Exclusive: Five Minutes with Rat & Co

Since receiving a nod of approval from Dave Harrington and strong support from Chet Faker, Rat & Co have performed with the likes of Tycho, Chrome Sparks, and Purity Ring, among others. They’ve recently become a serious force to be reckoned with in the underground scene, and with that, we recently sat down for a quick chat with the talented guys.

Hi there, how are you and what are you up to today?

Doing a photo shoot with the band! trying to get that hot new look down.

To those not familiar with you, how would you describe your sound?

Vocal ambience, electronic beats, wavey synths with post rock undertones.

What are the 5 most influential albums that have influenced you the most?

“Radiohead – Kid A
Aphex twin- I Care Because You do
Boards Of Canada – Music Has The Right To Children
Deep Forest- Deep Forest
Flying Lotus – 1983”

Which other artists are you into at the moment and why? Are there any key pieces of equipment that you are using to define your sound?

Oneohtrix Point Never: Just a brilliant song writing and composer.

TSURUDA: heavy but tasty tunes. one of the better producers going around right now.

Herbie Hancock: trying to get my jazz chops back in action so been vibing along of herbie again

Four Tet: his approach to sampling and beat making is like no one i have ever heard

Machinedrum: he has been releasing some fire tracks lately

Are there any key pieces of equipment that you are using to define your sound?

My voice is probably the only instrument guaranteed to make it on every track in some way or form.

What would you say some of the challenges artists face today in the music industry?

Over saturation of music is making it nearly impossible for those rare gems to shine through anymore. Basically, if you have money you will be popular. talent doesn’t get you over the line anymore

Where do you gather song writing inspiration?
I find inspiration in almost anything. I like to write songs with a theme in mind for a group of songs then move on to a completely different sound a vibe.

Take us through your songwriting process. Are there any particular steps you take when put music together?

The secret is that there is no process in particular that works for us. every song is always approached completely differently from that last.

What’s the best gig you have ever done and why?

Playing at the Sydney opera house with Chet Faker is an obvious highlight of my career

And the worst?
Ahhhhhh lets not talk about that….. hahahah.

If you weren’t a musician what would you be?

An Engineer or builder. Doing a trade is in my blood.

Do you have any particular gigs or festivals that you dream about playing?

Labyrinth festival in japan is by far the coolest festival I have ever been too. Would be a dream come true to play it.

If you could perform alongside any other band or artist, who would it be?

Boards of Canada just so I could talk to them about production tricks.

Do you have any information regarding upcoming releases, projects or gigs in the pipeline that you would like to tell us about?
There is a new album on the way, and we are currently planning some exciting tours for the next year or so!