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CANYONS INTERVIEW
Please tell us who makes up Canyons and where you are from?
Canyons is made of Leo Thomson and Ryan Grieve. We're originally from Perth but we
recently relocated to Sydney.
Your first EP on the label Hole In The Sky is totally ace. How long have you been making
tunes and how did you hook up with the label?
Thanks for the kudos. We've been making music together for almost a year but separately for
a few years. The guys at Hole in the Sky are very good friends of ours...
I dig the story about going up on space and sending music back via a "hole in the sky".
Where does "Canyons" come from?
Canyons as a name just sort of came about, it's not from anywhere specifically - just has a
good ring to it don't you think?
The tracks on the EP are all original productions, right? What instruments do you play?
The tracks on the EP are a combination of live instrumentation and some samples thrown in
for good measure. Between us we play drums, percussion and some keyboard. We also got a
couple of talented amigos to lend their guitar and bass playing skills, as well as the vocals of
one Kevin Parker on Big City Lights.
Where do you draw inspiration from and do you have any musical/dj heroes?
Inspiration is drawn from many places, general life stuff - heartbreak, food, friends, a warm
cup of joe, that kind of thing. As far as musical inspiration goes, our tastes are fairly broad.
We're into anything that sounds honest and not contrived. Good club music, soul, disco, rock -
all the good stuff. Some people that we're into are Mizell Brothers, James Pants, James
Murphy and DFA in general, Dead Moon, anything on Rong, Os Mutantes, Todd Terje etc etc
What's the scene like in Australia (Sydney)?
The scene in Australia is interesting... There's not a huge scene for the kind of stuff we're
into/trying to push but it's definitely getting a lot better.
Do you DJ anywhere?
We do some monthly things around the place. Ryan recently played at Sonar. We're playing at
a great party here in Sydney called No Answer in a couple of weeks. Whoever will have us
really.
Do you have any other releases in the pipeline?
We definitely have some other releases in the pipeline. We've got a bunch of remixes on the
go for a couple of different labels. The next release on Hole in the Sky is by an amazing
band called Tame Impala (the singer of which lent his vocals for Big City Lights). It's garage
rock meets psych disco, great stuff. There are 3 originals on the A side and the B side has 2
Canyons remixes and a Fred Cherry remix. It'll be a super limited release as the band have
just signed with a big label. We're currently in negotiations with a couple of different labels in
the US and Europe about doing a few 12"s.
You are also working on an album. Any idea when it's gonna come out and will it also be on
Hole In The Sky?
We are working on an album, when it's coming out and on what label is a mystery to us.
Hole In The Sky is definitely a label to watch. What other Australian artists should we be
looking out for?
There's a guy in Melbourne who does some great edits called the Delicate Genius. Tame
Impala obviously, there's another band called Space Lime Peacock that we may do some stuff
with. There's also a new label out of Melbourne called M Divison which is definitely worth
checking out.
Do you want to give a shout out to anyone?
Yeah sure. Chris at Turntablelab and Duane Harriott at Other Music and Adam Askew from the
Death of a Disco Dancer radio show in Melbourne. And you brotherman.
Tracklisting:
1. Aqua Bassino - Too Hard to Try and Find (F Communication)
2. Her Bad Habit - Lock me up (Citinite)
3. Arthur Russell - Pocketknife's continual Cornfield remix (Flagrant Fowl)
4. Late of the Pier - The Bears are Coming - The Emperor Machine remix (Vote)
5. 40 Thieves - Theme from nutrider (Permanent Vacation)
6. Escort - Karawane (Escort Records)
7. The Juan Maclean - Happy House (DFA)
8. Virgo - Free Yourself - (Eskimo)
9. E.V.I.A.N and the Atlantis Posse - Robo Tech (Techno Kut Records)
10. Lone Ranger Dub - Bingo mix (Kaos)
11. Syclops - Monkeypuss (DFA)
12. Tyree - I'm Free (Clone)
13. Martyn - Velvet (3024)
14. Luis Gasca - Spanish Gypsy (Universal)
15. Kathy Diamond - Over (Permanent Vacation)
16. Tame Impala - Half Full Glass of Wine - Canyons revenge remix (Hole in the Sky)
17. The Emperor Machine - Slap On (DC Recordings)
18. Hercules and Love Affair - This is my love (DFA)
19. Only Fools and Horses - Spectacle Wins - Holy Ghost! remix (Permanent Vacation)
20. Jimi Hendrix - Little Wing (Reprise)
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