DAm Mantle TAlks

Dam Mantle is the moniker of Tom Marshallsay; the reflective, Glasgow-incumbent artist and electronic producer who plays Inverted Audio & Electronic Explorations party this weekend.

His debut album Brothers Fowl’ is the culmination of a long and varied musical path. Releases have ranged from the other-worldly chamber orchestration found in his Grey EP the menacing, electronic-infused hip hop of the Purple Arrow EP, or the joyfully eclectic bedlam of his We EP release.
We had a quick chat with him ahead of his gig…

Where are you from, where are you now?
A fishing town by the sea in the south-east of England and now i live in the post-industrial city of Glasgow.

What was the music of your teenage rebellion?
Led Zeppelin

First and last record bought?
First was Squarepusher – Big Loada
Last one was Iron Man – Eric Dolphy

Does Hip Hop play an important part of your musical make up?  What one record made the initial connection for you?
I’m not sure it does to be honest, I mean i was never a Hip-Hop kid, I love a lot but yeah it was more artists like Prefuse 73 that i was excited by when i was younger than the UK stuff the people around me were listening to. ‘One word Extinguisher’ kinda blew my mind open a bit.

You’re playing in London this weekend for IA & EE.  Have you made the move to London and what’s your thoughts on the capital?
Yeh, I’m looking forward to the gig. I’m not sure what to say about London, I can’t really judge the place because I don’t ever stay there any longer than a couple of days. Like any City it’s so many things to so many different people, I’m happy further North just now.

You played alongside Twitch and Neil Landstrumm’s live debut the other month. How was that? Did you frequent the legend that is Optimo in its heyday up in Glasgow.
Yeh they’re good folks, they’re still going strong…

Are you a kick drum, hi hat or a snare? And why?
What is this? Blind Date?  I’m a ride being played by a brush

What are you obsessed with at the moment?
Frankincense

What’s your answer to everything?
Water

What’s happened to ‘deep house’? Where has it all gone wrong?
Depends what you mean by Deep House, i dig it.. if anything’s gone wrong its dress codes and Cocaine.

Do you know Deadmaus, has a mouses’s head, for a head?
Don’t talk to me about ‘artists’ using their identity to sell HiFi Systems

If your sound was a visual thing, what would it look like?
Oil

Whats your favourite place on earth?
The Sea

Who would you say has been the most influential artist of the twentieth century?
Pssh, good question … Stockhausen?

Finally, big question: Zapp or Zappa?
Zappa

Dam Mantle plays Inverted Audio & Electronic Explorations party this weekend. Click the link for full details and tickets.

Grab a free Dam Mantle download here