Dudley Benson

Artist interview/article: Published in A Low Hum, October 2006.

Discussed: The Sicky B, France, New Zealand, Music, Animal Collective, Lighthouses, The Port Hills of Canterbury, The University of Canterbury, Steam Railways of Britain, Contemporary Classical, Beat boxing, Normandy.

I: Labels/Genres/Tags
Dudley Benson is a self-described ‘indie-choirist’; a musician who fits somewhere between contemporary classical and pop. That’s not the direct definition of ‘indie-choirist’; I’m pretty sure that it doesn’t have a definition, or at least not on of the traditional sort. I’m not even sure if Dudley still describes himself as an ‘indie-choirist’. I am sure, though, when I saw this written somewhere and it seemed incredibly apt, for his music takes hints from both Max Richter and Kylie Minogue, from Mendelssohn and from Annie, too. Dudley’s is a harmonious blend, and a style that is refreshingly original. Is his dilemma really Pachelbel or pop? It seems this way, but I wish I had asked him to make sure. It does seem, though, that he really has figured out a way to combine both, as his press release suggests. This is good. It’s more than just gimmick, and I really think that no other New Zealand artist is doing this right now.
The label of a folk-popist is useful, too, as far as labels go. He has been known to listen to a fair bit of Joanna Newsom, Nick Drake, Sufjan Stevens and the like. But people like Kate Bush and Bjork are probably more useful comparisons.
It’s interesting, then, to consider the type of support slots that Dudley gets, and the types of shows he plays. Recently he opened for Casiotone for the Painfully Alone in Auckland. Soon, he’ll play support for the far more experimental Animal Collective. An uneasy marriage, perhaps, especially compared to the probably more better-suited combination of him and CFTPA. For this show, though, Dudley won’t change his own aesthetic too much.
‘I think I'll play a relatively normal set for me, because not many people in Wellington have seen me play before. I might dress up though. In fact, I will.’

II: Instruments
There are a lot of instruments at work on Dudley’s recordings (and live shows). You’ve got harmonium, keyboards, pianos, as well as samples of various sorts, but the foremost is definitely the voice. It’s a pure voice, and boasts more than just classical training. Time spent in the choir at Christ’s College (a boys high school in Christchurch) has surely had a massive effect on the way he makes music, and ultimately the sound of his voice. Add to this purity things like beat boxing and vocal manipulations and the result is set apart from these origins.
“There are so many instruments for me to learn about but before I go on a rampage I want to master as best I can writing for the human being.”
The notion of originality is interesting to a partly quite traditional sounding style. The combination of contemporary (pop, indie) and classical (classical) isn’t something attempted overly often in music. It’s no ham fisted attempt at originality, mind you; it’s natural and progressive.
‘I'm definitely trying new things. The next EP has contemporary classical pieces on there, as well as a bit of beat boxing and an older piece for piano & voice. To be honest, I'm trying not to write a lot. I'm saving my new thoughts and goals for the forthcoming lighthouse record, and until then hope to work more on string and choral arranging.
‘Yes, although if you're on the right track originality should generally happen anyway. But certainly, it can be helpful to put a bit of a filter on your ideas. Most songwriters and composers come up with clichés every now and then (some more often than others), but the ones worthy of respect weed those little rascals out, I think.’

III: Places
Dudley grew up on a goat farm on the Port Hills of Canterbury. Like many artists of this area over one hundred plus years, this has been a big symbol of monumental physical and artistic importance. Huntsbury Hill, in particular, has had a huge effect on Dudley and the way he makes music. But, after growing up and attending university in Christchurch, Dudley packed his bags and headed for Auckland, where he has been based for the past two years.
“Auckland can really work for you if you know what you want to do and roughly how to do it. People are very interested in what you're doing, and are often keen to get on board.”

IV: Other places
‘Well my ancestors are from Normandy, so I plan next year at some point to have my album released there (after here of course), and then take the boat there myself. I'm unhealthily fascinated by the lighthouses that dot the coast of Brittany and Normandy. I find their automation in the 70s a very sad thing. Some lighthouse keepers refused to leave, apparently, and in fact there are many still semi-manned. But back in the day the keepers would spend 6 weeks alone or with another keeper, completely isolated from the land. I am quite jealous of that. I don't know what I'll learn or the direction the project could take, but ideally I'd like to base my next record on one or many lighthouses.’

V: Books
Dudley’s favourite book is The Awakening by Kate Chopin, because it's not a long story, and perhaps not one that today would be seen as controversial, but for the time Chopin was very brave in publishing it.

VI: Other Peoples’ Albums
This is a list of Dudley’s top five albums at the moment:
- Joan As Policewoman - Real Life
- V/A - Soul Sides Vol. 1
- Max Richter - Songs From Before
- Girl Talk - Night Ripper
- Vashti Bunyan – Lookaftering

VII: One’s own albums
“As far as albums go I'd like to treat each project very carefully, as it's own. As a listener I respond to records that show the love of their creator - those bizarre details that blow you away when you realise how much thought and effort has gone into the record. Like on Herbert's Scale. The booklet has hundreds and hundreds of (tiny) photographs of instruments and objects, with the text: 723 objects sampled on this record... there's even a coffin. So dedication to the point of obsession really makes me horny. I'm like Herbert in that sense and will do ridiculous things just to stick to the principle of whatever it is I'm making. Being unique, offering something different is also totally essential and I'd rather eat grass than release something that could be called 'standard', though I'm sure I've had my moments of playing too much on my influences.”

VIII: Music School
Not being ‘standard’ certainly pays a price. But being standard is obviously very subjective. The whole pop meets classical thing is terrific outside the walls of academia, but Dudley encountered difficulties when it came to conservative music school tutors and lecturers, and general stuffyness that strangely still so often occurs these days.
Dudley describes his experiences in music classes at university as “pretty pathetic, mostly. I did meet some interesting people at composition school at University in Canterbury. My tutors didn't show much of an interest really, and I guess in many ways I didn't either. I did learn to defend the choices I'd make in composition and songwriting though. That was the best thing about it - getting to grips with accepting healthy criticism, and firing it right back if it was actually an attack stemming from an ego.”

IX: Cultural Nationalism
I’m always fascinated by musical identities, especially in countries like New Zealand and Australia (I guess it’s a postcolonial notion of cultures and ways to expressing them). It’s interesting when listening to Dudley’s music, because there is a lot of influence that comes from the land surrounding him. With this considered, I still find Dudley’s sound more universal than local. It’s evocative of these areas, sure, but listening to songs like ‘It’s Akaroa’s Fault’.
Dudley’s perspective on New Zealand’s focus on local talent is similar, I think, to a lot of artists making music at the moment.
“I feel strongly about this subject because I've worked in music retail, in a specialist store in Auckland, and this environment has been key in teaching me about that side of the industry. I think that we're such a young industry, still not sure of how to balance our local artists. Something's a bit wrong I think, if the same record stays in the top 5 for 72 weeks or whatever, especially if it's not a great one. I think reviewers are a big part of the problem, acutally.
Either some of them are gifted petrol vouchers from record labels or they really don't know what to say when a shitty album by a New Zealand artist comes along. I get a bit down when a great New Zealand record gets the same amount of acclaim in the press as a naff one. How do the general uncertain-of-what-to-buy public know what to do if every New Zealand record gets rated 4 stars? I've seen really beautiful albums get lost in it all, like Humphreys & Keen's record. I think the most terrible thing in this sense is that the media revere new records by already established artists, even if they are average cabbage. This happens quite a bit, and it's clear that such reviewers would rather write a glowing article on some NZ music grandfather artist than actually go out and find something fresh to share. But you know, there is also a very healthy side to our emphasis. Kiwi music is all over the place. I think there are some incredibly talented artists emerging, and it's down to the emphasis of interested people at organisations like Alt TV, Cheese on Toast, A Low Hum, etc. to keep the finger on the pulse.”