Interviews:
Matthew and John - Dubstar Interview

by Dominic Pride

LONDON--When U.S. audiences get a taste of the deceptively sweet and polished sound of British pop trio Dubstar, they may be unaware that its "debut" album, "Goodbye," is already something of a best of compilation. The version of "Goodbye" that Polydor Records U.S. will release Sept. 16 features the top tracks from the band's 1995 album, "Disgraceful," which was not released in the U.S., as well as new tunes from a different, international version of "Goodbye," which will come out in the rest of the world. The first track to go to U.S. radio is the slow, shimmery "Stars," which hit No. 15 on the U.K. singles chart after its rerelease in March 1996.

The band, signed to EMI U.K joint venture Food Records, has already sold more than 170,000 copies of "Disgraceful" in its home market and another 30,000 in Japan. In all markets outside the U.S., EMI will release "Goodbye" with all new material, including the first single, "No More Talk," (sic!) a July top 20 U.K. hit. The single will be released Sept. 8 in Europe. The band's trademark sound is lush, poppy instrumentation provided by keyboardist and programmer Steve Hillier and guitarist Chris Wilkie topped off by the pure, natural vocals of Sarah Blackwood. Yet beneath the radio-friendly sheen of Steven Hague's production lie lyrics that often portray tales of breakups, confused relationships, or the wistful solitary life, set against urban northern English landscapes. The band members met in Newcastle, England's most northerly city (!??!-ed), although they now live in different parts of the country, meeting up for recording, touring, and promo duties.

The members of Dubstar say they feel they have no contemporaries in the current music scene, as their lyrics are "rooted in what we've seen and felt," says Wilkie. "We're all sharp observers of what's going on," adds Blackwood. Each song has its own unique atmosphere, creating vivid scenes and often provoking thought and hinting at social comment, although there is no political agenda, the band maintains. "People don't want to be challenged by pop music these days," notes Wilkie. "Even the more lyrical or guitar-based bands don't seem to be writing songs about human experiences," adds Hillier.

The lyrics, mostly written by Hillier, drive the songs, says Blackwood. "It's mainly a lyrical idea that grows and suggests the rest of the music, which grows 'round it." Blackwood may wax lyrical about being in awe of Bob Dylan, but the band's influences lie in '80s alternative music and electronic pop, from the Cocteau Twins and seminal Factory Records act Durutti Column to the Smiths and Soft Cell. Top that off with the producer of the Pet Shop Boys and New Order, and it's clear where Dubstar's sound comes from. Yet, as Hillier points out, they are about writing classic pop songs rather than following trends. "If we did something that would be successful for this year, that's the last thing we'd want. In '95 we'd have done a trip-hop album, a drum n' bass record in '96, and something like the Spice Girls for '97."

Dubstar is at the more conventional pop end of the Food roster, which includes Blur, Shampoo, and Jesus Jones. Food Records managing director Andy Ross describes Dubstar as "folk music for the '90s." Ross was swayed to sign the act to a record and publishing deal after hearing a demo of "Elevator Song" in 1994, when Dubstar was called the Jones. "It had a peculiarly tinny ring to it, but a minute into it, I thought it was good," he recalls. The choice of Hague was the band's, but, says Ross, "there were Pet Shop Boys and Johnny Marr influences, and from the outset they were wary of being pigeonholed. Steven was expert enough to be able to distinguish them. The band demonstrated how much scope there is in electronic music, especially with an almost folky vocalist."

EMI in the U.S. passed on the band's first album in 1995 and was in no position to work the act in view of the recent closure of its New York operations, so Dubstar was free to sign with Polydor, whose president, Nick Gatfield, knew the band. As head of A&R for EMI U.K. in the early '90s, he brought Food Records into the EMI stable. "I liked the record, but I was not aware of what was going on with EMI," say Gatfield, concerning the band's lack of a U.S. release. Additional spurs to sign Dubstar came from Polydor A&R exec Mark Chotiner and the band's current manager, Steven Pearce, better known as Stevo of the Some Bizarre label. The band is now close to settling a longstanding dispute with its original manager and, says Stevo, who made a U.S. deal for the band a top priority, "there were offers on the table from Epic and Warner."

Domestic and Japanese success is encouraging, says Stevo. "If we break America, it's a way of stabbing into Southeast Asia, Europe, and all the other places where they could sell more." Gatfield believes the band's chances in the U.S. market are good for several reasons: "It's arguable that British music is experiencing something of a renaissance, what with Oasis, Blur, the Prodigy and even the Spice Girls. Dubstar has already enjoyed import play on alternative stations, and they have been featured quite heavily on shows devoted to imports." The high lyric content and peculiarly English nature of the band's sound will not necessarily be a barrier, argues Gatfield. "There's something peculiarly Northern English about their lyrics, but they still work over here. From a timing point of view, by design or by luck, American alternative radio is in a pop mood."

On Aug. 18, "Stars" goes to alternative radio. It ships Sept. 8 to top 40. At home, first single "No More Talk" was released July 7 and hit No. 20 on the official U.K. singles chart July 19. Food's Ross says the international album contains five or six singles that will take the album through to April 1998. "You can never have too many strong singles," says Ross. The next single is likely to be the reflective downtempo song "Cathedral Park," scheduled for a Sept. 1 U.K. release. "The requirements for other countries are different from here, where they've had an album which has sold 200,000 copies without getting more than a No. 30 chart position." Polydor's Gatfield says the band's track record at home "may help open some closed minds at radio here, but ultimately they will be judged on how well the song performs at radio."

The band will be conducting press interviews Tuesday (12)-Friday (15) in New York, doing an Aug. 17-18 Japanese promo tour, and, from Oct. 1-12, will undertake a 10-city promo tour in the U.S. The act's U.K. tour will run Nov. 5-30. Despite the prospect of nearly a year's worth of marathon promotional activity, the band says its friends outside the music industry will help it to remain grounded in the real world. "When bands start writing about hotels, they have lost it," concludes Hillier. "If we start writing about hotels or record companies, then that's it. It's nothing that people can identify with."