100% BOB DYLAN FREE

First up, a reminder of Pet Sounds: In The Key Of Dee. The following is young Nathan (for that is his real name) taking on the mighty God Only Knows - a brave endeavour in anyone's book. So the fact that he pulled it off with such elan is pretty remarkable, and you will be pleased to hear that Young Heartache is more of the same swirlingly psychedelic, whooshingly brilliant, beat-laden loveliness. Readers, it's easy to underestimate this sort of sample-heavy, chopped up to buggery clever-hop, but we had a bit of a moment when we first heard it. And as we heard it with no press release or agenda to hand (i.e. it properly crept up on us), and then realised it was completely and utterly glorious - it was rather important to track him down for some chat. Anyway, as we say, for the unitiated, J Dilla + God Only Knows = this:

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Fuck me, that is well good. We cannot tell you how many times we have stalked about grey rainy London streets with that on and felt really rather invincible. And now for some chat, during which Bullion really was uncommonly nice, as well as rather self-effacing, considering he is a bit of a beat genius and that.

Hello Nathan.
Hello.

I am very excited to speak to the man responsible for Pet Sounds: In The Key Of Dee. [This sounds gushy, but we are a little bit obsessed with it and it really is quite heavenly.] It’s wonderful.
Oh, thanks, thanks very much.

So Young Heartache is out on March 2nd. What’s the Bullion Master Plan?
What, for the EP?

No, for everything.
Uh, God, I don’t know really. I’m doing a few remixes…

Who for?
I’m doing one for Amadou and Mariam – they’re an Afrobeat outfit from Mali. They’re really good. It was nice to be asked to do that one.

How respectful were you to the original?
[laughs] well, I’ve used all the vocal parts and I haven’t really chopped them up, so it’s more of a song than a dub. Hopefully [giggles] as respectful as possible! I’m always wary - and especially because it’s a political song - I didn’t really want to put anything in there that might offend.

Do you ever get a sense that you’re not allowed to go too far with these things?
The only restriction I’ve had before is with sampling. I did a remix last year for Tricky and the first draft I did had a big Cream sample in it. So I sent it through thinking it would be fine and the guy was just like, ‘Uhh….no. Definitely not’ But apart from that – I do try to take it as far as possible away from the original. I try not to listen to the original track if I can help it, because it’s more fun to get the parts and do something with it without knowing how it sounded in the first place.

Oooh, that’s interesting. At the moment, we are finding that we are mostly liking remixes which dispense with the ‘indie’ and ramp up the ‘dance’. And sometimes [whisper it, readers] you get the impression that the hot new producer is doing more with the source material than the original artist.
Yeah, I think some of my favourite things recently have been remixes as well. And I know what you mean, that whole indie thing – there’s so much of it about. So maybe the only way to keep things fresh is for people to take it in another direction.

But when we are given remixes to give away – the general tenor of the deal is that you obviously can’t have the original track, but you can have the original. But the thing is [giggles] we don’t want the original tracks anyway.
Maybe it’s the age of the remix!

Let’s go back to that idea about not touching certain records when you’re remixing. You remixed one of the most well known and well-loved records ever in Pet Sounds, and obviously you’re not going to be paid any money for it because the source material belongs to someone else. But I still think that seems terrifically unfair, even if it works for you as a promotional tool. Is that a bit galling?
Not really. I was obsessed with Donuts at the time, and I got given a box set of Pet Sounds with all the vocal parts and acapellas, and I just thought it would be fun to play around with. I never thought I’d release it, I just thought I’d get it out to bloggers. And to be honest, I was really surprised that anyone picked up on it.

That’s very modest.
That’s probably overly modest. But I definitely didn’t expect the reaction that it got, and that spurred me on to carry on doing music, because I wasn’t that serious about it at the time.

How long did it take?
Probably about 8 months? It was probably about a year in total, but a lot of that was messing around and adding to it. I’m really rubbish at finishing tunes, and there was one point where I thought ‘I don’t ever want to hear that again’. I was sick of it.

Did it ruin Pet Sounds for you?
No, but [giggles] I haven’t listened to it since. But I know when I go back to it I’ll still feel the same about it. [Suddenly sounds slightly alarmed]. I hope it will. The thing is, once I’ve finished things I don’t want to hear them ever again. Because I just end up thinking ‘Ooh, I could’ve done that, or I could have done this’.

You can't resist the urge to tweak?
Yeah. Exactly that. That seems to be a really strong urge in me.

Have you got your eye on any other records in the classic rock canon?
No, and with hindsight I don’t think I would have done [Pet Sounds: In The Key Of Dee] at all.

[Rather upset at this] No!
Well, I’d just rather be associated with something of my own.

I don’t think you should think that. I think it’s obvious, regardless of the source material, that it was a huge endeavour, and that whoever’s at the controls has loads of massive ideas.
Well, that’s really nice of you. But I just thought, if I’d been sent it, I think my first reaction would have been ‘Do something that’s your own’ and that it was a bit of a rip-off. I guess I shouldn’t be too negative.

You really should not. Now, I don’t know if you have seen the site, but we have some slightly left-field questions. Which will hopefully elicit some illuminating responses.
I hope so too. I’m terrible at this sort of thing. But I’ll give it a go…

Okay. First of all, how would you explain your music to grandmas?
I’ve had practise doing that, actually, although it’s more my grandpa who asks me. And I never really know what to tell him.

Has he listened to your records?
I have sent it to him. But I definitely don’t think he’d like it. He’s into classical music.

[Pretending to be Bullion’s grandpa] What have you been doing, Nathan?
[giggles] I guess it’s electronic, and hip hop? I don’t know. I guess it’s got a hip hop tempo but then some it’s more upbeat and kind of….ummmmmm……Ah, God, I’m not sure! I can’t even do it!

Don’t worry. We are not genre nerds. I think it is nicer to let people have a natural response to music. I don’t listen to records and then immediately try to file them in the appropriate genre cabinet in my brain.
Exactly, that’s the thing. And when you make music, I think you think about that even less.

If you could invent anything and the laws of science/money were no object, what would you invent?
This sounds really specific. But I would like a machine that you could program with a formula so it would finish tracks. I want a machine that does that last bit after you’ve got to the point where you’re happy with the draft. Because that last bit really does drive me nuts.

Then you could be the Evil Overlord of All Music.
Yes.

What did you steal in your freak, one-time-only incident of shoplifting?
I think it was just once, and it was a sweet.

What kind?
I can’t remember. I was really young and I was influenced by…really bad people.

That’s what everybody says. What would be your specialist subject on Mastermind?
That’s a tricky one. I’m not sure if I’ve got a really strong knowledge on any one thing. [laughs] And I don’t think I’ve got very good general knowledge either…Oh God.

Maybe it could be ‘Unfinished Bullion Works: 2000-2009’?
[Pause – during which we panic that we have been too cheeky. Then Nathan laughs and we are all a bit ‘phew’] Yes, that’s a good one, actually. No, I would have Todd Edwards. I used to be well into him.

Have you ever gone to crack an egg open, hesitated, and thought, ‘I really hope there’s not a little bird in there’?
[giggles]. Ummmm……ummmmmm…..No.

If your bottom was a spaceship, where would you go, and what would you take the aliens as a present?
God, these are really mind-blowing questions. I’m drawing a lot of blanks here. Could I go as far as I wanted to?

You can go wherever you like.
I would find out which was the furthest away planet we’ve discovered, and then I would go to the next one along.

And what would you take them?
It would have to be…..thing is, I only ever give away CDs as presents, so I guess it would have to be a good album. Maybe…..

Well no one would have ever been there before, so you could take them your Pet Sounds thing, and tell them you did it first. And then if Brian Wilson ever went there you could say his one was the copy.
[Giggles – and listening back to the tape, we think he might have decided we are a bit wrong at this point.] That’s a nice thought.

Do you know if Brian Wilson ever heard it?
No. I think if he had, I’d have had a letter telling me to get ready for court. I think he’s quite big on court cases, from what I’ve heard. Anyway I think I would take the aliens Gonzales' Solo Piano, because it’s brilliant, and it’s the sort of music you can listen to any time. I think I’d be quite scared just turning up at a planet, so I’d want to given them something that would make the situation as relaxed and friendly as possible – and that album is exactly that.

Good idea. If your music was a pair of shoes, what shoes would it be?
That’s a difficult one, because I don’t really buy a lot or like a lot of shoes.

Why don’t you like a lot of shoes?
I don’t know, it’s probably because I have really big feet, so a lot of shoes look really rubbish on me.

Ahhh.
I tend to buy them as little as possible. And there’s only usually one pair in the whole shop that fit me anyway, so….

Why, what size are they?
[Giggles] Well, it’s weird, because they used to be size eleven when I was younger, but now they’re size ten. Which is quite odd.

Ooh, weird.
I know.

Also, a lot of mens shoes nowadays are super long – they have gone all pointy.
Yeah, yeah, I stay well away from them. I don’t need any extra length in my shoes. But if it had to represent the music….for some reason, I’m getting boots in my head. I have no idea how my music ….. would transfer into a shoe.

What colour are you seeing?
Erm, brown? Really boring boots….

…that make your feet look smaller….
…that just. Look. Neat.

If you were stranded on a desert island, all the peanuts had run out, and you had to eat a part of your own body, what would you chow down on first?
My feet! Because I could do with taking a bit off.

This is becoming quite feet-themed.
Yeah.

Quite chewy, though.
Yes, and lots of little bones in there. Although practically, in terms of what I could afford to lose, I could definitely afford to lose some foot.

If people in music carried business cards, what imaginative job title would you put on yours?
The thing is at the moment, I work at Sky TV, in the music department. And my security pass says ‘Music Librarian’ – which I quite like, but I’m probably not enough of a geek about records to qualify as an actual librarian.

Are your records at home filed according to a system? Have you alphabetised them?
No. I tried to arrange them, but as soon as I go out to DJ, I mess it up and I can’t be bothered to re-do it.

Do you always put them back in the sleeves?
Yes. If I leave something out for longer than an a few minutes, I start to get a twitch.

I think that is just boys and records.
Maybe, yes.

You would be APPALLED if you came to my house.
I’ve got a friend who used to leave records on top of cupboard and things, and I couldn’t be in his room for very long before getting a bit annoyed. Sorry, what were we talking about?

Your business card.
Ah, yes. I think I’d like to be ‘Acton’s Gold Director’.

Very good. Thank you for talking to us.
Pleasure. Bye!

And that was the end of that, although young Nathan decided, upon our suggestion that we might draw his boots for him in the absence of a picture, that he would email us one instead. Which we would have taken as a bit ‘What is wrong with our MS Paint skills exactly?’ had he not been such a thoroughly charming cove. These are the shoes he has gone for, what are by Lanvin. Get him, readers.

Bullion on the internets. He is playing in London and Manchester in the next week or so and you really should go.

Songs In The Key Of Dee is still floating about on the intanet here