Galangas – Me, Myself & I
Galangas – Me, Myself & I
Artist Name: Galangas
Song Title: Me, Myself & I
Genre: Psych Surf
Release Date: 07/09/2018
Galangas – Me, Myself & I
Brighton 4 piece Galangas release 3rd single ‘Me, myself and I’ from their self-titled debut EP on the 7th of September. About ‘Me, Myself & I’ ‘Me, Myself & I’ is a song about conflicting opinions. It opens with a lyric that strikes as an invitation to argument but is followed up by a compromise, required by all who wish to have productive relationships. It’s an admission from vocalist Ruben that although he’s headstrong and opinionated, he’s aware that’s part of a problem we all need to be willing to work on, if we’re to reach a greater good. Listening to the vocals reveals this theme of duality and being of two minds in everything and how this hinders relationships and progress as a whole. Perhaps the compromise to be made here, is with oneself? The vocals are backed by a sleazy offbeat groove on the drums and percussion that’s difficult not to move to and the bass’s interpretation of the beat reinforces the already heady groove. Plenty of space is left for the lead guitar to provide some of the songs catchiest hooks and lines, sure to swirl around your head for days. Fans of ‘Talking Heads’, ‘The Growlers’ & ‘Fela Kuti’ are all going to hear something from Galangas that appeals and that’s part of what makes them so listenable. They fuse the best aspects from many different musical cultures and are just as at home here in Brighton as they would be in any other corner of the globe. About Galangas fusing world music rhythms, psych pop sounds and surf guitar tones, Galangas are a 4 piece from Brighton formed via Northampton and Madrid. It’s difficult to fit the band neatly into an established genre, likely down to the numerous influences at work on each of the bands members. From Nigerian Funk and Middle Eastern Psychedelia to Californian Surf Pop and UK Indie, they funnel this into something irresistibly groovy and melodically ear catching. Galangas are a band whose music is ever evolving and you really need to experience them first hand to appreciate the many influences at work here. Ruben (vocals & guitar) formed the band when he reunited with two college friends, Martyn (drums and percussion) and Nicholas (guitar) after approaching them with a demo recorded out of his flat in Brighton. The bands 4th member Jorge (bass) joined the group following the completion of their self-titled EP which they are now currently releasing. See Galangas live 19th September – The Prince Albert, Brighton Bookings & Promotion – galangasband@gmail.com
Discuss the relevance of social networking to music.
Social media allows up and coming artists to promote and expose themselves on levels previously unobtainable. Tools like Facebook and Instagram can introduce artists to people all over the world and discovering new music has never been easier. I remember when ‘Myspace’ was just taking off and how I used to sit up late into the night discovering little bands from somewhere or another and now some of those bands are much more widely exposed. Bands can promote gigs, single releases and themselves so easily now but you do get out what you put in. I think if you can crack the social media nut it does open a lot of doors, promoters are more likely to take a band seriously if they have a good following online.
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Go into detail on why you decided to choose music as a career.
It’s tough to pin down when or how we made that choice. We were sat in our van driving to a show recently and someone posed the question, ‘why do we do this?’ I don’t think anyone really had an answer. On one hand is the artistic expression of being able to create something and share it with people. There’s something gratifying about having fun with your friends on stage or in the studio making music, knowing other people are having fun listening to those records and watching your shows. When I was just getting into playing guitars I used to hang out at a music shop where I grew up in Kettering, it’s not there anymore, but the owner said to me ‘You’ve got the bug now, it will never go away’. He was dead right. Writing, recording and playing music is like a compulsion. If you’re into it and you’re not doing it you don’t feel right.
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Brief us the feedback you are getting from fans on your music.
One comment made about our first single ‘The Shadow’ is that it has a ‘Talking Heads’ vibe but still sounds original. I asked a few regulars I see at our shows what keeps them coming back and they just said ‘Good vibes and strong song writing’. Others have said that they really enjoy the rhythms we use and how it reminds them of Calypso music and makes you want to dance. The most common thing people say is that we are different and that different is good! The Shadow – YouTube – LINK
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Tell us how you record your song.
‘Me, Myself & I’ was recorded with another Brighton musician Joe Woodham out of his bungalow in Saltdean. Joe plays in another Psych band called ‘Jouis’ and has a great ear for production. We spent pretty much every Sunday in that bungalow writing, recording and hanging out for about 6 months. It was great to have a space where we could go and relax, play around with ideas and not have any of the time constraints that come with studio recording.
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State your musical skills.
Ruben J Dodds – Guitar, Lyric and Vocals
Nick Yates – Guitar, Backing Vocal, Organ and Shakers
Jorge Bela Jimenez – Bass and Percussion
Martyn Lillyman – Drums and Percussion.
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Tell us how long it takes to complete a song from the start.
This can really vary from song to song. Some songs just flow and really have a natural progression that everybody can just vibe on. ‘Me, Myself and I’ was like this. Others are like wild things that slowly take shape and need taming. We write collectively and each one brings different ideas that may or may not lead to a full song in the end. Could be anything from a couple of weeks to a couple of months.
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Go into detail on how you develop your lyrics and melody.
Melody usually comes first for me. Once we have the general vibe going I will usually ad lib a melody without really knowing what it is I’m going to be saying. Once I have a melody in mind I start putting the words together. Sometimes I like to sing about my experiences or feelings on particular subjects or social observations. Other times I like to tell a story and weave a fiction that usually has hidden personal meaning to me but could be taken anyway the listener likes, metaphorically or literally. I think it’s nice to write lyrics that don’t necessarily spell it out for you… you know… Music is so much about personal interpretation. I have a friend who doesn’t care what the words are and just enjoys melody, whereas I love a good lyric and really appreciate the word smith that’s goes into songwriting.
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State your five favourite genres of music with reasons.
This is really tough because there’s so much great music out there and we’re pretty open minded to a lot of it. I for one try not to think of genres when listening to music, I just either like it, or I don’t. We also each have slightly different tastes but I’ll try and pin a few down.
Worldbeat – Blends pop rock with world or traditional music. The world is becoming increasingly diverse culturally and this is affecting everything, it’s great to hear this in music. Lo-fi – There’s something nice about hearing DIY music. It reminds you that anybody can do it, you don’t need loads of cash to get in a studio (although that’s always nice), and you can do it at home, great fun.
Afrobeat – Pure drum and bass groove topped by funky guitar and memorable vocal patterns, what’s not to like.
Psych Pop – We love great songwriting and Psychedelic sounds.
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Describe the chemistry between you and your fans during a live performance.
I think it depends on the individual. Musicians who come to see us are likely looking out for what we are doing musically and comment on enjoying how we incorporate particular rhythms or melody into our song writing. We have a lot of fun on stage and audiences have a lot of fun at our shows. There’s a lot of stress and negativity in the world right now and it’s important to unplug from the matrix and just be mindful of the moment whenever you can.
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State your artist’s name and elaborate on it.
Galangas – It’s a made up word derived from Galangal. Galangal is an ingredient used in traditional Asian cuisines. Our drummer Martyn came up with the name after discovering it. He thought the description of how Galangal tastes described how our music sounds. “Galangal has a sharp citrusy, almost piney flavour.” If anyone reading has Synesthesia – It would be great to know how our music really tastes!
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Discuss your rehearsal.
Depending on the goals of the rehearsal we approach it differently. We generally hang out at one of our own places if we need to focus on writing or polishing up specific parts. If we are getting ready for a show we rehearse at ‘Brighton Electric’ and focus on performance.
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State your favourite musical instruments.
That’s like asking a chef what his favourite ingredient is; isn’t it? They all have their place and do different things perfectly. I play guitars and sing but if I were Dorian Grey and had a painting that allowed me to live forever I would spend my life learning to play as many instruments as possible!
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Discuss your personality in full details.
We have a pretty interesting Dynamic as a band. I’m pretty shy despite being the front man and don’t do too well in crowds. An over thinker and the introvert of the group, I’m selective on the company I keep but those who know me would probably describe me as being a bit unusual. Nick is like the calm in the group, always rational. He’s guided us through a fair few difficulties just by staying level headed. Jorge is pure energy! Incredibly positive. Always pushing the band to act on new ideas. Will find any opportunity for a photo for our next Instagram post. Martyn’s the most critical of us when it comes to the music, he questions everything and is always looking for a way to do things better and be more interesting. We are all best friends …
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Discuss your music career.
The majority of the band met at college in Northampton where we we’re studying music. Since then we’ve all been in several bands of varying degrees of success.
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List your musical work.
So far we’ve released three singles since forming Galangas: The Shadow – With a music video on YouTube, Mr. Brain Me, Myself and I – We’re working on a live performance video for this which will be releasing soon.
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Share your memorable experiences with us.
We recently went on a hiking trip in Lanzarote chasing lizards and enjoying the volcanic landscape. That place is pretty wild. There’s something about the landscape that’s super inspiring. Also visited some Gorillas at an endangered species nature reserve recently that was humbling, those things are awesome. Floating around this giant rock in space is pretty memorable if you take the time to think about how fantastically unlikely that is.
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