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ISO formally known as Isochronous depart on their “No Fire” tour this week for the launch of their 4th album “Piece by “Piece”. We caught up with Alex Parker (keyboards, Guitar and backing vocals) from the band to chat about the new album and what can be expected from the tour.
Firstly and most probably the most asked question at the moment. Why the name change from Isochronous to ISO?
Many of our fans already called us ISO anyways, so we figured we’d just shorten it to avoid a lot of confusion.
Tell us about your new album? What can your fans expect?
Our sound has progressed dramatically this year, with a lot more emphasis being placed on production in combination with songwriting. The songs are more dance orientated, but still retain the essential ISO essence. Expect a whirlwind of sound like no other album we’ve produced.
Where did the inspiration for the songs come from?
Like all art, we are inspired by everything around us, be it the small, mundane, everyday things or the once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Other music and other artists also inspire us. Similarly, the working process (i.e. recording and mixing) inspires us. The trick is to channel that inspiration into something meaningful for the everyday listener. This album was all about the process and building it from the ground up. Usually, we would play the tunes live and then, after some time, record them. Now we’ve decided to do it the other way round and it’s really worked for us, creatively speaking.
How long did you spend in studio rehearsing and recording?
The new album is called “Piece by Piece”. It is our 4th studio album and was recorded, mixed and produced entirely by Marko and Richard. We recorded at a friend’s, Nelius Nortje’s, studio in Pretoria, but facilitated the entire recording ourselves. This was a big step for us having recorded our first 3 albums at various studios with professional recording and mixing engineers at our disposal. So to try and take it all on the chin was a big task. We wrote 23 new songs and whittled them down to 10. The whole process, including the writing, recording, editing, mixing and mastering took roughly 3 months. The general theme, as the title suggests, is that by doing things step by step one can reach the end goal sooner and with less troubles. It stood as a reminder to us throughout the recording process, and so actually represents the effort and time we spent on creating this record.
Which is your favourite song on the album and which song do you think will do the best?
We like all the songs for different reasons. But if I have to, I’ll say: “Watch out for No Fire, Count The Hours and Everytime”
You depart on your “No Fire” tour this week for the launch of your new album “Piece by Piece”. Which venue are you most looking forward to playing at and why?
We’re really looking forward to playing again at LIVE in Durban. It’s a great new venue!
What can the party goers expect from your shows during your tour?
A pumping set jam packed full of brand new material as well as a few extra surprises!
What are you expecting from the tour?
We want to give our new record the best send off it can have!
Have you guys got a strict “what goes on tour stays on tour” policy or can you tell us about some of your eventful happenings whilst on tour?
In times past, we have had to tame Franco, our bass player. Richard, in his more youthful times, as well as Alex, could be handfuls in their own right, but generally nowadays the guys are pretty relaxed and focused on tour. We take it easy and try to keep the stress levels low so we can produce our best performance every night.
Who in the band can drink everyone under the table?
Franco.
How many shots of Jagermeister do you actually have on tour?
One each and every night after supper.
Any crazy run ins with groupies?
It has been known that females have asked us to sign their body parts.
Do you have any snorers in the group that keep everyone up at night? What’s your remedy?
Richard…Has been known to wake people in neighbouring hotel rooms with his ruckus! Snores like a monster… Usually a flung pillow or outstretched kick silences the beast, although only momentarily, for it is strong and will not die. It sustains all manner of attack. It is unrelenting and silenced only by isolation. So we have to sleep in different rooms to avoid dub-step synth sounding nightmares.
Which one of you has the best party trick? Explain…
Franco does this thing where he cups his hands and blows through them to produce a marimba like sound. Quite fascinating, really. You gotta be there to understand…
When does your new album “Piece by Piece” hit the shelves?
Piece by Piece is out nationwide in September in stores and online.
Check out the tour dates and venues here: https://lwmag.co.za/music/iso-no-fire-tour/
Photo by Sean Brand
