Foxtrot is a relatively new band from Pretoria, who play a hard-to-define kind of “Foxpop” music (“with a scent of jazz, African grooves and theatrical inspiration”). The group consists of Siobhan Lloyd-Jones on violin & vocals, Ronald Davey on cello, trumpet, and vocals, Mart-Marie Snyman on keys, and James Robb on drums and percussion. They’re playing the next Park Acoustics on 4 February, so we asked them a couple of questions to alleviate our anticipation…
First things first, Foxtrot is a dance. Does your band inspire foxtrot dancing at all?
Not specifically Foxtrot dancing, but definitely dancing!
You have an unconventional combination of instruments, with strings, loops, keys, and synths. How did this come about?
We didn’t choose the instruments, we chose each other and the instruments followed. We didn’t know what would happen when we combined all these different timbres. Our instruments are merely a personification of ourselves and via exploration of the possibilities they present in proximity to one another, they bring about this sound we have dubbed FOXpop.
Why use four different loop pedals instead of something like Ableton on a laptop?
Looping expands on the possibilities of new textures and rhythms and gives the sound an organic feel. It allows for unprecedented magical music to happen on the fly, governed by our intent, ensemble and control. We are definitely exploring other options such as Ableton as our music grows. We want to express our music physically as part of our skill-set at the moment.
Are you working on anything behind the scenes? What’s the chance of a Foxtrot album coming?
In December 2017 we published our first EP: Fresh From The Burrow as well an original soundtrack for the 1929 silent film Piccadilly. Both have limited edition prints and should be online early Feb. Keep and eye out for our EP launch party. We are currently working on new material, incorporating our band philosophy #cleanasyougo. We hope to release a second EP later this year as well as a few music videos. If there are any film makers out there – get in touch! We also love to travel so we are planning a few local tours including the Cape and an international tour.
What can people (especially those who’ve never seen you play) expect from your show at Park Acoustics?
A lot of notes and syncopations (ha ha). A weird-ass genre of music you have never heard before. Expect to have an opinion. You will either love it or hate it. Most likely you have never heard anything like this before, and if you have – maybe we will give you a CD.
Foxtrot will appear at Park Acoustics on 4 February. RSVP to the Facebook event, or buy your tickets here. We’re also running a ticket giveaway that closes TODAY – so if you’re fast, enter here!
