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Born in Greenock, Grant Armor, Southend-on-Sea raised conductor and songwriter, now lives in South East London.
Grant has traveled the world for the past 10 years making documentaries on topics such as drugs, rave culture, climate activism, fetishes, mental health, prisons, ancient rituals, the homeless, LGBTQ + rights, and space tourism, to name a few.
He made the first documentary about Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future movement and has collaborated with Brian Eno on a film about the anniversary of the moon landing.
Grant has recently made documentaries on cartels distributing counterfeit drugs in Mexico, human rights abuses against indigenous peoples in Guatemala, and the drug death crisis in Scotland.
We have had the pleasure of speaking with him and this has been the result.
What was the first thing that attracted you to the world of electronic music?
When I first saw the video for Firestarter on Top of the Pops when it was announced as number 1 that week. I bought The Prodigy, Fat of the Land on tape when I was 8 years old. It blew my head off.
Do you remember any album or concert that has changed everything?
I mean there’s quite a few. An album for me that changed everything for me was Portishead - Dummy. A concert that changed everything for me was Vengaboys at Mecca Bingo in Southend-on-Sea.
Since you got into this professionally, what did you miss the most nationally, internationally and on the contrary, what helped you the most to grow, even to believe in yourself?
Sorry I’m finding it difficult to answer this.
How is the music scene living in your city with this murky pandemic situation?
I’m mainly stuck in my flat in South East London directing films remotely and making music. It suits me right now to be honest because I feel like I can actually focus on writing and recording music without much distraction. I think endlessly touring as a band or musician isn’t good for them physically, mentally or creatively. An artist needs to continue writing music rather than just playing the same songs over and over again. I do love playing live or DJing though and experiencing music surrounded by other people. During the first lockdown I did DJ sets and live performances in cyberspace, either on zoom or Second Life. Since nightlife has returned I have been playing live and immersing myself in various nights in South East London, which has IMO the best underground electronic music in the world at the moment.
What are your favorite places to hang out in the city?
Hilly Fields, The Blythe Hill Tavern, Venue MOT, Chinatown on a weekday to name a few.
Have you had time to focus on making music, spending time with your family, or planning future projects?
Yes, a bi-product of this predicament we’ve found ourselves in is we have more time at home to pursue creative projects. Most of my free time now is spent with my partner, cat and making music.
How was your last project born? Most of my songs are fairly downtempo and spacious to capture the mood I’m feeling, but this song was made at a frustrating time of wanting to dance during an apocalypse of sorts, but not having the outlet, so continuing the rave in your dreams or in the metaverse. I couldn’t resist focusing on the hypnotic rolling movement of the break to add layers of melody and make an emotional banger. This was also a chance to let loose on my synths. What do you want to convey in this work? What is the concept behind? The song is also about stepping outside of routine whether that be your job or even a hedonistic cycle to transcend into new realms right in front of your eyes. Whether that be falling in love, working on your relationships or immersing yourself in the everyday euphoria and the psychedelia of the natural world. As for your studio, what is your setup currently made of? I run ableton through a laptop. I make beats in it and then play live bass, guitar, keys, synths and vocals into it. Then I use plugins to make it more weird. What's the one team you'll never get rid of, no matter what? Sorry I don’t understand this question. What would you say is the definition of your sound? Moodcore. What was the last record store you visited and what did you get out there? Lorenzo’s in Brockley. I got Club Meduse Vol 2, The Gist - Embrace the Herd, Aardvarck - Plus Det, Square Fauna - Meet The Fauna, Musica Per L’Immagine II, KXP - History of Techno & In Orbit - Picture - M For. Thanks
SOCIAL MEDIA: https://soundcloud.com/grantarmour