G Logan’s forthcoming single How Did We, a seriously seductive slice of deep R&B-infused house, is already building a head of positive critical steam but the artist himself isn’t surprised, as Defected's Ben Lovett found out.
“Without over-stepping the boundaries I’m a very confident person” he begins. “I felt good about the sound of the record, the feeling, about the songwriting...it felt like something super-hot for 2013. At the same time, I’m still growing as an artist. I haven’t had enough mainstream success yet to validate how good I potentially am. It’s very easy right now, around a record like this, to accept all the praise and comments of greatness, but there is a way to go yet.”
Logan – real name Gerad Logan – is just 25 but can already count on a wealth of industry experience. He made his first meaningful contact in his mid-teens, collaborating with producer Steve Campbell (of Blacksmiths fame). That hook-up led to R&B-edged remix work, as Soundbwoy Ent, for the major label likes of Mis-Teeq, and Atomic Kitten. Logan was also asked to co-produce a Craig David B-side, and then approached by Warner Chapel Publishing to work with high-profile songwriter-producers Brian Higgins (Girls Aloud, Sugababes) and Soulshock & Karling (Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston).
Logan’s lucrative Warner contract paved the way for remixes of Kelis, Shawn Emmanuel and Jay Sean, whilst allowing him room to work with Brit underground hip-hoppers Bigz and Baby Blue, and, in 2006, release national chart hit Never Wanna Say via Ministry Of Sound’s Smoove imprint. “That whole period was a major experience, a real lesson for me” he reflects. It showed me how the industry worked and what I needed to do. The Warner stuff was particularly interesting...I started to develop my songwriting and my studio skills. However, they had a vision for me, and I had a vision for me. Ultimately, we didn’t gel and so I moved on to other projects like Smoove and Kelis.”
Soundbwoy remixes have, latterly, followed for Dionne Bromfield (via her godmother Amy Winehouse’s Universal-backed Lioness label) and, this year, ‘urban’ outfit Harmony (via Public Demand) but Logan is, it’s clear, focused on fashioning a new career angle as G Logan; which is where How Did We swaggers in. The track debuted last year on one of Logan’s memorable underground mixtapes, Almost Gave Up. One of two house-vibed cuts switching things up from his usual R&B turf, it got him thinking.
“The reaction to it was great, so I thought about sending it to the best house labels I could think of” he explains. “All of them came back wanting to do something; it had really caught their interest, but I felt that the nature of Defected’s response, and their reputation, was enough to follow-up on. It was all positive.”
So, why the switch to uptempo 4-4? “I don’t see it that way really” he says. “My background is R&B and always will be. It’s deep with me...internalised. I was brought up on lots of soul, jazz and hip-hop and those sounds will always have roots in whatever I do. How Did We is strongly house-influenced but there’s an R&B strong structure driving throughout. That gives the track its depth, its emotion...it’s allowed me to express my sentiments clearly... what I’m feeling. I’m happy with how things are building; I knew it would be a grower, not so immediate. But now, boy, it’s really getting out there.”
Logan is very much one for wearing his heart on his sleeve in the studio. “I definitely have to feel something to then connect anything musically” he reveals. “When I was younger I concentrated purely on melody and sound when making music and that was OK for a time but left me feeling that something was missing. I think with life experience this whole other dimension has come to my work; made it more complete.”
He continues: “The songwriting actually came to me by accident, I didn’t ask for it at all. Ultimately, I had a massive relationship breakdown and felt this need to starting getting my feelings out... writing, poetry, whatever. That reaction quickly translated into music. Since then, I’ve always been aware of a bigger picture whether I’m performing or writing and producing.”
How, then, does the recording process work for Logan? Has the transition from straightforward beat and groove forging to the all encompassing discipline of full song craftsmanship been easy? “It was difficult at first; I was raw. I didn’t have all the words, though I wanted to say them. I was just getting caught up in all the dramas. But then with time it started to click. I found I had an aptitude and appetite for writing songs; now it’s just part of what I do.”
How would Logan describe his studio process these days? Has method and structure come with age? “I’m still pretty instinctive to be honest” he responds. “Sure, you get more experience under your belt and an appreciation for being organised and having routines but too much of that process isn’t good. For me, sometimes the lyrics will happen first...sometimes the music has to happen first...sometimes the music and lyrics just need to feel crazy. It’s good to experiment sometimes and throw things up in the air and see where they fall; often music in the studio just happens....”
Accepting the fact Logan remains close to his R&B heritage, how does he feel about electronic dance? It is, after all, a scene he will be increasingly tied to in light of How Did We. “I’m starting to notice how house is going back to vocals, to soulful groove and R&B vibes. Even the wider dance scene, with people like Rudimental and Duke Dumont, are fusing the uptempo with a soulful song structure, which is great. The electro-house stuff I’m hearing works really well too but I do prefer the deeper grooves. I can really feel them and they often have something more to say. It’s refreshing to be tapping into this scene with the new record.”
So we can expect more 4-4 in the future then? “Possibly.... There are no specific plans for what I’m going to do next; it might sound cliché but it really just depends on how I’m feeling in the studio at the time and what comes out. I do, however, love the garage and house vibe, and their melodies... I used to listen to a lot of pirate radio... so I wouldn’t rule anything out. I want to keep stretching myself.”
Logan continues: “Defected have been great so far but the relationship is still at an early stage, I’m getting to know the guys. If I do look at more house records with them they’ll need to meet the G Logan remit of course....”
That remit is an intensely soulful standard that also extends to the stage and Logan’s multi-instrumental performances there: “I’m classically trained” he explains. “I can play the piano, the trumpet and drums, as well as sing. I love to perform, and the bookings continue to come in, and compliment the production side of things. One doesn’t out-balance the other.”
Does Logan DJ? If not, would he consider embracing this side of club culture? “Totally, I love to hear DJs and, as I say, I’ve always been a big follower of pirate radio” he offers. “At the moment, I guess I’m fairly neutral. I’ve not gone out of my way to learn it and do it. There’s no driving force and I’d want to embrace it properly...fully...at the moment I have so many other things going on. But, yes, I can see how house DJs can offer a different vibe to R&B and hip-hop, and the way they influence their audiences. It’s exciting. I’ll always be open to different ideas.”
So what’s next? “Working with more producers” Logan reveals. “And releasing material through a few more independent labels; I want to carry on building momentum. I’ve actually got my first album in my sights now, it’ll have R&B roots but I want it to embrace lots of different styles. I’m starting to work on it now with a view to releasing next year. I’m really excited.”
Logan is savvy enough to pinpoint challenges ahead, not least the rapidly changing nature of the industry he’s within, but he remains confident and prepared: “This industry, boy, it moves so quickly, and you need to move with that revolution or just roll over. Like love, it has its afflictions. But like love, too, you’re in it because you feel passionately.”
Words: Ben Lovett
How Did We is out 16th September on Defected Records
