Bobbyy Talks New Album, Recording Sessions And More

 Bobbyy is a producer, drummer and DJ based in Los Angeles. Known for his work with the acclaimed US West Coast experimental jazz collective High Pulp, as well as the duo sunking, 2024 sees Bobbyy stepping out as a solo artist. His debut album, ‘Buckets’ is out now and he waxed lyrical with us at JLTT:

Your debut solo album ‘Buckets’ is out now. How did you want to approach the making of the album?

I moved to LA in 2021 and was no longer living in the same city as my bandmates but still wanted to make music. I had gotten an Elektron Digitakt sampler not too long before that and was making some stuff but nothing too serious. One late night in my garage/studio after I had moved, I realized I had a few songs that fit together and hoped that if i kept exploring my sampler and what mysteries resided inside it, that I could make an album. Once I hit that moment, I just dove in and created as much as I could.

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

It was produced by myself and recorded mostly in my garage in LA. Did some stuff in Seattle and from the road too.

Who plays on the album with you?

I’ve got Andy from my band High Pulp on saxophone, Stas THEE Boss and Pink Siifu rapping on a track, Rachel Lime from New York singing on one, and Rob and Victory from High Pulp also played some synths on it. The collaborations can’t be forced, you’ve got to let them fall into place.

You have also released the new single ‘I Was At The Fence’ featuring Rachel Lime from the album. What was the story/inspiration behind the track? How did that collaboration arise?

Rachel was visiting me in LA to help direct a High Pulp music video and we made that song in probably an hour one night while she was in town. We played in a band that sorta sounded similar to that song back when we were younger and had been talking about collabing for a while until it finally happened.

Who are some of your musical influences?

This is always a really hard question. Lately it’s been gospel music and Galcher Lustwerk.

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

Give me a Vonnegut book and I’ll get zany. Cat’s Cradle.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

I really love to work with whatever I’ve got. Sometimes limitations are blessings. I’ve actually bought and sold so much gear over the years because I thought it was gonna help me make better music. My rig these days is pretty much Ableton, my Digitakt, and my drum set.

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

Seattle, Washington. Magical. Stunning. Depressing. Seafood. Ken Griffey Jr.

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the album recording sessions?

I remember the distinct moment I decided that I was gonna use my own voice on the record (something I had never done before). I was sitting in the back of my garage in the pitch black with my headphones on and the music blasting and I put so many effects on the voice because I didn’t like the sound of my own voice, but I knew what I wanted to say!!

Do you have any plans for live shows in Europe/UK in 2024?

Hopefully in the fall…

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

a) Thence I Arrived On A Foreign Shore

b) The Mother, The Child, & The Magazine

c) It Knows The Bliss Is Treacherous

Was it a difficult album to write?

No, it was freeing.

 How do you look after your voice?

I don’t at all.

What two pieces of advice do you have for a novice drummer?

If you want to get better, you gotta practice!!! Find your own voice on the kit and fall in love with it!!

What makes BOBBYY happy and what makes you unhappy?

Sushi makes me happy, my family and friends make me happy, and the sunshine makes me happy (had to leave Seattle). The fact that we still don’t have the Sonics back yet makes me VERY UNHAPPY!!!