Since her 2009 album “Hands” went Gold, Little Boots has been busy writing, recording and preparing long-anticipated new music. She’s now embarking on a worldwide DJ tour to promote her new single ‘SHAKE’, a six-minute masterclass in disco dance floor delirium.
During Little Boots globe-trotting 8 city tour, I was lucky to sit down with the British popstar at Bardot in Hollywood to dish everything from her new album, influences, her transitions from classical to electronic, and even who she’d nominate for the GRAMMY in the electronic/dance category this year.
KKS: In contrast to your debut album Hands in 2009, what’s different this time around?
LB: Oh god, well, it’s going to be different musically, but it’s not going to be a million miles different. I’ve experimented with a lot of stuff and come back to just dancing, and actually that’s what comes quite naturally to me. It would be weird for me not to make electronic music. I’ve been into those instruments from such an early age, they’re so natural to me, it would be weird for me to start doing an acoustic album. So I guess the whole dance electronic thing will be similar. Sonically, it’s taken a bit of a change. I’m really into more stripped down things. I’ve been reading a lot about dance music and how it started.
KKS: Who and what your were influences for the new album? I read inspiration was drawn from the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe?
LB: I was reading Edgar Allen Poe at the time, but this is not some literature work. I guess sonically, I have been listening to pop disco, and very much of the start of disco through to Chicago house. And reading about about how dance music was started has been quite interesting. And I guess lyrically, I’ve been trying to write about things other than relationships, so just writing about experiences and feelings and less specific personal things and more like bigger ideas that everyone can relate to in some way.
KKS: As someone who also made the switch from classical music to electronica, I’m curious what made the transition for you.
LB: When I was a teenager, everybody was in bands. I wanted to be a pianist in bands but piano wasn’t very cool . All my friends were into rock, like Yes and stuff. I remember watching a Yes DVD and they had loads of synths. And I was like that looks like a piano, it’s just got more buttons. Like that looks cool, I could do that. So I bought a synthesizer and I was like yeah I could do this. It was like a piano that makes more noise. I guess it was just wanting to be in a band with cool kids.
KKS: So I have to ask, who in your opinion should be crowned this year’s winner of the electronica/dance GRAMMY cateogory?
LB: I mean, maybe not so much straight up dance dance, but as electronic indie, a band I would really invest in long term is Metronomy. They’re are one of my favorites and some of my best friends. I’ve known them for a long long time, and I think they are just so talented, so original, incredible. Joseph Mount is such an amazing writer and producer. I’m slightly biased but they really are genuinely one of my favorite bands that deserve their success.
