Words by Zainab Jama
Photos by Tom Oldham
Suave, sophisticated and supremely talented. Those are three, well maybe four, words that best describe Othello Woolf. Hailing from North London, he’s set to takeover the music scene in 2010 with his unique take on soul-infused synth-based pop. Not only is he a dream to listen to behind the mic, he also has skills behind the mixing desk – not only producing all his own material, but playing all his own instruments too. Fresh from releasing his debut single ‘Stand’, on a super limited white 7” vinyl on Young and Lost records (watch out for it on mp3), ‘SUP caught up with Othello over a cup of Earl Grey in east London to speak about his love affair with music, his forthcoming LP and what he thinks of his comparisons to Bryan Ferry.
Let’s start from the beginning, tell us about your background in all things musical?
I guess I played some instruments in school that I didn’t really like to be honest. Violin, oboe – the more classical end of the spectrum. It was being taught that didn’t really enjoy. I was only around 10 or 11, so never really took either any further.
So what did you enjoy?
Piano. Whenever there was one in the room I’d go and tinker on that. After a while I started figuring out how to play it on my own, my parents got a piano, so I had the chance to spend more time with it, figure some things out and read bits of music. If I hear something by Stevie Wonder, for example, that I really enjoy, I automatically want to figure how to play it. I guess you could call it self-taught but if you have the ability to pick things up by ear, why would you want to learn it from a music teacher?
What did you listen to growing up?
What I listen to goes in phases – at one point in my teens, when it really blew up, me and my friends would only listen to hip-hop: NWA, Biggie, Tupac, De La Soul, Dr Dre etc and I still listen to all those guys now – I love it. When I got to 16-17, I got into what you could loosely call indie music: The Smiths, The Doors and various other bands. One thing that has remained in my collection is lots of soul music. Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock are two of the greatest musicians to me. I guess over the years I tend to get obsessed by a certain band or artist and end up checking out their entire back catalogue and soak it all up. It wears out the obsession but another sound will always jump out and you end up getting immersed in that.
Do you think those sounds, or obsessions directly reflect in the music you are making now?
Yeah, I think so. I think people will always have a problem of where to place a sound that’s slightly different. There are definitely elements, even if they are not as obvious as a looping bass line that you’d have in hip-hop and it doesn’t fit into one genre.
You sing, write and produce right?
Yep, I play all my own instruments on my tracks. During the production process I’ll play each instrument as I go, layering one on top of the other. Of course when it comes to live shows, I get some musicians in who are able to recreate the parts really well. But it’s primarily guitar and keys, whether that’s bass guitar or electric and the drums are all drum machine.
What you think about the comparison to Bryan Ferry and the whole Roxy Music scene?
I’ve had that quite a few times. I guess it’s because I’m English, I’ve got a bit of a soul-pop sound and dress quite smart. I’m not offended by the comparison, but I would say that our sounds are different.
Tell us about the single and forthcoming LP?
It’s out this week on Young And Lost records. To be honest it doesn’t feel like a ‘proper’ release like singles used to be around 5-10 years ago. But having said that it’s also coming out on a limited white 7” as well as mp3. I’ve got the single launch party where they’ll be available for the first time. It’s quite nice actually, inside each 7” there is a uniquely printed slip that has a design on it – when you get them all together it makes a picture of my face. Maybe one day everyone whose bought one will be able to meet up and see the final picture. That would be great.
As for the album, all the tracks are finished and they actually have been for a little while. It’s just the process of the music industry and how it works. I could’ve put it out ages ago, but if no-one knew about it it’s almost like a whole lot of work has gone to waste. So I’m kind of waiting to play live more, release a few more singles and get some word of mouth going, so everyone starts talking about me.
