I had the opportunity of talking with Dean Bentley, the UK's video-game-gangsta beat maker known as Hourglass Sea. He crafts some epically heavy retro jams with plenty of nostalgic samples and chiptune effects to keep any music loving, video game playing nerd smirking. He just released the Live From the Crematorium EP at the beginning of the month.
Here's a few tracks to recruit you:
Memory Eternal by Hourglass Sea
Another World by Hourglass Sea
I've linked to some of the songs from video games that we mention so you can hear/see for yourself.
Check out the link to the Robocop Game Boy Theme that's posted. It's insane.
?: When did you first begin recording as Hourglass Sea?
Dean: "Teenager" was the first Hourglass Sea recording. It was made about 8 or maybe 9 months ago.
?: The new EP's name is Live From the Crematorium, what is that a reference to?
Dean: The place where I grew up. We lived over the road from Scholemoor Cemetery. The crematorium is reasonably sized and sits right in the middle, so it can't be missed.
Living next to a place like that seemed to bother some people, but it never bothered me. Sometimes you have to use your imagination and make the best of where you reside. For all its problems Lidget Green was okay. On the one side it has a very English working class look about it, with its mills and terraced streets, almost like an L.S. Lowry painting, but on the other side it had green fields that went on for miles. I suppose I liked the variation haha. It's more of a tribute to the people I knew and where we grew up.
?: What was the inspiration behind Hourglass Sea?
Dean: Originally I wanted Hourglass Sea to be more versatile. I had ideas of recording metal, synthetic R&B, stoner rock, hip hop and a few other things - all under Hourglass Sea. I briefly tried it out but decided against the idea. I'm inspired by all kinds of music really. Zapp & Roger, Paradise Lost, Cameo, Little River Band, SOS Band, Biz Markie, Massive Attack, Bad Religion, Kyuss...it's a fairly big list. I try to take snips of ideas and sounds from different styles of music and incorporate them into one place.
I just want my music to be very loud, melodic and busy.
?: There's a strong sense of nostalgia in your songs, would you consider yourself a very nostalgic person?
Dean: Yes. A little too much, I think. Especially in music. From a music point of view it's kind of hard not to be. I grew up in the days of albums, album booklets, 3-4 single releases off each new album, videos, artwork etc. I kinda miss all that. I think overall things are changing for the better, but the original reasons as to why I fell in love with music will always play some kinda part.
?: There is a lot of guitar in your music, most notably in "Crystal Kross", is that all you? What other instruments do you play?
Dean: Yes that's me. I use a cheap Aria Pro 2 semi acoustic and a Big Muff. My amp set up is an early '70s Marshall Cab and a Matamp head. I try to include my guitar as much as possible, even if it's just a lick here and there. I play drums and bass, though at the moment I'm currently without a bass. I can handle keys sufficiently enough for recording.
?: When did you first begin playing music?
Dean: I began playing drums when I was 10 and guitar at 13. I was in one band in school. We didn't do very well, though we had the best intentions. Growing up all I ever wanted to do was be in a band. These days I love making music on my own. I could do with a vocal collaborator, but I wouldn't change the music making process at all.
?: It sounds like so much goes into each individual song, what is your music making process?
Dean: These days I always start with drums. I try to fill the drum tracks with percussion, effects, change ups etc. Once I'm 100% happy with the drums - I start playing with melodies and chords. Eventually I'll record something I like. It all builds from there really.
I have a fairly rudimentary style of recording. It's a manner of recording that works perfectly for me. I try not to care too much about the quality of the recording, whether it's a sample recorded into my MPC, or a guitar miked with my amp.
The two things I focus on with each song are melody and feel. I don't mind even if I make a slight mistake in a recording. Sometimes it's good to add a real human feeling to a largely synthetic backdrop. It sounds corny but I like the idea of a song sounding a little rough whilst containing a strong, bright melody.
?: Obviously video games, among other things, have a strong influence on your sound. What are your all time favorite video games?
Dean: That's pretty easy - but my choices are fairly predictable: Monkey Island 1 and 2 I would say are my all time favorites. Sonic The Hedgehog 2, Super Mario 3, Streets Of Rage 2, Robocop Arcade was crazy too, as well as the Godly Shinobi 3.
?: Sonic 2 is amazing! I LOVE the music in the special stages in both Sonic 1 and Sonic 2. They both probably have my all time favorite video game music along with Zelda Ocarina of Time and Lunar 2: Eternal Blue. Robocop also had some awesome music.
What's your favorite video game music or song?
Dean: Do you remember the music for Robocop for the Game Boy? It had this strange mood to it, quite solitary and relaxed. It was very good. I don't have a favorite. I love certain mini-sounds, intros etc. I remember one of the early John Madden games had quite a cool intro, and the music played after Shinobi dies in the 3rd game, that was really nice! Sonic 2 is hard to beat though. That shit was inspired.
?: What are the samples used in "Another World" and "Memory Eternal"? Is that shit Guile from Street Fighter 2?!
Dean: Yes, that's Guile! I preferred Vega, but Guile has some nice lines. Like most people my age I have fond memories of Street Fighter 2. The characters, music and various effects used in SF2 will always be memorable.
"Another World" utilizes a prog rock vocal - as well as a subtle vocal sample from Streets Of Rage 2. See if you can find it!
?: The sample is Blaze, right?! Brilliant!
Dean: Correct! But there's another Streets of Rage sample in there....
?: Also, is that a sample of Mantazz in "Time Killer" or am I crazy?
Dean: No, you're crazy! Haha. Time Killer contains a sample, but I'm not giving this one away. You'll have to go digging for it!
?: The song sampled in “Another World” is “Reappear” by the Little River band, right?
Dean: That's the one! Playing To Win is a very cool album. The '80s was amazing for rock and funk/R&B. It was a pretty open field in terms of what kinds of sounds people used for each song. Old formulas were being ignored for new ideas & sounds.
Can you imagine being a teen, putting on the radio first thing in the morning and hearing “The Message” or “This Is Radio Clash”? Wow, it was like a new enlightenment.
?: That's one of the many things I love about your music, it's almost like a hunt to find the pop-culture references in your samples. Do you intend it to be this way, almost like a musical hide and seek?
Dean: Not really, but I used to do exactly the same thing with anything produced by The Alchemist and Just Blaze. If the beat contained a sample I wanted to know what it was and where it came from. For that reason hip hop opened me up to a lot of music.
?: Who designed your bad ass logos and EP covers?
Dean: My Hourglass Sea artwork is designed by Kevin Summers at Normal Bias.
He's very cool!
?: I like that you used the cover of The SOS Band's album Sands of Time, which was also the inspiration for your name, as the backdrop to your earlier track's logo. Is the backdrop on the new logo from something as well?
Dean: Good observation. Sands of Time is a cool album. That's like the epitome of mid tempo, synthetic 80s R&B. I think I want to listen to it again now you've mentioned it. The backdrop wasn't really inspired by anything, other than offering a darker tone than the bright, desert backdrop of “L.A Lights” and “Teenager.”
?: Have you gone by any other names, or do you have any side projects?
Dean: I used to collaborate with emcees under the name L.G.P. I'm on the verge of releasing an album of sorts featuring the various collaborations over the past few years.
?: What does L.G.P stand for?
Dean: Lidget Green Position. I know, terrible name.
?: Does L.G.P share the same sound as Hourglass Sea?
Dean: No, not really. Hourglass Sea is very different. These days I enjoy HS more than standard hip hop. The sampling techniques I've learned over the years will always be used in Hourglass Sea. I'll never stop sampling. Not fully. Maybe in the past I consciously created beats to fit an emcees mood. I suppose I got bored of that.
?: When can we expect the collaborative album to drop?
Dean: I'll release the compilation in the next month or 2. It contains about 18 songs feat Guilty Simpson, Craig G., Nature and a bunch of other emcees. It's totally different to Hourglass Sea and I'd never merge the two in anyway. The album is largely beats and rhymes.
?: It seems that you would bring a lot of brightness to your hometown with your music, have you ever put on a live show? (as Hourglass Sea)
Dean: Not yet, but from May onwards I'll start playing live. I'm not so sure I'll be playing regularly within my city. Bradford is a strange place. But I'm looking forward to playing live. I have a guitar/ableton set up. I'm not quite there yet. Setting the live thing up takes its own time, but it should be fun.
?: Given all the ridiculous titles for music genres -- what would you want to call your brand of sound if given the choice?
Dean: Universal Space Funk. That sounds lame doesn't it?!
I'm really not too sure. I remember witnessing the arrival of 'nu-metal' in the late 90s. It was pretty depressing to see a golden age in metal thrown away for this new buzz word, “nu-metal”. The music was mostly crap and so was the name. I've heard a few names being banded around. It's strange really because It's something I've never given much thought to.
?: Universal Space Funk does not sound lame! In fact, I think compared to Nu-Metal, Universal Space Funk rocks.
On a side note, Korn, a fairly popular American Nu-Metal band, is from my hometown in the Central Valley of California. This is not a fact I am very fond of. This is less of a question and more of a statement.
Dean: Really! That's kinda cool, really. Though I never got into them. I liked Deftones. They're from California, right? Ever heard Paradise Lost? They come from Halifax, just up the road from me. They had two cool mid-'90s albums.
I personally think they're the best (metal) band to come out of West Yorkshire.
?: When can we anticipate a full length? Do you have a record label or are you even looking for one?
Dean: I'd like some kind of guidance eventually, whether that results in a label or management. I'm not that sure on how such things work, but there are parts of the music game I'm pretty lame with, and could probably do with some guidance in. For the time being I'll keep releasing singles/EPs and a few remixes too!
?: When can we expect some more new tracks?
Dean: I'm currently working on a new EP. Live From The Crematorium was generally well received, so I think the idea is to take some time with the new recordings and hopefully try to gain a little more interest with a new EP. I'm pushing for late March/early April.
?: Finally, NES or SEGA?
Dean: That's difficult! I loved both consoles. If pushed - I'd go with Sega: Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, Sonic, Shinobi 3...They're fairly good reasons, right?!
Make sure to check out his new EP Live From the Crematorium which you can listen to at his soundcloud.
Also, keep a look out for my upcoming review of the Live From the Crematorium EP.