{"id":21777,"date":"2016-07-11T22:30:35","date_gmt":"2016-07-11T21:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=21777"},"modified":"2016-07-12T12:51:16","modified_gmt":"2016-07-12T11:51:16","slug":"love-from-outer-space-a-r-kanes-rudy-sends-a-message-to-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2016\/07\/love-from-outer-space-a-r-kanes-rudy-sends-a-message-to-you\/","title":{"rendered":"LOVE FROM OUTER SPACE – A.R. Kane’s Rudy Sends A Message To You"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AR-Kane-009\"<\/h4>\n

Dreampop pioneers A.R. Kane are back with a vengeance with a string of UK and European gigs under their belt and the tantalising prospect of new music on the way.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In a funny, frank and ferocious interview, founder member Rudy Tambala\u00a0 tells Matt Catchpole about the band’s origins, fallout with\u00a0M\/A\/R\/R\/S collaborators Colourbox and his contempt for ‘dumbassmutherfucka’ Brexiteers.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

You have recorded under several different aliases since A.R. Kane went into hiatus, notably Sufi with your sister Maggie and as MusicOne \u2013 what made you decide to revive the A.R. Kane moniker this year?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have had many requests to play as A.R.Kane – for people that never saw us the first time around, for people that were not yet born into this planet. I love the songs, love to play … and so, that’s what is happening – lotsa love.<\/p>\n

Did you have any trouble re-creating that definitive A.R. Kane sound after all these years?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, it was really hard last year. The thing is, we used to mostly improve when live, therefore each show was different, and depended on the line-up, which also varied often. Last year we attempted to recreate the recorded versions – we never did that before and were not sure it was the right idea, but it did reawaken the spirit of Kaneness. We had seven people in the band to make that sound – occasionally we got there, but after the last show, I thought – fuck this, this ain’t what its about, it’s about now, making music that sounds right now, right now, if you get me. We have some of the original sounds, but I think live we are a different entity. I prefer the new sound.<\/p>\n

Are you excited about how you\u2019ve been received for the shows you\u2019ve played this year already in Manchester, Barcelona (Primavera Sound), Porto (NOS Primavera Sound) and Tallinn (Kumu OO Festival)?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Excited, no. Pleased, yes. Festivals are strange affairs – I love them, love the big crowds \u2019n’all, but they are mostly not our fans – more tourists. Manchester (at the\u00a0Soup Kitchen<\/strong>\u00a0in May)\u00a0was more about us – a small crowd loving it, getting it.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re about to play\u00a0the Half Die festival in Rome \u2013 how do you feel about the whole Brexit situation?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brexit sucks in so many ways. I get it, get people’s frustrations, fears, anger, all that. But fuck, the rise of the xenophobes is just plain stupid\u2026 and stupid is dangerous. Being a Londoner, I have known racism my entire life – the English have a deep streak of island mentality – but the future, the youth…that’s where the hope lies. I consider myself Afropean, not English, British, black, brown or purple. if those dumbassmuthafuckas don’t want to mix with other races then let them fuck off. they are a desperately dying breed\/in-breed.<\/p>\n

\"040304-ar_kane\"
Rudy with A.R. Kane co-founder Alex Ayuli<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The band\u2019s co-founder Alex Ayuli has not so far been involved in the re-boot. Has he had anything to say about the reformation and does he have any plans to join you?
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

I asked him, he said no, gave no reasons.<\/p>\n

Do you have any plans to release new A.R. Kane material?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No concrete plans. Not sure that I would record as A.R. Kane – maybe M.R.Kane. Yeah, and I am collaborating with (Canadian\/Ukrainian duo)\u00a0Ummagma<\/strong>\u00a0– albeit slowleeee ‘cos I’m a bit rubbish. I had to break for live stuff, but will be back on it this summer.<\/p>\n

Legend has it that A.R. Kane came into existence after you jokingly told someone at a party you and Alex were in a band that sounded \u2018a bit Velvet Underground, a bit Cocteau Twins, a bit Miles Davis, a bit Joni Mitchell\u2019 \u2013 despite your never having played together before. Any truth in that story?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s 90% true.\u00a0Ray<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Tan Shulman<\/strong>\u00a0from the then new\u00a0One Little Indian<\/strong>\u00a0label\u00a0 – our producers\/gurus they became, I spun them a yarn at a party. We had strummed a couple of broken acoustics together after seeing the\u00a0Cocteau Twins<\/strong>\u00a0on tv – \u00a0they inspired us. Also, we had been close friends – Alex and I – since we were eight. We had grown with a shared passion for music, partying, sci-fi books, and the London and surrounding club scene. We were on the brink and knew – no felt – that we could do it\u2026do something\u2026with a little bullshitting.<\/p>\n

\"A.R.
A.R. Kane 2016 vintage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One Little Indian \u2013 label boss Derek\u00a0Burkett, formerly of Flux of Pink Indians, is quite a character \u2013 how did you get on with him and his roster of anarcho-punks?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We liked DB a lot. We were, I think, just as punk in attitude as they were. We just didn’t adopt the cloned mentality and bad dress sense of that creaass (CRASS) crowd. Also, they were on the hippy side of punk- we called ’em hippypunks at the time – dog on a rope, knit your own muesli, veggie burger brigade, and all that. We hated hippies. They liked us because we were aggressive, anarchic, disruptive, iconoclastic … pretty typical east Londoners really. I think they also, like a lot of punks, felt a kinship with the oppressed. And in England, black, working class – that was being pretty oppressed.<\/p>\n

You then moved on to 4AD where, in collaboration with Colourbox, you recorded one of the best-selling indie records of all time in\u00a0Pump Up The Volume<\/em>, recording as M\/A\/R\/R\/S. Were you surprised it was such a big hit? What do you remember about the recording process?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have a love hate relationship to\u00a0PUTV<\/em>\u00a0– we were screwed over by Colourbox and their management. The only cool cat there was CJ (DJ\u00a0CJ Mackintosh<\/strong>).\u00a04AD<\/strong>\u00a0tried to protect our interests, but it all went south damned quick and I told Ivo (4AD co-founder\u00a0Ivo Watts-Russell)<\/strong>\u00a0to fuck off and that was that. The recording process – Colourblox have repeatedly lied about this, and I no longer care – they were greedy and it killed them artistically. karma coma. I think they were already dried up. Originally we wanted to do a dance track with\u00a0Adrian Sherwood<\/strong>\u00a0and the Sugarhill Gang<\/strong>\u00a0riddim section (Doug)\u00a0Wimbish<\/strong>\u00a0and (Keith)\u00a0LeBlanc<\/strong>, but Ivo had other ideas – guess that was his talent – throwing people together and creating something new. M\/A\/R\/R\/S was 1,000 times more successful than all the\u00a0This Mortal Coil<\/strong>\u00a0albums put together. Too successful. Colorablot ceased to exist. As for us, it was the second time in the studio and we were just getting started. Fuck the lot of ’em for killing the golden goose. I love\u00a0Anitina\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>(the double A-side to\u00a0PUTV<\/em>). That’s the love part. Without\u00a0Anitina<\/em>, it’s just possible the indie-dance crossover would never have happened.\u00a0PUTV<\/em>\u00a0was gonna happen sometime, somewhere anyway, it was a straight theft from black\/gay American house\/hiphop.<\/p>\n