Ballet School

Since signing to Bella Union, these three adopted Berliners have been turning heads everywhere with their shoegaze indebted turn on a classic, glassy 80′s sound. Ahead of their upcoming EP, Boys Again, we catch up with Ballet School to find out more about their genesis, inspirations and split opinion over early morning Romanian techno, from these humorous, infectious personalities.

So you’re from completely different places, and you recently formed a band together in Berlin – how’d y’all meet and how did Ballet School come about?

ROSIE: Michel and I met in Jan 2011. I was working at a bar and I was going home really late, like 5 in the morning and I heard this beautiful guitar sound reverberating around the platform. I thought it was a boombox, but then I saw a boy playing the guitar. I asked him immediately to join a band with me. Actually – first I said to him ‘Do you like the Cocteau Twins?’ – he said yes and so I pledged myself to him forever. We found Louis in 2012, after playing with a lot of other people. I was so, so crazy in love with Louis’ playing, and his whole vibe, that I was scared to ask him to join the band. Like, what if he said no? But he said yes, and we just fit so perfectly together that everything started to go really fast.

How did you end up in Berlin? How do you find being a musician in the city?

ROSIE: I came from Belfast with the aim of finding my musical home. It took three years to get to the place we’re now at. Louis has lived in Berlin ten years, since he was 14, and Michel came over from Brazil four years ago. Every artist needs a “Berlin Period” (laughs).

You formed less than a year ago. Did you have any previous projects before this one clicked in?

ROSIE: Yes – I have been in different projects, but whatever. It took so long to just do what was in my heart. Because I was shy or just lacking in hustle. People from Northern Ireland do not tend to ’hustle’.

LOUIS: Yes, many projects and bands over the years, trying to make sparks fly wherever I could. Through one project called Ornis we did the support for Rosie and Michel. I remember it was absolutely freezing cold, and I was playing a strange little kit triggering 808 drums with tons of reverb. They played afterwards as a duet and I remember feeling like their music was so straight and true. I really wanted to ask them if I could try out, and had no idea they had clocked me at all. It was magic when they wrote first.

MICHEL: I’ve played in many bands but none felt quite right like Ballet School does. I had to cross the Atlantic to find my destiny.

How smooth (or rocky) have things been up until now? Have you had any troubles financing your vision?

ROSIE: Yeah! We aren’t working with huge budgets. We just do our best. Obviously I would like a huge marketing budget. Like Haim’s… That record is gonna be amazing. I am Stanning (Ed: “stanning“) for them so hard right now. We’re on a different vibe financially, but we’re making similarly accessible music.

Which musical/artistic influences do you all bond over? And which do you totally disagree on?

LOUIS: We have a very good time to Destiny’s Child Bills Bills Bills, if thats what you mean – loving that beat! We bond when we are playing, and when the idea is simple and efficient, when all three of us are driving full speed ahead, with dense guitars, simple drums and a soaring melody. Its like flying. As far as tastes go, I guess I’m the odd one out a little bit, in so far as leaning a little more towards purely electronic music and the 90s. As for totally disagreeing, Michel has mentioned that he totally disagrees with loud Romanian minimal techno in the mornings. Apparently it just isn’t his thing.

MICHEL: I like insects noises, thunder, the sound of different languages speaking of love.

Your label (Bella Union) was founded by the Cocteau Twins (speaking of 80s magnificence), and has carried the likes of Beach House and Fleet Foxes.That seems like awfully good company to be amidst?

MICHEL: Yes. It really is. I personally have so much love for the Cocteaus that I guess this is a good example of the law of attraction. It’s a absolute privilege to be working with Bella Union.

How does a live show for Ballet School go? Is playing live something that you enjoy, or do you prefer to be writing and creating?

ROSIE: Doing a great live show is totally the most important thing for us. We love it and we want to become a trusted and respected live act that people really enjoy coming to see. Writing is equally important though, it must be said. I am truly happy when I am singing, Michel is truly happy when he’s playing guitar and Louis is happy all the time -no matter what!

MICHEL: I live to play live.

Where else would you like to live and work as a musician?

ROSIE: We are pretty happy in Berlin right now, but I would love to live in LA at some point – in the canyon in a treehouse like Father John Misty. I also love London and New York, but I would want money before I live there.

What’s the story behind ‘Heartbeat Overdrive’?

ROSIE: Heartbeat was written ages ago. It just takes a long time to get everything in place to release. Michel came up with the Cure style riff and it was so iconic. I put the beat and rough bassline on it and then the top line. I really tried to reduce it to the most immediate and affecting melody possible. Lyrically, we wanted to go pure pop. I’m really obsessed with writers like Ester Dean – she’s so wonderful and talented. I hadn’t had a crush on anyone in so long, I was like – ‘I am gonna psychically project a beautiful crush’. That refrain is the sound of girls crushing out. I was thinking about Madonna and Jellybean. When Louis joined the band, he re-produced the beat and made it sound perfect, particularly on the extended mix, which is just a huge love letter to the classic vinyl 12″ singles of that era, our favourites of which are The Cure ‘Lullaby’, Madonna ‘Open Your Heart’ and ‘Why?’ by Carly Simon Nile Rogers and Bernie Edwards. But because of the riff, there’s still that melancholy there. It’s definitely one of my favourite songs of ours.

How does the rest of your forthcoming album compare to leading single ‘Heartbeat Overdrive’? Are the themes and sounds of that track fairly consistent?

ROSIE: The album definitely continues with the 909 beats from the Roland TD-20 and the danceable grooves, but there’s a nice mix of RnB wig-snatchers and shoegaze influenced, arcanely beautiful guitar songs on there – along with a couple of straight up pop songs and then a couple of anthemic, kingmaker, get-down-the-front-and-rip-your-clothes-off killers.

What kind of gear do you guys use to achieve such a distinctly retro sound? With that Human League-esque synth-beat in particular; did you seek out period equipment?

LOUIS: For actual recording we try and use synths from friends, or friends’ studios. The bassline on ‘Heartbeat Overdrive’ was done on an SH-101 for instance, and the snare is actually my real snare, layered with samples from the Oberheim DMX and other classic drum machines to give the warmth and punch we wanted. However, we are far from being synth purists. The odd cheeky soft-synth did land on the record with the philosophy that if it sounds good, it is good.

Do you guys have any international tour plans?

ROSIE: Yes – we played some Scandinavian shows in September and are touring the Boys Again EP in November. The EP itself is out on Bella Union on October 21st.

And finally, what do you have lined up for the rest of the year?

ROSIE:We’re gonna record our debut album in Berlin with Kaiku Studios.

The Boys Again EP is out on October 21 via Bella Union.