Working For A Nuclear Free City: Monday Is Okay Mix

Music

It has been ten days since Manchester based band Working For A Nuclear Free City released their fourth studio album on Melodic records. The band formed back in 1999 and have dabbled in the experimental elements of indie rock, post punk, electronics and nu gaze. Their latest record titled "What Do People Do All Day" could be deemed a social commentary with its fuzzy etched sketchings of blurry bland coloured people merging as one amongst the masses. We spoke to Phillip Kay from the group. Listen to the mix and read the interview below:

Please introduce yourself…Who are you? Where are you? What are you?

Hello my little cupcake, I am Philip Kay from the band Working For A Nuclear Free City. I am in south east London. I am a secret squirrel.

Tell us about the Monday mixtape you’ve put together for us?

It a bunch of earlie 80's post-punk, experimental oddities, electronics shenanigans and on-the-fly remixes. There isnt anything new on there. Sorry. Next time.

If it were to be drawn what would it look like?

A crudely rendered phallus on a bus shelter.

If it were a food what would it be?

Cake.

What would be the ideal setting to listen to the mix?

Well… It good music for many activities; washing up, horse-riding, magic show background music, archery. Also suitable religious rituals… try it at your next bris or pagan pig slaughter.

Where was it recorded?

It was recorded in my studio using a laptop and many many guitar effect boxes.

Are you on the same wavelength as the boomtown rats or do you actually like Mondays?

I love mondays! Try abusing alchohol or solvents first thing on a monday morning. It will expand your horizons.

Who got you hooked on electronic music?

I think growing up in the 80's with synths everywhere it was pretty hard not to be affected by that. I never wanted to play guitar as kid I wanted to be rockin a DX7 or one of those keytars! As a kid I was obsessed with jeff wayne's war of the worlds – I loved all the mental sounds on that record. As a teenager the evolution of rave/hardcore through jungle to drum and bass was a really thrilling time to be starting out in music. Every week there seemed to be a progression. Anyway… I'm rambling!

Who would you say are your biggest influences and what are you hoping to achieve with your music?

At the moment I really like the interesting developments happening in film scores and modern classical music – I really want to get involved with that.

What were your original aspirations as musicians and how do you think you're shaping up?

It's a never-ending quest!

Some self help questions for a Monday:

Am I excited to dive into the challenges that i have lined up for the week?

Yes

Am I looking forward to engaging with the people i am meeting or working with?

Yes

Am I going to my dream job?

Kind of.

Am I being compensated fairly for the value i bring to my job?

Kind of.

Do I feel energised, rested, and confident?

I feel sleepy, tired and need more coffee.

If you were trapped on a desert island with one other person, who would you choose? How long would it be before you eat them?

Mmmmm long-pig…. I'd be chomping on thigh before sundown. Brian Eno's thigh. He's a tasty little bald wizard.

Your doctor says you need more exercise….what do you take up for exercise?

Cat wrangling.

If you could travel in time…where in time would you go? Why?

I'd go back to yesterday. It was a great day. I stroked a dog in the park.

What was the first electronic record you heard and how did it make you feel?

The Beverly hills cop soundtrack. It made me feel excited. Then a bit grrrr. Then excited again. Then Eddie Murphy laughed and it was the end.

How does your brain work when making music? How does it work when you aren’t?

I knock on a little door in a tree and sometimes there's a little squirrel in there who gives be a magic nut. A lot of times he's not in. Its just his wife there and she doesn't know where he's gone. She suspects he may be having an affair with a red squirrel in the next tree. I comfort her and tell her "he's a good squirrel he'd never do anything like that. don't worry… so… errr…..about those magic nuts….?" She never gives me nuts.

What were the first and last records you bought?

The first record (cassette) I bought was Tim Dog…hmm i forget the album name. I bought it cos he does a lot of swears on it. Last one was a scritti polliti cos it has Absolute on it and theres nothing better than prancing around to it in a pair tighty-whites.