INTERVIEW WITH CUT COPY'S TIM HOEY

In contrast to the stuff you've released before - mostly recorded by yourselves with a sort of punk attitude - your most recent album "In Ghost Colours" (March 2008) was recorded in a professional New York based recording studio and produced by Tim Goldsworthy (Unkle, LCD Soundsystem). Was it easy to make the switch and how many times did you have a fight with Tim?

"Well Tim is a small guy and there were three of us so we knew if he started any drama in the studio then we could take him, although he did have home court advantage. I guess the best thing about working with Tim was that is was a collaboration. It wasn’t really a ‘producer’ and ‘band’ scenario. We like to think that he was more our muse in the studio. He was always there to serve the record first and help us achieve everything sonically that we wanted. It was a totally relaxed working environment, which is what you want."

I guess Cut Copy refers to the process of music making with computers. What software do you guys use to cut & copy with?

"Well for writing we use Cubase and Logic and an array of plugins, although we’re starting to get a lot of outboard gear together in our studio with all the traveling we’ve been doing. For the live show we use Ableton and our MacBooks to play the stuff we can’t."

You have been touring with bands like Daft Punk and Franz Ferdinand. Don't you think it's about time for Cut Copy to be headliner for an international "Big Stage" tour? Any plans here?

"Sure! You build it and we will come. As soon as we have the budget we’ll be putting together a big stage show. We recently did something of that magnitude on our recent Australian tour. We had the stage looking like an art installation complete with Midi synced visuals. Hopefully we’ll be able to bring that show across the world."

No offense meant, but do think the sound you're popular for is coming forth from cultural progression - being the next logical step in electronic music? Or is it mostly based on nostalgic regression?

"I don’t think we think of music in nostalgic terms. That kind of suggests an insincerity to what we’re doing. I think when you’re dealing with pop music then it always has the potential to cross over to a mainstream audience. Pop music is always the motif that runs through our records."

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