A Chat with C-Beem (29.06.23)
The brainchild of singer-songwriter Chris Mills, C-Beem has been described as a “sonic explorer” (Mesmerized) “a rising star in the UK music scene” (Plastic Magazine), and “wildly imaginative…” (Find No Enemy). Involved in music since childhood, Chris Mills has played with various bands as a vocalist and keyboard player. As the decades progressed, however, he began working on his solo project – C-Beem. We speak with C-Beem about his album Jammin’ The Steam Towers, bad habits, musical inspiration and much more.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
C-Beem: I think this is much the same as what music means to everybody! I feel that music makes the world spin with more zip than any other most rapidly consumed and the most rapid to change. Music hits home so directly and weaves deeply into our memories; the good times, the sad times, the meaningful times. Music is magic, energy, vibration. It’s a fundamental creative life force. Without it, I shudder to imagine what kind of species we’d be!
OSR: What inspires you to make music?
C-Beem: It’s like an urge that cannot stay in the box for too long. It’s late June now, at the stage when I have completed and released a new album, and it’s left me very drained because I put so much heart and soul into it. There are no new songs flying around in my head at present, but I’ve learned not to worry about that. It’s a cycle I’ve been through before. With calm and patience, the encouraging crackles and buzzes will return. It usually takes hearing something on the radio, old or new, that sends a shiver down my spine and gets me hitting the studio again. It may take months but does come back eventually. When I get to producing my next body of work, I aim for a result when I think: “how the hell did I do that?”. When you really surprise yourself, you’ve hit a new benchmark.
OSR: What can you tell us about your album Jammin’ The Steam Towers?
C-Beem: My two previous albums slot easily into that post-punk melodic synth sound, but I wanted JST to delve deeper. My influences range beyond just the 80s, though I can understand how that “C-Beem, time traveller from the 80s” thing came about. I’m pleasantly tickled by that image but don’t wish to get too weighed down by it.
In addition to Simple Minds, Duran Duran and Tears For Fears, etc, I love the legacies of rock artists like Neil Young, ELO, Jethro Tull and Pink Floyd. I challenged myself to build in these older influences whilst retaining much of the synth art-pop sensibility. Maybe it’s not such a ridiculous alchemy considering how 80s New Romantics owned much to the spirit of prog-rock. I’m really pleased with the result. It’s not conceptually tight – more a variety assortment of flavours and textures. As Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull once mentioned: “Sometimes you just want to release an album that’s a bunch of songs!”
I’m also pleased as punch with the album cover, reflecting a Pink Floyd inspiration behind the album’s namesake track. The row of steam towers depicted is the Ratcliff-on-Soar coal power station located north of my hometown of Leicester. They’re a real landmark with much personal significance. There’s a plan to demolish the towers in the next several years, which is so sad. It’s that feeling of things vanishing – things that were admittedly not great in their environmental impact, but you wish the powers that be could spare these reminders of our past. We are beings who exist between past and future. We need our cultural anchors and waystations, and I feel the same way about music. ‘Starships’, one of the most acclaimed tracks on JST, is all about that subject in a musical sense – how we consume it today in such non-tangible, boring, insubstantial ways. So many wondrous things blotted out by bland convenience.
OSR: Did you face any challenges when recording and producing the album?
C-Beem: Recording and producing should always be a challenge. If it goes too easily then you’ve probably missed the mark. “Yeah, yeah, that’ll do! No worries!” If you find yourself in that mental state, most likely you’ll be rolling out a hollow horse.
The main challenge was heavier use of guitar, amp and mic … much more rock n’ roll! With previous albums, it was nearly all ‘in the box’ production from my Roland workstation, which meant no extraneous noise. When you start using the dirty ol’ stuff, you get the crackles, hisses and hums to contend with, so this means working more intensely on noise reduction to avoid a sludgy sound. That might be a good thing if you’re after lo-fi, but I’m not.
The other challenge was vocals. I no longer smoke, which is great for my health and vocal range, but it changes how your voice box works. When you restrict your range to fit the limitations, it’s easier to control, but with more elastic vocals funny things can happen. I found myself doing a lot more vocal retakes than in previous albums, but it all came out well in the wash. I think my vocals are much stronger than they used to be.
OSR: Which do you find more difficult: melody or lyrics?
C-Beem: I usually come up with lyric ideas before melodies. I think it’s hugely important for a song to contain a strong concept and theme – I don’t concede to the “lyrics aren’t important compared to a good tune” thing. Creating a lyrical framework can get very involved, but once in place, the melody manifests in an organic way because the mood is already shaped by the sentiments and cadences of the lyrics. So, I do find lyrics a little harder because I believe they should be.
OSR: What are the best and worst things about being a solo artist?
C-Beem: Pros: no clashes of egos, no time-keeping issues, no creative differences, no dependence on others.
Cons: self-obsession, loneliness, lack of objective ears to tell you that sounds shit! The most concerning aspect is how many music platforms prefer promoting live performers. It’s that ‘authentic music’ thing. Live bands have a real advantage. They can build followings more quickly and connect with audiences in a visceral way. If you really take to an artist/band playing live, you will almost certainly chase up on them on social media and wherever they sell their music.
OSR: If you could change anything about Jammin’ The Steam Towers, what would it be?
C-Beem: Longer and more complex swathes of guitar work, but I’m not the world’s greatest guitarist!
OSR: Do you have any bad habits?
C-Beem: Too often I haven’t taken enough studio measures to keep vocal recording clear, then I find myself having to redo entire takes. Another bad habit is that I often leap into EQ levelling too hastily because I’m so eager to hear the result. The pro-technique is to leave EQ until after more basic mix processes.
OSR: What does the future hold for C-Beem?
C-Beem: World domination if they let me! Just kidding! Seriously, I have a lot of work to do before performing live, but schemes are afoot and could make a big difference to what C-Beem is all about!
Many thanks to C-Beem for speaking with us. For more from C-Beem, check out his Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Bandcamp and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
