Whisperin' & Hollerin' are only too happy to check out (and often heartily endorse) cool independent releases, and one of the most interesting we've recently reported on is DANIEL PATRICK QUINN'S "The Winter Hills" album, released on Daniel's own Suilven Recordings imprint (www.suilvenrecordings.com ). It's a record respectful of drone, repetition and silence, but is rarely lacking in melody for all that. Intrigued, W&H got on the hotline to the man himself to find out more about hill-walking, recording without computers and the possibilities of recording under water...
Daniel is a throughly affable, likeable and interesting man who currently resides near Carnforth, on the Lancashire/ Cumbria border, but will soon be upping sticks to Edinburgh. Tell us a little about your formative years, Daniel. Were you touched by the hand of rock'n'roll at all?
"Yeah, I was, though I started out playing violin early on - from about 4 or 5 years of age," reveals Daniel.
"For my sins, I really liked ELO when I was a kid...."Evil Woman" was a great single (laughs), but I seriously got into rock when I was 12 and started playing electric guitar."
"I was really into early Suede and The Auteurs," he continues.
"I did an Auteurs fanzine at 16, actually...even met Luke Haines, I was very much into them."
Really? I've spoken to him myself. Despte his reputation, he seems a really nice guy. Very intelligent...
"Yeah, absolutely," says Daniel. "From there on, I got into Eno, Bowie, Roxy Music because the mid-1990s seemed pretty boring to me. I got sick of playing electric guitar in a way, too because it got to the point where I could play all Bernard Butler's licks,but...so what, really. It wasn't taking me anywhere. Discovering Brian Eno was a big thing...it really widened my horizons."
Right. I know a little of your influences, such as Eno, Jon Hassall and Nico, but was listening to these artists crucial in shaping the way "The Winter Hills" came out?
"Well, I wasn't actually listening to these people when I made the record," Daniel replies,
"But certainly Nico's album "The Marble Index" was a major thing with me last year and the trumpet sound the album utilises came initially from listening to Miles Davis albums from the early 70s."
"But then, I was also listening to things like Dexys Midnight Runners, so it's a varied collection I draw from. I'm a huge Fall fan too.."
Yes! You and me both. It's a difficult afflictiojn to shake, isn't it?
"Yeah, yeah," laughs Daniel. "It's amazing the amount of stuff Mark.E.Smith's put out. Some of the more recent things I find almost comical, because his vocals are virtually incomprehensible these days. I've seen them play live recently and they were amusing, but not necessarily for the right reasons..."
Such is - and remains - the weird and (still sometimes) wonderful world of The Fall, but back to Daniel's own oeuvre: why choose the name Suilven for your label? How permanent a project is it?
"It's very much a permanent project. It's not an attempt to get major labels interested," says Daniel, with real definition.
"The reason for the name Suilven, though, is it's one of the best mountains in Scotland. It's very far north, north-west of Ullapool, actually. But while I like the peaks in the Lake District, for instance, in the north of Scotland there are these weird shapes coming out of the landscape. It's so spectacular and a striking place indeed. That's why I chose Suilven for the label."
One of the things I was attracted to was that you've deliberately avoided using computers in making "The Winter Hills". Are you worried about being referred to as a Luddite of sorts?
"Ha ha, no, not really...I'm not bothered," laughs Daniel.
"I mean, I might buy a modern synth if and when I can afford one," he continues.
So it's more of a 'needs must' approach?
"Well, not entirely either. I mean, I do have an aversion to some of the sounds of now...especally most of the crap that ends up on TOTP and in the charts. It's a shame things have got so narrow-minded. Also, there's not nearly enough experimentation."
Well said, young man. But, let's just examine the scenario for a moment: Daniel Patrick Quinn gets signed to a big corporate label and has the option to make a big budget, technologically-assisted album? Do you tell them to stuff it and remain organic?
"Well,if I were to go to a huge studio with no expense spared, I'd still want to go for something that sounds organic," says Daniel, remaining as definite as ever.
"I don't have a problem with big production per se, it's just that a lot of things that have gone that route now sound very dated, especially loads of stuff from the 1980s."
Absolutely: and one of the strengths of "The Winter Hills" is that its' understated approach ensures that in terms of imagery it retains its' element of mystery. Are all the tracks based on real people and events?
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"Well, none of it's fictitious, I can't write that way," Daniel responds.
"I can't do a Neil Young, or Dylan, or Bowie with characterisations. They can brilliantly use such long, third-person, impersonal lyrics, but I just couldn't imagine doing that myself. I really need an emotional connection."
"I mean, I need something like a revelatory experience to be remotely happy with my lyrics," he elaborates.
"Otherwise I'll just tend to throw lyrics away. All my songs are about real things. The title track, for instance, refers to the time I spent in London studying philosophy and thinking about how much I missed the landscapes up north. London tends to do that to you..."
Tell me about it. But I presume you are a keen hill walker? Have you done the Fells, the Pennine Way etc?
"Totally, I''ve climbed every mountain top in England and lots of the ones in Scotland. 2000ft is the height for a proper mountain, not just a hill..."
Right. Any specific ones inspire particular songs on the album?
"A number of places in Cumbria, certainly," muses Daniel.
"But it's a collage of different places. There's a lyric about a crashed plane in "The Winter Hills", which is based on Langdale, the Rhino's Pass. From there you can walk up and see this wreckage...it's pretty sombre...a plane crashed there in wartime."
"Then there's "Pathways," he continues.
"That came together quickly and encapsulated a lot of what I want to do. It fell together quickly and again relates to my London experience. Living there...you forget such a large chunk of your life being there. On the other hand, "Pilgrim's Way" is about exploring in Kent, around Canterbury and the 100 miles of the Pilgrim's Way. I scattered my Grandad's ashes there, actually."
Meanwhile, I believe you're also involved with a project called The Rough Ensemble, too. Can you tell me a little more about this project. Is it a regular, on-going thing?
"Hmm...well, it hasn't been so good," says Daniel.
"It came about because I wanted a semi-improvisational group and was rehearsing with some people in Lancaster, but it fell apart for several reasons. Originally, I had a 12" single planned, featuring a very funky, synth-y track, called "Rickerton Junction." But I fell out with the guy I was collaborating with. At the moment, the state of play is that when I'm in Edinburgh, if I bump into the right people, the Rough Ensemble could get re-animated. Dunno yet...I might also just get other musicians in to help me."
Talking of which, what's prompting your move to Edinburgh? It's a fine city, certainly, very evocative, but what does it have especially for you?
"Much more musical opportunities, certainly," Daniel fires back.
"It's my favourite UK city, too. It's got Arthur's Seat right in the middle of it, plenty of hills, pubs...very friendly place. Big place, too...plenty of potential collaborators and mountains nearby..."
Yeah, Glencoe, for instance...
"Mmm, I wanna try Glencoe. Recently, I've been climbing Snowdonia at dawn. I got stopped by the police for climbing the Brecon Beacons at 5 in the morning...they took a bit of convincing I was really an enthusiast."
You're kidding! But, Daniel, before we go, can you tell us a little more about your proposed next project. You've been talking about recording underwater?
"Yeah, I'm very serious about that. I'm planning my next album, which is probably gonna be song-based unlike "The Winter Hills."
I wrote the album as I recorded it, but this next one will have me sitting down with an acoustic guitar with finished lyrics."
"The thing is," he coninues, "I like drones...3 chords at the maximum, like on "Pilgrim's Way" and "Pathways." I might ditch the guitars when I record. The underwater recording is an important part of it. The microphones you use are called hydrophones - they're designed for people sitting around Loch Ness, believe it or not! I want to change the regular recording medium, I'm always looking to do that!"
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