9+1 Q&A with Zkeletonz

What inspired you to first start making music? And how did you come to be in your current incarnation? Or if you prefer, a brief bio about you.

Zkeletonz formed around the time when me (Ed) and Gav started living together. Will and Gav knew each other from school, and myself and Gav knew each other from being on the same label together back when we were doing different projects. It look us a little while to find the sound. – at one point it looked like we might’ve been a metal band – but we ultimately settled for the ‘postpop’ sound that leaned more into electronics and catchy hooks. A few years ago, a Welsh newspaper gave us the accolade of ‘Worst Band Name of the Year’. An award is an award, it’s nice to be recognised…

Provide us with some info about your latest release…

It’s called ‘Porsche to Berlin’, and it’s the fourth and final(?) song off our Apocalypse Wow EP. This year we found ourselves itching to get away and cut loose at any nightclub that’d have us, and Berlin has a very special place in our hearts as a destination we’ve been to several times to enjoy some of the world’s finest techno. The song itself is a luxurious electro disco-inflected piece that rumbles towards a screeching, unhinged climax. It sounds like if Bee Gees and Pet Shop Boys wrote a song about techno, and got it produced by Sebastian Tellier.

Which ones would you consider your main influences both music-wise & non-music-wise?

Musically, you can hear every era of electronic pop in our sound. We love the glitz luxury of 80’s pop, but you can also hear some of the bombast of late 00’s French electro. We love the groove of disco, which is the style that laid the foundation for everything we love that followed. But we love all kinds of music; you can hear Hot Chip, Breakbot, Daft Punk in our sound, but we’re just as likely to listen to Run The Jewels, Charlotte De Witte or Dance Gavin Dance.

In what way does your sound differ from the rest genre-related artists/bands and why should we listen to your music? In other words, how would you describe your sound?

Generally, compared to lots of other very electronic acts, I think we pride ourselves on avoiding being too self-serious or chin-strokey, but not being flippant or ironic either. We’re optimistic, and we’re sincere about it. We genuinely do believe it’s all going to be OK.

Please name your 3 desert islands albums, movies & books…

Picking one album that all three of us would take to a desert island isn’t easy… it’s genuinely tough to find something we’d all like equally, so maybe Head Over Heels by Chromeo? The three of us went to see them at Printworks in London after this album launched, which is a particularly cherished memory in these difficult times. As for film, we have a fond memory of watching the first Angelina Jolie Tomb Raider film after a long week of writing in a secluded cottage in Cornwall. Daniel Craig is in it, during his shakey pre-Bond era. Other than that, I don’t remember anything else about it. As for a book, I’m going to say the Instruction Manual for a Moog Grandmother analog synth.

Do you prefer studio or performing live and why?

We’re definitely a live band. Studio days are fun, but they’re long days and they are hard work. Being on stage isn’t work, it’s play. It’s fun for us and (hopefully) pretty good fun for the crowd too. As soon as we can safely get back on that stage we’re going to be all over it. Keep an eye out for our first gig back from restrictions. It’s going to be wild.

Is there any funny-unique story you would like to share with us, always in relation to your music ‘career’?

Performing at Edinburgh Fringe in 2019 was a highlight. We did about 13 gigs in three days all around the city, including three sold-out evenings and tons of busking gigs, and we were going out in the evening after our late night set. It’s the first and only time we’ve ever performed at an airport. Driving a van full of music kit from Edinburgh to London blasting ‘Now You’re Gone’ by Basshunter as the caffeine, tiredness and delirium kick in on the hottest day of the year isn’t something I’d recommend to anyone.

Which track of your own would you point out as the most unique and why?

I think ‘Fade to Grey’, another song off our aforementioned Apocalypse Wow EP, is probably one that stands out. It’s a bit more soulful and textured than the usual upbeat sound that we veer towards, but it came from a beautiful vocal idea that Gav came up with, and just grew organically from there. It’s different from our usual groove, but it’s better for it.

Would you like to share with our readers your future plans?

Yeah, of course! Naturally we’ll be keeping a close eye on when we can (responsibly!) return to the stage, but in the meantime we’re working on demos for our next EP now, which will be out in October 2021. The next big thing will be an extra-special remix of Porsche to Berlin that we’ve cooked up, pumping it full of even more techno, due out on 31st March!

Free question!!! (Ask yourself a question) you wish to answer and haven’t been given the opportunity…

This is actually a really difficult question! I’m going to cheat and ask if I can use this opportunity to congratulate singer Gav on the birth of his first child, a few weeks ago? He’s been busy adjusting to fatherhood but he seems to be adapting well, so we wish him all the best!

Curated by: Christos Doukakis

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