Australian indie electronic act Cambio Sun are returning home after over a year spent in London writing, recording and performing. Under Charlie’s Tait’s guidance and artistic vision, the Sydney locals have already impressed the UK with a unique alt take on indie/pop electronica.
Charlie is now homeward bound to take on Australia and begin writing and recording. With a sound likened to Thom Yorke and Alpine, Cambio Sun’s eloquent layers of soaring vocals and smoothly building instrumental layers promise some incredible things on their way to Sydney this summer. Happy was able to grab Charlie before he flew over to hear more about writing and recording in London and what we can expect for 2017.
After a stint living in London, Sydney’s Cambio Sun are eager to be home. Before they touch down in Australia, we have a word about what it was like playing music across the pond.
HAPPY: Cambio Sun was born of a friendship in high school….was it music that drew you together?
CHARLIE: The project started out as a solo project of mine while I was in high school. I finished Retisent at home not considering the songs would have to be performed live. Because of the instrumentation and scale of the music I knew I needed John involved. We’d been friends for a few years’ prior, playing together for our band Lusinth, I just knew he was the perfect man for the job. Music has always been the strongest adhesive in our friendship.
HAPPY: You’ve just come back from London, where you’ve been busy building a pretty solid fan base and developing some great music…what was the reason for the move initially?
CHARLIE: We had management based in London, so the intention was to move there to release a record and play some shows. There wasn’t a set plan or guideline in place really, we just sort of went to see how it would pan out. The things we’ve experienced over the last year have been unprecedented because of the lack of organization…Everything that has happened has just mangled together somehow.
HAPPY: How does London and the rest of Europe compare to Sydney for music and young bands in general?
CHARLIE: I’m not sure of you can compare the music scene in Sydney to London and other European cities. The population density in Sydney obviously has an impact on the amount of music and events going on, but it’s crushing that the music scene in Sydney is completely undervalued by those in charge. The regulations that they have implemented on nightlife and venues is an explicit example of that.
In London and most European cities, music venues, clubs and events are seen as crucial elements of the city’s culture. We’ve been based in East London over the last year and any day of the week you can walk down the high street and see a number of acts in a variety of venues. I remember being in Sydney, searching out gigs all the fucking time and not being able to find anything unless your mate told you about it.
HAPPY: What are you looking forward to bringing over to Australia, musically or otherwise?
CHARLIE: Being in London has a great influence on the music we are doing. Having been exposed to such a variety of styles and genres from all over the world, it’s broadening our listening. After seeing a number of shows as well we know that’s we are wanting to create.
HAPPY: How does the partnership go? Do you sharing writing and producing or is there a strength in each of you?
CHARLIE: I come up with majority of the work and then get John involved when needed. I the last recordings John mainly just played the drums but he’s got a real strength for writing and producing so we do collaborate when it’s necessary. It comes down to what the song is needing.
HAPPY: Let’s talk festivals, you guys have been lucky enough to play some pretty loaded festivals and venues while over in the motherland; Kendal Calling, Blue Dot, Le Zinor, The Royal Festival Hall…. what an experience that must have been!
CHARLIE: Yeah they were great!
HAPPY: Any advice for young musicians looking to move overseas to develop their music and expand their audience?
CHARLIE: Listen, see and smell as much as possible…get drunk/high and meet people.
HAPPY: London…did you find it easy to sink into the culture and the industry in such a musically iconic city?
CHARLIE: We were lucky enough to be placed in essentially the best area for music in London at the minute. East London (Dalston, Hackney, Stoke Newington) is kinda the place to be right now so it was fairly easy to get engrossed in what was happening.
HAPPY: Music videos. The accompanying clip for Maiden Voyage is visually stunning as is the sentiment behind it. How did you come to shooting the clip and what was the creative process?
CHARLIE: Our manager was adamant about a video so we put out an ad on Creative Commission. This guy Jordan Martin gave in his idea and we ran with it.
HAPPY: Having been away from the homeland for a fair while now, what are you most excited to do now you’re home?
CHARLIE: I haven’t been able to write/record for fucking ages so that’s my priority at the moment. Also to cement a musical community which I’ve never been a part of in Sydney. I just want people back home to realise and understand how fucking important music is for a city and hopefully bring that to attention. If you’re a Sydney teenager feeling unsatisfied with the music scene, as I was, I am going to do my best to change that for your sake.
