Febueder: When You Speak To Mingus

Article
By Tom McGrath
16/04/20

Subtitle

We sat down with Febueder to discuss their latest single

Contents

1. Febueder

2. Interview with Samuel Keysell

Samuel Keysell and Kieran Godfrey who make up avant-indie duo, Febueder

Avant-indie duo Febueder’s new single “When You Speak To Mingus” is endued with depth and navigates us through uncertain soundscapes of raw emotion. The accompanying film for the song—created by percussionist Samuel Keysell—tells an urgent tale, one that takes us behind the curtains of the circus into an enchanting yet somewhat dark and chaotic theatre.

Subtitle

We sat down with Febueder to discuss their latest single

Contents

1. Febueder

2. Interview with Samuel Keysell

Avant-indie duo Febueder’s new single “When You Speak To Mingus” is endued with depth and navigates us through uncertain soundscapes of raw emotion. The accompanying film for the song—created by percussionist Samuel Keysell—tells an urgent tale, one that takes us behind the curtains of the circus into an enchanting yet somewhat dark and chaotic theatre.
1. Febueder

Febueder are made up of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Kieran Godfrey and percussionist Samuel Keysell. The pair have been working together for 9 years, since they were 15 years old. Their latest single “When You Speak To Mingus” from their upcoming debut album "Tomalin Has Etched In", is a spectacle in both sound and vision, that leaves you captivated throughout. Experimental and at times unsettling, the song feels somewhat like an urgent call to arms, whilst still retaining the warmth, honesty and raw emotion, that makes the duo’s music so inviting.

Painting by Samuel Keysell created for "When You Speak To Mingus"

2. Interview with Samuel Keysell

We sat down with percussionist Samuel Keysell to discuss the new single “When You Speak To Mingus” from their upcoming debut album “Tomalin Has Etched In”. (TM: Tom McGrath, SK: Samuel Keysell)

TM: Hello Samuel, it’s great to speak with you. What’s the inspiration behind the title of the new single, “When You Speak To Mingus”?

SK: This song originates from a loop Kieran made, he said to me, "It's inspired by Charles Mingus, it doesn't sound directly like him, but the riff ends on the low note," he was referring to the song Moanin'.

TM: The hand-painted story of the Swan that accompanies the song is deeply moving. What was the intended meaning behind the film?

SK: The Swan Circus, is a hand painted stop motion animation which tells the story of swans being captured by a circus and being forced to perform. The video presents the tragedies of slavery and animal capture, it tells the more brutal history of the treatment of animals in the circus, but in this fictional piece, toward an animal considered sacred to the British monarchy, the swan.

Painting by Samuel Keysell created for "When You Speak To Mingus"

TM: Hand-painted stop-motion animation is a painstaking process. How long did the video take to produce?

SK: It took me two years to paint these animations, working on it for a week or two and then leaving it for a month due to the tiresome dedication needed to paint so repetitively. I would gain inspiration again once I edited the images into the timeline and saw the animations move. Starting a new scene and seeing the end result of a scene was my favourite part of the process.

TM: The music and the film feel very closely related, and the sounds evoke images of a somewhat chaotic and twisted circus act. Was the film created intentionally for this piece of music, or did both the song and film develop organically alongside one another?

SK: The song was created first, it's the third song we completed for the album. The film was created after this, initially intended for a different song which features a large saxaflute ending, the instrument which got us thinking about swans. The circus was already a strong theme for us, 'everything I think about is circus related.' When there was a minute of film created for the video we watched it with the song we intended, but found it didn't work as well as hoped, this is when we tried 'When You Speak To Mingus' and found it to be a better fit, so from there on I was painting the swans with this song in mind.

Painting by Samuel Keysell created for "When You Speak To Mingus"

Painting by Samuel Keysell created for "When You Speak To Mingus"

TM: Do you feel it is important to use your music as a platform to promote ideas such as animal cruelty and welfare?

SK: Yes completely. I think it's an important platform to show who we are and what we stand for.

TM: Do you explore similar themes throughout 'Tomalin Has Etched In'?

SK: We certainly explore the Circus theme throughout the album. But if your question refers to 'animal cruelty and welfare' I can't say we do. 

TM: When is the album be released?

SK: Our debut album will be out on Friday the 24th of April.

--

Watch the film for the new single below. 'Tomalin Has Etched In' will be released on 24th April. You can follow Febueder and listen to their discography via the links in our bibliography.

  • Febueder: When You Speak To Mingus

Bibliography

When You Speak To Mingus (youtube.com)
Febueder Spotify (spotify.com)
Febueder (febueder.com)

Social

Febueder Instagram (@febueder)

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