Interviews

Rob J Madin is from the great North England city of steel, Sheffield. A multi musician, largely self-taught who has put together a stunning collection of jazzy funky cuts. Dropping this week on the much-respected Miles Away Records, we get a chance to sit down chimney side and talk about his new long player.

Please introduce yourself to our readers.

Hello readers. I'm Rob.

Can you give us a quick overview of your Monstro EP.

It's six tracks of instrumental jazz-funk, although the term jazz-funk is used very loosely… It has lots of influences - yacht rock, soul, disco, afrobeat, library music, etc.

Your release is a collection of original instrumentals and some reinterpretations right?

Yeah, four originals and two covers.

Tell us a little about some of the original artists from the covers?

One cover is by Rupa, from the Disco Jazz album. I think it was originally recorded in the late 70s and released in 1982 - but the album didn't do very well and sort of got lost in the mists of time… until fairly recently when it got a re-release on the Numero Group label. Similarly, the other cover is by a relatively obscure artist called Michael Miglio from 1980.

What inspired you to rework these tracks?

They're great songs. I've always liked recording cover versions, as it’s a really good way of studying how other people put tracks together – the instrumentation, the structure, the production, etc. Then that’s all stuff I can steal for my own songs.

Tell us about Rob J Madin the musician.

I learned piano and drums when I was younger, then taught myself guitar and bass. I’d say I’m fairly mediocre at all of them. However, my real skill is in making it sound like I’m much better than I am on record.

And am I right in saying you have worked in comedy?

Correct.

What sort of stuff have you done?

I have a comedy character ('Brett Domino’) who mainly does funny songs. I’ve acted in a few sitcoms and also appeared on the snappily titled UK panel show, ‘8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown’.

When did you fall in love with jazz funk?

I used to play drums in a big (15-piece) soul band when I was a teenager. We mainly played stuff like Otis Redding and Sam & Dave (and also some ska punk)… But we also occasionally played Chameleon, which is obviously a classic. I think that led me down the jazz funk rabbit hole.

Is there a particular album that stays with you from the 70s& 80s?

I’m a big Jimmy Smith fan. I love Root Down.

What were some of the early Jazz Funk tracks that touched you.

I remember being a bit obsessed with Jaco Pastorius’s version of The Chicken when I was younger. Specifically the 1983 live in Japan recording with the Soul Intro and steel drum solo. Chef’s kiss!

When we think of Sheffield, there are many musical icons that came out of the city. Is there one in particular that stands out to you and why?

I think Richard Hawley is great. He’s a timeless Yorkshire crooner.

Why do you think Sheffield – a little like Detroit – has given birth to so much music?

I couldn’t tell you… Obviously there are lots of parallels with Detroit – both big industrial cities? Is there something in that…?

What was it that attracted you to Miles Away Records, why did you feel it would be a good home for your release?

I’d got the Miles Away One compilation, which is a great collection of soul, jazz-funk, library music (and more). All stuff that’s right up my street. I’d been recording some instrumental covers of similar sort of tunes, so I thought I’d send them to Dom on the off-chance he might be interested.

How did you eventually connect with Dom Williams?

I just DM’d him on Instagram and sent him the covers I’d been recording. He asked if I had any originals, so I ended up writing four tracks in the same sort of style.

Talk to us about the track Never Gonna Let You Go and its inception. How did it come together?

It’s a brilliant and relatively simple track by Michael Miglio (with strong yacht rock vibes). I found a drum sample that I thought would work well (from Brian Frasier-Moore) and chopped it up to fit the structure of the song. The rest is mostly acoustic guitar, bass and electric piano. There’s a track on Mac DeMarco’s instrumental album, ‘Five Easy HotDogs’ that has this really nice soft synth brass sound playing the melody, so I found a similar sound on my Juno 106 and played the vocal melody on that.

Where does the title Monstro come from?

I’d just seen The Substance at the cinema. The grotesque amalgamation of Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley at the end of the film was referred to as ‘Monstro Elisasue’ on a title card. Just thought Monstro was a cool word. I think it’s the French word for monster.

Who are the artists that have inspired the music that you’re making?

Too many to list really, but I had a playlist as I was recording this EP with artists like Herbie Hancock, Gene Harris, Brian Bennett, Grover Washington Jr, Ned Doheny, Steely Dan, Surprise Chef and Vulfpeck.

What other artists do you follow right now?

I listen to all sorts. In terms of similar artists, I guess BADBADNOTGOOD, Thundercat, Mildlife, Khruangbin. I really like Kiefer – his live album from earlier this year is amazing. But I also listen to a lot of punk, hip-hop, metal, and electronic stuff. Been listening to Barry Can’t Swim quite a bit.

What was the last record you purchased?

Niagara – S.U.B.

Where is the perfect setting for this EP?

Anywhere where the sun’s out.

Who is this music for?

There’s obviously a lot of references to 70s jazz-funk, and modern stuff like Mildlife and Surprise Chef - but I’d say it might also appeal to fans of more mainstream bands like LCD Soundsystem and Hot Chip.

What can we expect next from you Rob?

I’ve got a band together and we’re playing the EP in full at a release party in Sheffield on Friday 16th – so if it goes well, hopefully some more live shows.

Check out the latest release from Rob J Madin.