CityLife

Gruff Rhys - Animal, Neon and DJ

Gruff Rhys in Neon Neon mode

AS the credit crunch takes its toll on the country, many people are looking to second jobs as a valuable way of bolstering income.

Every evening, office workers are heading home to begin work serving drinks in bars, selling stuff on the phone, or entertaining the neglected pets of rich children.

Indie musicians – as ever – are way ahead of the curve. For years they’ve been moonlighting as DJs, amassing wads of cultural and actual currency behind the decks at guest-booking clubs.

Approaches to the sideline are varied. Some (usually drummers) seek beat-matched perfection, while others (usually bassists) dance around near sneaky premixed CDRs and hope no one notices. 

Popular psych-rockers

Then there is Gruff Rhys’ self-termed Really Crap DJing Technique.
“I’m an anti-DJ really,” laughs the amiable Welshman, by day leader of popular pscyh-rockers Super Furry Animals and by night part of this year’s Rizla Invisible Players, who arrive at The Deaf Institute on Saturday, June 6, for a party with El Diablo’s Social Club.

Gruff will be joined by New York duo Rub N Tug, along with the Heavenly Jukebox and El Diablo’s residents Neil Scott and Danny Webb. 

“I stand in a darts player stance. Pint in one hand, record in the other, headphones slipping down my head. My legs then get tangled in the lead and I fall over and knock some teeth out. But the records usually keep playing so it's OK.”

When it comes to track selection, Rhys’ policy concedes nothing to the fashion-based whims of his audience, instead centring on the tunes that he himself would like to hear on a night out. 

Expletive-strewn

“I mostly play noisy mid-paced harmony pop records from the Sixties and Seventies with a few wild cards thrown in,” he says.

“My big record is Y Brawd Houdini by Meic Stevens. People usually get naked and stuff by the middle of that one.”

As part of Super Furry Animals, Rhys has enjoyed a 16-year career as the singer in one of Wales’ best-loved bands, encompassing John Peel endorsements, Mercury nominations and expletive-strewn Top 22 singles, so how does it feel to now be trying his hand at a second job? 

“I suppose it's like the difference between working in a bakery and eating and sharing tasty cakes,” he ponders.

Lemon sponge

 “It's pretty different, but seeing what music and cakes people get into when we’re playing records/serving up baked goods, definitely informs what we do as a band/bakers when playing live/cooking on gas.”

“When we tour, we play music to the audience before and after the show so we search for records in every new town we visit.
“I'm well into cakes at the moment too; like a lemon sponge or something.”

Rizla Invisible Players vs. El Diablo’s Social Club is on Saturday, June 6 at the Deaf Institute. 8pm-4am. £7