve been working on the album for a number of years on and off, but its an album that evolved naturally. Sometimes you just have to be patient and wait for it to come… I made so many tracks before i found the real heart to this record… I knew I didnt want to make an album that was just another collection of tracks.

The Holy Pictures’ is a very personal album, one that’s been 14 years in the making according to the press release. Why has it taken so long to write and produce?
What it said in my press release was that it ‘really’ started in ’96, that doesnt mean I started work on it then (that’s not quite what I meant – Ed). It was an album that evolved naturally over time and was shaped by personal events in my life and also the music I was being inspired by through the process.

There’s a very strong “shoe-gaze” vibe to the entire album. Was that a conscious sound? I feel as though the music flirts equally with being morose and uplifting, the dreamy soundscapes really giving the album a depth. What other influences are working on the album?
I suppose you can say the title track has an obvious ‘shoegaze’ influence to it, but tracks like the ‘Ballad of Sarah and Jack’, ‘Birth’ and ‘Hey Maggy’ were more influenced by composers like Herbert Henk, Brian Eno, Joel V.B.D and Daniel Lanois… Other tracks like ‘Melanie’ where influenced by Soft Machine and The Beach Boys 3 part harmonies… The music on ‘I Heard Wonders’ is influenced by The Velvet Underground, La Dusseldorf, JAMC and Blondie.

How did the writing with Martin Rev come about? Was it a simple and easy process? Might there be more collaborations in the future with Martin?
I asked Martin to sing on I heard wonders well before I decided to sing on the album myself and when that didnt work I did it myself… after writing all the other songs on the album I started writing ‘I Heard Wonders’. I had written the verses and half the chorus when i wrote down a line which I realized wasn’t mine… I then revisted Martins’ lyrics to find out the line was his… Even though we where singing about 2 different things the lyrics worked perfectly well together so i filled in the rest of the chorus with Martin’s lyrics which worked brilliantly and the collaboration was born.

Are there any artists, dead or alive, that you wish you could work with?
At the minute I’m more interested in working with artists that are still undiscovered…

Do you divide your time up into soundtracks, DJing etc, or does one project naturally take precedence over another?
They all inspire each other… DJing is very important because of the focus it gives you musically and I think that really helps the process of finding ideas and also staying fresh with my studio work.

Of the three slightly different outlets (soundtracks, DJing and solo/band albums), which do you feel best represents you and why?
They all do in there own way, although soundtracks is something I feel I’m naturally good at… dont know why that is… I just feel very comfortable with it, if I’m into the film.

You seem to have a very good working relationship with Steve Soderbergh, writing many of the soundtracks for his films. How did this initially come about and do you find it easier or harder to write music for films than for your own, personal, albums?
Lets Get Killed was the key to us meeting and weve worked together on and of for many years now… He’s great to work with and a very inspiring man to be around who’s open mindness never ceases to amaze me… That makes the process alot easier because he makes you feel very relaxed about the process.

What plans for future work do you have? More soundtracks and DJing? Are we going to have to wait for another solo album?
I did the score for Steve McQueen’s ‘Hunger’ earlier this year and am now working on Oliver Hirshbiegels ’5 Mins of Heaven’ starring Liam Neeson and Cherrybomb a coming of age film set in post troubles Belfast directed by 2 very good friends Glenn leyburn and Lisa Barros D’sa.

What do you make of the current trend of bands giving their music away for free on the internet (Radiohead, NIN etc). The ongoing digital revolution seems to have turned the industry on its head. Other artists we’ve spoken to recently seem to see it as a positive thing. What are your thoughts and would you consider releasing material in this, or a similar, manner?
its working for them but I dont think it would work for smaller artists who need every penny they can get to survive….

And finally, what books, films and albums have you been reading, watching and listening to? Anything to recommend?
Go and see ‘Hunger’ directed by Steve McQueen… it will blow your mind… the best film I’ve ever worked on…