Left Step Band
London, England, United Kingdom | SELF
Music
Press
Crouch. - Spring up. Flash hands in laughable trible-style dance. Crouch. And so on… these are the movements that London act Left Step Band conjure in me. An effervescent, dangerous cocktail of reggae, hip-hop, dub and Streets-style everyday lyrics, with puddles of keyboards and chaos, theirs is a sound to file under ‘Notting Hill Carnival”, “creative”, “good times” and “bloody great”. - Some of it was true online london blog 30/03/2011
Left Step Band is Dub Step/Ska quartet from London that managed to combine and mix many elements and influences in an organic and effortless way and came up with a final unique sound that clearly stands out from the current Hip-Hop-ish scene. They can go from a pop-rock vibe to a heavy old school reggae tune without you noticing what's going on, they say "we feel like we can rock any crowd" and I definately have to agree with that.
The band has an EP out now, names Rebels Of The Frontline, and we had a brief chat with them to discuss the current status and further plans of this more than interesting project.
AltSounds: Name three elements that make the concept behind Left Step Band unique.
Nikolai: 1. LSB have a timeless spirit that respects it's sonic ancestry yet could only be of the now. 2. All four members are composed of the four elements Fabian is fire, Dev is earth, Zac is air and I am water. We therefore make up the complete whole - a cosmic unity to fight as a force for groove . 3. We will tour the world in separate coaches and the journey to every show will get all wacky races.
AltSounds: How has your sound evolved from when you first started this project?
Nikolai: It's become Fuller & fleshier like a country pub barmaid, yet somehow sleeker and refined like a panther from Pimlico.
Fabian: Yeah, Bigger and bolder, tweaks n tweets have moved us further.
AltSounds: Which is nowadays your main source of inspiration? Has it changed from when you first started?
Dev: It's a lot more of everything that isn't necessarily what you'd associate with LSB. We don't necessarily know what we want summit to sound like, but we know what we don't want it to sound like.
Nikolai: It's all in there, it just needs mental massaging, a lot of time and long nights. The main change is I am now faster with improved judgement that's the only change. I'll go through 20 basslines in an hr instead of 4 hrs to reach the one.
AltSounds: How would a typical creative process for Left Step Band be? Many artists just record a couple of demo tapes and then start to depurate the ideas and the sound from that, but I don't see you guys going for any of the stereotypical channels.
Fabian: Nope, never made a track like that. I get given sick beats in their early stages, then let my mind flow on ‘em one at a time.
Zac: We coax an idea out of thin air somehow then sit in front of a computer and twiddle with it for f**king months.
Nikolai: If I write it then I am the demo stage, I'll discard stuff if I don't think it can be a single, I just ain't interested in filler or album stodge. I'll come back to stuff months later and there'll always be something there to retain, some hook some beat, so I'll start on it with a fresh head and give it a rebirth.
http://soundcloud.com/leftstepband/left-step-band-the-deep-end
AltSounds: What made you decide to form a band and start creating music?
Fabian: We liked each other and we like music.
Zac: yeah that and unknown supernatural voodoo forces.
Nikolai: Some folks were born with a silver spoon in their mouth, for me it was a silver piccolo.
AltSounds: Could you tell me in what are you guys working right now? (music and non-music related).
Zac: I’ve been working as a Deatheater in the latest Harry Potter movie. I love the taste of death in the morning, it tastes like....Mcdonalds.
Nikolai: Music related I've been round Zacs working in the studio today, we're getting 3 tunes mastered on thursday so have been finalising them. We have just recorded live strings for two new tunes and have been editing them in plus we're working on a massive rejam of Nina Simones’ 'Sinnerman' LSB style. Non music wise I've just done the washing up.
AltSounds: What is your favorite album/band at the moment? What is you old time favorite?
Dev: I'm listening to Gil Scott Heron, The Knife, Method man and The black keys.
Nikolai: My fav of the moment isn't that new, it's Madlib, a soundtrack lp he built from old bollywood samples, all instrumental - love it! Dunno about all time fav, I'm a fan of songs really not bands or singers or drummers or albums. Songs man that's it - the holy grail, I can love a song but the lp it's taken from is otherwise pony.
Zac: I’ve had the age of understatement by the last shadow puppets on my iphone –great 60’s sounding production with lots of lovely strings.
AltSounds: What was your weirdest/oddest gig ever? Why? What happened?
Dev: Someone actually paid us once,that was pretty unusual...
Fabian: One festival called the East European festival thankfully it wasn't in eastern europe but in Nottingham, there was NOBODY there. Just us, a stage, and a hog roast of which I ate most of it, Devs got picture proof.
Nikolai: yeah that was brutal even the stallholders were closing up - it couldn't have been more unwelcoming, short of burning a few crosses at the front gate. The gig with the pirouetting hippo in a tutu is up there too.
AltSounds: In which city of the world would you like to perform?
Zac: Bangkok, the Thais love a bit of Hip Hop.
Nikolai: Rio baby.
AltSounds: Are you guys going to be touring in 2011? Tell me about your upcoming gigs.
Nikolai: We have a good few festivals coming up farmfest, fieldview, endorse it, waveform all listed on our sites We'd like to tour but we're too wise to trudge thanklessly round the toilet circuit playing to 10 kids and the local nutter. If we get offered a decent support tour we’d be up for it.
AltSounds: Every band has its own aspirations, I'm not going to ask you about where do you see yourselves in 5 years, I would like to know where do you see yourselves in one month. What are your short term plans? What are you doing this weekend?
Nikolai: In a month I'd like to see us making prep for our next single a tune called 'Head High' I want us to be underway with pre production for the vid & artwork, hopefully a few festies . And dates around London plus more cosy fireside chats with good folk like yourself J.
- AltSounds
Left Step Band is Dub Step/Ska quartet from London that managed to combine and mix many elements and influences in an organic and effortless way and came up with a final unique sound that clearly stands out from the current Hip-Hop-ish scene. They can go from a pop-rock vibe to a heavy old school reggae tune without you noticing what's going on, they say "we feel like we can rock any crowd" and I definately have to agree with that.
The band has an EP out now, names Rebels Of The Frontline, and we had a brief chat with them to discuss the current status and further plans of this more than interesting project.
AltSounds: Name three elements that make the concept behind Left Step Band unique.
Nikolai: 1. LSB have a timeless spirit that respects it's sonic ancestry yet could only be of the now. 2. All four members are composed of the four elements Fabian is fire, Dev is earth, Zac is air and I am water. We therefore make up the complete whole - a cosmic unity to fight as a force for groove . 3. We will tour the world in separate coaches and the journey to every show will get all wacky races.
AltSounds: How has your sound evolved from when you first started this project?
Nikolai: It's become Fuller & fleshier like a country pub barmaid, yet somehow sleeker and refined like a panther from Pimlico.
Fabian: Yeah, Bigger and bolder, tweaks n tweets have moved us further.
AltSounds: Which is nowadays your main source of inspiration? Has it changed from when you first started?
Dev: It's a lot more of everything that isn't necessarily what you'd associate with LSB. We don't necessarily know what we want summit to sound like, but we know what we don't want it to sound like.
Nikolai: It's all in there, it just needs mental massaging, a lot of time and long nights. The main change is I am now faster with improved judgement that's the only change. I'll go through 20 basslines in an hr instead of 4 hrs to reach the one.
AltSounds: How would a typical creative process for Left Step Band be? Many artists just record a couple of demo tapes and then start to depurate the ideas and the sound from that, but I don't see you guys going for any of the stereotypical channels.
Fabian: Nope, never made a track like that. I get given sick beats in their early stages, then let my mind flow on ‘em one at a time.
Zac: We coax an idea out of thin air somehow then sit in front of a computer and twiddle with it for f**king months.
Nikolai: If I write it then I am the demo stage, I'll discard stuff if I don't think it can be a single, I just ain't interested in filler or album stodge. I'll come back to stuff months later and there'll always be something there to retain, some hook some beat, so I'll start on it with a fresh head and give it a rebirth.
http://soundcloud.com/leftstepband/left-step-band-the-deep-end
AltSounds: What made you decide to form a band and start creating music?
Fabian: We liked each other and we like music.
Zac: yeah that and unknown supernatural voodoo forces.
Nikolai: Some folks were born with a silver spoon in their mouth, for me it was a silver piccolo.
AltSounds: Could you tell me in what are you guys working right now? (music and non-music related).
Zac: I’ve been working as a Deatheater in the latest Harry Potter movie. I love the taste of death in the morning, it tastes like....Mcdonalds.
Nikolai: Music related I've been round Zacs working in the studio today, we're getting 3 tunes mastered on thursday so have been finalising them. We have just recorded live strings for two new tunes and have been editing them in plus we're working on a massive rejam of Nina Simones’ 'Sinnerman' LSB style. Non music wise I've just done the washing up.
AltSounds: What is your favorite album/band at the moment? What is you old time favorite?
Dev: I'm listening to Gil Scott Heron, The Knife, Method man and The black keys.
Nikolai: My fav of the moment isn't that new, it's Madlib, a soundtrack lp he built from old bollywood samples, all instrumental - love it! Dunno about all time fav, I'm a fan of songs really not bands or singers or drummers or albums. Songs man that's it - the holy grail, I can love a song but the lp it's taken from is otherwise pony.
Zac: I’ve had the age of understatement by the last shadow puppets on my iphone –great 60’s sounding production with lots of lovely strings.
AltSounds: What was your weirdest/oddest gig ever? Why? What happened?
Dev: Someone actually paid us once,that was pretty unusual...
Fabian: One festival called the East European festival thankfully it wasn't in eastern europe but in Nottingham, there was NOBODY there. Just us, a stage, and a hog roast of which I ate most of it, Devs got picture proof.
Nikolai: yeah that was brutal even the stallholders were closing up - it couldn't have been more unwelcoming, short of burning a few crosses at the front gate. The gig with the pirouetting hippo in a tutu is up there too.
AltSounds: In which city of the world would you like to perform?
Zac: Bangkok, the Thais love a bit of Hip Hop.
Nikolai: Rio baby.
AltSounds: Are you guys going to be touring in 2011? Tell me about your upcoming gigs.
Nikolai: We have a good few festivals coming up farmfest, fieldview, endorse it, waveform all listed on our sites We'd like to tour but we're too wise to trudge thanklessly round the toilet circuit playing to 10 kids and the local nutter. If we get offered a decent support tour we’d be up for it.
AltSounds: Every band has its own aspirations, I'm not going to ask you about where do you see yourselves in 5 years, I would like to know where do you see yourselves in one month. What are your short term plans? What are you doing this weekend?
Nikolai: In a month I'd like to see us making prep for our next single a tune called 'Head High' I want us to be underway with pre production for the vid & artwork, hopefully a few festies . And dates around London plus more cosy fireside chats with good folk like yourself J.
- AltSounds
Discography
The 'Rebels Of The Frontline EP' was released in digital format and is available from itunes and all major digital outlets.
BUY NOW!
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/left-step-band/id397912155?ign-mpt=uo%3D4
Photos
Bio
'To be honest, we feel like we can rock any crowd'. A big claim, but Left Step Band are a quartet with big personalities, big ambitions and massive, massive songs.
Initially conceived as the producer/MC duo of Nikolai (formerly of UK ska punk stalwarts King Prawn) and Eff le Ref LSB immediately set their stall out with the aim of confounding expectations and
moving away from the traditional hip hop formulas being peddled around the scene. They sought to distance themselves from what was going on around them and bring to bear their diverse collective influences. A love of reggae, dub and old skool ska are all evident in the band's sound, from the Jerry Dammers-esque keyboards of 'Rebels of the Frontline' to the shuffling, laid back beats of 'The Deep End' LSB skilfully navigate three or four decades of musical heritage, wrapping it up into one delicious, bombastic, package.
Not content with being a mere studio project, Left Step's ranks quickly expanded to encompass a full live line-up. Meeting through that most modern of mediums, the internet, Nikolai and Eff le Ref were put in touch with Zac who seamlessly slotted in to their ranks. These three developed a chemistry which would become the bedrock of the LSB sound but quickly realised that a final magical ingredient was missing. Having toyed with the idea of introducing a guitarist to their ranks, LSB eventually decided, as they always do, to do things their own way. The final piece to be added to this diverse puzzle is a familiar face, namely Radio 1 breakfast DJ Dev who completed what is, at first glance, an unusual set up - 'we wanted to be a bit different, it was a deliberate decision' says Dev 'I like the fact that when people see the decks they make an immediate assumption about you as a straight forward hip hop act'.
The quartet bonded immediately over a diverse sound and a penchant for bringing the everyday to life with big hooks and a killer melody. Over long days and strenuous nights the band sweated and toiled, shaping themselves into the raucous unit they are today. Never short on song craft, they rapidly generated a group of songs which befit their name, left-field, out of step but at all times danceable and with an instinctive eye for a groove and a chorus.
As a live proposition LSB are something else altogether. MC'ing meets singing and swaggering beats meet soulful hooks - all imbued with a sense of timeless storytelling and adept lyrical narrative. It is this musical diversity and originality which has seen the band share bills with both urban acts and with friends from the indie fraternity. Moreover, gigs with the likes of Finlay Quaye have proved that they can mix it with the best, on stages large or small, to crowds old or young and with an easy appeal which runs through every note of the music they produce.
Beyond anything else, Left Step Band is about good time music for good time people, rich with pop nous yet never forgetful of its roots. There is a real sense that the quartet are bringing back something that has long been missing from the scene, namely a genuine sense of fun and musical abandon with no constraints and no rules. 'It’s really just about having fun, and seeing people enjoy themselves' says Nikolai...
And right now LSB are having an absolute blast.
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