Interview: Andrew Hung

Andrew Hung is best known as one half of experimental noise duo F*ck Buttons who came into existence in Bristol around ten years ago. After some time working on film scores, he’s just dropped his first solo album called Realisationship. The record is beautifully diverse in sound and it’s clear he’s enjoyed having a fresh start this time. We caught up with Andrew ahead of his upcoming show at The Exchange on November 20th.

Congratulations on the album,  how was it going at this one alone?

It was helpful to the creative process. You can do whatever you want which is both a good thing and a bad thing really. Once you acclimatise to that it’s good. It’s just you’re having to be a bit more disciplined on your own I guess. On the whole I really enjoyed it.

Was it a case of trying not to stray in too many different directions?

Yes. I’ve been making music for like ten years or so within a collaborative structure. I had ideas of what I wanted to do before going in which helped but it quite quickly mutated into something else. I guess it’s the beginning of pushing a boulder or something, it takes a lot of effort and you’re not sure where it’s going to go, but once that momentum is in place you see the direction and you go with it. That’s how I saw it anyway.

It’s a remarkably diverse record in sound, did you want it to be quite playful?

I think that was the main reason for doing it to be honest with you. I wanted to see where I would go without any external expectations I guess. I don’t think a thought process came into it once I started working on it. It was more a matter of chipping away at something and finding out what it was. Sorry to use so many analogies but it did feel like a block that I was chipping away at to see what was underneath it and that was it really.

Had going solo been burning away in the back of your mind throughout your career?

I think it’s always been there. When I was younger I used to have a sketchpad which I used to draw in it everyday. When I went to university that turned into making films everyday. So I knew I wanted to make something every day regardless of what the medium was. Then F*ck Buttons came along and I was able to make music everyday with that. There was definitely something in the back of my mind of wanting to do something that was purely my own. That’s how this came about I guess.

It must be more rewarding in a sense? 

I think so. I think there wasn’t much control in where it was going to go but at the same time I was totally responsible for that body of work being completed. So I had a lot of power but it did reveal a weird lack of power I had in where it was actually going to go.

What did you want from a lyrical perspective?

I’ve never written lyrics before but I’ve got a high opinion of my wordsmithery. I’ve done short stories before but I didn’t know how to approach this really. I worked with two amazing songwriters recently in Beth Orton and Emmy The Great. I watched them really closely and saw how they work. With Emmy we were singing melodies and words were just coming out. I would tell her that just came out and she went “oh that’s probably right then”. That stuck with me. When i write lyrics now I come up with a melody and then the words comes out. Then the lyric informs the rest of the song. It’s almost automatic and the beginning and then fleshing it out. That’s the same of the whole process.

Was it great to have that guidance?

It was totally amazing. I see collaboration as a shortcut to learning. I guess that’s quite obvious isn’t it? The more you interact with people the more you’re going to learn because you’ll learn from them. Having said that there’s also a massive resource on the internet to learn stuff these days for sure.

It must be exciting be getting the record out there in a live dimension soon?

Yes for sure. The record was like a first step and then the live show is another big step. Dimension is a really good word to describe that. I think it gives the work a bit more depth and it gives my ideas more depth. It’s going to inform how I view the music and what I’m capable of and that’s going to take a bit of time I think as it settles in. That’s the ultimate aim I guess because it’s about connection. So anything I can do to make that as strong as possible is going to be useful.

How have you found the initial response to things so far?

I thought I was prepared for it all because I’ve been doing it for years. Although it’s just been completely new, having to take on the responsibility of everything. I’m still processing it to be honest with you. It’s all really new and I think it’s just a matter of keeping at it as opposed to trying to find a goal to achieve. I don’t think there’s a goal at such, I’m just chipping away at understanding everything. It’s exciting as well. It’s like stepping onto a new foundation. So I’m totally conscious of where I am and I’m looking forward to the point where I’m not so conscious of that. Then I’ll be able to explore a little bit more. For now though it feels like I’m stepping onto new terrain which is exciting and terrifying.

Andrew Hung plays The Exchange on November 20.

Tickets are available through www.exchangebristol.com