Following on from the release of his debut enchanting 80’s track Stay With Me last year, Glamour Hammer now enlists remix power house, Oliver Nelson for a stellar rework. Glamour Hammer introduced himself to the circuit last year and has kept a mysterious profile, whilst he taps into the sound palette of the late 70’s and early 80’s through an eclectic blend of disco, rock and soul. DMCWORLD thought it about time to check in with the main man…
Hey Glamour Hammer, thanks so much for chatting to us here at DMC. For any readers who aren’t aware of you, can you explain a bit more about yourself?
Hi! Thanks for having me. This is actually the first interview I’ve ever done as Glamour Hammer, so I’m very excited.
Well you could say I’m a bit of a country boy and I live in the rural parts of Sweden. I have a small messy home studio where I make most of my music. I’m also passionate about graphical design and my horses. My taste in music was shaped a lot by the stuff I found among my parents CDs and vinyls as a kid, such as Chicago, Stevie Wonder and Blood Sweat & Tears. I grew up in the late 90s when dance music was becoming mainstream again, so that influenced my musical tastes too. There wasn’t much of a club scene in my town growing up, but I still listened to Daft Punk the same way I would listen to a Steely Dan album.
I was about 12 when I first got introduced to a DAW as my dad had Logic installed on our PC. I started learning a lot in front of that screen and have been making music ever since. Now, 20 years later, when I make music for “Glam Ham”, it’s a lot about going back to those roots, my early musical imprints, mixed with new revelations, and kind of deduce what sounds I truly love hearing.
How would you describe your sound?
I want to create songs that evoke nostalgia. When I produced ‘Stay With Me’ I meant for it to sound like I had taken samples from some old disco records. I was looking for a sense of timelessness where it’s hard to determine when this was recorded. Genre-wise it’s quite fluid. I’ve got stuff leaning towards dub, western and afro-disco that I’m really looking forward to dropping. Also, groovy basslines are something I can’t get enough of.
You released your first single ‘Stay With Me’ last year, what have you been up to since then?
I have a lot of material that I’ve been accumulating over the years but haven’t got around to finish. So I’ve done my best not to start on any new tracks, but finish the ones I have that fit the bill for Glammer Hammer.
Oliver Nelson’s just done a remix of ‘Stay With Me’ tell us about this?
I’m super satisfied with Oliver’s work. It’s straight forward, uplifting and groovy. Can’t get enough. It’s simply a good remix and what else can I say, he’s a professional and a really good dude!
Is there anyone else you’d like to work with?
First of all, good old friends that I miss hanging out with. I know so many talented people and it’s a shame that we don’t get together more! (well maybe not in these times)
If I was gonna be a bit bold and pick some idol I’d say Brittany Howard (Alabama Shakes). That human is out of this world. I can’t even.
How has lockdown been for you? Is there anything you’re looking forward to doing when things ease?
It has been weird and I hope things will get better soon. People are suffering and I’m just grateful for the relative stability I’ve been blessed with so far. But I’m eager to be able to meet my parents and relatives.
What is next for Glamour Hammer?
My next release will be a lovely kind of urban soul thing featuring a rapping guest star that I’m not gonna reveal yet. My dear uncle even plays the trombone in it. I don’t know any exact dates yet but I keep my fingers crossed that it will be before the end of summer.
