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TILT: "Hinterland"

TILT and Hinterland -  Over 5 years in the making, ‘HINTERLAND’ is the long awaited debut album from TILT. Following on from their acclaimed debut EP ‘Million Dollar Wound’, ‘HINTERLAND’ has over 60 minutes of new music. TILT members Robin Boult, David Stewart and Steve Vantsis are all probably better known for recording, writing and touring with prog legend FISH over the years. Steve Vantsis was also responsible for most of the writing of the last two well received Fish albums, ‘13th Star’ and ‘Feast of Consequences’. They are augmented by guitarist Paul Humphreys and singer PJ Dourley. TILT are joined on this release by keyboard player John Beck (It Bites) and guitarist John Mitchell (Lonely Robot/Kino/Arena/It Bites) with John Mitchell also responsible for the final mix.. Find out more about the album. Here's the main songwriter/bassist, etc (with a helping hand from Paul):  STEVE VANTSIS

Your forthcoming album is to be entitled 'Hinterland' can you explain the meaning behind this?

It means several things to me but one of the more literal interpretations is the leap into the unknown, which is what this debut album was to a certain extent. To see something in the distance but to not be sure what it is exactly or how to get there – or even if you should attempt to.

Kindly tell us about the writing process and what you're trying to capture with Tilt and the album.

I tend to write alone. It’s only really when I have a solid idea do I take it to another member of the band. Drummer Dave Stewart tends to be first! He’s good at jettisoning the weaker ideas and honing in on what works. I would then work on the song further before introducing it to Paul Humphreys (the guitarist) and Paul Dourley (singer). As regards what we are trying to capture… I guess the important thing for me first and foremost was trying to establish our identity and then playing to our strengths. Even though I start the songs off 90% of the time it’s a pretty democratic band musically and we try to highlight each band members influences as best we can.

What's the story behind the track of 'Bloodline'

STEVE: Lyrically? I need to defer to Paul on that one!

PAUL: It’s about addiction. My uncle Paddy died of alcoholism and it made a lasting impression on my life. If you suffer from it, you’ll probably understand where the lyric is coming from. Constantly pretending to be a functioning human, this alone can be a very stressful existence.

Do tell us something about "Strontium Burning". Not your ordinary kind of title?

PAUL: It’s about loss. When you lose something you ‘burn’. “And now I know, Angels come with death”. I know I have an Angel, I’ve done too much crazy shit not to not have an Angel watching over me!

What's your new CD like in comparison to your previous work and Fish?

I think the main way in which it differs is that within TILT there are relatively few restrictions. Although Fish doesn’t play an instrument he definitely knows what he wants and It’s your job as a co-writer with him to realize that and make it happen. You’re being a ‘professional’ musician in that instance. So it’s a two way street with a lot of traffic! TILT was an opportunity to just let the muse take me and see where I ended up – sometimes with successful results, sometimes not so much! So I guess it was more rewarding in the sense that I was solely responsible. But it was also very important for me personally in attempting to hone certain skills that are necessary when you attempt to write and arrange music.

Do you pay attention to what fans/friends expect from you and your music?

Yes, but only to a point. I think it’s important to know your general demographic but I think it’s also important to push the envelope. That kind of approach I think is mutually beneficial.

What's the secret behind a good production and sound?

I guess to not try and ‘fix it in the mix’! Good quality equipment, from the cables to the mics to the amplifiers to the strings to the picks! Always try and use the best available to you. When I worked with Calum Malcolm on the Fish albums it was again impressed upon me the importance of getting the best source material you possibly can at the very start of recording. He was meticulous in his recording methods. It can only get better after that. Got to say, our man John Mitchell did a fantastic job on the final mix too but he won’t tell me any of his secrets!

What kind of equipment are you using in the studio? Are you 'up-to-date' or old school?

A bit of both but I’m more and more ‘in the box’ these days. I use UAD, Slate and Waves plugins on a Mac Logic Studio system with a couple of out-board rack units. Logic is great I think from a creative, writing point of view as there are a lot of toys in there to get you up and running. You can get some great results with that system alone. I use some different pre-amps into Logic which are nice and I think it’s important to get the best one you possibly can.

Any experimental miking and/or recording techniques on your record?

Not per se, we were pretty conventional this time around. I did use a few ‘found sounds’ and occasionally used fairly unconventional sounds for loops, effects etc.. I really don’t like to use ‘stock’ loops or sounds if I can help it. I think it’s usually a good idea to tweak stuff and send them through guitar amps or whatever.

What's the story behind your moniker? (TILT)

And this is an exclusive on the band name! It’s actually based around the whole Don Quixote ’Tilting at Windmills’ thing. I’ve always loved that story, it resonated with me from an early age. The concept of the ‘vain goal’, which kind of leads us back to the concept of Hinterland actually. Even the cover of our debut EP featured a windmill on it (after a fashion), not sure people ‘got’ that tho’! Maybe there’s a concept album of sorts in there actually…

Have you always been the 'Prog-Rock Kid' or do you have the dark hidden past? :)

My formative years were in the 80s so you can imagine what horrors lurk in there! I think it’s a generally misunderstood decade musically tho’. Of course there was a lot of terrible music but there was also a lot of brilliant music. But to be honest I remember hearing ‘Script For a Jesters Tear’ for the first time and thinking, hang on there’s something in this. Much later on I let slip to Fish that I had never actually heard the whole of ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway’. His face was a picture. He made me listen to it right there and then! And I’m glad he did.

If there's anything you'd like to add, say, please do

Thanks for the opportunity to waffle! :0)
Steve Vantsis /Tilt

Interview by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
Photos from the band's facebook page (not a lot of photos there!)  

tiltband.co.uk 

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