Twi§ted are a band I've been talking about for quite a while, having come across them in the early part of this year and featured them as the first of my New Bands 2015 (here). Since then, they've also featured on one of the Almost Scottish Fiction e.p's that I've put out with Scottish Fiction (grab it here) and I quite honestly can't get enough of them. A Glasgow based duo comprising Vicki Milne and Zoe Burnett, their releases thus far range from the superb electropop of Turn It Up to the dancier, icier and frankly stupendous Machines to the harder sounding but no less melodic Scunnered which you can listen to below. For those of you who aren't from Scotland, the word "scunnered" means fed up or something similar.
Anyway, very soon many, many people are going to know about Twi§ted so, I thought it was only right that we found out a bit more about them. This way, you'll be ahead of the game when all your friends start talking about them. It's the type of service I like to provide. Thanks to Vicki and Zoe for taking time out of their busy schedule to answer a few questions.
APA: How did Twi§ted come together?
T: We met several years ago at a casting audition and, realising we were kindred spirits, we quickly became firm friends. In the early days we had various opportunities to work with some local bands and songwriters. The sound was all very "pretty" and it was all good fun, but we quickly realised this was not really what we were all about and, after a chat with our friend and mentor Paul Buchanan (The Blue Nile), we had the confidence to strike out on our own. From there, we started writing and producing our own songs, finding our own sound.
To take it to the next level, we approached Dave "Disco" McClean who was preciously in Union of Knives, a band we both loved. He helped add a professional edge to our recordings and as this has progressed, Dave has become an integral part of the band. And so, Twi§ted were born.
APA: Tell us who does what in the band
T: We co-write all the songs and of course do the vocals, recording the rough demos in a home studio. We then move it all into the studio with Dave where we bounce ideas around, pushing each other out of our comfort zones and experimenting until we are happy with the sound.
APA: I've always got to ask this one - who are your main influences?
T: The list is endless! We take inspiration from the whole musical spectrum; from Public Enemy through Nine Inch Nails to Leftfield. Seeing as you're pushing us for an answer though, I guess The Prodigy, Fever Ray and Goldfrapp are big influences.
On a personal level, our biggest influence is Paul Buchanan. Although he is infinitely more talented and his music is so massively different to ours, he gave us the tools to write, create and believe in what we do.
APA: For new listeners, describe your sound
T: Our sound is Electropop with a dark/glitchy edge. We write tracks that have meaning and aim to take the listener on a journey. We don't follow plans or structure norms - we just write and produce what feels right at the time
APA: Your songs thus far display a range of sounds and electronic influences at least to my ears. What area, if any, do you see your sound developing into?
T: As we mentioned earlier, we don't really plan these things. Any change in direction will come about naturally (we refuse to us the word "organically!" APA - quite right). At this point, we enjoy what we are doing and will continue in this vein for as long as we get good reactions and people enjoy it.
APA: How have you found the reaction to the band thus far?
T: The reaction to the band so far has been fantastic. We have had a few reviews that we are really proud of and, so far, reaction from people on social media has been really heartening. We are slowly getting picked up by listeners thanks to blogs like yours, Scottish Fiction, Jim Gellatly and Synthopia (in Australia!) being long terms supporters. So far it has all been very positive which makes us think we might be doing something right!
APA: What are your plans for the future? Will we see any live shows?
T: We will be releasing a 5 track e.p. very soon so keep an eye on Twitter (@Twissted_band) for updates on that. We then plan to take it live and are currently in the process of planning and designing our stage show which we aim to start gigging towards the end of the summer. We have already been invited to play at a few venues but we want to make sure we put on the best shows we possibly can, so we have pushed these back to September.
APA: Finally - what are your favourite electronic albums?
T: There are so many - it's really difficult to pin down any ultimate favourites! Today, however, our answers would be: Music For The Jilted Generation (The Prodigy), The Private Press (DJ Shadow), Moon Safari (Air) and Ok Cowboy (Vitalic). We're changing our minds as we think of this so we'll top there!
Thanks so much to Vicki and Zoe for answering these questions. Go and check out Twi§ted on their Facebook and Soundcloud pages and, as they said above, keep an eye on Twitter for all information about upcoming shows and, of course, the new e.p. I can't wait to hear that as on the evidence of their previous work, it's going to be something any fan of electronic music will want to hear.
Twi§ted Facebook
Twi§ted Soundcloud
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