London Grammar‘s Dot Main has spoken to NME about launching his solo profession, in addition to teaming up with Alex Metric for his or her new collaboration ‘See This By way of’.
The musician and digital producer first introduced his new solo enterprise again in January earlier than launching with the “twisted” debut solo single ‘Bear‘ and penning the large music ‘Hideaway’ for NME’s latest C23 mixtape.
Having all the time “carried out issues on the facet” as a member of the Nottingham-formed trio – accomplished by singer Hannah Reid and guitarist Dan Rothman – Main advised NME that the music he was making on his personal “felt fairly aimless for a short while”.
Though he launched a number of remixes across the time of the trio’s debut album ‘If You Wait’, Dot revealed that “it obtained a bit bit misplaced in the course of the second document” ‘Fact Is A Stunning Factor‘.
“I used to be all the time doing stuff – like with radio mixes, I’d do them as full membership mixes – so I all the time had my foot within the door,” he continued.
Nonetheless, it was acting at London’s Printworks in 2021 supporting pal SG Lewis (who he had collaborated with in 2018 on the music ‘Launch’) that helped Dot to grasp what he wished to attain together with his solo music.
“It was a watershed second for me,” mentioned Dot, who added that the thought first happened when the pair have been at Dot’s home celebration. “We have been wasted actually late at night time and I used to be enjoying him a beat that I had made on a Swedish drum machine.
“He was like, ‘Dude, you’ve obtained to do that at 1am at Printworks earlier than 2manydjs’. I used to be like ‘Certain, mate’. The subsequent morning, my supervisor referred to as saying, ‘Why is Sam reserving you to play Printworks at 1am? You haven’t even DJ’d’. I replied: ‘I don’t know, however I’ll undoubtedly do it’.”
Realising that may be enjoying after Gerry Learn and earlier than 2manydjs, Dot mentioned he “knew I’d by no means be capable to DJ at their degree, so I made a decision I wanted to search out one thing else”. Having landed on a hybrid set that integrated decks, a synth and drum machine, when Dot performed that gig, he realised “no matter else I do, this needs to be part of my speedy future, as a result of I beloved doing it a lot”.
It wasn’t till Dot began sharing his tracks with others that progress on his personal solo undertaking gathered momentum. “I requested myself ‘Why do I spend hours and hours making a lot music that by no means sees the sunshine of day?’” he mentioned. After sending music to London Grammar’s administration group, they returned with notes on his tracks with this assist serving to him to “resolve that it was the fitting time – I wanted somebody to essentially go for it”.
It was solely just lately, when Dot felt he had sufficient music, that he felt “prepared” to correctly launch his solo undertaking with ‘Bear’.
Main quickly discovered himself working with extra established artists – like Alex Metric, who gained a Grammy for producing the Silk Metropolis and Dua Lipa music ‘Electrical energy’ – admitting that “though I had an thought of what I wished to attain, I undoubtedly wanted some assist”.
Having solely simply began to “do the digital music factor”, Dot “garnered plenty of confidence from working with Alex”. But collaborating was a very long time within the making: “Alex’s identify stored arising for years, from a number of folks, however I’d by no means met him.”
Once they did first hit the studio collectively, Dot mentioned the pair “actually hit it off and I may see us working collectively for a very long time”.
Alex felt the identical means, telling NME: “It was tremendous simple and we didn’t actually give it some thought. We simply made one thing.”
After solely two hours, they’d created the primary model of their new single ‘See This By way of’. “To have made a tune that we each thought was nice, so shortly, is sort of uncommon,” mentioned Main.
Alex mentioned he labored on it nearly immediately as a result of: “I hate labouring over tracks for too lengthy. The longer you reside with a document you’re engaged on, the much less perspective you might have on it with every day that passes.”
He continued: “If you’re excited by an thought, you must journey that and see it via to the conclusion as shortly as attainable – earlier than you begin to wreck what was pure about it. Usually, you spend months engaged on a document and altering it a thousand occasions, however then return to the unique demo anyway.
“Making that first document then turns into the ice-breaker of attending to know one another. Usually, you come out with a fucking superb document from not fascinated with it and never overanalysing it – and I believe ‘See This By way of’ was an event the place that occurred.”
Speaking about how the observe was created, Alex mentioned he had the top-line from “two superior writers I work with, Lapsley and Clem”, and that “Dot favored it right away”.
They then frolicked pitching the vocals and enjoying round with the synths in Dot’s studio. “If you’re working with different folks, it’s actually involving to have a bunch of stuff round,” Dot mentioned.
‘See This By way of’ – which Alex described as “a competition banger” with the vocal breakdown reminding him of sundown at Glastonbury – is taken from his upcoming six-track EP which “he’s actually stoked about as a result of it’s been some time since I’ve launched a physique of labor underneath the identify Alex Metric.”
The pair advised NME that ‘See This By way of’ isn’t the one music they’ve obtained collectively, although, including that they’ve one other music with Lapsley and Clem. “We’ve obtained one other vocal, which feels actually linked to the primary one,” Dot mentioned.
Alex added that he and Dot are getting within the studio collectively this month: “The longer you’re employed with folks, the higher the music will get, and having long-term musical relationships is way extra preferable than velocity courting studio periods”.
Dot added: “There’s an immediacy to what Alex does, which I love. With plenty of the stuff we’ve been doing, it’s fascinating to work in that means.”
Final month, Dot’s observe ‘Hideaway’ featured on NME’s C23 compilation. “It was actually good timing as a result of it’s nice to have as many various potentialities of getting my music out in the meanwhile,” he mentioned. “It implies that I can do barely completely different contextual issues in numerous moments, after which hopefully begin to tie all of it collectively”.
Whereas he mentioned an EP is probably going this summer time, Dot advised NME that he “doesn’t really feel prepared for there to be a solo album but.
“It’s liberating simply going song-by-song proper now, and I’m having fun with that feeling,” he mentioned. Speaking about what’s subsequent for London Grammar, Dot teased that “we’re undoubtedly getting there” and that “there will likely be much more information this yr.
“We’re all actually excited, as a result of it’s been a short while – because it all the time is with us.”
Talking to NME final yr, London Grammar teased that the follow-up to the acclaimed Quantity One album ‘California Soil‘ could be “deep” and “their finest but”.