JJ: Have you had a chance to hear any of the younger American bands that are also sort of integrating this world-electronic approach, like the Disco Biscuits or Lake Trout?
ZG: Yes, I have. Not a lot, but I have heard bits and bobs that people have sent me on CD and stuff; sample CDs and such, where you get one track from various different bands. Some of it sounds very interesting. It all definitely has an American flavor — which is natural, of course, because they’re Americans (laughs). I can see a difference between an English style and an American style, for sure.
JJ: What differences do you hear?
ZG: The American style seems to still be quite attached to old blues progressions in the chord sequences and things like that. We tend to shy away from them. We tend to keep well away from bluesey/R & B-influenced chord progressions and stuff like that, because it has been done a million times. Some people do it very well and others not-so-well, but it has been done. We feel we wanna explore stranger territory, where chord sequences don’t necessarily make sense, but they tend to sound nice anyway. So, who’s to say?
JJ: Do you see yourself as part of roughly the same tradition as these guys, if it is a tradition?
ZG: I think we share a tradition, definitely, which is basically to play improvised music – a flavor of improvised music – to audience who wanna hear that sort of thing, and aren’t out for the typical commercial hit. So, we do share that. I’m sure there’s some cross-fertilization between the scenes in England and America. I think the American scene is a lot healthier and a lot bigger. There’s hardly anyone doing anything like what we do in this country, really. Certainly no one who’s been picked up by any record companies or anything like that.
JJ: What did you grow up listening to?
ZG: Me personally?
JJ: Yeah.
ZG: Oh, boy. There’s a lot of stuff. I guess some of my all-time favorites are bands like Steely Dan; a guy called Julian Cope – I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of him – and the Teardrop Explodes, the band he was in. These were early bands that blew my mind. And I still listen to Steely Dan.
Personally, I grew up on a diet of electronic music, anything from electro-hip-hop to drum-and-bass, trance techno, whatever. I’ve been listening to that practically most of my life, really. So, that has had an influence, despite the fact that I also listen to just about anything as well.
JJ: When did you first start to play electronic music? Was it always playing what you were listening to? Or was there a moment when you said…?
ZG: As a band?
JJ: Yeah, or as an individual musician.
ZG: I’ve always totally been into electronic music. I was obsessed with drum machines at the age of 14, 13, before I even owned one. I was absolutely blown away by the concept of them. As soon as I could, I bought a drum machine. I was about 16 then. It’s kind of been an obsession with me ever since, although I bought a bass at the same time. There’ve been two different strands to the way I’ve sort of developed my musical stuff. It’s always been an influence really, the electronic side of it. I still write tracks, as well.
JJ: Do you play in any side-projects?
ZG: Yeah, I do. I write tunes for fashion shows and product launches as well, which is a kind of commercial sideline. It’s only ever used as one-off at a particular event or a concert or something. Those are kind of chunky dance tunes. That’s with a friend as well, and that’s completely un-Ozric related. We’ve also done a couple of gigs as well, just for the fun of it, at raves and things, which is really good fun.
JJ: How do you approach those gigs differently than you do an Ozrics show?
ZG: For a start, I’m using all synths and MIDI equipment on stage which is a totally different world for me, ‘cause I’m just used to getting up on stage and playing my bass. It’s a bit more of a nightmare. (Laughs.) It’s great fun. I love it. Like I said, I’ve always loved electronic music, so to be standing there making it in front of a crowd that’s dancing is a great high point for me.
JJ: How have you noticed the Ozrics changing from tour to tour? Or album to album? Or is it something that’s completely unconscious?
ZG: Oh, it has changed. I mean, lineup changes have forced musical changes, as is the way, because people bring their personalities to the music and, when they go, it changes. So, with each lineup change, there has been a slightly different direction, although not planned — it’s just the way things have turned out. That’s one evolution. I guess that’s the only evolution really, because we don’t really plan to do one kind of album and then another kind of album the following year. We don’t do that. We go into the studio and it’s very unplanned. Any evolution is accidental.
JJ: How often do you hear what you’ve been listening to coming out in your playing?
ZG: Ah, as a band, maybe quite a lot, actually. It’s very obscure. I would know the reference, but I’m not sure anyone else would, ‘cause I know what we listen to, and I know how we made the music, and I know that that’s definitely a Cheb Khaled moment, or something like that. I’d really doubt anyone else could spot some of these things. Some of them, perhaps.
JJ: What have you been listening to lately?
ZG: Just recently, I’ve been listening to loads of Pantera, loads of Squarepusher, Aphex Twin. Some Cheb Khaled. Have you ever heard of him?
JJ: No.
ZG: Well, he’s an Algerian singer — absolutely amazing voice. Incredible. Some Steely Dan, but that’s a perennial for me. What else? There was something else, but it slips my mind right now… I can’t remember. Generally, that’s the sort of flavor I’m into at the moment.
JJ: Any parting words of advice for American audiences when coming into see you? Anything to keep in mind…
ZG: Yeah, come and buy all our merchandise. (Laughs.) Come and enjoy and do what you do in front of jambands in America, I guess, because there’s a really thriving scene out there, what with the Dead and everything. It really established itself much more strongly than it did in Europe or Britain. For people to carry on wanting that vibe, and coming to our gigs to get it, is a really great thing. That’s amazing, so just keep coming basically and enjoying it. If you could call that advice.
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