We met up with Little Boots recently to chat about brilliant new album 'Noctures', and later in the week we'll have a very special Spotify playlist with some of the classic disco and house that inspired it
Posted on May 7th 2013
Words By Ctrl Music
With a second album 'Nocturnes', out now and sounding absolutely divine, Little Boots is most definitely back. It's a magnificent comeback record, moving from epic melancholy club tracks like 'Motorway' (listen above) to more familiar disco-pop like 'Confusion' and full-force dancefloor cuts like 'Shake'. Produced in large by Tim Goldsworthy, who's worked with everyone from LCD Soundsystem to Hercules & Love Affair, Nocturnes is a much-listen.
TOPMAN GENERATION: It's great to have you back with a new album. Has the good few years since the last one allowed you to really craft the record you wanted to make?
Little Boots: Yeah definitely, I don't think it would've been the same record without taking to the time to get the direction right, although a lot of the delay was more logistical stuff out of my control. But I'm super happy with the new album - I think it's very honest and representative of where I am at as an artist right now.
TG: The album title and the move to a darker sound suggests it's very much a nightclub-inspired record?
LB: I've been DJing a lot over the last couple of years so that's definitely fed into the record. There are lots of early house and disco references in the production and most of the tracks have a beat you can dance to.
TG: You seem to have a real love affair with the driving, electronic disco sound of the late 70s, with elegant strings and big basslines?
LB: I do love a lot of music from the late 70s. I think it was an exciting time when synthesizers were becoming more widely available and electronic music became a way to make pop music, not just a dream of what the future sounded like, so I find it very interesting.
TG: There are some fantastic producers on here, from James Ford (Simian Mobile Disco) to Tim Goldsworthy - does each bring some very different to the album?
LB: Tim was the main producer of the record, it was great to work with him across all the tracks his knowledge of music and sounds is incredible - he brought a lot to the direction. James wrote and produced the track 'Shake' with me and this was very much a blueprint for the rest of the record, so definitely was an important influence.
TG: You've had some great remixes from Ossie and Hackman of late. What excites you in a rework of your tracks?
LB: Something fresh, hearing a track in a way you never would have imagined it. It's great when people use original parts in really interesting ways, like Hackman pitching the vocals up high or Ossie cutting out the strings and replacing the chords around them. I'm always very involved in remixes - it's something I really enjoy.
TG: What's the plan for the rest of the summer?
LB: We are currently touring the US, then we will playing a couple of shows in London and Manchester before heading out to Asia. Then back for European festivals including Glastonbury, which we're really excited about!
Check out our previous Topman Generation shoot with Little Boots here
TOPMAN GENERATION: It's great to have you back with a new album. Has the good few years since the last one allowed you to really craft the record you wanted to make?
Little Boots: Yeah definitely, I don't think it would've been the same record without taking to the time to get the direction right, although a lot of the delay was more logistical stuff out of my control. But I'm super happy with the new album - I think it's very honest and representative of where I am at as an artist right now.
TG: The album title and the move to a darker sound suggests it's very much a nightclub-inspired record?
LB: I've been DJing a lot over the last couple of years so that's definitely fed into the record. There are lots of early house and disco references in the production and most of the tracks have a beat you can dance to.
TG: You seem to have a real love affair with the driving, electronic disco sound of the late 70s, with elegant strings and big basslines?
LB: I do love a lot of music from the late 70s. I think it was an exciting time when synthesizers were becoming more widely available and electronic music became a way to make pop music, not just a dream of what the future sounded like, so I find it very interesting.
TG: There are some fantastic producers on here, from James Ford (Simian Mobile Disco) to Tim Goldsworthy - does each bring some very different to the album?
LB: Tim was the main producer of the record, it was great to work with him across all the tracks his knowledge of music and sounds is incredible - he brought a lot to the direction. James wrote and produced the track 'Shake' with me and this was very much a blueprint for the rest of the record, so definitely was an important influence.
TG: You've had some great remixes from Ossie and Hackman of late. What excites you in a rework of your tracks?
LB: Something fresh, hearing a track in a way you never would have imagined it. It's great when people use original parts in really interesting ways, like Hackman pitching the vocals up high or Ossie cutting out the strings and replacing the chords around them. I'm always very involved in remixes - it's something I really enjoy.
TG: What's the plan for the rest of the summer?
LB: We are currently touring the US, then we will playing a couple of shows in London and Manchester before heading out to Asia. Then back for European festivals including Glastonbury, which we're really excited about!
Check out our previous Topman Generation shoot with Little Boots here
