Australia’s Presets–Julian Hamilton (vocals, programming, keyboards) and Kimberly Moyes (drums, programming, keyboards)–are classically trained musicians–but don’t hold that against them. Open-minded and stylistically voracious, their unpredictable grooves are anything but stuffy. Signed to the forward-thinking Modular label, home of Cut Copy and Muscles, they’re a band on the rise, and 2008 marks their first full US tour in support of Apocalypso, successor to 2005’s Beams. Fuzz caught up with Hamilton by email while he rests up in Sydney before heading out to conquer the world with his duo’s playful brand of electronic pop.
Fuzz: What can you tell me about your earlier band, the Prop?
Hamilton: Prop was a five-piece instrumental band we used to play in. It was made up of Kim and I plus three other mates from university. We had synths and a bunch of tuned percussion instruments like vibraphones and marimbas. Our music was more atmospheric and filmic than the Presets. It was quite beautiful, and a lot more considered, too. We miss that band. It was fun to perform live with those guys (but extremely difficult to tour with those massive instruments).
You titled your second full-length Apocalypso. Have you seen Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto?
I haven’t seen it, although I’m a huge fan of Mad Max I and II (I think they were released in the States as The Road Warrior in the early 80’s). Mad Max has way more similarities to Apocalypso than Mel’s film Apocalypto.
How does it compare to your first record?
I’m not sure, really. I guess as musicians we hope it’s just a step up. Hopefully we’ve retained a lot of the character of Beams, but improved on the songwriting and production and that kinda stuff. Beams explored mostly hedonistic themes (partying, drugs, and sex). I didn’t want to go over those same things again. This time we’ve still made a party record—but hopefully it’s a bit bleaker or starker. “My People,” for instance, is a party song, but it’s a pretty stark, desperate-sounding party song. And “This Boy’s In Love” is an attempt at a nostalgic pop-dance track, but we tried to make it luscious and romantic, yet still ice cold and bleak.
You’re known for your intense live gigs. What’s the worst thing that ever happened to you at a show?
We might experience some technical difficulties one out of every hundred shows. But mostly our shows are a really fun time. I guess the worst thing is when you turn up somewhere, and you’re tired and in the middle of a tour, and the promoter meets you at the door and says something like “Hey guys, it’s still filling up in there, we’ll push the set back a couple of hours. Here’s two drink tickets, go grab yourselves a drink, and have fun,” and we’re like, “Fuck you.”
Mouse on Mars has remixed one of your tracks. How did you hook up with them?
They have been idols of ours for a long time. I used to buy their records 10 years ago. We played a festival in Germany with them last year; then ended up on the same plane the next day to a festival in Glasgow. They checked out our show, and liked it. We asked them if they’d like to remix “My People.” They said yes. They ended up doing two, and we love them.
Your sound ranges from soft and pretty to loud and crunchy. Other songs are so processed they sound almost psychedelic. Do you listen to a wide range of music?
For sure. I hardly listen to dance music at all to be honest (except when I run). On tour, I mostly listen to classical. I’ve been re-discovering a lot of the 20th-century composers I first heard at university—Ligeti, Messiaen, Varèse, Xenakis, Cage—stuff like that. They create some really wild sound-worlds that inspire us.
Since some of your pieces are instrumental, have you considered getting involved in soundtrack work?
Not really—at the moment we only have time to create Presets albums, although TV shows and commercials are forever requesting our music. (We’re happy to sell it to them!) My brother is a well regarded contemporary dancer and choreographer, and we are always promising that one day we will work together when things settle down a bit.
Aside from sleep, what are your plans once you’ve finished with this year’s tour?
Take a break–do some cooking, gardening…fun stuff. Then start thinking about another record.
Apocalypso is released on May 13th.