Speedy Wunderground is Dan Carey, Alexis Smith and
Spontaneity is a really important factor for you when
Pierre Hall. Between the three of them, they run one of the
making these records, how do you like to approach
most unique record labels in the UK, working with Black
maintaining that sense of impulsiveness?
Midi, Squid, Lazarus Kane and many more of Britain’s most exciting acts. With their singular, independent approach to
Dan: By making slightly small changes to the arrangement
recording and releasing - Speedy Wunderground are gifting
or to the order in which it’s going to go. But also by tending
their artists the opportunity to work in a liberating and
to make quite a lot of sounds in the room that have derived
wholly natural way. We sat down for dinner in Streatham,
from what they are playing but in a slightly unpredictable
across the road from their fabled one-room studio, to
way. Partly it’s because to me it sounds interesting, but it’s
discuss the label’s approach, it’s fast-rising growth and
also to slightly put everyone on edge.
how Squid have inspired them to evolve from their 7”-only release format.
Alexis: The thing as well in this set-up process, Dan may go around and add another bass amp or the guitar, and then
Speedy Wunderground sets out to capture an artist in
one of them will say that it’s amazing and it’s just how they
the midst of a fluid and naturally creative streak. With
imagined it, it’s added a whole new level to it.
the actual approach itself being quite time-restricted, it’s interesting that such pressure can deliver obviously great
Pierre Hall: It must be quite weird when you write a song,
results...
and you’re playing it all the time, to not know how it can sound. It’s a producer’s job to help artists hear their music
Dan Carey: The thing is, the reason for starting it was that
materialise in a different way.
I began to think that the thing that can destroy the creative flow is over-working and over-thinking. Usually once you’ve decided to make a record with someone, the initial bit is very free flowing and creative, the thing that can spoil it is the back and forth. So, the theory behind it is to try and create a space where we can do something that wasn’t susceptible to any of those problems. The idea of the rules, it’s not meant to be restrictive, it’s meant to be liberating you from the things you would get tangled up in before.
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Words by Ross Jones
