Electric Chair Liberation: Brothers Of. Part One

Combining psychedelic shoegaze melodies with innovative electronic production techniques, I caught up with the culprits of some of the West Midlands’ most interesting sounds of the past few years, Brothers Of.  

 

Exceeded Expectations

 With the lack of Government funding in the arts industries, it is no surprise that this has left some independent producers thinking outside the box to cut down costs. As a producer myself and overall music geek, I want to discuss with practitioners in the West Midlands their methods and stories. Enter Brothers Of. with singer-songwriter Rohan, and Producer and Mix Engineer, George.

 Their music has caught my attention, as its balance of raw power and technical prowess exceeded expectations the scene had for an ex-drummer turned frontman. Rohan gained his reputation as a fierce drummer and live performer as a founding member of Noise Rock anthem belters The Head-Up Displays. After gaining significant notoriety in the West Midlands, Manchester scenes they turned their attention to London where the band saw out the remainder of their days, before accepting defeat to the typical rock ‘n’ roll cliches of excess and more.  

 The Power of Midi

 Rohan and George had known each other for years before their night out at The Crown, where the two discussed their creative projects, which led to the two embarking on the journey of Brothers Of. together. With the two multi-instrumentalists finding themselves in a limbo regarding bands and projects.  

 “I didn’t know to what scale George produced music, and had no idea of his set-up and the fact he is a wizard. I had written some songs and George was interested in producing it.” Rohan  

 George’s approach to production implements midi to trigger drum samples, and live recordings of cymbals to capture the drums. 

 “I researched recording techniques and found that building a hybrid kit, from sample triggered drum pads and real cymbals, it gives you so much more control in the mix. It gives you the ability to layer drum samples, create your own snares and use any drum you sound you want really. Then the analogue feel of actual cymbals defeats the main flaw of midi drums, which is the cymbals.” George  

 “It was great for me, I could just say can you put an extra snare here or there, or could you turn down those toms. Plus it kept the costs down of hiring a professional recording studio.” Rohan

 I was surprised when learning of this technique, I had heard of layering drum samples over real drums for added punch, but not of this hybrid method. It is a credit to Brothers Of. for their perseverance and dedication to their craft, managing to produce music that is of a professional standard. With noise levels, studio hire costs, producer costs and travel costs all falling onto the plates of independent practitioners, it is important to go your own way and find your own techniques to implement.  

 “When I started producing, I’d just be making 8 or 16-bar loops. I had never really done any songwriting until I started jamming with Rohan. I saw that he had these amazing tracks, the project has led us to learn a lot from each other.”  George  

 The Power of the Plugin!

 With titles like From the Fields Above and Electric Chair Liberation, I asked them how they can come up with such interesting names. 

 “I like to name the song after what the sounds bring to me visually, so Electric Chair Liberation is what that song felt like to me!” Rohan 

 “When he told me the title of that track, I was like yeah I have some electric-sounding sample packs! It just clicked instantly, the whole project was easy for me to interpret.” George

 Their artwork is something to behold too, with the aesthetics being designed also by George, this group are an example of how to thrive creatively as an independent musician. Utilise what you do have at your disposal, and be creative with your limitations. Sometimes, limitations can bring forth an even greater creative vision than if you recorded your songs at Abbey Road. Speaking of which, their Ringo Starr drum kit was used by Brothers Of. for recording! The power of the plug-in!