Emmerald: How long have you been in New Zealand? Why did you move there from Detroit?
Recloose: I've been living near Wellington (the capital) for
four years now. While I was on tour, I fell in love with a beautiful lady and she lured me down this way. Wellington was a good choice for a new home as its got a really vibrant music scene.
Emmerald: How do you think living there has influenced your
music?
Recloose: The environment here in New Zealand has rubbed off on
me in a subtle way. Living near the beach, being able
to take day trips to mountains, volcanoes, hot
springs, etc. are very different experiences for me. This type of surrounding doesn't lend well to making 'techno' or electronic-based music.
Emmerald: What are some of the ways in which "Hiatus on the Horizon"
differs from "Cardiology"?
Recloose: For me, "Cardiology" was more of a 'Detroit' record (albeit with a pending move to NZ in mind), and "Hiatus on the Horizon" is all about mixing what I did before with the sounds and talents I've come across here. So basically it's a more acoustic affair, still electronic at its roots, but a lot more focused on vocals, horns, live drums and percussion, etc.
Emmerald: On "Hiatus", you worked primarily with Kiwi musicians. Can you tell me a bit about them and some of the projects they have worked on before?
Recloose: Most of the musicians are Wellingtonians, and are pretty established in the musical community here. Joe Dukie (aka Dallas Tamaira) is probably the best-known of these collaboraters as the vocalist for the Wellington band Fat Freddy's Drop. I was also able to enlist some
horn talents from Fat Freddy's and had Toby Laing and Warren Maxwell mix their sounds up with my own sax squeaking. I've got Jonathan Crayford on the album, one of New Zealand's premier jazz keyboardists, and Riki Gooch, the drummer in our live outfit and a brilliant producer in his own right (he has his own album on the way). Other vocalists include Hollie Smith and Lisa Tomlins, two of Wellington's standout
vocal talents who play in multiple bands around town.
Emmerald: "Hiatus" took a while for you to make. Why is that?
Recloose: "Hiatus" took too long to make for a number of reasons:
namely it took awhile to get situated here in NZ; it
took a long time to coordinate recording schedules; I
can tend to over-think my music at times; and, last but
definitely not least, I had a son who is now two years
old.
Emmerald: How did you initially get hooked up with Carl
Craig? Is he still a major influence for you?
Recloose: I met Carl in Detroit thru my place of work at the
time, the Russell Street Deli (cue tape on sandwich
story…). I bounced him some demos and he liked them
enough to help develop it all a bit and release it on
his label. It was great being on Planet E as I got to
release music on a well-respected and diverse label
and got to do some touring with Carl via the Innerzone
Orchestra. I stay in touch with Carl and actually had
him down here for the last few days of mixing the
album. We also did a little DJ tour here
at the same time I was finishing "Hiatus".
Emmerald: Have you been well received musically in New Zealand? Are
audiences there more or less open to 'underground' or
'alternative' types of dance music--'broken beat,'
'nu jazz,' etc.
Recloose: "Hiatus" has to date probably done the best here. There
has been lots of TV, radio, and print press and we
just sold out our debut live appearance here in
Wellington. I think the response comes from the fact
that audiences are hearing their favorite local
musicians in a pretty different light (namely dance
floor bizness…), and the merging of what it is I do-- I
suppose funk-driven Detroit styles-- with the sound
here (more acoustic, laid-back sounds) seems to have
worked.
