Interview with Matt Cargill on Sly & The Family Drone’s latest album Moon Is Doom Backwards

Transmission 142: Interview with Sly & The Family Drone

Sly & The Family Drone is a British experimental music collective formed in 2008, featuring James Allsopp, Kaz Buckland, Matt Cargill, Ed Dudley, and Will Glaser. Their work combines improvised live performances with a mixture of electronics and acoustic instruments, creating unpredictable and immersive experiences. The group’s latest album, Moon Is Doom Backwards, was released on October 27, 2023, through Human Worth. Recorded at Larkins Farm, the album alternates between moments of quiet tension and intense sonic disruptions. A portion of the proceeds from the release is donated to Melanoma UK.

What were some of the early influences that drew you toward experimental music in the first place?

Title: Moon Is Doom Backwards
Artist: Sly & The Family Drone
Genres: Avant-garde, Drone, Experimental Music, Jazz, Noise Rock
Label: Human Worth
Description: Matt Cargill of Sly & The Family Drone discusses Moon Is Doom Backwards, improvisation, and the partnership with Human Worth in this interview.

Probably coming out of my first band and getting into noisier things that led on from Sonic Youth. Hearing Lightning bolt and Load Records turned me on so much. Then getting into that golden era of US noise music, going to ATP in 2005 basically changed everything.

How did the configuration of Sly & The Family Drone as a collective come together? What were the first challenges you faced when experimenting with your sound, especially in such a genre-bending setup?

Originally sly was a solo project, with me making tape collages. Over time it involved more friends, the first drummer Toby Jackson made it a duo and we played a few gigs as that before long term member Kaz (Buckland) joined on auxiliary drums and effects in about 2008/9. So there’s always been a rotating cast that changes, some people may have other commitments or couldn’t make certain gigs. The challenges were that it was a time when none of us had any money and had to commit to working. Some people simply couldn’t afford to be off work so had to choose between working or touring. However we were lucky in that we were able to live and work cheaply and rehearse and record in a warehouse and do those early recordings ourselves.

There’s a strong improvisational element to your work. What were your earliest experiences with free-form music making?

Generally we’re improvising when we play live, there may be touch points or references that we may come back to in a live set but its all improvised in how we get there. My first experiences of making improvised or free music was when I got my first couple of effects pedals in my first band. Everyone somehow acquires a distortion and a delay and makes it feedback. I just did that for hours on end in my parents house, not really knowing that that’s music, it just felt fun. Then over the years you discover other people doing it and start seeking it out,

The atmosphere of ‘Moon Is Doom Backwards’ is eerie, intense, and cinematic. Were there specific visual or non musical references that fed into its creation?

Not consciously, we weren’t thinking of a theme whilst we’re playing. It just came out of doing a residential recording session and having a few days to do as we please. It was just the nature of the music, it can still be intense whilst not being loud or fast. There have been people in reviews saying its cinematic, which is nice and people can apply their own imaginations and a visual element to it. I would love to soundtrack a horror film, but it wasn’t necessarily something we were doing on this particular record.

You arrange your gear in a circle during live shows, facing each other. How did this particular setup evolve and what does it bring to the performance?

We’ve played in the round at almost every gig we’ve played. There’ve been times at larger festivals when It’s not been possible but generally, we like to play in the round. In the early days, sound engineers would be so put off by us and think we’re just a noise band and want to turn us down – so we started bringing our own PA system and playing through that, so they didn’t have control and it was up to us. Being in the middle of the room, up close with people and in control of the sound. We can physically see each other better, there’s a better interaction with the audience and feel the energy of the speakers up close. When you’re up on a stage it feels to me like there’s a disconnect from the audience. It feels like a better atmosphere to be up close

What’s your philosophy on balancing electronics and acoustic instruments?

I find it interesting to have that mix. When I first saw Kjetil Møster play in Ultralyd it blew my mind. I could see all his pedals and it kind of blew my mind, that you could create sounds with acoustic instruments and it does not necessarily sound like the original source. Being able to process those and create new textures and rhythms is exciting to me.

The album’s title, ‘Moon Is Doom Backwards,’ hints at something ominous and cryptic. What’s the significance for you?

The title itself is the name of Kaz’s (Kazland) original painting. We feel like album titles are more important than individual tracks, and maybe have more meaning, whether that’s metaphorical or not. I feel like the title could refer to an age we’re living in with disinformation and unreliable narrators. Things aren’t what they seem and are upside down. You’re being told a statement which you can read isn’t true, yet you’re being told that it is.

Human Worth has released this record with part of the proceeds going to charity. What does this partnership mean for you, and how did it come about?

It’s exciting to work with Human Worth, they work with lots of great bands and that the charities and people they support through fundraising is excellent. We decided to donate to Melanoma UK in memory of our friend Karen. We met at Supernormal in 2012, when her toddler son at the time joined in hitting our drums at the end of our set. We saw that family over the years grow up and form their own bands and we became friends and would go and stay with them when we played in Birmingham. So it’s in memory of her.

As for Human Worth, I’ve been following their work over the last few years and I’m really proud to be part of their great lineup of artists.

Looking ahead, what territories – sonic, emotional, or otherwise – are you interested in exploring next?

Would I love to explore some more actual physical territories. Touring in Europe has become more difficult post Brexit, but I’m hoping that things can ease up.

There’s loads of places we’ve not made it to yet. For example, we’ve never played in Italy. One of the biggest driving forces of the band is to be able to travel and reach new people. I feel lucky to be able to play and go to places you wouldn’t be able to otherwise. So hopefully more tours and festivals to be able to do that.  

Photos courtesy of Sly & The Family Drone

Matteo Damiani

Matteo Damiani is an Italian photographer and author. Curator of the sites Retrofuturista.com; weirditaly.com; china-underground.com and others