Moses Boyd

"I think to this day that whole album, Fly Or Die is one of my top buys for so many reasons - every time I go back to it there's other things I hear in it. Even bigger than that, it was Pharrell and what he did with N/E*/R/D. It was the first thing that I identified with. I used to skateboard, and I always felt like what I was doing was ‘other’. And then I saw that and I was like ‘Oh. Sick.’ Someone gets it. There’s another black guy, skateboarding and they were into rap and hip hop and making beats and he plays drums. It was like there's room to do what I do, you know what I mean? This has never sounded old, like some records do. Some records of that era you listen back and they don’t age well. But I feel like that particular one, it's still very raw, still very honest. That was one of the first CDs I got in secondary school. My brother went to America and brought it back. And I was like ‘What dyou get for me?’ and he was like ‘Uhhhh... here.’ I’m glad I asked that question."

"In a weird way for me, same as Jeff Buckley, Count Ossie and Buju, this feels really churchy to me. It's quite an odd tune when you think about Jimi, the drumbeat is very meditative, the same way you get with Ossie and his repetitions. Lyrically it's not, man is on a lot of LSD but there’s something about it that I’ve always gone back to. I still can't really explain what it is, it's definitely linked in the same way. It’s got that sort of mysticism about it. And when you listen to that whole album, it’s like wait, what happened there? Everything else makes sense, but what's that? I love those kind of tracks. We know Jimi for this one thing and this is just like, somebody explain this? I wonder if he had to fight to get that record on the album because if I was an A&R I’d be like ‘Sick, but this doesn’t fit, maybe we should put that somewhere else.’ Whether it’s right or wrong I don’t know - but it's sick."

"The album I got into most from Jeff Buckley was Grace and I listened to that loads. I've listened to that back to front, but more recently I got into Sketches For My Sweetheart which this song is on. I think that this album is all demos and the fact that it still sounds so complete, the message is still so strong, the energy’s still there. Something about that particular song just really felt like church to me I can’t explain it, maybe it’s the chord progression. It was like grunge church, I'm into that. I'd love to go to a sermon where it’s grunge church, that's me. But more so how he kind of created a world in this song where I don't really get what he’s chatting about but I’m with him, I’m on that journey. I love things like that, that I can’t explain, and I think Dark Matter is very much like that, I don't want people to try and explain it. I want people to try and feel it, have that relationship. And then maybe one day find out why it makes you feel this way. I haven't found the answer for this one yet but that's definitely the vibe."

"Where do we even start with Fred Hammond? I grew up going to church, the faith is really strong in my family, I don't think there was a week that passed where he didn’t get played in my house so I’ve got a great love for his music. It’s just interesting how gospel music in particular breaks the idea that music is for entertainment. Music shouldn't always be for entertainment, I think that’s an important notion. Music is a gift, music is given to us, whether you believe in nature or a creator, however you want to call it. And it's tough when you become an artist and you have to step into commerce for your art, which is tricky you know, you’ve got to make bread, but I always need things to remind me it isn't always about getting on stage and making people jiggy. Music is a spiritual thing. I think gospel music does that best. The music that resonates in some sort of deity does that best ‘cos its not trying to appeal to anyone in a way. This is like worship, devotion. And Fred Hammond’s catalogue on top of that is just so funky, so sick, the arrangements, his vocals. He’s one of my favourite artists full stop. I just geek out over his stuff. And the fact that I've just always had him in my life. It's funny when I talk to other people that didn't grow up in church and stuff they’re like, ‘Yeah, man, Fred Hammond was in my house every week too!’"