Sex Swing are a band that shouldn’t exist at all. Despite the odds stacked against them, they’ve overcome a plane crash, being struck by lightning and a chess/boxing match against an opponent named The Finnish Hammer.
Now comprised of Jason Stoll (Mugstar), Colin Webster (Dead Neanderthals), Dan Chandler (Dethscalator), Stu Bell (Gin Palace) and Jodie Cox (Earth), this supergroup aren’t just surviving, they’re thriving
Bringing together five musical mavericks each with their own sordid sonic tricks to share has resulted in an eponymous debut LP that ripples with dystopian resonance and analogue anarchy.
Hitting a spot somewhere between Suicide, Throbbing Gristle and Cluster, their monolithic sound riffs on improvised psych, krautrock, electronic and jazz with abandon.
We hear from Jason and Dan ahead of their album release on 25 November to learn more about their weird and wonderful world…
What’s the premise of the band?
DC: We had a few ideas of bands we wanted to rip off but ended up sounding like none of them.
JS: To do something which doesn’t sound like anything else. We initially wanted to do something which sounded like Motorhead before we had even played a note, but as soon as we started jamming we knew we had something a bit more special and unique and that idea grow from there.
How crucial to improvisation to your sound?
DC: The majority of our tracks have a few bits and pieces/themes that we rehearse and tend to join together with improvised parts. Now we have Jodie in the band on baritone guitar, that side of things is getting a bit more interesting.
How do all your musical projects outside SS feed in?
DC: I'm not sure they do to be honest. I think Sex Swing is pretty different from our other projects in terms of sound and approach to creating the music.
JS: Yeah, I think it’s important to do something different to other musical projects. Our experience with other projects, however, has allowed us to pool our contacts and knowledge
What’s the hardest thing about getting a new band together?
DC: Usually it's finding a drummer who has time as most of them are in 9,000 bands at the same time. I kind of think though that if it's 'meant to be' you'll find the people that are into the same ideas as you some way or another. I guess it's slightly trickier when you want to try something that's not yer usual drums, bass and guitar.
JS: Getting the right people. I think we all work well together and respect each other’s playing style and that comes across in the music we have created. Knowing how we all work has been integral to us with developing this sound.
What’s the thinking behind your debut album?
JS: We wanted to make something which is uncompromising and nightmarish. It is a reflection of the music we’ve been working on since we formed, we are currently working on the next LP, where the music will be more expansive.
When and how was it recorded?
DC: It was recorded by an old friend of mine, Joel Eaton. He has a PhD in acoustic engineering or something so he got it sounding real nice in the short amount of time we had. We did it at Dropout Studios in Camberwell over a couple of weekends. We just played the tracks repeatedly and selected the ones with the least fuck-ups.
How did your South London recording location affect the sound or mood of the record, if at all?
JS: I think that’s had an influence on the writing/recording process, but I think it’s more about the time and space of when we recorded it rather than the location.
How do your tracks start life?
JS: One of us will tend to come in with an idea and we will work around that. I like the way things have developed in a very organic way.
Who or what is your biggest inspiration in Sex Swing?
DC: Lemmy era Hawkwind. Peter Brotzmann. ZZ Top.
JS: Throbbing Gristle and Suicide.
What can we expect from your upcoming live shows?
JS: Something you can groove to.
What’s the oddest record you’ve ever heard?
DC: Maybe this one -
Now comprised of Jason Stoll (Mugstar), Colin Webster (Dead Neanderthals), Dan Chandler (Dethscalator), Stu Bell (Gin Palace) and Jodie Cox (Earth), this supergroup aren’t just surviving, they’re thriving
Bringing together five musical mavericks each with their own sordid sonic tricks to share has resulted in an eponymous debut LP that ripples with dystopian resonance and analogue anarchy.
Hitting a spot somewhere between Suicide, Throbbing Gristle and Cluster, their monolithic sound riffs on improvised psych, krautrock, electronic and jazz with abandon.
We hear from Jason and Dan ahead of their album release on 25 November to learn more about their weird and wonderful world…
What’s the premise of the band?
DC: We had a few ideas of bands we wanted to rip off but ended up sounding like none of them.
JS: To do something which doesn’t sound like anything else. We initially wanted to do something which sounded like Motorhead before we had even played a note, but as soon as we started jamming we knew we had something a bit more special and unique and that idea grow from there.
How crucial to improvisation to your sound?
DC: The majority of our tracks have a few bits and pieces/themes that we rehearse and tend to join together with improvised parts. Now we have Jodie in the band on baritone guitar, that side of things is getting a bit more interesting.
How do all your musical projects outside SS feed in?
DC: I'm not sure they do to be honest. I think Sex Swing is pretty different from our other projects in terms of sound and approach to creating the music.
JS: Yeah, I think it’s important to do something different to other musical projects. Our experience with other projects, however, has allowed us to pool our contacts and knowledge
What’s the hardest thing about getting a new band together?
DC: Usually it's finding a drummer who has time as most of them are in 9,000 bands at the same time. I kind of think though that if it's 'meant to be' you'll find the people that are into the same ideas as you some way or another. I guess it's slightly trickier when you want to try something that's not yer usual drums, bass and guitar.
JS: Getting the right people. I think we all work well together and respect each other’s playing style and that comes across in the music we have created. Knowing how we all work has been integral to us with developing this sound.
What’s the thinking behind your debut album?
JS: We wanted to make something which is uncompromising and nightmarish. It is a reflection of the music we’ve been working on since we formed, we are currently working on the next LP, where the music will be more expansive.
When and how was it recorded?
DC: It was recorded by an old friend of mine, Joel Eaton. He has a PhD in acoustic engineering or something so he got it sounding real nice in the short amount of time we had. We did it at Dropout Studios in Camberwell over a couple of weekends. We just played the tracks repeatedly and selected the ones with the least fuck-ups.
How did your South London recording location affect the sound or mood of the record, if at all?
JS: I think that’s had an influence on the writing/recording process, but I think it’s more about the time and space of when we recorded it rather than the location.
How do your tracks start life?
JS: One of us will tend to come in with an idea and we will work around that. I like the way things have developed in a very organic way.
Who or what is your biggest inspiration in Sex Swing?
DC: Lemmy era Hawkwind. Peter Brotzmann. ZZ Top.
JS: Throbbing Gristle and Suicide.
What can we expect from your upcoming live shows?
JS: Something you can groove to.
What’s the oddest record you’ve ever heard?
DC: Maybe this one -
Which artists are you most excited about at the minute?
DC: Really digging this band Horselords... kind of minimalism meets Mark Shippey/Duane Denison or something
JS: The Blind Shake.
Sex Swing's debut LP Sex Swing is out on 25 November through The Quietus Phonographic Corporation.
Live dates:
3 December – Manchester, Star and Garter
4 December - Bristol, Exchange
6 December - London, The Quietus Winter Party, Corsica Studios
DC: Really digging this band Horselords... kind of minimalism meets Mark Shippey/Duane Denison or something
JS: The Blind Shake.
Sex Swing's debut LP Sex Swing is out on 25 November through The Quietus Phonographic Corporation.
Live dates:
3 December – Manchester, Star and Garter
4 December - Bristol, Exchange
6 December - London, The Quietus Winter Party, Corsica Studios
