Lockdown has definitely brought new inspiration to some artists out there, and Will Thomas’ collaborative Dive Index project is no exception, releasing a new album ‘Refolded: Waving at Airplanes (Remixes), out now on Neutral Music. The critically acclaimed original dropped at the start of the pandemic, and Will used the following months to rework it, influenced by the mood of lockdown and what was happening in the world around him. We chatted to Will around this new release, about the music videos, and how he’s found the last year…
Hey Will, thanks for speaking with us! Where are we catching you today?
Hey there, thanks for having me! I’m currently in Ojai, California where I moved my studio last summer. It’s about 90 minutes north of Los Angeles and a great place to write and record. That said, I did have to ‘remove’ a rattlesnake outside the front door yesterday.
You’ve just released ‘Refolded: Waving at Airplanes’ Remixes on Neutral Music. You released the original album last year, what caused you to revisit it at this time?
The lockdown really put a damper on in-person collaborations so I liked the idea of putting together an album of new interpretations of the songs from Waving At Airplanes. Normally I would reach out to other producers to do the remixes but when I was going through the vocal tracks, I started to play with some ideas myself. These vocals can work with styles that are quite different from the originals so I just ran with it. I did contact Mike Lindsay (of Tunng/LUMP) who did a remix for the Dive Index album Collisions, and I was thrilled he was up for doing another for Refolded.
The vocals on this release are really strong; can you talk us through who you have been collaborating with?
I was so blessed to work with two amazing artists – Natalie Walker and Conrad Lambert (Merz) – for Waving At Airplanes. Both of them were featured on the Mid/Air album which was such a wonderful collaboration and thankfully they were both up for working together again. For the track order on Waving At Airplanes, we alternated between Natalie and Merz which created an interesting dialog between the two voices over the course of the album.
You’ve also reworked some of the tracks under your Plumbline moniker. Can you tell us a bit about this moniker? You’ve done film scores and released with Roger Eno which must have been pretty special!
I’ve released four Plumbline albums for the Hydrogen Dukebox label in London – two of which were collaborations with Roger Eno. Those were indeed very special, and Roger and I have become close ever since. We’re toying around with doing another one at the moment and have some demos in the works that we’ve been sending back and forth, so hopefully we can get that completed soon. With the Plumbline remix, I wanted to channel that style for the title track, ‘Waving at Airplanes’. In contrast to the rest of the remixes, that one is less percussive with more minimal instrumentation – stripped down electronics and manipulated strings. The track is entirely cello besides the vocal and the kick drum. I called up my friend and amazing cellist, Alison Chesley (Helen Money) to record the cello tracks.
If you had to pick, are you happier with the originals.. or the remixes you’ve now done?
Oof, now that’s a dangerous question, indeed. I know it’s a bit of a cop-out to claim that I like both versions equally but honestly I find myself preferring the one that I happen to be listening to at that particular moment. The originals are a bit more studied and detailed and the remixes are certainly more immediate and playful. Like a good parent, I can’t pick favorites.
Can you tell us about the video for ‘Wish I Had A Pulse’ which has also just dropped? We love what you’ve done for it.
Thanks, so glad you like that one! We’ve had some wonderful spring blooms pop up around the studio in Ojai and I wanted to feature them in one of the videos so we picked a selection of protea, grevillea, iris, aloe and different grasses. To give them some motion, the flowers were inserted into a power drill and spun around. A spotlight was set up from above and we shot in slow-motion outside at night to get a jet-black background.
The imagery came first for this one so I had no idea which track would accompany the footage until we set it against each of the remixes and ‘Wish I Had a Pulse’ fit perfectly. Since it’s an uptempo, dance remix, I loved the way the anthropomorphic plants and grasses emulated a modern dance.
As we start emerging from the last year, what are the key lessons that lockdown has taught you, both professionally and personally?
Yeah wow, what a tough year to experience in our lifetimes. Professionally I no longer take for granted the magic of working together with someone in the room. I’m fortunate that I’ve been ‘working from home’ for many years, so my daily routine didn’t really change during the lockdown. However, working alone and not having the ability to connect and collaborate with other musicians face to face can be so challenging. I’m curious if we’re going to have to ‘relearn’ that dynamic again now that we’re starting to meet up in person again.
On the personal side, it’s certainly been difficult not seeing friends in person, however I’ve taken this opportunity to meet new people in the neighborhood. My social life over that past year has essentially been talking to people across the street while walking the dog. I hope we, as a society, can take some of the positive aspects of the pandemic – becoming more active, riding bicycles, adopting dogs – and make them permanent parts of our post – pandemic world.
Dive Index Refolded: Waving at Airplanes (Remixes) is out now on Neutral Music. Get it here: https://orcd.co/rnz5b4k
