Written by Marilù Ciabattoni
Discovered via Musosoup
Born during the lockdown, Nikolai Jones describes his three-way project by the name of Wuzy Bambussy as “a fiercely independent little outfit.” Himself, vocalist Kat Harrison and guitarist Iggy Deverall record, produce and mix everything themselves.
Fun fact: Nik met Kat on a musician finder website. He was a multi-instrumentalist and she a singer. Nik listened to snippets of her voice–a quality he now wants to highlight in their songs–and that’s how Wuzy Bambussy was born.
Although they’ve only been releasing music since last March, the material they present was written at different times during recent years, making it an explosively eclectic combo.
In between tour stops, Nik took the time to answer some questions for Lost in the Manor.
Introduce yourself: Who is Wuzy Bambussy? How and when was the project born?
Hello, and thanks for having us again! So Wuzy Bambussy is primarily vocalist Kat Harrison and myself Nikolai Jones - also on board is guitarist and friend, Iggy Deverall. Although I’m a drummer by trade (don’t most producers start that way!?), I’ve gotten into songwriting and lyricism over the last few years. So really we’re a fiercely independent little outfit. We record, produce & mix everything ourselves. I record the music in the studio where I live and Kat records the vocals at her place. The project was born in an interminable lockdown. I had the backbone of an album ready to go and was looking for a singer. I signed up to a musician finder website and Kat was the first person I stumbled upon, she’d uploaded snippets of her voice online and I thought she was remarkable. She agreed to give it a whirl and we haven’t looked back really.
How has your music changed in the past few years?
We’ve really only been releasing singles since March but the music for this entire batch of songs was written at varying times over recent years, hence a rather eclectic jamboree. I’d say there is probably a more defined and streamlined sound to the new songs we are currently writing, we are finding our vibe and style and I hope I’m writing more to showcase Kat’s voice. We’re still a mix of the organic & electronic, which I’ve always loved. I play in live percussion and drums mixed in with digi beats, I play acoustic bass guitar then meld in dirty synth bass, I just like the supercharged humanity of that combo!
Who inspired your music? Who are your biggest influences?
My primary musical loves have been reggae and ska, soul, funk and northern Soul. In this project I’ve leaned more into an Indie Pop sorta thing. I love late ‘60s psych-folk also and I know Kat loves the folkier side; we’re currently working on one song that has epic orchestral strings but is also like an olde folk stomper. After I finish up here I’m going to download a batch of vocal stems Kat has just sent over for this song and head back up to the lab to get cracking setting them in! I would say the biggest influences on this project (speaking only for myself) are Broken Bells, Beirut, Sandy Denny from Fairport Convention, Kate Bush with maybe a tickle of Gorillaz thrown in for good measure.
Could you introduce your favourite singles you've released so far?
Ah man, so which of your children is your favourite?! It’s a tough question alright. I would say I have a soft spot for the debut single “2 Miles High” – that was the first song I had actually written with Kat in mind. It has what I term an anti-Chorus, which is where most sounds drop out of the mix and you’re left with intimacy. It feels like she’s singing just for you. I love the fact that we opened our account with an anti-chorus. I also love our new single ‘Yesterday’s Shoes, I always felt that groove had potential, I’m a sucker for those stomping Dre-type pianos and Iggy’s acoustic guitars sound lush.
How did you develop this style? Will you experiment with other genres in the future?
I think you have to continue experimenting. I’d never jump on a fad or sound for the sake of it, or to be a careerist stooge. I’d only take on a genre if a song sounds better in that vibe, y’know? For instance, our single in November is called ‘What Became of You?’. The manner of that song, the lyrics and the sadness, it just had to be done in a late-night smoky jazz club vibe, with brush snares, upright double bass and a laid-back lazy piano. So some songs dictate their style, I just couldn’t picture it any other way.
Let's talk about "Yesterday's Shoes:" What inspired it and how did it come to life?
So ‘Yesterday’s Shoes had been kicking around for a few years, written as a demo whilst I was in a previous band. Like a lot of the stuff I was writing it didn’t really fit that band so it sat around gathering dust. After meeting Kat I was looking over the hoard of ideas and this song shook itself off and presented itself again. It’s different writing songs for a woman to sing. I wanted to attempt to write from a feminine perspective. I just started looking at basing the song around a Goddess, to shine a light on the sacred feminine. We live in pretty dark misogynistic times and it feels like humanity is regressing in so many ways, almost uncontrollably. So yeah, I based it lyrically on Hecate the Moon Goddess, mixed in with elements of past life regression and an element of mysticism that flows through a lot of the Bambussy stuff.
Who produces your tracks? How do you choose which producers to work with? Do you have some dream producers you'd like to work with?
That’ll be me! When all is said and done this is my art. I don’t really take enjoyment in farming things out elsewhere, other than mastering. I undertake the whole process and just look to improve and hone my craft as I go. It’ll always have that homely cottage industry vibe and I think if you put me in a big studio with hot shot producers, honestly, it might sound a zillion bucks but it’ll likely lose its charm and integrity along the way. Producer-wise, I really admire Dangermouse, Quantic, Rza, Quincey Jones, Phil Spectre, and King Tubby.
Is music your main occupation at the moment? If not, how are you conciliating your day job with your music career?
Yeah, it’s my main gig. One way or another I’m either writing or recording or mixing or doing promo - talking to luvverly folks like you, or I’m firing out emails to disparate far-flung places, imploring them to pour a slug of Bambussy into their tipple. It’s a full-time, 10-hour-a-day enterprise and I have no other time for anything other than cooking for my better half and walking my gigantic hound.
Have you ever been on tour? If not, would you like to embark on one? If yes, tell us about it.
I’ve been lucky enough to see a lot of the world with music. I’ve gigged all the way up to the Arctic Circle and down to Sicily. To Japan and extensively around Europe. Right now starting again with this new project, I’m fully aware of the huge effort (not to mention expense!) needed to harden up a touring outfit. Would Kat even want to leave her laboratory and the world of science? Would Iggy ever leave behind his beloved micro pub? I dunno, to be honest. Right now we’re just all happy writing some wicked tunes and letting the songs do the heavy lifting. Playing live just ain’t the be-all and end-all it used to be.
Who's your dream feature?
C’mon, appearing in Lost In the Manor takes some beating! Ok, I’m out. Big love, Jones.
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