Interversity: Channel One

Don't touch that dial: Channel One have been good to us in returning our humble questions for them this week. Everything from the art to the words and back again is covered in relation to their latest EP, Permissions.










Channel One - "These Roads" / Permissions EP (Sound Foundation 2007)

In my review I mentioned a ton of Creation or Creation-influenced groups, but all of your releases so far have a very Factory Records feel to them. Is there a conscious disconnect from the music to the art, or is it just the band's preferred aesthetic?

Richie: we would be heavily influenced by some acts from both creation records and factory records, specifically joy division, my bloody valentine and vanishing point/xtrmntr era primal scream so invariably, all of these things may influence what we do.

A few of your song titles ("Rhythm&Purpose," "These Roads," "Accelerate;Brake") are as driven as the music. Bad pun there, but do you guys keep up with motorsports at all or is that just a coincidence?

Paul: The words and titles are always written after the instrumentation. We prefer the music to colour and inform the vocal as oppose to vice versa. So i suppose it follows some of the words and titles allude to things like movement.

While you opened for CSS on a few dates, you've just finished making some lengthy rounds yourselves. What are your most memorable tour experiences thus far in '07?

Richie: yeah, we've been touring a lot this year and the dates with css were great as it was nice to play to a crowd that we would not usually get to play to as we are very different to css. Our most memorable gigs would probably be our 2 hometown headline shows in dublin and also the carlow date of the css tour.

What's your favorite place to play in Ireland? Why so?

Richie: we wouldn't necessarily have a favourite place to play in ireland as it really depends on how that night’s gig goes but recently it would have to be belfast as we get looked after really well when we’re there and the crowds seem really responsive to what we do.

The lyrics seem personal as best I can tell, but how much do politics affect the band's writing or playing? What is the main source of inspiration?

Paul: The lyrics are kept as intuitive as possible. They often change a lot until we go to record. While we'd all have a big interest in politics there isn’t really a narrative or a message, personal or political, at least in any direct sense. The words just serve to evoke certain images and feelings in line with the music, sometimes to the extent that lyrics are built around particular vowel or consonant sounds suggested by the tone, melody or rhythm of the existing instrumentation. We've always viewed the vocals as just another musical element, and increasingly we're sampling my voice in order to layer or splice it which is a lot of fun – it’s been like adding a whole new instrument.

Audiversinquiry (10 questions we ask everyone)

What did you specifically remember listening to as children that triggered a notable response?

Richie: we all got heavily into music when we were in our teens and we would probably all remember different things from our childhood but i would think that the smiths were the first band that we all loved and were heavily influenced by. They may not seem like an apparent influence in our music now but they were and still are hugely influential.

You are heading across town this moment and will have time to listen to one complete album during the trip, what would you all collectively listen to?

Richie: well on the last tour, we rekindled our love of the smiths by listening to all of their albums on rotation so any of them.

Are there any other media that you draw inspiration from? Books, authors, painters, actors, movies, celebrities, etc?

Paul: We were kinda obsessed with all things Chris Morris for a while. Not sure if it’s an influence but we’re big fans. I’m reading a great book at the moment called ‘All that is solid melts into air’ by Marshall Berman

Where do you go to discover new music and sounds?

Richie: we would pick up on a lot of new music on the internet-message boards, blogs etc and we would also stumble upon some stuff in some of the better record stores in Dublin such as city discs. the guys who run that place are always good for suggesting some new act to check out and have told us about Jackson and his Computer Band and Chris Clark recently.

What question do you get most often as a band that you hate answering?

Paul: We usually avoid ‘favourite colour? favourite food?’ type interviews like the plague. With that in mind thanks for the interesting questions.

You spoke too soon... Favorite instruments or specific sounds?

Richie: We are constantly trying to buy new keyboards,drum machines and equipment so the sound or piece of equipment we most like is whatever we have yet to buy/can’t afford.

The record store is closing in ten minutes and you are hell-bent on buying something before they close, what section do you each head immediately towards?

Richie: Dvd section for some Brass Eye or Jam. Dance music section for a fabric compilation, some of the recent mixes by Ellen Allien and Diplo were great.

What is the last notable daydream you guys had and where did it take place?

Not sure.

What is the perfect album to you? Are there any? Is it possible?

Paul: I suppose Loveless comes close. As does Mezzanine.
Richie:Not sure but think Bjork-Vespertine is close.

Do you keep up with blogs? Which if so?

Richie: Yeah i religiously check out an irish music blog which can be found at www.nialler9.com/blog