Seb Rochford - The Man Behind The Hair

'In polar bear I write the music, so that makes it different for me - I guess it must be closest to what I hear inside of me'

Tom Artrocker: Hi Seb, hope you're well and I'm sure you're busy - what are you up to today?

Seb Rochford: I'm good thanks, hope you are too. Today I'm just mixing a remix I did for Acoustic Ladyland with this amazing MC called Jyager, want to do some practise too, eat some fine food and speak to a friend, maybe something else i like doing...

TA: I first came across you drumming with Paul the Girl back in...oh, 2000 maybe? Since then you're everywhere. Do you ever get up in the morning and think: "Oh God, not another day of drumming!"

SR: No, dont think I ever thought that, I love playing the drums with my whole heart, occasionally I dont feel like leaving my place, but thats normally connected to wanting to make some music inside, I'm not obsessed...

TA: How's the hair right now? Bigger than ever?

SR: I havent looked today..but it seems to depend on how I sleep.

TA: You drummed for Byrne and Eno? How was that? Fun?

SR: Playing on their album was really fun, I was asked through this amazing musician and producer Leo Abrahams. I didnt meet David Byrne 'til after we recorded but Brian was there when I did, he is a big big inspiration to me. To be honest I didnt really know a lot about him 'til I did that and now I've been discovering all the unbelievably incredible music he has made or produced, I'm kind of glad in a way though cause maybe I would have been too nervous had I known. He had an amazing way of having a really strong idea of what he wanted but also gave me a lot of space to be creative and play about, he brought to me ideas I had never thought of or played. It's a gift when you play with or for people that change the way you play forever. I was also struck by how he seemed so young and curious about the world, I think about this often as for someone who has achieved so much and created so much influential and great music for such a long time I think this is quite special

TA: Your Polar Bear outfit has a new album out - what seperates Polar Bear from your other projects?

SR: In Polar Bear I write the music, so that makes it different for me, I guess it must be closest to what I hear inside of me

TA: Who are your drumming heroes? And Why?

SR: Probably John Bonham, Elvin Jones and Stevie Wonder. John Bonham for his inimitable feel, sound and ideas, I love the way he has these amazing explosive fills but you never know when, or what he's going to do, sometimes he just waits and waits, this for me is something quite unusual. Elvin Jones I think is the only drummer I've ever seen where I didnt feel like I was over analysing what he was playing, it was just purely an emotional reaction, I have studied him and listened a lot but was really blown away when I finally saw him and was taken, just by the beauty of what he was playing.
Stevie Wonder I love for his groove and unpredictability, he is very free and expressive and plays things I've not heard drummers do before, but they always feel and sound amazing.
I also really love Tom Skinner, Jamie Morrison, Gene Calderazzo, Brian Blade and Nasheet Waits.

TA: Which piece of drumming sets your teeth on edge?

SR: Is that in a good way? Since I've Been Loving you by Led Zeppelin. Tony Williams playing with Miles Davis. All the programming on Dizzee Rascal's first album, but I love all his albums. I hear music all the time though, that changes my perception of what drumming is.

TA: Well, actually I meant the opposite, but to hell with negativity. Many years ago The MU tried to outlaw drum machines - good / bad idea?

SR: I think any kind of generalised limitation on musicians by external forces makes me feel a bit uneasy, most of the music I listen to is programmed so for me I would be losing a lot, I get alot of my inspiration from Grime producers or House, Dubstep, Hip Hop...

TA: Did you ever play the sofa as a drum kit?

SR: Yes I have, a couple years ago I made a little e.p in my friends house in New Jersey where I had only had one mic, a kids guitar and a pair of drum sticks. For the drums I just used anything I could find to hit or shake, which included her sofa as bass drum, I hit it softly though so I didnt damage it....I sometimes play whatever's in the hotel room if I want to practise.

TA: Does Jazz get a decent shake in this country?

SR: I think there's a lot of amazing jazz bands at the moment like Zed-U and Trio VD, people should celebrate it.

TA: What's on the horizon for Seb? A holiday? Training for The Olympics? Drumming with Jedward?

SR: Yes, maybe I should take up the javelin again! I've still got time to practise. I'm playing quite a lot for the next while with Polar Bear and Acoustic Ladyland, which I'm looking forward to, am starting to think about the next Polar Bear album, I can hear what it sounds like but havent written much of it yet. I did an album with Pamelia Kurstin that's coming out later in the year, she is a genius theremin player and beautiful person. Going to do a radio improvisation session for Late Junction with Shingai, Chartwell Dutiro and Jyager that I'm pretty excited about. I think I may be doing another recording with someone you asked about before (!) that I'm also very excited about. I did two albums with Brett Anderson and Chris Difford a month ago, produced by Leo Abrahams, I'm really looking forward to hearing how they sound, they were a lot of fun making. I'm also trying to improve speaking french which I enjoy a lot. I want to go to New York sometime soon as I havent been for over a year and am missing my friends there. One day I want to take a proper long holiday and go back to see my relatives in India. Wondering whether John Torode is gonna eat some more food on masterchef that he says needs more "oomph".

TA: Thanks for taking the time to do this Seb...3/4 or 7/8? Sorry, bad time signature joke.

SR: I like 3/4 but prefer 7/4 to 7/8, dont think any time signature is bad though.

TA: Thanks Seb.

SR: No problem, thanks for asking me to do it.