REVERBERATE INTERVIEW DILUTEY JUICE

Reverberate is a music advisory board, made up of 14-18 year olds, for South Tyneside and Gateshead Music Hub funded by Gateshead Council, Gem Arts, Arts Council England and Youth Music. They meet monthly to discuss all things music in the region and have so far helped to inform a Youth Voice Toolkit for music practitioners, have provided feedback on funding bids, as well as Gateshead Council’s goals and targets for music, and also helped to organise the Music Hub’s Musical Youth Revolution event which took place at The Glasshouse in June.

Youth Music Revolution was a day of workshops and performances (all chosen by Reverberate) for Year 6 pupils. There were DJ workshops, hip-hop writing workshops, and immersive music experiences as well as performances from Kema Kay, Kay Greyson, Dilutey Juice and Reverberate’s own band The Expired. Reverberate’s Alisha and Patrick caught up with some of Dilutey Juice’s band members after the gig for a chat…

Alisha & Patrick: We’re The Expired band, we’re part of the Reverberate Youth Voice Group. If you had a superpower, what would it be and why?

Ben: Teleportation, it’s the most practical, it’s just a given superpower to have I’m afraid

Thomas: We could maybe play two gigs at the same time if we had that

Patrick: What got you into music?

Ben: The only way I can express myself I suppose and I think it’s very therapeutic, you can get what you want from it, you don’t need to talk to it.

Tom: A Steps VHS in the mid 90’s! My Mam used to play a lot of Take That and Steps. It doesn’t have any bearing on the music we play now

Patrick: That’s just when you knew?

Tom: I just didn’t have a choice, it was infectious

Alisha: We played a song called What’s Your Meal Deal? earlier, so what’s your meal deal?

Ben: It depends where you go, but if I go to Sainsbury’s, smoked salmon and cream cheese, then Thai sweet chilli crisps, and then I get a smoothie because I feel really unhealthy

Tom: Roast vegetable and hummus sandwich

Ben: He’s a vegan you see

Tom: Yeah you’re gonna be able to tell… Coconut water – it’s got electrolytes in, it’s good for you, and then a protein bar

Patrick: What was music like for you at school?

Ben: At school? It was actually similar to this – the thing that stuck out is this [Dilutey Juice]. We had a samba band growing up and that was what spurred me to get into Latin American music. But other than that, it didn’t have as much reach as you do now. You could never think to do DJing or anything like that.

Patrick: That’s part of the reason why we’re here, to ask questions, see what could be better in schools, and see if we can offer a variety of different sounds for kids

Ben: Keeping up with the times is a big thing, integrating new ways of making music and putting that in schools at an early age would surpass a lot of that unnecessary time having to find things. But yeah, nothing like it is now is the answer.

Alisha: What’s your dream gig?

Ben: I used to think it was the big massive stadiums, but I think the most fun I have are the sweatiest, smallest places, everyone is a lot more receptive. Past 1am I think is a big thing as well

Tom: Maybe like Koko in Camden or somewhere like that

Alisha: How did you get into the music you play?

Ben: Well the type of music we play, I studied Latin music at university, and I found music of South America and Cuba, things like that. Then finding Afrobeat and West African music too.

Alisha: Would you say it’s a bit jazzy?

Ben: Yeah for sure, we always played jazz together prior. We like jazz, but the energy you can push with the music we do is great.

Patrick: It was great, everyone seemed to be engaged, they loved it

Ben: It’s that, it’s high energy, it’s what we’re about

Tom: I think that’s what UK music does best, like UK Jazz and UK dance music is having a blend of different sounds and having something that relates jazz and Afrobeat and dance together with different styles is where that energy comes from. Taking the bits that you resonate with, and not worrying about being in the tradition or doing something right.

Patrick: That’s the kind of thing that would be perfect at schools, you saw all the kids out there, they loved it, if they had that at school they’d love it, they haven’t heard anything wild and fun. There’s not that element of ‘I wanna do this, this seems fun’. But what you do seems free and fun and wild and exciting.

Alisha: Is there a musician that you used to listen to when you were younger that you have aspired to be like?

Ben: Yeah but that’s always changed. I used to wanna be Dave Grohl, and then Joey Jordison who played for Slipknot, but then the more you go through music the more identity you feel for yourself and you want to borrow things from different people and not become them.

Alisha: What about you Tom?

Ben: Steps?

Tom: Yeah H from Steps! Similarly, I think you especially with the saxophone there’s a few titans of the instruments that you can feel a bit like you’re living in the shadow of, and you have to make strong decisions about whether you want to directly copy them or go in complete contrast to them, like Charlie Parker and John Coltrane. I think there’s so few reference points in popular culture, like people that have become a household name, it’s kind of like living under their shadow and it takes a lot of time to create your own identity. It’s similar to the genre issue, you can take what you like from each person and not get hung up on becoming them. But, in a more simple answer, Pharoah Sanders or John Coltrane and Fela Kuti, people like that have a very specific sound and approach and I like that.