There was always disco and funk on in the house - KC & The Sunshine Band, The Jackson 5, all the classics. As a child, I didn't really care. I was interested in AC/DC and practicing the intro of Thunderstruck on repeat for what probably amounted to years.
I was learning classical piano which progressed to classical guitar. I was listening to rock and I was surrounded by funk. It’s hard to choose one album and say that it had the biggest effect, because there were so many brilliant tracks and albums along the way that developed my taste. But from somewhere in this musical smorgasbord, there came an obsession with brass and big bands.
Martin [Atkinson Borru, also of TOUCAN] showed me this album and it was an absolute inspiration. The hooks, the counter melodies, the bizarre sounds, the off-beats, the tightness and beauty in the brass and the band, a total absence of emphasis on lyricism and a highlight on arrangement and instrumentation.
There's an endlessness to the licks and a lightness to their touch. Some of the musical choices are nearly comical but they work and they're unique. They have personality and there's a simplicity to it that I really admire. If there's one album I aspire to when writing the music for TOUCAN, it's Som Livre.
TOUCAN's debut self-titled EP is available to listen to now on all streaming services.
