Hidden behind the laid-back atmospheric trip-hop movements of Massive Attack and the now nearly defunct Portishead, underdogs Morcheeba brought the summer of 2002 an album full of melodramatic overtones and witty arrangements, filling the gap of a genre left cold.

Although their last 3 albums have gone slightly unnoticed by the American masses, Charango was the spark that hit the gasoline in the musical minds of trip-hop enthusiasts across the board.

The album blended their usual simplistic smooth bass lines, progressive beats and hauntingly sultry vocals to provide the perfect mood to kick back and relax. Giving extra incentives, the band brought in guest appearances by rappers Pace Won and Slick Rick (and Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner) on songs like “What New York Couples Fight About,” the hilarious “Women Loose Weight” and “Charango” to create this summer’s trip-hop soundtrack.

1-42 talked to musical craftsman Paul Godfrey (half of the duo of brothers that make the music what about Skye?) at his home by the sea where he was taking a break from recording.

1-42 :: The sound of Morcheeba has transformed and grown a lot over 5 albums, what do you think has been the best transformation for the band over the years?

Paul :: I can only talk in terms of myself, but for me it’s been getting married and having children – that’s been the best transformation I’ve experienced in the course of my career.

1-42 :: How about musically?

Paul :: I really enjoyed the collaborations on Charango. I loved working with Kurt Wagner, Pace Won and Slick Rick and it proved to be a lot of fun. I’m happiest with Charango, I felt accomplished after that record was made.

1-42 :: How did working in collaboration with so many great artists effect your overall song writing on the album?

Paul :: I think that it inspired it. These people were so talented; we really had to get our shit together really to be on the same record as them.

1-42 :: Did you have to put a lot more work into it or was it something that kind of collectively fell together once you were all in the same room?

Paul :: I guess we had an intuition about whom we would connect with and it just kind of fell together. I think the thing about working with these people was to have the confidence to approach people like that really - to consider them equals instead of placing them on pedestals. So working with them, we just wouldn’t have had the courage to approach them before that.

1-42 :: How do you and Ross [Godfrey] form an outline of a song? I saw an interview with Skye saying that you usually bring sound ideas and beats on a CD to go over with everyone.

Paul :: I think it all varies, really. I might have an idea for a lyric or I might have looped up a really cool beat that I think can be transformed into a song, and Ross tends to have chord progressions that he’s been working on. We tend to just squeeze them together and see what fits where. Then we bring Skye in and see how she gets on with the vocals.

1-42 :: Do a lot of those ideas come out of the studio or listening to stuff while you’re driving the car to the grocery store or something?

Paul :: Yeah, that kind of thing. Although the studio can be creative, it can also be a bit stifling. You’re right; everyday kind of living and doing things is when a lot of the ideas come – when you’re not actually thinking about music.

1-42 :: Can you tell me about the inspiration for “The Great London Traffic Warden Massacre”?

Paul :: I had a really bad day parking (laughs). I bought a brand new BMW and it was the first time I had it in London. I came out of the studio and said, ‘hey, come check out my new Beamer,’ and came out to just a gap where my car had been parked. Apparently, they towed it away because one tire was on the curb and it was a 185 pound fine. So the next day, I parked about four inches from the curb because I was so paranoid and then I got a ticket for parking more than five inches from the curb – another 85 pounds. By that point I was pretty pissed and was hoping to inspire someone to go out and massacre traffic wardens (laughs).

1-42 :: What would you say most inspires you in music?

Paul :: I think that the most inspiring thing is going out and buying the latest CDs that people are raving about and them not satisfying me and me having to create my own music to fill that need in myself.

1-42 :: You do a lot of self-production - do you really enjoy producing?

Paul :: It’s quite funny actually, because the more I learn about producing, the more I learn that it’s quite difficult to produce your own stuff. It can also be really fulfilling, because if you have a vision, the easiest way to get to it really is by your own means. But I do like producing for other people and I also like doing commission work – remixing and stuff like that, when the A&R people have an idea of what they want – that can be really fun as well – just being a craftsmen and doing a good job. It all kind of varies, but I enjoy all of it.

1-42 :: When your producing your own material do you consider yourself a perfectionist?

Paul :: I try to be, but then I know that perfection isn’t something that is really attainable anymore. I think that you just have to do the best that you can do on any given day really and live with it.

1-42 :: A lot of times the celebrity status can be a double-edged sword do you like being on every TV in London, or would you rather be in the underground movement?

Paul :: The irony is that we probably sell more records than a lot of people that get overexposed. Particularly in America, we are relatively underground, which is such a big place and very few people buy records, but in Europe we are a part of the mainstream. After America, we’re going to China for a month to play for the British Council to tour there and we’ll be completely unknown – and we’ll just have people staring at us. So I’ve gotten to see it from a couple different angles strangely enough.

1-42 :: Which do you like best, being recognized or not?

Paul :: I quite like having a low profile, but if I want to get something done, I might have to name drop a little here and there and people will realize who I am and do something to get whatever I want done. So I kind of use it when I need to, but I actually just like being an ordinary guy.

1-42 :: What is the next step for Morcheeba?

Paul :: We’re working on a couple of tracks for our “best of” record that comes out next summer and I think a live DVD of our Brixton Academy show. The ‘best of’ is pretty much going to be our live shows :: singles, the more popular songs from each album, like “Blindfold,” “Trigger Hippie” and “Part of the Process.” We’ve written a couple new tracks and we’re getting a couple done before we come out to New York for the weekend. Then I guess we’re going to take a bit of time to kick back and figure out exactly what we want because we’ve been on the treadmill for so long it gets confusing.Mikal Lee

Photos courtesy of morcheeba.net