The London based trio's recent album launch captured in full
Yorkshire born musician Bex Burch formed the group Vula Viel after returning from three years spent in Upper East Ghana, where she completed an apprenticeship under master xylophonist Thomas Sekgura. The band's rhythmic compositions feature Burch playing the gyil xylophone, Ruth Goller playing bass guitar and Jim Hart on drums. This performance marks the release of Vula Viel's second album What’s Not Enough About That?, which follows 2019's Do Not Be Afraid and also features guest performances from trombonist and Arthur Russell collaborator Peter Zummo. Burch divulged further information about the project over email:
How did the collaboration with Peter Zummo come about?
Quinton Scott [Strut Records] put me in touch with Peter a couple of years ago, and we started writing music over email. I went to visit him in New York over New Year 2019 and he came to play a duo set at my Do Not Be Afraid album launch. Then I joined his band for a few gigs along with Tom Skinner, Tom Herbert and Robert Stillman.
Playing with Peter moved me to a new place musically, which I credit to just being in that space with someone so much further on. Playing with our elders is just a different thing, and it wasn't so much a learning curve as a learning awakening. I wanted to honour that influence by having Peter guest on the album, and we took that a big step further by having him play live at Cafe OTO, where you can hear for yourself the relationship deepening.
How has Vula Viel's sound developed from the last album?
The gyil sound is developing all the time, and I'm lucky to build the instrument myself so have a very intimate relationship with the sound. Getting to know Ruth and Jim, I also want to make space for them, while still being able to play when I need to play. Recently, I have been using a pedal designed for me by Laurel Pardue, which instead of compressed sound for distortion, she reverse engineered a kazoo type buzz of the Dagaare gyil calabash (with a hole covered by spider egg sacs that buzzes when the key sings) and adds this buzz to my keys when I want it. I also use Freeze pedal and DD7 delay. This is really the only xylophone/balafon instrument you can hear right now which has sustain capabilities and uses pedals live like this.
What's Not Enough About That? is self released and available now.
Video recorded live at Cafe OTO 12 March 2020 by Shaun Crook. Mixed by Alex Bonney. Filmed and edited by Louise Boer. Additional cameras: Ilme Vysniauskaite and Florine Zegers.
How has Vula Viel's sound developed from the last album?
I'm just now glimpsing who I am as a composer and percussionist; previous albums I've always thought it was the best thing I've ever made, done all I can and been really proud of the music and sound, but on finishing Do Not Be Afraid, I really had a lot I had tried to do but not quite finished. This one is the first where I'm conscious of my potential and the fact that one day I will have my own voice. And feels like an answer to Do Not Be Afraid.
This has been fed into by playing with Ruth Goller and Jim Hart and establishing our sound by producing the What's Not Enough record ourselves. I loved working on pre-production, especially figuring out the drum sound. Previously, Matt Calvert was producing and I didn't realise til he wasn't there how much he inputted to the Vula Viel sound. I both appreciate all his work and influence and enjoyed that absence and space to work on sounds myself and with Jim and Ruth. The sound I'm aiming for has more space. Times when there's less noise, so that when we want noise it's on purpose. That means a cleaner drum sound, more live sounding, higher frequencies, less cymbals, more dry sounds and buzz on the drums. Ruth Goller's sound is so established, that I didn't have any input, but I only asked sometimes for less obvious builds, especially in her solos. Taking out the drums when she would have wanted more, and seeing what that brought about.
The gyil sound is developing all the time, and I'm lucky to build the instrument myself so have a very intimate relationship with the sound. Getting to know Ruth and Jim, I also want to make space for them, while still being able to play when I need to play. Recently, I have been using a pedal designed for me by Laurel Pardue, which instead of compressed sound for distortion, she reverse engineered a kazoo type buzz of the Dagaare gyil calabash (with a hole covered by spider egg sacs that buzzes when the key sings) and adds this buzz to my keys when I want it. I also use Freeze pedal and DD7 delay. This is really the only xylophone/balafon instrument you can hear right now which has sustain capabilities and uses pedals live like this.
What's Not Enough About That? is self released and available now.
Video recorded live at Cafe OTO 12 March 2020 by Shaun Crook. Mixed by Alex Bonney. Filmed and edited by Louise Boer. Additional cameras: Ilme Vysniauskaite and Florine Zegers.
