Sometimes you run out of words. In principle, everything has been said, hasn’t it? But sometimes there are these gems. Whose beauty enchants you anew, letting you hear what has never been written before. That’s the case with the new album from Catching Flies “Tides“. A masterpiece of composition, emotions, melodies, beats and those wonderful strings that wrap you up, make you forget about everything else, make you feel the magic of the art of music again.
“It’s all about ebbs and flows. It’s been a very interesting few years, to say the least, both personally and in terms of the world. I always kept coming back to the concept of tides, the cyclical nature of everything, and the way sadness gives way to happiness… and vice versa. It all works out in the end, though, and regardless of what’s happening, the sea is still there, a constant in the madness,” says George.
George King, better known as Catching Flies, creates a world where electronic music breathes with human emotion. Raised in London, the grandson of a jazz pianist, George found his musical roots early, drawn in between the ivories and the rhythm of drums. His adolescence was soundtracked by the quest for the perfect sample, scouring charity shops for vinyl to slice into hip hop beats, channeling the spirit of J Dilla, MF Doom, and Madlib. Today, he is celebrated for his unique blend of melancholic electronics and beautiful melodies. Recording parts of his latest emotional journey ‘Tides’ in impromptu seaside studios across the UK and France, George writes music that mirrors the relentless motion of the sea, a metaphor for life’s relentless ups and downs.
In our interview, we talk about George’s artistic journey from his early influences to his creative process, explore the themes and stories behind ‘Tides’, and uncover the intimate connections between his music and the natural world.
header photo by Will Spooner
When you were 21, you described yourself in an interview as “a producer from London (UK), 21 years old. My favourite activities include train spotting, going to the post office, and sometimes making music.” How would you introduce yourself today?
Ha, the problem with the internet is you can say something flippant and it stays there forever. I go to the Post Office less these days. I’m still making music. I’m basically still doing exactly what I did when I was 21 – which makes me feel very lucky… and very old.
You started composing when you were 15, crafting Hip Hop instrumentals for your friends and delving into vinyl samples from Charity Shops. What led you towards electronic music?
My brother was listening to Boards of Canada, Nightmares on Wax (Smoker’s Delight), AiM (Cold Water Music), Morcheeba… those kind of albums, and I used to steal the CDs off him because the covers looked cool, and I ended up falling in love with the music. These albums were a melting pot of everything I had been listening to up to this point (Jazz, Hip Hop, sampling) and they connected all the dots for me. I think ‘Cold Water Music’ by AiM was really formative for me. There’s a tune on that album called ‘A Tree, A Rock and a Cloud’ that I still listen to all the time.
I adore how you reminisce about the release of your first EP, “The Stars,” 11 years ago. The way you described not having much of an idea what you were doing but finishing it within two weeks, using samples from £1 vinyls bought from Oxfam in Kentish Town. Apart from maybe the ease of starting out, is there anything that you miss from those early days?
The naivety! I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know what EQ was, how compression worked. And because no one is listening, there’s no pressure and you just make music that is truly you without overthinking it. You can’t get that back.
“To me, the strings are the only other instrument capable of recreating the range and emotion of the human voice.”
Your album, “Tides,” will be out in April. I’ve had a sneak peek listen, and I love it. It immediately relaxes me, evoking various emotions and a blend of joy, melancholy, and a desire to dance or chill. At times, it feels like film music because of its melodious nature, conjuring inner imagery. I love your thoughts and inspiration behind it, focusing on the ebbs and flows of life and the world: “I always kept coming back to the concept of tides, the cyclical nature of everything, and the way sadness gives way to happiness… and vice versa. It all works out in the end, though, and regardless of what’s happening, the sea is still there, a constant in the madness.” When did this specific thought and inspiration of the sea first occur to you for your album?
I think it was just the COVID period, the beginning and end of a relationship, the highs and lows of life, people close to me were going through a lot in the last few years also. I’ve always loved the Sea and it tied in nicely with this idea of the ebbs and flows of life. I made the first track from the album ‘GLY’ whilst living in Kitsilano (Vancouver). I was living 1 minute from the beach. When I was back in the UK, I got into the habit of going to a different seaside town on a Monday and making music. There’s something about getting on a train, going somewhere you’ve never been and just working there for a day that is really refreshing and inspiring. I also spent quite a lot of time in a place called Boulouris Sur Mer, on the coast of the South of France. So, all things considered, everything pointed to Tides! The album is essentially a scrapbook/collage of the last few years of my life. Both emotionally and sonically. And Tides was the recurring theme throughout all of that.
How long did it take you to create “Tides”? And which song came most naturally to you, and which was the most challenging?
I never really set out to make albums, and I’m never just working solely on one project – so it’s hard to say. I just finish the last album and then start making new music. You get to a certain point where you’ve written 6-7 songs you like, and then you start filling in the gaps and see what’s missing and see what else is needed to create a kind of cohesive arc. I think if I thought in terms of ‘I’m going to make an album now,’ I’d find it daunting and probably not write an album. I wrote ‘Diamonds’ in 20 minutes. That is rare! The title track ‘Tides’ took ages – a few months. There were so many layers and so much going on that I kept going down different avenues with it.
“I don’t like to focus on the fact I’m about to go on stage… I find there’s something quite suffocating about backstage areas.”
For your upcoming single, “The Last Phone Call,” out of the album, you collaborated with strings player and arranger Thomas Lea, known for his work with Bonobo and Adele. What fascinates you most about string instruments?
To me, the strings are the only other instrument capable of recreating the range and emotion of the human voice. I think because my music is mostly instrumental, I like to have something to replace where lyrics would be. Thomas is a genius. Any producers who need strings – hit him up! We got into a super efficient workflow, where I would make demos of how I thought the strings should sound and the notes they should play. He’d then record them at his studio in Los Angeles – he records all the different string instruments himself and layers them so they sound like a string quartet. This process kind of ties into another theme of the album – which is trying to make things sound a lot bigger than they actually are. In this case, it’s just one string player, but it sounds like a quartet, or bigger – to me, at least. I think this worked particularly well on ‘Snow Day.’ I listened to a lot of classical music and neo-classical throughout COVID and the lockdowns, and I think this really influenced the album.
What’s the story behind “The Last Phone Call”? Does it revolve around the end of a relationship?
Yes. The song started with a spoken word voice note my friend Dan (Imaginary Friend) sent me. He sent me it in 2012 and it was sitting in a folder for ages, and it was always at the back of my mind, but I didn’t ever really know how to approach it. It’s such an amazing verse and I wanted to do it justice. The depth to the lyricism blows my mind still. He recorded it on his iPhone and he was in the middle of nowhere in Italy at the time. I spent a lot of time EQ’ing out the Cicadas! There was such an amazing melancholy in this take that I couldn’t record it again. Me and Dan have been mates for about 15 years. We made Hip Hop together when I was 15. This song is made up of three voice notes – Dan’s lyrics, the vocal at the beginning and the pianos. I recorded the piano on my iPhone because I wanted the song to feel like an intimate diary entry.
Where can one catch you live this year, or when does your album tour kick off?
I’m doing a tour of North America in June, and then will be touring in Europe in October and November. As well as lots of shows in between.
“I always kept coming back to the concept of tides, the cyclical nature of everything, and the way sadness gives way to happiness… and vice versa. It all works out in the end.”
I also chuckled at the story of your first live performance as a support act for Bonobo when your mates commented afterward, “Why are you wearing a fleece on stage in front of that many people?” and how you haven’t worn a fleece since. How do you prepare for performances nowadays, aside from selecting your clothing (smiles)? Do you have any specific rituals beforehand?
Ha. I try not to have too much of a ritual. I don’t like to focus on the fact I’m about to go on stage, so I try and stay out of the venue as much as possible and go in just as I’m about to go on. I find there’s something quite suffocating about backstage areas.
How many vinyl records do you own?
I’ve never counted but probably 1000 or so. I tend to digitize most things now and I dig a lot online these days. My ‘Samples’ folder has about 40,000 tracks of Audio in it. It’s got everything in there from the sounds of Whales communicating with each other, to solo Harp records from the 1970s.
Favorite book…
That’s hard. In terms of classics, I’d go George Orwell’s ‘Down and Out in Paris and London.’ Akala’s ‘Natives’ is very informative and well written. Kae Tempest’s ‘The Bricks That Built The Houses’ reminds me of London. I recently read Boyfriends by Michael Pedersen and really enjoyed it. There’s a few!
Happiness means…
Waking up with the sun shining through the window and the sound of the… Tides!
Thanks so much for your time and wishing you all the best and much success with your new album!
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