Interpol and Daniel Avery on ‘Interpolations’: “We were trying to find something eclectic”
Interpol have teamed up with Daniel Avery to create a stripped-down version of ‘Greenwich’ for the final part of their ‘Interpolations’ project. Check it out below, along with our interview a out the collab.
Back in April, Interpol announced ‘Interpolations‘ – a collaborative series that sees five different artists rework selected tracks from the band’s 2022 LP ‘The Other Side Of Make Believe‘.
Released on a monthly basis, the first track to be shared was Makaya McCraven’s reimagined version of ‘Big Shot City’, which was later followed by Jeff Parker’s version of ‘Passenger’, Jesu’s version of ‘Toni’ and Water From Your Eyes‘ version of ‘Something’s Changed’.
Today, the band have released the final track which concludes ‘Interpolations’ as a whole, teaming up with DJ and producer Daniel Avery.
“It’s not an exaggeration to say Interpol’s music helped shape my life as a youngster so it’s with great pride I present this remix for ‘Greenwich’,” said Avery in a statement. “I was reluctant to touch the track at first but I feel I’ve landed upon my own version of the band’s seductive shadows that have always meant so much to me.”
NME caught up with the producer and Interpol guitarist Daniel Kessler to chat about the creation of the project, Avery’s reworking process and what both musicians are currently up to.
NME. Hello. Where did the Idea for ‘Interpolations’ come from?
Kessler: “It was a discussion with our record label, Matador, about things that we could do that we haven’t really done much of. This idea [‘Interpolations’] came up in conversation and then, as Daniel [Avery] might remember, I’ve been hounding him for almost a decade to do a mix of one of our tracks, so I was really excited when Daniel did ‘Greenwich’.”
What was the process like for choosing the five artists that ended up working on this project?
Kessler: “We wanted to have a range of artists and include people we were fans of. Water From Your Eyes are our label mates. They’re also a band that we’ve toured with a few times already and became good friends.”
“We love their music and they’re doing their own thing. You can hear that in their mix, which is a unique interpretation of the song. Jeff Parker as well, I’ve been a fan of his for forever. It was just kind of really trying to find something eclectic and I love the way it all came together.”
Did each artist choose the song they wanted to work on or did you guys as a band assign a track to each artist?
Kessler: “Each artist choose the song they wanted to work on. We wanted to give them options and let them choose whatever was speaking to the person doing their reinterpretation. They might listen one of them and be like, ‘I have an idea’ or ‘Something’s hitting me emotionally that I want to highlight that might not be so apparent’.”
“It’s nice when you can give that opportunity versus being like, ‘We need a mix of this song, because it’s gonna be the latest single for this’. It’s cool just to keep it as an artistic venture and that’s what this was.”
Avery, why were Interpol so important to you?
Avery: “I discovered Interpol at a very formative time in my life. That moment when not only was I just really like honing my own music taste and record collection, but also I was starting to go out into the nighttime and I discovered this one particular club night and it just really opened my eyes to what was possible in that world.”
“The club night played a lot of interesting electronic music but also a lot of the exciting guitar music that was coming out and Interpol was right at front of that. I eventually got a gig as a DJ for that club night and that’s literally where it all began for me. Interpol certainly soundtracked that turning point in my life, so they feel like a special band to me.”
Kessler, what was it about Avery that made him a perfect fit for the project?
Kessler: “We both had just played a festival in 2014. A mutual friend named Dave introduced us and we ended up hanging out that night and it was a really good vibe.I think it was after that evening, I went back deep into [Avery’s] catalogue. I think ‘Drone Logic‘ had just come out and it became my soundtrack.”
“We were releasing ‘El Pintor‘ ,and that record was on repeat the entire time wherever we travelled. After that, I was just like ‘I would love to have Daniel mix one of our tracks’ and then it became finding a time that works for Daniel. It was really awesome that this was the occasion.”
Avery, how did you go about revamping a song from a band that have played a big role in your life while still respecting the song’s origins?
Avery: “Honestly, a big part of my trepidation was that I was afraid to touch a band that meant something to me. But, this project worked out and timing wise worked out perfectly, and I thought, ‘Let’s just give something a go’.”
“It’s difficult to know exactly what to pick when given so much choice but there was something about ‘Greenwich’. I heard something in it that I thought perhaps I could take and filter through my own lens using my tools. I didn’t want to just do a sort of beefed out version of it but nor did I just want to make a club track that bore no resemblance to the original.”
“What came out was something that was somewhere in the middle of those things, really. I was really fascinated to hear the layers of the vocal that were the song. There’s a female vocal as well underneath the track that I was really keen to use, I thought it brought out a different aspect of the track itself. It’s my interpretation of the band. It was difficult to work out what to do, but I’m really happy with what came out.”
Kessler: “I think it sounds amazing. It’s such a pleasure to hear such a different take of this piece of music and then also to take elements that are not completely all on the top of the surface and super obvious but take something and make a motif out of it as Daniel did on on this mix of ‘Greenwich’, it’s just like a really different approach to the whole composition.”
Avery: “One of the things I have always loved about Interpol as band is that there’s a real broken beauty to everything they do. It’s equally sad, and uplifting. And in the same way, I wanted to make something that was heavy, but I thought still had enough sort of light in there somewhere. That’s what I mean when I say that’s my interpretation of the band.”
Avery, your last release was a compilation of B-sides called ‘More Truth’ – is there anything you’re working on at the moment that will be out soon?
Avery: I am working on a lot of new stuff at the moment. Release wise. Still, yet to be determined. There’s a lot happening at the moment so more news soon.
Interpol played ‘Antics’ in its entirety in Paris back in July and just recently played ‘Turn On The Bright Lights’ in its entirety a few days ago at Outside Lands. How has it been revisiting these albums again?
Kessler: “Yeah, it’s great. It was challenging. We are touring festival season, where you don’t get soundchecks and you don’t get much performance time. You want to do the records justice. Also, you make these records and you put them in a listening order. Performance orders are a very different vibe.”
“So it’s really something that you have to prepare yourself to do. You have to relearn how to play the song’s that you haven’t played in a while. You also don’t want to just do a 50 per cent version of it, you want to make it as good as people want to hear it. I think it puts you on the right kind of level of nerves where you want to do it justice, but you’re also present in the moment. And it’s exhilarating. It’s also nice that people even care about something that you created that long ago. I feel very honoured and grateful that people do. It was great to play and revisit those albums.”
Interpol are currently on tour in North America with The Smashing Pumpkins up until September 9. Visit here for any remaining tickets.
They have also recently announced a handful of headlining gigs kicking off with a show at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California in October and two headlining shows at New York City’s Beacon Theatre in December. Tickets are set to go on sale this Friday, August 18. Visit here to purchase tickets.
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Anagricel Duran
NME
