If Tony McGuinness is to be believed, anything can inspire composition. “A movie, a book, a parting word or a daydream. I carry a notebook in which I write words and phrases that sound intriguing to me and might become the opening line of a song,” says McGuinness, who, along with Jono Grant and Paavo Siljamäki, is part of the English progressive trance group Above & Beyond.
The band’s music takes its members places and they are perpetually on the road. This year, the group had to take January and February off to focus on its writing.
The trio is back to touring now, and today, is all set for its first-ever performance in Mamallapuram. “We’ll be playing a mix of new and old, and we are expecting a great deal of singing, dancing, hugging and crying,” says McGuinness.
The group made its India debut in Goa in 2007. “We’ve been fascinated by Indian culture, its people, food, music and parties, ever since we started our label Anjunabeats in 1999,” says Siljamäki.
- YOLO presents Above & Beyond on Friday, March 10 @ Confluence Banquets and Resort
- ECR-OMR Junction, Poonjeri, Mamallapuram, 6 pm onwards
- For tickets, log onto: www.bookmyshow.com
Creative process
Above & Beyond’s music might sound breezy, but the process of creating it is time-consuming. While Jono and Paavo write most of the music, the song is written by McGuinness, along with singer-songwriter Zoë Johnston and Justine Suissa.
“Then begins the lengthy process of deciding the sound of the track, one ear on the dance floor, one ear on the song,” he adds. Since the musicians create a variety of music right from acoustic songs to hard club and chilled tracks, they say it’s hard to describe their sound.
Next album
After Acoustic II , the album that was released last year, the trio is writing and recording its next electronic album. It is experimenting with male singers who’ll add their voices to the songs. “We’ve already amassed enough songs; now begins the finishing stage, which is always the hardest,” says McGuinness.
At a time when singles are grabbing all the attention, the band is focussing on an album.
“Singles are doing better than ever, thanks to the download and streaming revolution, but all the great artistes still make albums. And, streaming data proves people still listen to them,” says McGuinness.
