BY JONATHAN VALANIA Fuck Buttons is an electronic music duo from Bristol England that make mesmerizing, prismatic soundscapes out of children’s toys and low-rent thrift store electronics. Since 2008 they have released three critically acclaimed albums. They play Underground Arts on Saturday June 14th in support of last year’s Slow Focus. Recently we got Benjamin Power and Andrew Hungon the horn to find out what the hell they are on, how they get the sounds they get, and how you explain to your family around the table over Christmas dinner that you’ve decided to devote your life to something you call ‘Fuck Buttons.’
PHAWKER: First of all, the name? How? Why? Here’s the only conceivable scenario we can come up with: One day one of you guys goes coat shopping and tries something on and says to clerk, ‘I like this coat, but not the zipper, does it come in buttons?’ and the sales clerk said ‘Fuck buttons’ to distract you from the fact that it only comes with a zipper. True or false?
ANDREW HUNG: Absolutely false. It was a pencil case we were shopping for.
PHAWKER:How do you tell your parents you’re in a band called Fuck Buttons? I always wondered the same thing about the Butthole Surfers, by the way. Do tell.
BENJAMIN POWER: Fuck Buttons is 10 years old now so I guess 10 years ago they might have thought it was a big mistake, but they’ve seen the growth and now it’s not really an issue.
ANDREW HUNG: My parents are first generation immigrants so they don’t really have a good grasp of the English language. In fact, at the dinner table, whilst motioning toward the gravy, I’d ask them to pass over the “cunt sauce”. So funny!
PHAWKER: Why is it that all the really badass next-level ambient psychedelic shit — Massive Attack, Tricky, Portishead, Fuck Buttons — comes from Bristol? Is the weed that good?
BENJAMIN POWER: Must be something they put in the water
ANDREW HUNG: Hahahha. Yes it’s THAT good. Actually, Bristol weed is good because it’s a port town and yes, I do partly attribute the musical fertility of that town to the drugs. Mostly I would attribute it to that town being off the beaten track though, a place which evolves on its own terms because it’s so disconnected. I do love that town.
PHAWKER: In all seriousness, have psychedelic drugs influenced your worldview and your perception and pursuit of the infinite possibilities of sound? If so, please elaborate. If not, what are you waiting for? (Just kidding, drugs are bad, kids.)
ANDREW HUNG: No. I don’t even drink any more. I don’t have anything against drugs but they’re just not for me.
PHAWKER: Have you guys heard this dude’s cover of “Sweet Love For Planet Earth”? If so, what do you think, if not, give it a listen and then tell me what you think.
ANDREW HUNG: I think he plays the song better than we do.
BENJAMIN POWER: Yeah, he’s done a very nice job there. Somebody also covered The Red Wing and sent it to us the other day. Was good also.
PHAWKER: A lot of your sound is derived from obscure vintage electronics, toys and assorted noisemakers employed hypnotically. Where do you acquire these devices? What devices are currently on your wish list and why?
ANDREW HUNG: Anywhere and everywhere. Mostly cheap places, like pawn shops, flea markets etc. Nothing on the wish list at the moment…
PHAWKER: Last question is a hypothetical. You wake up in the middle of the night and your house is on fire, you only have time to grab one album, which one is it and why?
BENJAMIN POWER: I would quickly grab a few things to make a new record of our own. I’d probably leave all existing albums as they are snapshots in time that exist even if you don’t own them.
ANDREW HUNG: I think albums would be the last thing I grabbed from a burning house… I walked into a record shop the other day and wondered “Do people still buy these things?” Not the point of the question I know okay so… one album… I don’t actually own any physical albums!
