We get the lowdown on the new solo project from Lewis Lindgren. Is the world ready for Minority Association?

Minority Association is the new solo project of Button Eyes producer Lewis Lindgren. Minority Association music draws influence from a wide range of genres including classic 90’s era Bristol trip hop and break-beat, to modern 808 trap and psychedelic rock.

The first single “Tiles” features a haunting video directed by Calderon and Hobbs (Directors of the critically acclaimed Button Eyes video “Please Don’t Take My Blues”) The song carries all the instrumental characteristics of the Button Eyes sound with warm synths, reverb soaked guitars and drum breaks with distant spoken voices eerily floating in and out of the mix.

Tell us everything we need to know about Minority Association?

Minority Association is my new solo, (mainly) instrumental project. The name comes from a street art story that started in the 80’s about the “Toynbee Tiles”. Someone was laying down permanent stencil style linoleum tiles in the middle of the road in cites in the East coast of the US saying:

“TOYNBEE IDEA

IN Kubrick’s 2001

RESURRECT DEAD

ON PLANET JUPITER.”

Eventually they started spreading all over the world. Whoever was behind it started referring to themselves as Minority Association amongst other things. I heard he cut a hole in the passenger foot well of his car and stopped in the middle of the highway late at night and stuck them down. It’s believed to be just one person, that tried to give the impression that there was a whole crew going around doing them to throw people off the scent. This seemed kind of relevant to how I was putting tracks together with a lot of layers and samples and synths to make it sound like an organised band of musicians rather than just me with a bunch of records and film samples.

The video for ‘Tiles’ is amazing – talk us through the process of making it?

My brother Ross Lindgren just started a production company called “Stolen Productions” straight out of Uni and he’d helped a lot with the previous videos we had done for Button Eyes. The directors for this were Henri Calderon and Jack Hobbs. They were the guys that did the “Please Don’t Take My Blues” video for Button Eyes as well as helping out on several others along the way. They really did all the hard work, I said they could have complete creative control and they came back with the treatment for “Tiles.” It was the first video shoot for one of my songs that I couldn’t actually take part in because I was in The U.S at the time, so it was really a very pleasant surprise when they handed it in fully edited, graded and ready to release!

You are a real advocate for presenting a beautiful piece of music through the aid of a visual asset – how important is that for you? 

I feel that visuals are as important as the music. Both my brothers are video directors and film makers so I’ve got an appreciation for their art form and the work that goes into a project. All the guys I work with on the videos are as dedicated to it as any songwriter or musician I’ve ever met. It’s very clear that they care about the quality of their work and they’re proud of what they do and they’re all on top of their game. I’ve always been hands on with the production of the music videos we’ve released in one way or another. It’s much harder than sitting around a nice warm studio playing with keyboards and drum machines.

You also have a debut album out ‘We Are Not Them’ – what’s your favourite song from the album and why?

The songs on there are quite personal and full of little hidden meanings and easter eggs etc. but the one I like listening to is Dragoness, Lioness. It samples a live recording of a song by my friend Gemma (Woodpecker Wooliams) and I always find it really satisfying sampling my friends’ music and them being enthusiastic about the outcome.

What’s your plan for Minority Association?

I’m already stuck into the next album, so far it’s a bit happier and dancier than “We Are Not Them.” There’ll be videos and probably some vinyl to come from it too.

You (Lewis Lindgren) are quite the producer, what other projects are you in

I’m working on some new “Button Eyes” songs. Gemma  has done a really nice vocal for the next single, and CW Jones has done a good one for the single after that. There will be videos for these as well. I’ve just finished writing the score for Richard Paris Wilson’s first short film. He directed the first couple of videos for Button Eyes, “Simple Days” and “A Fever”, it’s really nice to flip it the other way round and write music to complement his film making.  I’m also doing a lot of hip hop/grime style production for MC’s under the name “184” and a couple of songs with Brighton band “Normanton Street”

What’s next for you?

I’m working on getting a solid live set together for Button Eyes, it’s hard to get everyone in the same room together at the same time, but we’ll get there…

 

‘Tiles’ is the first single from the forthcoming Minority Association album “We Are Not Them” available as a free download via Bandcamp.