August 2007 | Soundtrack
Dust
I know, it's the end of the summer, end of the holidays, back to work, depression and bad temper, but I've found a way to cheer you up. After making it through the Tastemaker section, dust (a band from Switzerland) consisting of Jessica Knoll and Mike Turtle.
Feeling down? Everything seems grey around you? Just listen to "Loop my Life" or "Big Blue Sky" and your world is colourised again! dust mixes jazz, pop and blues to produce a fresh and sparkling new sound with fantastic vocals and instrumental backgrounds.
The interview
How did you meet?
I (Mike) met Jessica in 1999 as part of a scratch band that a mutual friend put together, we started writing songs (and living) together, after doing 2 CDs we decided we needed a live band, and this is made up of musicians from the local (Basel Switzerland) scene.
How would you describe your music? Genre, inspiration, message sent...
The songs are really like pages from our diaries, stories that really mean only something to us. We are happy when other people are touched by them, as it seems to be more and more the case. And it is the kind of music I like to listen to: singer songwriter material where the writer is gracious enough to let him or herself be shown in a personal way, people that come to mind are James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and more recently Nik Kershaw, although I allow myself to be moved by Tom Waits, and Jessica is leaning towards the acoustic sounds of Alison Krauss and Eva Cassidy.
What are you musical influences?
See above for some names, but I also like myself to be influenced by many artists as diverse as Steely Dan, John Hassell, Kate Bush, the Stranglers (I guess you can tell I grew up in the '80s) Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares and Loituma.
What was the inspiration for the name "dust"?
One of our songs deals with the fact that despite all that we are and all we may or may not achieve, we will return ultimately to "dust" in whatever form that may take.
Describe a typical day in the life of dust.
As Jimi Hendrix once said: "sometimes I get up" and that pretty much describes the "same old same old" type day. We just played two large festivals and those were "that's more like it" days, being pop stars, hanging out, free tickets to "steely dan" etc. Otherwise we are recording, that involves getting the songs and vocal performances right, and then adding the other instruments "properly". At the moment dust life also involves constantly checking out possibilities online for the future.
Any project for dust? (Singles, concert...)
When Jessica and I started to work together we had the idea to make 3 CDs which we have now done as of June. We are very happy and proud of the 3 CDs, also the look and tactile aspects of the CD (I love to download stuff, but there is something special about a real CD package, and our CDs have been planned with a real visual appeal in mind). We still have a few "good songs" left over, so in reality we will probably make more music available at some point, though probably not on a physical CD.
What is your earliest music memory?
I can remember dancing to an Andy Williams audio tape recording of a TV show, maybe I was like 6.
What was the first record you ever bought?
The first real record I bought was "A hard day's night"
What did you want to be as a child?
A cricketer, Jessica wanted to be involved with horses.
Your best moment within dust.
Last week at the Blueballs festival, when we played our "hit" (a lot of radio play in Switzerland) and 3 or 4 people beamed and cheered in recognition. Next goal is to have people sing along because they know it.
Discover more about dust at myspace.com/wearedust
Listen to Dust for free on WE7
