The Okayplayer Interview: Robin Hannibal + Coco O. Are Quadron
The emotionally-driven future soul of Danish duo Quadron makes a return with their impending LP Avalanche, on Vested In Culture/Epic Records. The new album follows the success of their self-titled 2010 debut and a subsequent move to Los Angeles to pursue their sound outside of the more limited confines of producer Robin Hannibal’s Copenhagen bedroom, where they first began recording. Driven by the infectious lead single, “Hey Love,” Quadron’s latest project proves that they are in no way enslaved by their sound, though they retain a fierce dedication to it – a trait also exemplified by the sonically deviant side projects that Coco O. and Robin Hannibal have lent themselves to, including Rhye and Boom Clap Bachelors. As much a pair of risk-takers as they are unabashed purists, the duo remains rooted in the deep bass and melodic gilding that framed Coco’s 90s r&b-inspired vocal so perfectly on their cinematically driven debut – an acutely unique project that went on to garner a cult following and widespread critical acclaim. Committed to creating good music above all else, they return with a release that stands to fulfill that promise as they build upon the lush production at the core of their aesthetic. As the June 4th release date approaches, Quadron drops a bit of insight on sound and a hint of what’s to come.
Okayplayer: How did Quadron come to exist? Please talk a bit about how you met and began making music.
Coco O: We met in Copenhagen, Denmark where both of us are from. A mutual friend introduced us at a record store Robin used to manage. We became friends and most importantly we became music partners by working slowly on different songs and different projects. Then suddenly we had some material that sounded like something else, so we decided to form a group and put it out.
OKP: Do you ever disagree on the direction of your sound? How do you resolve creative differences?
Robin Hannibal: Yes, but I think the overall direction is always there. Most of the time it’s the smaller things. We're both so passionate about this project and the songs and everything in it. Sometimes you get emotionally attached to different parts of the song. You don’t always see the final composition the same way to begin with. But I do feel the songs that end up being the best ones are the ones where we had the same vision or the same direction. I think we also learn a lot from disagreeing. We learn a lot from hearing other people's viewpoints. I think we both appreciate each other's opinions a lot. I feel like we've come to an understanding. We try out any ideas one of us has to see if it works or not, because we trust each other's taste. Then, also if it's not your idea but it's the best of the ideas, we're both good at saying "That idea was better."
CO: I think it's very normal to disagree in all relationships, but it's getting to be that we share the same taste more and more these days. So, it's getting easier.
OKP: It has been 4 years since your self-titled debut. How do you feel about the Quadron LP, looking back on it?
CO: I really still love it. I've been touring with these songs. When we made these songs it was very important for us that the music had more to it. To have interesting melodies. For it to be interesting to us for a longer period of time. I think we really succeeded in that since I'm not tired of the songs yet. I still really enjoy performing them and sometimes if somebody's playing our album I get excited, like "Oh, that sounds really, really good."
RH: Sometimes I'm really impressed when I hear it. I think, "Did we do that 4 years ago? It sounds really, really good!" I think that if you really put in the work, you're thinking about the longevity of it while you make it, and make sure you put everything into it, then it's at least possible that it'll stand the test of time. That it can be something that you'll appreciate further down the line because you kept working on it, you kept honing it, you kept reciting it. That's also how I feel about this new album that we worked on for several years. We picked the very best songs that we both really felt attached to - the ones we felt really succeeded in conveying the vision that we had for it, and we put everything into it. We revised them so many times. They've gone through so many different processes and rewrites and rearrangements and re-recordings and everything. When you're doing it sometimes you feel like it’s so much work and so bothersome, but it's really worth it once you're done.
CO: Yeah. Hard work pays off.
OKP: Would you have done anything differently? If so, what?
CO: Of course. I feel there's a bunch of things I could have done different, but I think that's also the value in it. That you did it. You did exactly that. It's there. It happened at that time for those reasons. Now, when I hear the vocals I'll be like "I could have done a bit more here or there", but I also just love it for what it is. I think it has great value and you can always change stuff, but sometimes I think it's more of an art not to (do that) and just accept it for what it is.
OKP: Did you expect the record to be so well received when you were working on it? What do you think made it so special?
RH: No, I don't think we thought that far. It was definitely a record we made out of the passion for music. Out of the passion of collaborating and creating music. We were really just thinking of that. We were so excited for each song - to finish, that everything just happened organically. Every step just seemed to happen very naturally. We didn't even really think about releasing it on the record label because it was meant for a soundtrack. Then the people who made the movie suggested we should release it as an album as well. Then we agreed we should. Then it was, "Let's think of a band name" “Let's put together a live band, let's do some press shots.” It all just happened one thing at a time and it all developed slowly while we could take the time to be in it. I really appreciate that. Then, naturally it expanded. It got into radio and slowly we caught the attention of media in the states.
CO: It's been a slow enough process, which is good, because we can kind of still wrap our heads around it. We can still find ourselves in it. It wasn't like one day you're in Copenhagen and the next you're famous.
OKP: Do you ever feel obligated to remain dedicated to a certain sound because of the success of that record?
RH: We are still very, very close to that sound. People have only heard one song from the new record, but I think if you look at the 10 songs you will see they are very much the sounds of Quadron. They are a development of that sound. They have the same overall inspiration. Every record you develop and change, and see things from new angles. You grow as a person. It's never going to be exactly the same sound.
CO: In our music we are trying to be really honest. We are really honest in our sound and it's like any person in your life. I might be nice, but I am also sensitive and I am also angry. I am also happy, etc. I think there are so many sides to people. With every project you can be something different. There are so many sides to people. It's the same thing with the music. The first album is one side. The next album is another side.
RH: It's not like we went from making a jazz record to making a heavy metal record. This album is still Robin and Coco. It's another side of us, but it's still within the same genre and in many ways the same inspirations. It's the same thing that we want out of music. We want to be touched by it. We want it to be emotional. We want it to be groovy as well. That was something we talked about a lot for this record. To have more rhythm. To be able to get a bit more of a party going as well. To get people to dance and move a little bit more
OKP: "Hey Love" is such a deviation from the softer, slower music people are used to hearing from Quadron. How did you come up with the song? What inspired it?
CO: “Hey Love” is the only song we created with an outside producer. We did it with Fraser T. Smith, who has worked with Adele and Florence & The Machine and other great artists. When we were in the studio with him we were having such a good time, talking about what we wanted to do and we had some inspiration from Nina Simone's "See Line Woman," which is a great song. We just wanted to have something that was - we never tried to create the same songs, so we were definitely trying to create something new with him as well. We didn't have a song that really showcased my vocals, there's basically not that much going on with the track besides vocals and beat. We were just having fun and trying to experience what we could do that we hadn't done before.
OKP: How has the song affected people in a club/party atmosphere? Has it had the impact you had hoped?
CO: Yeah, and that's been a big trip for me. The old album, I like it but I feel like it's more of a listening album and people really love to play it in cafés and in shops and when they ride their bikes or hang around with their boyfriend or girlfriend. But I feel like "Hey Love" is the first song where I went to a party and I didn't know these people and suddenly there are like 5 girls dancing and singing "Hey Love," and I feel - we never had a song do that before and that's just been a lot of fun. Even just my friends, they will call me and tell me, "Coco, the person downstairs is playing your song every morning. Can't you just shut up for a minute?" I think a lot of people who didn't know about us, they felt this song and then they got to know the other material and that's been great.
OKP: What was it like to work with Fatima Robinson on the choreography for "Hey Love"?
CO: It was super-scary. She's super, super dope. She has this strong energy around her and she's so talented and down to earth. She thought the idea I had for the song was super cute and she was just down for it. She taught me how to kind of feel my body, which was awkward. When she did it, I was like "Can't you just do it?" She's so great. I was trying to be serious about my movements. I think I really want to work more with her. I feel just the one or two days with her I got so much more comfortable.
OKP: What goes into the writing and production process for each track? Do you work within a general formula or does it vary from track to track?
RH: We have certain ways to approach a song, but it's almost never the same thing. It usually involves having some kind of chord progression - whether it be on piano or guitar. Some kind of very sparse simple production and then we work out our ideas around that. Then we start tracking out a couple of vocal melodies. Then we start figuring out what kind of mood it puts us in - what it could be about. Sometimes it's a line that Coco sings that kind of makes sense all of a sudden. It's improvisational to a certain point. Even with chord progression and the melody, it's a very pure, creative moment.
CO: It's the most fun part for me in the process of making albums. We get super-excited.
RH: It's fun, but then you have to finish the idea and sometimes that's really hard. You know where to take it, but it can be difficult. It's like a puzzle and there's only a couple of missing pieces. You have to put it together. There's also a satisfaction once it's done. We made this. We figured this out. It has a start. It has a finish. It has a good lyric and some great melody. This is good music. It's a very open process. We're very self-contained. We don't really write with others. With "Hey Love" we wrote with Fraser T. Smith. Other than that, it's very much our vision. That's been amazing, too. Even though we made the transition from an indie label to a major label, we've still been allowed to create our vision - create our records.
OKP: How do you feel about the direction of your new work? What prompted the change?
RH: I think it's up to others to judge how much the music's changed. I don't think it's changed that much. I think it's developed. I don't think the direction per se has changed. We've added to it. There's even elements in "Hey Love" that are similar to "Slippin" or "Pressure," and the rest of the record there are ballads that are similar to "Day" or "Far Cry" - mid-tempo songs that are groovy, just like "Average Fruit" or "Jeans." It hasn't changed that much except that this time around we also included musicians, that we didn't have on the first record, so we've been able to fulfill some of the dreams and fun things - just trying out different things. Working out of studios instead of a small bedroom. Using good equipment, just having time to play around with things and really working dedicated solely to making it.
OKP: Did you bring in many collaborators for this LP? Who did you work with to complete the album?
RH: We have collaborated with several different people.
CO: We love to collaborate. It's fun to meet other musicians who think the same as you do, and trying to see what you can make. I think the thing is just that we both like to work with each other so much that we just like our own stuff better.
RH: We worked closely with Pharrell and Raphael Saadiq on this record. A lot of those tracks haven't made the album, but they'll get out. We will finish them, for sure. It's amazing being able to work with people you admire and are inspired by. We are always open to that. Sometimes it's a collaboration that you didn't think of that will turn out the greatest. You never know.
OKP: What was it like to collaborate with Odd Future's frontman, Tyler, The Creator and Erykah Badu for “Treehome 95”? Do you have plans to work together in the future?
CO: Tyler just really liked our old album and we just hung out with him and the rest of the gang a couple of times and he hit me up while he was working on Wolf and asked me if I wanted to be a part of it. I think he's a great guy and I just accepted. It was fun. He's super sweet. Right now I'm just really focused on our album. I know he's focused on his album, but who knows what will happen in the future? We're all in the same city. At the end of the day it's just music, man.
OKP: Quadron has had a meteoric rise in a pretty short amount of time. Have you had a moment to appreciate your success/impact?
CO: Everyday. We don't sit around like, "Yo, Dude! How great are we feeling right now?" Sometimes we pat each other on the shoulder like, "Wow, we've really made some of our goals." We geek out when Robin has a string quartet or a horn section in the studio like, "Did we really go there?"
RH: That's true. You get these moments or this feeling when you wake up like, "Is this really going on?" But I think we're also dedicated. We take our word very seriously. We don't take anything for granted. We feel like we have a long way to go. We want to share our music with as many people as possible. That's also why we signed with a major label. We really want our music to be heard by as many people as possible and to be enjoyed by as many people as possible.
OKP: Philip Owusu has worked on Quadron's productions here and there. Would you be open to doing another Owusu & Hannibal LP in the future? Or maybe an entire album combining the two groups?
RH: Let's just say that there's something in the works with Quadron and Philip Owusu, and people will hear it soon. It's mind-blowing.
CO: It's really, really good. Now we're not going to say anything more about it.
RH: There's definitely something in the pipeline for sure.
OKP: What can fans expect from Quadron in the coming months? Any parting words?
RH: Watch out for the album. First week of June!