Getting back to FutureNature: Outrun
What were the wonderful forces that brought Outrun together?
Well, Dan and I met years ago and shared a passion for psychedelic journey jams in the lounge room which we seemed to do regularly. It was always so fun and easy. We get on well and we simply like jamming together. We have always made music together under various names and in various lounge rooms but it was always honest fun and addictive. Dan went to RMIT with Marks older brother studying graphic design. Mark was always there as well (also graphic design) but was a few years younger. Eventually Dan wanted to experiment with another project along side Outrun but we eventually absorbed Mark into Outrun. It was destined.
In a nutshell, how did Futurenature come to life?
I think a road trip Dan and I did in 2005 in the U.S laid the foundations of the Outrun sound. The aesthetic of the classic “road trip” along with casino poker machine graphics, guns, money, and b grade movies is where we drew the concept for our first album. We had a band previously called Nautilus but it wasn't so electronic.
FutureNature really is a recording of our progression with our recording tools. It's basically a lo fi home recording that has received more attention than we thought it would. It's very encouraging because we are about to record our next album and we now at least have a grasp of production knowledge and we are pretty sure it's going to be quite a leap forward.
But, I guess to properly answer your question. It came about due to Dan and I jamming for ours on end regularly, quickly recording ideas into logic and then staring at a computer screen for days on end (months actually). We recorded and mixed everything ourselves with a little help from friends, we organised an album launch down here and stuck posters all over the city. Then I went and got stupidly drunk at Hell’s Kitchen 30 mins before our show. I actually don't remember the show but it is on DVD and Dan pulls it out as a warning every now and then if I'm drinking too much before a show. Then about 5 days later Inertia called us and said they were interested. So then the whole thing was put back another 3 months and in the mean time we write another album (recording December 2008) and then Inertia puts it out 'Futurenature' about a year and a half after we wrote most of it. Their backing of the album has moved us into the game in a way we probably could not have done ourselves and we love them for that.
Did you release anything prior to this album? Do you feel that /Futurenature /is the best representative of you as a band and the direction you want to take with future releases?
No we had only posted songs on MySpace. And no not really. We have definitely moved on since writing 'Futurenature'. We still love those songs and we play most of them in our live show. Since Mark joined on bass we have become more dynamic and the new songs have a more “musical” or melodic feel to them than the stark electro sound of much of our earlier stuff. Like I said, we have a new album in the pipeline but I dare say it's release will be held back a while. Mark and I are totally into South American rhythms and beats and that is working it's way into the new stuff. Also we are concentrating on more complex compositions and more than one verse fro each song plus more dynamic in the vocals. I have been singing quiet music for ten years and only with outrun have I actually tried to sing with more intensity. I'm getting there, but slowly.
What were the main themes you wanted to cover with the sounds and lyrics the album?
I don't think we have any themes that aren't obvious already. I remember the first few songs we wrote were based around fictitious Pontiac driving road warrior sped freak renegades but that’s about the only intentional theme. Unintentional themes I guess include nightclubs, dance floors, partying, drugs, despair, hedonism, robbery, reincarnation, the future and of course the obvious referencing of our influences (i.e analog synths and drum machines).
Nightlife seems to be a recurring theme in your song lyrics. Is this a big influence on the songs you make? What are other significant influences on your music-making process?
Our main influence is that feeling you get on the dance floor (or even standing at the bar for that matter) when a certain song comes on and you cannot help but dance. You may not have ever heard the song before but it just a certain quality that works. It grabs each limb with a different sound and moves you. You are totally unaware of yourself and your surrounding (except for the music) and your silly dancing but you are blissing out and moving for no other reason than the music has a hold of your arms and legs and making you do something that feels fantastic.
Now we are not totally sure that Outrun songs do this but that feeling is what drives us.
Your gigs are always filled with intense energy and a lot of fun. Are live shows important to you as a band, or do you focus more on creating great songs that will be immortalised when recorded?
Live shows are really what counts for us. Due to neighbor complaints and rehearsal room costs it's not that often that we get to cut sick with our songs so we really look forward to them and enjoy them even if the audience doesn't. It also really depends on the venue. If the sound is great we usually have a great time. Also if we can get into the crowd while we are playing it's even better. It's not so much fun standing up on a stage looking at people just looking at you. It's fun to get amongst it. Our live shows are more intense than the recordings because we play around with the songs a bit live and feed our synths through distortion and other pedals. I think , well this album anyway, is recorded so as to be enjoyed while laying on the carpet in your lounge room in the dark as well as on the dancefloor. We will probably leave the 'extreme' dance intensity to the remixers.
What would be the perfect setting for you performing and the audience experiencing /Futurenature /live? A crowded basement venue or a sold-out arena show or something completely different?
Personally we prefer packed sweaty heaving moshpits in basement type venues/spaces. But if that scenario could be expanded into arena shows we would not be complaining.
Do you predict or hope for superstardom of Daft Punk proportions or are you happy keeping your sound relatively ‘underground’?
Well, I don't know many people who want to be poor all their life. For now we will be happy if Outrun can our travel expenses. We are quite satisfied that our music managed to spread it's self around via word of mouth and community radio. With every small triumph we are spurred on to try for a bigger one and I think that's just the way it is. I think anyone who claims to only ever want to be underground and not widely known or get any financial return for all their hard work is lying. We think Daft Punk are Gods and it would be a sin to even think we could even come close to them.
FutureNature is out now on Snowball through Inertia.
Outrun will be launching FutureNature at Sydney’s Candy’s Apartment this Friday 21st November and also playing the following Melbourne shows:
Ding Dong w/ Cassette Kids on the 22nd Nov.
Roxanne Parlour w/ Miami Horror & The Peacocks on the 27th Nov.
