Plaitum discuss the importance of voguing and debut dramatic "MYO" visuals

The UK duo of Matt Canham and Abi Dersiley have impressed so far with their forward-thinking synthpop. "MYO" amps up the energy, with throbbing beats and stark textures in abundance - Dersiley's fuzzed-out vocals are brutal and primal, and when combined with the abrasive electro we have gold.

What’s the inspiration behind "MYO"?

Matt Canham: "MYO" was inspired by '90s/early 2000s club dance and cheap thrills (not the Sia song) - it explores the idea of getting intimate with someone after a night out in a maybe ‘chemically enhanced’ way.

Abi Dersiley: We wanted to create a dark '90s track that you can get wasted to and dance around like the world has ended and you want a good night of lust and debauchery.

When and where did you write and record it?

Abi: We always have ideas for tracks at the worst times - this one came about while we were rehearsing for one of our biggest gigs and we just really wanted a four-to-the-floor dance track which we could make crazy to end the set with.

Matt: We recorded the first demo where we always do - in my bedroom - before finishing it at The Church in Crouch End. Recording stuff at home is always best for us because tracks go through about 20 different versions before we reach the final one.

Where did the idea come from for the video?

Matt: The video came about from a love of vogue and a few of Abi’s friends voguing to tracks from our first two EPs - they were just messing around with them but what they did was amazing. We really wanted to get them involved and "MYO" is the perfect tempo for the kind of dramatic style that they honed. Rich, the director, helped flesh the idea out and give it a loose narrative.

Abi: We had been playing demos to our voguing friends at a gathering, watching them work their magic, and we thought 'hey, why not combine the two?'

When did you first become aware of voguing, and what do you think it means for people in 2016?

Abi: We’ve been aware of the movement for a while but it never rose to the surface with until we went to Balls in London - it’s been very forward recently through all means of media and for good reason, it’s important because it joins people together like hot glue, there’s a passion and reason and connection. It’s very important now especially with all the shit that’s been going down in the world.

Matt: Abi introduced me to vogue about a year ago, and while I won’t pretend to know half as much as her about tit it’s great to see the worldwide recognition it’s getting. It’s got such an interesting history - I’d implore anyone reading this to read up about it (to pique your interest watch Paris Is Burning).

Who are the other people in the video?

Abi: Half of the troupe are good friends - and the rest we met on set. They are just wonderful people and we are so grateful for their participation in the video. They really made it happen. Christian (bald beautiful boy) is a close friend of ours and we met two of the other dancers through him.

Matt: The other half of the dancers are from a group called PDK ENT. Rich, the director, knew them and as soon as we saw them in action we knew they were perfect for us. They all meshed really well - they each had their own style too which I think really comes across and speaks to the inclusivity of the dance. I - no joke - tried the ‘easiest’ move they had and pulled a muscle in my shoulder and couldn’t write for about a week.

Are there any plans for an album at this stage?

Matt: There’s an album in the pipeline yeah. We really want to make it a body of work - with a loose narrative throughout and a strong sense of coherence with itself so listening through it can be an experience. It’s a development on the style we’ve released so far - dark, synthy, brooding, etc. - but it feels a lot more mature, and covers a lot more ground both stylistically and lyrically.

Abi: We’re fuckin' pumped for everyone to hear it.

You’re signed to Paul Epworth’s label Wolf Tone - what’s it like to be working with him?

Abi: We love Paul. He’s been a huge part of our progression, he’s been a massive help with our writing and composing, and helping us streamline ideas.

Matt: Yeah Paul is ace. Working with him has been the best education for us because he thinks so holistically about a song - never gets bogged down in certain things like I used to/still do - and how to get the best out of it. I think the most important thing from Paul has been licence to experiment - he’s pushed us more than anyone to make stuff weirder, darker, heavier (which is pretty unique getting that from our label!) We’ll be working on a track and he’ll have this seemingly tiny idea that is mad hooky and transforms the whole song and lifts it up a level.

Plaitum's "MYO"/"Grace Hits" AA-side single is out now on Wolf Tone.