A great partnership can go a long way to making beautiful things; it’s a well-recognised fact that if you can find some often elusive harmony and creatively click creatively with another artistic force the results can be stunning, whatever it is that you aim to craft. In the case of Copyright and Shovell, that thing happens to be music, and whether that might be the Drum Warrior accompanying them live during one of their DJ sets or lending his inimitable vocal and percussionist talents to one of their productions, you can be pretty certain that the results are going to be rather special.
The present project is based on the latter of these two forms of collaboration, and manifests itself in the form of ‘Kama Yeah’; a spiritual, tribal drum workout which drops just in time to spice up the beaches and dancefloors of the Miami WMC. All fine and dandy so far, but what does it all mean?
Copyright featuring Shovell - Kama Yeah (main mix) by Defected Records
“Great question what does it mean?” returns Sam Copyright. “To be honest, I have no idea. You'll have to ask the Drum Warrior! He speaks in drums.”. “It’s simple” replies Shovell. “Kama Yeah is that positive feeling that comes from feeling the rhythm in music; we’ve all felt it at some point in our lives, and that’s what the song embodies.
From hearing the vocal, you have to wonder where it comes from; it – like many of Shovell’s vocal performances - seems to come from deep within his soul, almost like he has no control over it himself, and that it is simply his own unique way of interacting with and channeling the music. So what’s it like working with him? “When we work with Shovell, we listen to lots of world music, and check out chants that we like, we then come up with our own take on it” answers Sam. “We always let Shovell go crazy in the vocal booth, that’s part of the energy of the records. This dates back to the first record we did with Shovell 'Bulo'; that really was an unplanned, totally spontaneous recording.”
“Sometimes I have an idea before we go into the studio” continues Shovell. “When I work with the Copyright boys we always have a talk about the track, get the vibe, throw around some phrases and rhythmic patterns to fit the music. However, I love the pure inspiration that fills me when the red record light is hit, I have the headphones on, and there is a microphone in front of me. That's when I give into the universal rhythms and words that are sent to me, I then relay it down the mic.”
“Shovell has a real talent for what I would describe as vocal drumming!” laughs Sam. “He’s got the rhythm through to his core and really these records are an extension of his percussion through his voice.”
It’s an energy that comes through in spades on the finished product; Kama Yeah – like many of Copyright’s productions – focuses heavily on the drums and percussions elements which add a superbly rhythmic base over which Shovell layers chants, shouts and vocal interjections. It’s infectiously danceable stuff, and will doubtless hang around long enough to be a regular feature on the dancefloors of Ibiza this season. But just what is it about this particular partnership that works so well? Is there something about Copyright’s productions that inherently appeals to the Drum Warrior?
“It's not just the music” assures Shovell. “First and foremost they are my great friends, my brothers from other mothers. We have been there for each other in many, many ways over many, many years, with that comes a deeper understanding of how each other work, and what they are about, and a respect for the bits that we don't understand about each other. So just like the most successful strikers in a football team, I feel we have a complete understanding of where the other one's head is at most of the time. The track is already done in our heads” he adds “we just have to get down and do it, but we are all heading in the same direction”.
And thankfully for us, that direction seems to be along an exceptionally fruitful musical path.
Copyright feat. Shovell ‘Kama Yeah’ is out now.
Shovell now resides in Ibiza permanently – check out what he has to say about winter life on the White Isle right here.
