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Vice Blog

LONDON - MICACHU

Micachu makes pop music using ukeleles, vacuum cleaners, decks and cellos. When we met the wispy 21-year-old East Londoner she was wrapped in a Burberry scarf and sipping hot water with nothing in it. She looked tired, but she's been really busy lately, having written and produced a 33-track mixtape with people like Toddla T and Man Like Me. She's also started an avant-garde music collective called I Love S'n'M, who are performing at the Old Blue Last on Sunday night.

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Vice: How come you started inventing your own musical instruments?
Micachu: I’ve been into Harry Partch since I was like 16. I just love the way he was a bit of a hobo, but then invented his own system of music, his own scales, everything. He’s kind of been lost in music history because no one can play his instruments. People go to school and they learn the recorder, they don’t learn the boo. Sort of makes you think, was he a megalomaniac? Did he ever want people to hear his music?

Well, he made an impression on you.
Yeah, definitely. Off the back of him I started making my own instruments. I’ve adapted a guitar so that it's got all these extra pedals attached to it. It makes the pitch really varied and I can shift it really quickly. I’ve made another instrument out of a CD rack, a wheel and strings.

Does that go down well at shows?
It mostly does, but sometimes it’s a disaster. We played this Wetherspoon's pub in Reading on a Sunday afternoon. People were just in for a quiet pint or a Sunday lunch. At the time I was in this grime crew and we were playing these big beats, really loud and intrusive. It was totally wrong. I did another gig where the promoter took me aside and asked me if I was on crack.

What's the S'n'M collective about?
I'm studying composition at music college and if we want anyone to hear our pieces we have to sort it out ourselves. That’s how S’n’M came about. It’s basically like an informal environment for getting your pieces out there, and it’s easier to sort out than a show in a concert hall. People who don’t really hear experimental music can get a chance to. It’s hard to find channels to play non-melodic experimental music in clubs because it’s not easy to dance to. We’ve got one piece for decks, cello and trumpet. It’s great. Someone’s written some conceptual stuff for our band to play, like not really music.

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That sounds like it could be… challenging.
Our worry is always that we don’t wanna be dickheads - pretentious and that. It’s normally pretty inclusive. We’re doing this one thing called sipping and drinking. You make music from just getting really drunk and feeling awful.

How does that work?
There's like a series of instructions written on the music (like sip, blow, gulp, etc). There are like six different parts, so everyone is drinking and playing at the same time. You just start to get these really weird chords coming out.

How do you keep your hair so curly?
It’s out of my control. I don’t really like it. I did this gig where someone from Man Like Me poured glitter out of a watering can on to my head and now it's all lodged in my scalp. It’’ll never come out. I’ve just got a shiny head forever.

SAM WOLFSON

- Micachu will perform at The Old Blue Last on Sunday night.