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Writer's pictureTamara Jenna

FEATURED ARTIST - *mUmBo*


 

MUMBO

London, United Kingdom


mUmbo made our Top 10 Indie Rock feature on 15/04/2022 at Number 8. To recap (If you haven't already heard) 'Swing My Hip' Opens with a funky layer of guitar and jazz-inspired vocals, UK Alt Rock duo, mUmbo, drop their 2nd single of the year ‘Swing My Hip’. mUmbo explore the permutations of vocals and guitars with a sonic pallette ranging from ethereal, chilled soundscapes to guitar-driven modern blues/rock and EDM. Swing My Hip is a lyrical dance built on a phalanx of electric guitars (Doug MacGowan), beats and chilled, jazz-tinged vocals (Emma Semple). If you haven't already heard this track then click the link below to hear it!


 

We loved the thought that went behind the layering of this track and the warmth of the vocals so we sent our CEO to dig deeper into the artistry of mUmbo in an interview this week!

 

INTERVIEW




Hey, I hope you two are doing great! So, tell our readers a bit about yourselves!

mUmbo consists of two artists: Doug MacGowan and Emma Semple


When was this track released?

Released on April 8


Where are you based?

London, UK


Not too far from us then! When creating the track/tracks, who were your biggest artistic influences?

We always draw on a diverse range of influences and in Swing My Hip there is an elision of certain jazz/blues/pop stylings/voicings, both vocally and instrumentally.


So, what motivates you to create your music?

Not sure, We just do! The creative process, both playing and writing, is very natural to both us and if it wasn’t there things wouldn’t feel right.


and when is your favorite time of day to create?

Night-time


A lot of artists say that, I think those times when we should be sleeping tend to be an outlet for the best creativity. How do you two define success as an artist?

Success is being able to do what you love everyday without having to compromise too much.


Does art help you in other areas of your life?

Yes, absolutely. Music along with the visual arts and literature are an endless source of comfort, escape and hope in a world that often feels, particularly at the moment, very brutal and two-dimensional.


and how do you develop your artistic skills?

Instrumentally and vocally we have both played and performed for years. More recently we have been focusing on learning new recording and production techniques.


What are your ultimate career goals?

As well as further developing our career as a band and songwriters, we also write lots of instrumental atmospheric soundscapes that we would like to develop for use in film and tv.


How do you collaborate with other artists?

We love to work with other musicians in recording and are currently planning recording new tracks with a trombonist and a drummer/percussionist.


What are your future plans? What can we look forward to from mUmbo for the rest of 2022?

We have a lot of material that was written in lockdown and we are planning on releasing it throughout 2022. We are also hoping to play some gigs with a larger live band.


We love large bands! The energy takes us to another realm! So glad that we got the chance to catch up with you and we wish you all the best!


 

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