Andy Compton is arguably one of the hardest-working producers in dance music. With over 40 albums and 150 EPs released solo or as part of deep house legends The Rurals, the Bristol-based producer can’t help but create deeply funky and vibrant music that is performed on loose dance floors and bars. beach rugs and long pile rugs alike. He has been regularly featured on quality labels as diverse as Lumberjacks In Hell, Hed Kandi, LARGE, and naturally Peng’s Life imprint.
Andy’s latest long musician for Tangential Music is a collaboration with Los Angeles artists Irantzu Pujadas and Brad Kent under the name Blue Dream. Aptly titled ‘‘ A Trip To LA ’, the album is a delicious and laid-back Los Angeles twelve heat tracker. The project started as many greats do, without a plan. Visiting Brad’s studio to explore his huge collection of vintage analog synths in search of new sounds for The Rurals, they got to thinking … and improvising. With Brad on the old dusty drum machines, Irantzu on the mic, and Andy in his synth heaven, Blue Dream was born. Their first and equally good album «California Dreaming» was released on Peng in early 2019 and now we are here with a second round of perfectly realized dream beats. Think of the sun-facing vibes of Shuggie Otis, Eddie Chacon, Bobby Caldwell, or Roy Ayers in their most laid-back way and add a passionate knowledge and experienced understanding of electronic forms. They make this look easy, damn it.
We have had the pleasure of speaking with him, and this has been the result.
Hi there ! Where do we find you right now? How did you start your day?
Andy -I start the day with a strong coffee! And then i catch up with some emails and biz… I’m living in Bristol, but Brad and Irantzu are in sunny LA!Irantzu- Hi! I am in LA with Brad and I started my day doing a 20 min workout and enjoying some strong coffee.Brad- I am in sunny LA, I always start my morning giving our Maltese Disco belly rubs.
For people who don’t know, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?ç
Andy – I’m mainly known for my deep house group The Rurals, releasing underground grooves since ’95, and traveling the world DJ’ing. I’ve been a full time musician since i left school, obsessed with making music some would say! I grew up on a farm in Rural Devon and fell in love with American deep house whilst living in Nottingham in ’91.
Irantzu- I do the vocals in Blue Dream. I was born in Bilbao, Spain, moved to Los Angeles over 20years ago to go to college and never left. In LA I fell in love with the deep house scene which really inspired and prompted me to sing.
Brad- I’ve been djing deep house since the mid 90’s and along the way I befriended Andy and I also developed a habit of collecting vintage analog synthesizers and drum machines. Many of which are featured in this album.
How did the «Trip to LA» record come together?
Andy – I’ve been touring the states a lot in the past few years, and always end up at Brad and Irantzu’s house after the tour to get down to some Cali style jamming in their analogue studio. This new album is a follow up to 2019’s ‘California Dreaming’, our first Blue Dream album.
Irantzu- we basically got together in our LA home studio and played around with a bunch of machines that my husband Brad owns.
Brad- I dug out some of my old Roland pieces (JP-8, RE-201, TR-77, TR-808 and many more) and basically proceeded to jam, record and tweek knobs with Andy especially on the space echo! Once we got a groove going we would call Irantzu up to lay down vocals.
How would you define the sound of your latest work? What is the concept behind it?
Andy – It’s just laid back jams and grooves inspired by Cali life, all made with vintage drum machines, synths and effects. It’s electronic music, with SOUL!
Irantzu- Sounds warm and summery.
Brad-Connecting between good friends and capturing the vibe we share together.
What artists are you inspired by these days?
Andy – Mostly 70’s artists like Roy Ayers, James brown, The Bar-kays, Issac Hayes, Shuggie Ottis etc…. i collect old records, and the inspiration mainly comes from them….and life!
Irantzu-I also love the 70’s. Love a great female vocalist, from disco and R&B queens like Donna Summer or Dianna Ross to Gwen McCrae or Randy Crawford. I just love that decade so much musically.
Brad- I am inspired by Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, and of course techno, soul, funk and disco.
How do you see you sound evolving in the future?
Andy- When i get the chance to get back to LA we’ll keep on pushing! Nothing is sound wise is ever planned! It just happens.
Irantzu- we really don’t plan how we sound, we let it happen.
Brad-I am very excited because I recently purchased a large modular set up and can’t wait to hear what we come up with mixing old and new analog systems.
If you could give people one bit of advice about music, what would it be?
Andy- Follow the music that resinates with your soul! If you make music, make music that makes you happy, ignore trends and find your personal style.
Irantzu- Practice! That’s what I tell myself 🙂
Brad- Stay true to yourself
Can you tell us something about your future projects? Whats next?
Andy- I have always got other album projects in the works! This next Blue Dream is the 43rd album i’ve prduced. Another album made in South Africa is due soon, More solo albums (As Andy Compton) and of course more from The Rurals! Blue Dream wise we might have to start working on new music remotely, due to covid restrictions.
Irantzu- We have to start working on the next Blue Dream album as soon as Andy comes back to LA or even sooner remotely.
Brad-Working on wrapping up some of our own independent projects and preparing for Andy’s next visit.
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