Andy Hunter

Every night people flood nightclubs all across the world, giving themselves over to the ministry of music and dancing. The flow of the DJ controlled electronica drives them onto the dance floor and becomes the soundtrack of their evening. UK phenom Andy Hunter is one such DJ, yet Hunter’s music has taken the club culture down an entirely different lane, allowing electronica to serve as his palette for his praise to his God. And, others have noticed, with Hunter’s tracks gracing everything from movies and video games. Truly, he is shining example of what it means to be salt and light.

Andy Hunter recently took some time to speak with Soul-Audio’s Brian Palmer about his newest album, Colour, what inspired him to create this record, why the Church is afraid to embrace dance music, and how scoring the film Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed was an easy transition for him to make.

SA: So tell us a bit about the new record.

Andy: It’s called Colour, and it was about a year and a half in the making. I started writing at the end of 2006, and produced it with a guy called Robbie Bronnimann over here in the UK during 2007. It’s called Colour because really the theme of the album is most of the tracks are based on different colors that represent an aspect of God’s personality, of the world in which we live. It’s about creation and the inspiration I received from different countries I’ve visited during my travels.

SA: I was noticing there are numerous references to light and color, so it is a very evident theme. How did that come about? I mean I know you said it’s from some of your travels and things like that, but what led you to focus on this particular theme for your songwriting?

Andy: Well I think with most of my albums that I’ve done in the past (Exodus and Life) I’ve always had a theme that kind of strings all the music and the songs together. So I always like to start a project with a theme that gives me inspiration and creativity for my writing. And it was no different with Colour. I think with Colour I was inspired by reading the Bible and doing what I do, and as I traveled around doing shows in different countries. Just marveling at all the colors in people and the different aspects of different nations and cultures. It’s just, the world in which we live was just, you know, each thing was so colorful. There are so many things we don’t understand because we’re not in that culture, and I just think that’s so exciting.

And then also just feeling that for me my faith was always this thing where I thought, “I want to be a colorful person.” And I want that to kind of shine out through what I do, and what I do is make music and what I do is DJing. So I really started to focus in on color and the color of God, you know. Like what are some of the aspects of God’s personality and some of the things in the Bible, like Revelation chapter 4 where it describes the throne room in heaven. It’s all these wonderful colors. So it really just sort of impacted me to start thinking this way and I started to come up with ideas of tracks where a particular track can be based on this color and things like that.

SA: Nice. So how was this experience different from making the other records? Or how was it even the same?

Andy: I think the difference with this album certainly is I think it’s a lot more song-based and so I came at it this time just really as an artist thinking, “For this album I don’t want to just make dance floor songs that work well in clubs,” but I wanted to make an album that I thought, you know, you could put on in your car or put on at home and you could pick up hooks and melodies and things like that. So I came at it from that aspect, really wanting to stretch myself as a musician and strengthen some of my songwriting and work with melodies and really wanting to stretch that.

I kind of set myself that goal right at the start, so I think this album is very varied in terms of styles. And also the songs are slightly different compared to my others, but I think for me it was exciting. When you’re breaking the norm, it causes you to grow and step forward so in that sense Colour was a very different record. It was different in the sense of I worked with Robbie Bronnimann this time rather than the producer Tedd T., who did the last two records, just because, again, I fancied a change, something where working with different people stretches you as well, so in that sense it was very different.

I think the aspects that were the same are you still really get the Andy Hunter sound throughout some of the songs that are very similar, but also the way I write and the way I get inspired was definitely the same as the other records.

SA: That sort of takes care of what was going to be my next question. You commented on how there is more of a song-like structure to some of these tracks when compared with the earlier albums, and I was going to ask if that was intentional, but it clearly was.

Andy: Mm-hm.

SA: And like you said, you were trying to come at it from that angle and you wanted to stretch yourself, and I think that really comes through (on Colour) because as I noted in the review I did for this album, this is an Andy Hunter disc, but in some senses it’s not because it doesn’t sound like the other two and there’s clearly an emphasis on trying to—as you said—stretch yourself and broaden your horizons and play with melodies and lyrics and things like that.

Andy: Yeah.

SA: So I think that shines through very well.

Andy: And in some aspects, you know, I think there may be some people like your hardcore kind of DJs and fans of that style who may find it different. You know, maybe they might be disappointed that they’ve not got many tracks on there that they can play out and DJ. But you know for me I don’t want to be put in a box, and I want to keep pushing myself. And there’s always, you know, we’re getting remixes done of the single “Stars,” and so there’s always the remixes that will keep the DJ fans happy.

SA: Oh sure. Listening to your CD kind of reminds me of the last album that BT did, This Binary Universe.

Andy: Okay, yeah.

SA: It seemed like a completely different album from him. I’m not trying to say that your album is completely different from what you’ve done before, but anyone who has listened to your other records is going to know that this is different and that you clearly tried to do something different with this one just like BT did with his. So you take a risk with that because some people are going to dig it and some are going to think, “Ooo, why did he do that?”

Andy: (Laughs.) Yeah.

SA: But that’s a risk you take as an artist.

Andy: I think you have to do that. I’d hate to just keep churning out the same thing, you know? It just becomes stale and kind of stagnant, I think. You’ve always got to be true to yourself in a sense and go for what you feel and what you create. And I think if you want to keep your career and in that sense when you’re looking at it as a career and you think, “Oh, well I should just be doing the same thing all the time,” I just don’t think you should let that control your creativity. Your creativity should control your career and what you do.

SA: Mm-hm. I think that’s why you have artists like Underworld who are so appealing

Andy: Yeah.

SA: They could very easily put out one “Born Slippy” or “Pearl’s Girl” after another and just do it over and over again and they could be dance club giants and all that.

Andy: Yeah.

SA: But they try to do different things with their albums and I think that’s why, even though they’re not going to be wildly popular here in the States and get on MTV all the time, people who dig the creative approach are at least going to give them kudos for trying to do something different every time.

Andy: Yeah, that’s true.

SA: So you have a lot of guest artists on this album. How did all that come about?

Andy: Just through people I knew, as well as people that Robbie (Bronnimann) knew as well. People like Cathy Burton, who I co-wrote “Fade” with and sings on that track. You know she sang on Exodus and I respect her as an artist. She’s normally kind of a folky singer-songwriter and I just love her stuff. I’ve got her albums and just think she’s got a terrific voice and is really a strong songwriter, so I wanted to get with her again and get her to sing on it.

And then you’ve got people like Shaz Sparks who’s on “Shine.” I actually used to do lighting for her band way back sort of 15 years ago. I used to be their lighting tech and you know she’s got a good voice and I thought she’d be great for that. And then obviously there’s D’Morgan who sings on “Technicolour.” Now he was a friend of Robbie’s and he just kind of carried that funky edge that we needed for that track. I just love that track.

SA: Me too. I think that song encapsulates everything you were seeking to accomplish on this album.

Andy: Yeah, I’m really pleased with it. I’m looking forward to this gig I’ve got coming up down in London where he’s going to come along and perform that live with me. So I’m looking forward to doing that. That’ll be the first time I’ve played that out live with him singing.

And of course on “Smile” we’ve got Midge Ure who, with his history with Live-Aid and Band-Aid and all that he’s done in the past, just to work with someone like that was a challenge but an honor as well. Working with a guy with his history was great and seeing what he’s done with music and his giftings was really good and we hooked up with him through Robbie because Robbie played keyboards with him in the past. Midge carried that real character vocal that we needed for that track.

SA: I don’t know what the exposure has been like in the UK, but over the last couple years I’ve had a number of moments where I geek out when I see a video game and recognize tracks from Life playing in the background, or when I hear your song in the ads for the Speed Racer flick. How did all of this start happening?

Andy: We do get plays on the TV stations over here with some of our music and obviously some of the trailers from films come over here as well as video games. You know I get a lot of people who come on to my MySpace page because they’ve seen my credit on a video game and things like that, so I really love it. And it also feeds the kids, which is great.

SA: (Laughs.) Yeah.

Andy: It’s mainly hooked up really through my publishing company, through someone like Nettwerk, who also handle my publishing. They’ll be in L.A. and in touch with a lot of those guys who head up the video games and the movies and that, sending the music out all along. And really I guess it was “Go” from my first album Exodus that got licensed a ton of times for different things and I guess people just started to hear my name and know that I did “Go,” and so when these guys get an Andy Hunter track through they’ll listen to it. I’m blessed enough for them to keep using some old music.

We’re excited about the potential of the new album and how that’s going to go with some of the tracks like “Sound Pollution,” “Out of Control,” “System Error” and tracks like that, and see how they do with the movies and games.

SA: So there’s nothing set in stone at the time with any of these tracks?

Andy: No. There are general ones like with (the film) The Italian Job. They approach us and they’ve obviously heard it and want us to do a little remix or a little tweak to fit it into the movie. But generally they just hear from when the album’s done because it would take too long if filmmakers approached and said, “Can you do a track like this?” You know, you just have to find the time for that sort of thing, and my focus is to do my albums and then off the back of that getting them out into the TV and film worlds. We’ve just scored this film Expelled, and we’re working on the soundtrack album now which will be released on iTunes.

SA: That was going to be my next question, actually. I noticed you were doing the music for that film with Robbie, and I’m curious: Is the music for that going to be a more traditional score with orchestration and the like, or does it take some of its cues from the dance genre?

Andy: It has the elements of my inspiration and my music, and Robbie’s as well. When you hear the music you won’t really say, “That’s Andy Hunter,” because the whole score has quite a lot of minor keys and ambient sort of drones and some guitar pieces and piano pieces. For me, again, it was another great experience and something that really stretched me, and Robbie as well.

SA: So how did you get involved with this project? How were you approached about it?

Andy: The film company is based out of Vancouver, and some mutual friends who knew those guys and had heard my albums, they approached (my friends) and asked them, “Do you think Andy would be interested in scoring?” And then they approached me and I brought Robbie on board and we took the project on. It’s who you know at the end of the day. (Laughs.)

SA: (Laughs.)

Andy: And I think it’s just a great experience to know that we’ve scored a whole movie, you know? A lot of people would love to do that and that’s something I’ve always had in the back of my mind, and obviously with a lot of my tracks being used in movies, that was something where I thought I could easily move into. But it’s just finding the right doors and the right contacts, so to have that opportunity is gold dust, really.

SA: Now you mentioned something earlier I’d like to go back to for a moment. You were talking about the process of making the film and having some piano-driven pieces on that score, and you have a track like that on Colour, called “Sapphire.”

Andy: Yeah.

SA: It’s got a real mellow sort of beauty to it.

Andy: Well, you’ll find things like that on the Expelled soundtrack. It’s kind of in that ilk if you see what I mean, but maybe sometimes a bit more minorly and droney.

SA: Yeah. So you talked about different cultures and things that inspired you to look into the different colors that make up this world, these various peoples and such. Do you recall what specifically inspired you to create “Sapphire?”

Andy: With “Sapphire” it was really Revelation Chapter 4 on a faith-based thing, you know with the throne room being described as having seas of sapphire and things like that. So really as I wrote that I was sort of picturing myself in that place. Not that there’s lyrics in that track, but there’s an expression of a vocal. And that’s just coming out of that place of “This is what it would feel like to be in that place,” and just trying to capture that atmosphere in the song. So for me it was just an expression of that place and of me being in that place.

SA: Well it’s a great track.

Andy: Thank you.

SA: Shifting gears a bit, dance music has largely been a niche genre here in the States.

Andy: Yep.

SA: It’s not wildly popular and doesn’t get on a lot of radio stations here, so the audience is somewhat limited. But you being a Christian within that genre would almost seem to make the target audience even smaller. So why did you choose to go this route? Was there ever an interest in doing other kinds of music or was this pretty much your thing from the start?

Andy: I’ve always been very eclectic in my musical tastes. I’ve always been into bands and I’ve always been into electronica music. I just love music. I started out doing sound and lighting and being a techie and wanting to get involved in production and the studio and things like that. And I played guitar from an early age, so I think I always wanted to be in a guitar band but I never really got a chance to go down that route. I always went down the other route of both sound and light engineering for bands, and then into studios and production and eventually became a DJ.

I got into dance music through my DJing and obviously because of my being a sound technician and working in studios I got into programming and producing dance music, and I just loved the sense of freedom in dance music. I didn’t have to do verse-chorus-verse-chorus, you know. I could be free to do an eight-minute piece of music if I wanted. It’s almost about just capturing atmospheres and a feeling and things like that. That was really appealing to me, so I just went down that road and loved it and just carried on.

But there’s a part of me now, I’d love to put on a show where I’m doing Colour almost like a live band using loops and samples and all that. So as an electro band I’d love to sort of put something together like that. I just went down that road because of my love of the genre, really.

SA: That really is evident in the songs you write. It would be easy to do one “Go” or “Come On” after another because you know it’s a formula that works. But clearly there’s something more to your artistry, especially when you’re willing to make an album like Colour, which is so different from your previous work.

Andy: Yeah.

SA: Being a Christian in the dance scene, are you something of a maverick in that sense or are there more Christians in the dance scene that the public simply is not aware of?

Andy: There are tons that I personally know who are out there. For me, there’s of course the history of being signed to Sparrow Records, who are a Christian label, and being on that platform sort of shoved me more into the limelight for what I did and not only playing within the clubs. But also for me as a DJ going to Christian conferences and leading worship as a DJ and things like that, really bringing that world into the church, I think it’s shown me on a platform where people get to know about me. Whereas they won’t know about DJs that are in the electronic world and the clubs who do have a faith, a very strong faith, because they’re just in that world, that’s what they do. And people within the church, within the Christian world, wouldn’t hear of them because they really wouldn’t go to those places at all. So there are plenty of us out there, if you like, I guess some people just see me as the platform.

SA: It’s interesting because in the contemporary Christian music dance scene it’s pretty much you.

Andy: (Laughs.) Yeah.

SA: So why do you think there aren’t more DJs out there in the Christian music scene? Or are there a number of others and we just don’t know about them?

Andy: There are other folks out there. There are places like Tastyfresh.com and you can find a lot of producers there. It’s geared toward Christian artists and DJs within the electro world. But I think in some ways this kind of music isn’t accepted widely within the church, isn’t accepted because “Oh, it’s only about the music” and all that. So I think sometimes people are just scared off, that they feel that their art form and who they are just won’t be accepted so it just pushes them away to other areas.

And then also, obviously, in terms of being able to make a good album, it does boil down to having a budget and enough money to make sure you’re getting really good quality music and getting it out there. And sometimes record labels—Christian record labels—because they don’t see it as a big genre and it doesn’t sell a ton of units, they’re not willing to sign electro artists and put their money behind those projects. So in that sense, that’s why there aren’t more artists around.

SA: Would you say it’s mostly because they believe it’s a niche genre that won’t sell, or is it also because Christian labels—rather like a lot of the Christian subculture here in the States—just won’t accept dance music because of the inherent dangers they associate with the club world?

Andy: I think it’s a bit of both really. Sometimes it’s hard, especially in the climate with the music business at the moment, and people just go with what sells, like the smaller artists or the edgy artist who doesn’t find a place within that world. But then also it’s the lack of knowledge that people have of that world and they close the door because they think it’s wrong. So I think it’s a bit of both.

SA: I know music resonates with different people in different ways and no two people are going to have the exact same experience when listening to Colour, but if there was only one thing or message you wanted to get across on this album, be it lyrically or musically, what would that thing be?

Andy: That’s a great question. I think, for me, I’ve always been about people putting the record on and at the end of the day they sort of have an experience and it creates an atmosphere that is very positive. And an experience that causes people to question as well and say, “What is this guy on about? What is his message? What’s behind this?” I guess I’d like people to get a sense of God, to be spiritual about it, and to think there’s something different about this music. And that’s regardless of whether you have a faith or not. Sometimes it’s to push boundaries and to think, “Oh this is a different genre of music,” but it’s also about challenging people.

SA: And I think it really does a good job of that. Having listened to Exodus, then Life and now Colour, it’s clear that although you aren’t having alter calls in the middle of a track, or saying that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, you are definitely creating tracks that will make the listener stop and think. It’s not just great dance music that you can have a good time with, but it’s also about the themes that shine through in your tracks. Like in “Technicolour” when you talk about someone reaching through and pulling you into the light.

Andy: Yeah. And “Fade,” for instance, is about acceptance and God accepting you for where you are no matter where you are at in life. That God accepts you and wants to bring color into your life where you’re at.

SA: Absolutely. Finally, any touring plans for the States?

Andy: Well, I’m trying to pull together a tour maybe at the end of June, start of July, and I’m just working with my agent at the moment on that. But we have a few inquiries so hopefully we’ll be able to put together a two-week tour, and then hopefully come again near the end of the year in the autumn.

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