Telekom Electronic Beats

10 x 4: Gramme

Lovers of ESG, Liquid Liquid and Tom Tom Club listen up: UK punk funk four-piece Gramme are set to release their debut album Fascination on February 28 via Tummy Touch Records, the independent label which launched the careers of Groove Armada, Tom Vek and The Phenomenal Handclap Band. What makes this event a little more remarkable is the fact that this isn’t the first time Gramme have been on our radar, their Pre-Release EP was released all the way back in 1999. Back then their stilted rhythms and elastic guitars effectively foreshadowed the likes of !!!, The Rapture and LCD Soundsystem—but they didn’t stick about to see it. Now that they’re back (and hopefully hanging around this time) we’re going to seize the moment to reacquaint ourselves.

1. Your most memorable show?
The Rough Trade in-store.

2. Is any aspect of fame important and if yes, why’s that?
The most important aspect of fame is the cause; if the cause is genuine then fame is simply a consequence of popularity and critical acclaim.

3. If you were still in high school, which clique would you belong to?
The arty fuckers

4. An album that changed the way you thought?
ESG – ESG (buy)

5. What does underground and mainstream mean to you?
Underground is a term used to describe specialist users and mainstream describes general use.

6. Latest find on Soundcloud?
Miguel.

7. Name three essential artists.
Piccaso, Matisse, Miles Davis.

8. Write a non-promotional paragraph.
Gramme has four members and reformed three years ago. The first songs we wrote after reforming were fairly noisy but didn’t end up on the new album. We thought it would be easier than it was but soon realised that making good music was bloody hard and would take time. In truth, the best stuff took about 2 years to find.

9. Indispensable outfit?
Sailor trousers and a classic stripy top… Possibly a jaunty hat to set it off.

10. A film or book that greatly influenced your music?
Stop Making Sense by Talking Heads.

Published January 22, 2013. Words by moritz.schmall.