L4LM is proud to premiere a track from Turkuaz‘s new EP, Stereochrome. “Gettin’ A Little Closer” is a return to roots for the Brooklyn-based funk army, showcasing the band’s ability to dig into their influences and pull out something groovy.
The new EP Stereochrome, released earlier this week, is a drastic departure from the band’s previous works, using an all-analog approach to recording the tracks. As co-founder and guitarist Dave Brandwein said, “We didn’t use a single piece of gear that was made after 1970.” The result is a raw and powerful approach to funk at its finest. Read on to get the full story from Dave Brandwein in this exclusive L4LM interview.
Check out the track, and be sure to come see Turkuaz at Irving Plaza on May 2nd! More info about that show can be found here.
L4LM: How was Turkuaz founded?
Dave Brandwein: Taylor (Shell) [bassist] and I went to Berklee College of Music together in Boston. Back in 2008, while there, I had a home studio that I built there, which has now turned into our studio here in NY, called Galaxy Smith Studios, but back then it was just a home studio in our house in Boston. We were working on a bunch of different projects with a bunch of different artists and bands and whatnot, but we didn’t really have a specific project that represented the music that we played when we just jammed for fun, ya know, that funk and dance kind of stuff. So we just started making these demos which at the time we just called “The Funk Disco Project”…we didn’t really have a name for it. Then one day our friend actually submitted these demos into Berklee’s record label, without us even knowing! A few weeks later he comes back to us, explains how he submitted these demos, and that they really loved it and want us to perform on their compilation mix and perform at their showcase. We ended up saying yes, but didn’t have an official band or even a name at that time, so we had to throw together a band of our close friends essentially a month before this showcase. So 5 out of the 9 current members were actually there since the very first show. The only place we would hang out, besides practicing at our home, was actually the Turkish market across the street from us, so when it came time to decide a name we used the Turkish market across from us as our inspiration.
L4LM: Turkuaz is currently a nine-piece band? What are the advantages/disadvantages of having such a large lineup?
DB: For Turkuaz, it really wouldn’t be Turkuaz without the big group. Since the inception of it, it had to have horns, several vocalists, lots of keys, lots of guitars, and drums. So, I mean, it’s one of those things we don’t even spend time debating or contemplating. For the advantages of it, there is the power and excitement we all create on stage, and there is definitely more of a group dynamic. For example, you aren’t trapped in a car with the same 3 or 4 people for 200 days of the year; instead we get a bigger, family type of vibe traveling and having a blast on the road. In regards to disadvantages it really only comes down to a numbers game: more mouths to feed, more money to go around, the self-explanatory things. But, again, we don’t drive ourselves nuts agonizing over “What If?” because its one of those things that just has to be what it is.
L4LM: Can you provide us with a little context to your single “Gettin’ A Little Closer” off of your EP Stereochrome. What was your inspiration for the song? How did you go about writing it? What is the songs subtextual meaning? etc.
DB: It’s funny that song was actually written way, way back in those days that I mentioned where the band started around 2008-2009. It just came together really quickly, it’s one of the few [songs] that was written by just sitting with a guitar, which, for Turkuaz, doesn’t happen a lot of the time. We made a demo of it way back then, and for the lyrics its one of our more linear takes on them and didn’t take much time at all. Obviously the song draws its inspiration from classic soul/classic rock even 1960’s kind of sound. The lyrics correspond with that feel, kind of a uplifting, positive kind of message. We actually recorded it for our second album, Zerbert, but we didn’t achieve that vintage, classic sound that the song really needed. With Stereochrome we actually recorded the whole thing analog, on this old tape machine, and decided to instead re-record this tune which what was once called “Gettin’ Closer” and then appropriately was changed to “Gettin’ A Little Closer”
L4LM: Over the last few years, Brooklyn seems to be the epicenter of the up-and-coming indie music scene and, especially lately, the funk revival. It is reminiscent of the grunge scene of Seattle in the 90s, or the drug-fueled music scene of Haight Ashbury in the late ’60s. How has living amongst the Brooklyn music scene influenced Turkuaz’s sound?
DB: I think that it has helped us work on our craft. With SO many great bands coming out of Brooklyn, and not only that but so many great funk bands, it really keeps us on our toes. We love being in a community with a thriving music scene, it is really good for us, even if we are only here 100 days a year. I really do wonder sometimes if this era, this place and time, will be looked back as something along the lines of what you mentioned. Brooklyn Bowl alone has generated that new, thriving scene where any given night what may seem like a small crowd of 100-200 people, or even 500-1000 on some nights, could be the thing that everyone is talking about looking back historically at this era of music.
L4LM: You have an upcoming show in Irving Plaza with Black Taxi and Kat Wright and the Indomitable Soul Band on Saturday, May 2nd (GET TIX HERE). Does this show hold any significance for you since it is so close to home?
DB: Absolutely. Because we are touring so much, especially now, we only get to play NY about twice a year at this point. This will be one of two shows we are really excited for, especially since it is coinciding with the release of Stereochrome, and such an amazing venue for us to finally be able to headline.
L4LM: Additionally, can you expand on why you chose these two opening acts for the Irving Plaza show and how they contribute to the sound Turkuaz embodies?
DB: We are really excited for both bands. Kat Wright is opening for us April 11 in Burlington, a place that she has a really strong following. It sort of just made sense to do a couple of “show trades” with them, us in their home town and vice-versa. With Black Taxi, we actually used to play with them a lot 3-4 years ago around NYC, places like The Mercury Lounge and whatnot. We really love their music, but we are especially excited because they bring out such a different crowd than ours. With Jazzfest going on at the same time, we didn’t want to stick to our roots and have a similar sounding band, we thought it would be cool to mix it up and have something different, maybe draw the other NY crowd. Overall it should be a great night of music across the board and we are really excited for it.
L4LM: You have mentioned that your new EP is a “departure” from your typical sound. How does Stereochrome differ from your last album, Future 86?
DB: Strangely this EP is more of a departure from what we are going to be releasing (laughs). What actually happened is we went to record our full length record (Digitonium) which won’t be released until the fall, and that album is a very, very exciting, modern, synth-y, funk kind of sound…a much more modern approach to funk, incorporating ‘80s and ‘90s kinds of sounds. We are really excited for it, but it was a very different and meticulous recording process for us. So we wrapped that up, came back to Brooklyn, and said, “You know what…lets just do an EP that we can throw together in three days, record it on tape, just do it old school, and bang it out and release it as soon as we can.” Essentially it was more of a departure from our future album. We wanted to record something that was really organic, really fun, and put that out before our next big album release.
L4LM: Stereochrome was recorded at Brooklyn’s Galaxy Smith Studios on vintage gear and captured on 1/2 inch tape with analog production techniques. How has this recording process altered Turkuaz’s sound, and what challenges and/or opportunities did this unique recording experience provide?
DB: We didn’t use a single piece of gear that was made after 1970 so it was definitely a different process, especially in juxtaposition to the Digitonium recording process. In regards to the challenges it posed, it without a doubt put more pressure on each performer, because we are deprived of all the editing capabilities of a modern studio. Yet at times it made it easier because you know you have to commit to what you have played and you don’t even have a chance to go back and second guess it. It’s easier in some ways and harder in others.
L4LM: Lastly, can you give us any details on your upcoming full-length studio album Digitonium?
DB: Again, really, really exciting. Polar-opposite from Stereochrome, but both are some of my favorite things that we have ever worked on. I think Digitonium is by far our best album to date, and its got some really fun themes and surprises about it that we’ll reveal along the way as we get closer [to its release]. It is different than what you may have heard from Turkuaz so far, but I think by far our best recording effort.
*** Purchase Tickets for Turkuaz’s Irving Plaza show w/ Black Taxi and Kat Wright on Saturday, May 2nd ***