Blue on Blue are London based duo Dee Sada and Billy Steiger, who formed the group a couple of years ago. Dee was the lead singer and bass player in art-rock band An Experiment on a Bird in the Airpump, but now devotes all her time to Blue on Blue with Billy.
Their debut self-titled EP was released on 31 October through Tip Top Recordings. The tracks were recorded at Morgenrock Studios, specially constructed by the pair in East London as a place in which to bring their dreams to life. They share the vocal responsibilities across a record where string sections sit alongside electronic experimentation.
How long have you been making music?
Dee: Both my parents are musical and my earliest memories are of my dad and his record player playing amazing music. I've been playing instruments since the age of 11 - I had piano, guitar and drum lessons. I've been writing songs since I was 13 and I've been in bands for about 3 years now.
Billy: I used to play the violin when I was a kid, and I started recording bits and pieces with a tiny computer mic then reversing, pitching and looping them to make these abstract piece of music. When I started learning about music concrete, I realised it's a very similar process. I think I was about 11 at the time.
What inspired your EP?
Dee: Mental breakdowns, insomnia and loneliness. I had so much going on in my life in the last year so this EP is really a documentation of that as well as a final therapeutic end to it. It was an emotional slog writing and singing about thorns in our sides but it had to be exorcised. It just had to be done.
Billy: Everything I did, saw, thought, listened to and dreamt during the making of it.
What process do you go through to create your music?
Dee: I don't have a process but I create an atmosphere. For writing, I usually feel the urge to write around 4am. I make all my music from my bed - I feel most at ease and comfortable there. Lately I've been writing with Billy and we set up a similarly comforting environment and write in our living room. I think you can channel all your honesty when you are most comfortable in your environment and with another person you trust. It's the perfect creative formula for me.
Billy: I don't have a process. I think that if anyone ever applies a single process to creating any kind of art they are going to get bored or disillusioned very quickly. It's the main reason bands get boring after the second or third album because they're just working to a tried and tested formula.
How would you describe your sound?
Dee: Avant garde pop is how one of our friends describes us. I like that.
Billy: I don't feel like I can describe my own music. I made it, I'll leave it to other people.
What would your dream collaboration be?
Billy: I'm already doing it, it's called Blue On Blue.
Where can we catch you performing next?
We performed two shows in one day on Monday 31 October for the EP launch. We did a Rough Trade East in-store at 7pm followed by a gig at Old Blue Last at 9.30pm.
Click here to listen to Blue on Blue.
