Kosheen: All in their heads!

BY LENNAT MAK

Darren Decoder doesn't really go clubbing anymore. Coming from an electronica fanatic and one third of the creative force behind U.K. dance trio Kosheen, that is a baffling statement. After all, Darren, Markee Substance and Sian Evans are the ones who took the U.K. dance scene by storm with the drum 'n' bass anthem "Hide U" and followed that up with the irresistible singles "Catch" and "Hungry." Their 2001 debut album, Resist , has since sold more than half a million copies worldwide.

Perhaps that shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. after a two-year hiatus from the limelight, touring and whatnot, Kosheen has finally returned with their new album titled Kokopelli . Named after a mythic character from the Native American culture dating more than 2,000 years ago, Kokopelli sees the trio shedding the "drum 'n' bass act" tag in favor for one more rooted in rock. Gone are the hypnotizing beats and driving basslines. In full force are the guitars and live drums. " We've really come along as a live act now," says Darren.

But why the change of direction? What will the drum 'n' bass fans think of the new Kosheen? Have they gone indie now? MTVAsia.com's Lennat Mak finds out via a long distance phone call with Darren Decoder himself!

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What's Kosheen up to right now?

We're just relaxing at the moment, just before we go on our big U.K. and European tour. We've completed the album now, so (we're playing) lots of gigs everywhere. After Europe, hopefully we can go to Australia and Asia. And maybe an America tour as well.

Asia will be great!

Yeah, we did that for the first album. I think for this album we are going to tour a bit more organized you know.

You guys have played a lot of gigs around the world. Is there one you remember the most?

I think Glastonbury we did in 2002 was a really special moment for us. It's a great festival and I used to go there when I was a kid. The crowd response was amazing. So yeah, that was the special gig.

What's the best and the worst thing about touring?

The best thing is, I suppose, all the different gigs you go to and the different feelings you experience playing the songs out live. That's great. The worst thing is... spending time on the tour bus can get you down a little bit. But doing the gigs make up for it. So, they both go hand in hand. That's the best and the worst, I think.

The new album Kokopelli sees Kosheen evolving into more of a live band than say, a dance act. Why the change of direction?

I think it's the way we wrote the new album -- we wrote it on the tour bus as we were gigging for Resist -- and because of the live shows we have done. We've really come along as a live act now. That really transposed into the way we wrote this record. We write all our songs on guitars anyway. So basically, the guitar sound is more consistent. It's easier for us to keep the sound and project it in the live form. It's still Kosheen but just a different sound.

It was mentioned in the band's official biography that you were bored of the guitar sound when you were young, which is why you moved into a more electronic sound. Is this kinda like a return to the roots for you?

Yeah, I was in bands when I was in college. It's not a great change for me. I've moved into electronic music after that. I've kinda come in a full circle... using both electronic and guitar sound in music to express myself now.

Do you think you will alienate the fans who love the drum 'n' bass sound of the Kosheen more?

We weren't really a drum 'n' bass band anyway. I mean, we had influences from drum 'n' bass in the first album. We were kinda labeled as that, which is incorrect. It just proves that we are not, especially with this album. We are just an evolving band, experimenting and writing music. We are on a journey, you know.

Is diversity an important factor for the band?

Yeah. I think changing and experimenting with the sound keep it interesting for us as musicians. (The same goes for) the band as well. We've got a drummer now that comes into the studio with us. There's also a guy who uses computers, a keyboardist and so on. It's becoming more of a collective. We are just moving forward, trying different things.

You mentioned that the new album is harder and darker. So what brought on the change to be a harder and darker band?

Yeah, but not all the change are harder and darker than Resist . I think there are moments in Kokopelli where it's very deep and it goes more into that area with songs like "Recovery" and "Wish," I suppose. It's just another side to us.

Do you have a favorite track on the album?

I can't really. It's difficult to pick out one. I love "Wish" and I like "Ages" as well. I think they are probably my two favorites, other than "Recovery." I love all the tracks on the album. I like to perform them live. They go down really well live and we get a really good reaction from them. They are my little phases at the moment. I'm sure it will change.

How do the band pick out the singles then?

We started a couple of tunes really early from the last tour and "All In My Head" went down really well. It's a different tune for us and it's quite uplifting. So, we decided to use that as our first single (for Kokopelli ). "Wasting My Time" has been going down well too, so we are using that as our second single over here in the U.K.

What do you think about the state of dance music in the U.K. right now?

I don't know. I suppose it's okay. [Pauses] I don't really know, to be honest. I mean, There're still shows on Radio 1 and other radio station that are playing great tunes and all. I think the club scene is still vibrant. I don't really go clubbing now.

What music are you or the band listening to now?

I love Coldplay. I think they are a great band. And Radiohead is amazing. I've been listening to them for a long time now. The Prodigy's Fat Of The Land , I've just begun to listen to it again lately. That's all I'm listening to at the moment.

Are there plans to release a remix CD for Kokopelli ?

Yeah, maybe. We actually tried to do it for Resist . I think what we are going to do is... Me and Markee are just gonna do special mixes for Resist and Kokopelli and release it as a double album next year. It's just an idea we got going at the moment. We'll see how it comes about.

Is it true that you or Markee got into a fight over Meg White of The White Stripes in Australia?

Not really. What happened was one of our crew got into a fight with one of their crew. There was a little fight erupted but it got solved quickly. It wasn't a big fight, more like a bar scuffle.