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The Laura B Podcast

TRACK LIST:
1 - All The Land - Laura B & The Verbrilli Sound (Upstairs Recordings)
2 - On The Sand (Jungulator Wedding Remix Edit) - Laura B (Fantastic Recordings)
3 - Sacrum (Laura B Remix Edit) - Sacrum (Positiva)
4 - Ice Cold Water - Laura B (Fantastic Recordings)
5 - Call In Sick And Go To The Park (Lucidreamix) - Laura B (Fantastic Recordings)
6 - Tasp - Telefuzz & Laura B (Upstairs Recordings)
7 - Elle Sait Ou Elle Va - Laura B & BJ Cole (Cooking Vinyl)
8 - Midi A Minuit - Laura B (Fantastic Recordings)
9 - Spaced - Laura B (Fantastic Recordings)

Laura B, is one of those artists who has quietly made their way to the forefront of their genre without having to court the kinds of media hype and hyperbole that many lesser artists seek. While you may not know her name, she has been playlisted by some of today’s most influential Djs. Included among her many supporters are the likes of Paul Oakenfold, Larent Garnier and Pete Tong to name but a few. Her unique brand of chilled, progressive, yet beatsy and organic electronica has graced live stages to critical acclaim across the globe including gigs in Japan, America, India and closer to home as a key part of the legendary Big Chill festival here in the UK. There is no doubt that she has brought a very inspirational slant to the ‘post-chill’ genre, mixing analogue bleeps and bloops with her own breathy vox, all mixed with deeply atmospheric soundscapes and textured breakbeats. It is therefore a great honour that Aftershock has not only managed to track her down and get some insider information into what makes this cutting edge artist tick, but also that we’ve got an exclusive podcast mix of some of her most recent work to share with our lucky members. So sit back, relax and enjoy the sounds while we explore the fantastic world of Laura B.



1) Your music is often classified as 'chill-out' would you agree with this description?

Yes, hardcore chillout! It's right up there and down here at the same time and nothing in the middle. When I write, no matter how hard and banging I am going, or how weird and leftfield my intent is, the result is always fresh and full on but also friendly and nice to listen to. And when I go ambient I go REAL peaceful, like you can hear the silence in the studio. So if that's what chillout is, then that's the music I make. Downtempo it isn't because my music is actually very uptempo, and lounge it isn't either because lounge is the middle of the sofa where I'm obviously not!

2) Your career has really taken off in the past couple of years, what's this been like and how has it effected your music?

It's cool because people know me better so I don't have to introduce myself all the time anymore. I'm invited to play abroad, I run my own night at the Big Chill House, I'm asked to DJ, I get better gigs etc. I do what I want more and more because I feel more 'justified' and I have a growing audience who really connects so I've gained a lot of freedom. My music is all about conscious teleportation to another space and time, into Laura B space and time where people can experience my dream or their own depending on how they feel. People see what they want to see in my music which is nice. The mail I get sometimes makes me go wow, I don't know where they get the stuff but it's cool!

3) Your music has a very deep emotional and progressive feel to it, where do you get the inspiration for this?

It's all in my head. I've got a very leftfield imagination and I never censure my thoughts, don't need to. To me music=science fiction and I could be writing either so I write music

4) You have collaborated with, and remixed some very well known artists over the years, what has this been like and who has been your favorite artist to work with so far?

I've been lucky to choose a music career early on so I've always been in the studio collaborating with lots of artists. It's been crazy because for ages I was just about the only girl in London (and possibly Europe? world?) working everyday in commercial studios. I had to be the best to survive in this man's world, but that was what I was there for so I had no probs. I was also so much more enthusiastic than the guys and I got a lot of cool results so I got a lot of respect. Favorite artist ? Pet Shop Boys were a treat - get in the studio, set stuff up, press record and hey presto! Sounds like a Pet Shop Boys record already ! Chris Lowe is a mean keyboard player. I've seen him write a song playing a groove by triggering live 808 samples with his left hand and at the same time work out a bass line with his right hand. To any normal human brain this is impossible! I've seen Roger Waters get in the vocal booth, hold one long and huge scream for what felt like near death loss of breathing and then walk out with his face completely exploded and leave us speechless. I've recorded Black Grape who filled every horizontal space of the studio with empty Guinness cans for 2 days solid before they could record. Then when they recorded they had a fight, then Kermit left, then they recorded again, then the band split up then Kermit got engaged while Shawn went to King's Cross to score, then the band reformed and recorded more then they all left and I did the mixing on my own I remember lunch break spent lying on the floor underneath the studio grand piano while Michael Kamen was letting himself go writing the score for 'Brazil', and watching the rushes on his little monitor with this winged guy flying like an angel. One of my big favorites is the famous pedal steel player BJ Cole with whom I spent a month in the studio. Co-writing with such a genius with one of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard was awesome. Also the Swingle Singers were really good fun as well as top notch in the studio for the Chilled By Nature's album I co-produced recently.

5)Is there anyone that you would really like to work with in the future?

The French pop group Air, and Richard James (Aphex Twin). There has been talk of the original Survival of The Slowest doing ambient gigs again, that's Phil from Tunng and myself. Maybe a collaboration with Jay Alanski ( A Reminiscent Drive) I'd love to do something with Laurent Garnier because we have a lot more than just our name in common. I'd love to get into movies soundtrack and work with someone inspiring I haven't met yet.

6) What has been your most memorable musical experience the past year?

The Big Chill in Goa has got to top anything else, for location, weather, site, vibe, beauty and gorgeousness and all the ultra-cool artists I got the chance to meet, even though the Goa police came with guns to stop me play because I was running over curfew time !


7) You play out live quite a lot, what is it like taking music from the studio to the stage?

I try to port as much of the studio sound on stage as I can so I end up with gear, gear and sometimes more gear! I love a good sound so I go to town to produce it live. I use the same equipment on stage as I use in the studio. No cheats and no back up. If the laptop poops everybody hears about it. I have always worked with vjs and visual artists and Marc Everett's visual work is a very important and integral part of my set. Sometimes it feels a bit lonely especially if the stage is big so I'm currently looking for dancers. If there are any out there, get in touch with Aftershock who will put us in touch!

8) What's your favorite bit of kit in the studio at the moment?

My band new Macbook

9) What direction do you see your sound taking next?

more geometric and more French

10) What do you see for the future of electronica in general?

The world is our oyster. Every door is open , even the ambient chillout door, the glitchy door, the experimental door, the jazz-chill and other afro-bleep door, everything is possible. We can all run our own label online from the kitchen table, we're all on Myspace and Facebook networking non-stop. There are worries out there because a lot of people have lost a lot recently, but as BJ Cole puts it when I worry about some aspect of business, he says: just go in your studio and play. Don't worry about a thing. If you play you'll be happy no matter what and everything will fall into place and that's sound advice!



Laura B can be found at her myspace ( http://www.myspace.com/fantasticlaurab ) as well as on her website ( http://www.thefantasticlaurab.com )

For a full listing of her work check out her Discogs page ( http://www.discogs.com/artist/Laura+B ).

Laura B's Midi a Minuit EP on Fantastic Recordings is available in the UK from Sister Ray 34-35 Berwick Street LONDON W1V 8RP and The Polar Bear in Oxford, and in France from the Palais De Tokyo Museum-Paris 13, avenue du Président-Wilson 75016 PARIS and the Mille Trésors Gallery, 34000 Saint Jean De Vedas. The EP's track 2 'On The Sand' is entirely produced using the highly experimental I Am The Mighty Jungulator award winning software. Featuring highly original cover art by long time festival collaborator Marc Everett.

She continues to pursue creative collaborations with:

BJ Cole ( http://www.myspace.com/bjcolemusic ) ,
Chilled by Nature ( http://www.myspace.com/chilledbynature )
and The Verbrilli Sound ( http://www.myspace.com/upstairsrecordings )

Hopefully 2010 will see many more exciting projects and performances from this dynamic and innovative artist!