Sailing the good ship Deconstruction, Diagram of the Heart are Sony BMG’s new electro pop protégé. Signed by Mike Pickering, ex-hacienda resident, Deconstruction founder and all round Dance music stalwart, the London based duo are being pegged as a 2011 ‘one to watch’ by much of the mainstream music media.
With their debut singles ‘Dead Famous’ and ‘Did I’ grabbing rapid attention, Diagram of the Heart spent 2010 building foundations and fanbases. The Birmingham Review caught up with Ant and Kye, aka Diagram of the Heart, to compare this year to last year.
‘A 2010 highlight would have to be the iTunes festival at The Roundhouse in London,’ says Kye, ‘It was full of Hoosier fans who had no clue who we were. By the end of our set we had the whole building jumping, it’s great to win people over like that.’ Diagram of the Heart toured and supported throughout most of 2010, including several high profile performances arranged by their label. ‘Playing Ibiza Rocks with Calvin Harris’, adds Ant, ‘it was a highlight to be on the same bill.’
Diagram of the Heart producer, Ant Gorry met singer Kye Sones after seeing him cover the Kings of Leon ‘Sex On Fire’ on MySpace. The pair started working together and were soon noticed by Mike Pickering, Head of A&R for Columbia Records, and signed to the seminal Dance music label Deconstruction, birthplace of established club classics such as Felix’s ‘Don’t You Want Me’ and Black Box’s ‘Ride On Time’.
‘It’s a real sign that we’re doing the right thing,’ says Ant about signing to Deconstruction, ‘our music is really rooted in big club sound, and to be signed by such a legend (Pickering) is amazing.’ Mike Pickering’s portfolio currently includes Kasabian and Calvin Harris. He is also regarded as a foundation block of the early UK Dance scene. ‘The most appealing thing is that he was an artist too’, add Kye, ‘he gives us great feedback and has been a great person to work with, we’re very lucky.’
With the backing of Pickering/Deconstruction, alongside single remixes from Michael Woods and Riva Starr, Diagram of the Heart have been given the Dance industry stamp of approval, but where do they position themselves on the ever changing sea of musical genres?
‘We’re from Dance music, and influenced by Dance music, but make pop records,’ says Ant. ‘Yeah, I agree,’ adds Kye, ‘I always just say we’re a band that’s influenced by dance music.’
And specifics worth mentioning on Diagram of the Heart’s artistic influence role call?
‘Too many to name,’ admits Ant, ‘but I love Tears For Fears, Massive Attack and Faithless.’ The emotive production of all three reflected in Diagram of the Heart’s current work. ‘The biggest influence in song writing is people in everyday life and your surroundings,’ adds Kye, ‘I always jot something down if I hear people says something interesting, or see a bit of graffiti on the tube and think, ahhh, that’s got a nice ring to it.’
Diagram of the Heart clocked up significant miles throughout 2010 with university tours to MTV on the white isle, with most accolades coming from their live performances. 2011 will continue this momentum with Diagram of the Heart’s first headline tour early in the year followed by the spring release of their debut album, Vital Signs. A make or break year, do the boys ever regret choosing such a precarious profession?
‘Never,’ declares Ant, ‘I left that behind a long time ago.’
Diagram of the Heart headline The Library at the HMV Institute on Feb 6th. Vital Signs is scheduled for release on March 27th on Deconstruction Records. For more information visit www.diagramoftheheart.co.uk