Def Robot – Interview
Interview with Pete Devine of Pete’s Rock News and Views (http://petesrocknewsandviews.com)
PD: What type of artist are you?
DR: We are a fluid, ever evolving, experimentational alternative/rock/pop/indie/electronic/beats band, based around the core songwriting duo of Paul Taylor and David Hancox.
PD: Tell us the brief history of yourself.
DR: Paul: I had been writing and recording under the name of Def Robot for a year or so, without releasing anything. Then in 2018, I reconnected with my former band mate David, who I had previously been in 3 other bands with. We decided to work together on Def Robot and ploughed on with writing and recording masses of songs. Our first release came in April 2019, with the single ‘Falling Apart Again’ followed by the album ‘Makers Of Mountains’ in May 2019. Since then, we have released a total of 9 albums, with the 10th currently being written and recorded.
PD: Who are your musical and non-musical influences?
DR: Pixies, Pink Floyd, Fugazi, The Beatles, Royal Blood, The Fall, Joy Division, Beck, Beastie Boys and many others.
We also love art house cinema and science fiction and fact.
PD: What are your dreams and goals?
DR: Whilst David pushes for writing, recording and releasing an album a month, I think 10 in the space of a year is sufficient! Before the lockdown, we had our first live tour in place too, but that has had to be put on hold. We were in discussions with major festivals too, but hopefully we can do that in 2021.
PD: Who writes your songs, what are they about?
DR: Mainly Paul Taylor and David Hancox, but we have collaborated with many musician friends from 
our past and present. They are like satellites that we occasionally dock with. The themes of songs vary wildly! From being influenced by a film (many songs!), current affairs, love songs and political rants.
PD: How do you promote your band and shows?
DR: Social media, radio, streaming services and YouTube
PD: What do you think about downloading music online?
DR: Absolutely fine with it and we have made our music available on all major streaming and download platforms. It’s better for the environment too. At the same time, there’s nothing more wonderful than having the physical copy in your hands!
PD: What song do you wish you’d written and why?
DR: Too many to list, so I’ll pick 3!
Pixies ‘Where Is My Mind’ it has loud bits, quiet bits and is just beautiful throughout! Sounds like it’s from another world.
Pink Floyd ‘Time’ an epic masterpiece that transcends the music and words it contains. It will never get old despite its name!
Fugazi ‘Waiting Room’ a point in time where their sound and ingredients came together perfectly, to create one of THE greatest pieces of punk, new wave, pop rock music you’ll hear.
PD: What are some of your pet peeves?
DR: The turn towards right wing politics from the western world. The disgraceful ignorance of the difficulties that the poor and homeless have to face each and every day.
Musicians who tread through the same tried and tested formula and sounds, for every song and album. There’s a universe of possibility out there, give experimentation a go!
Animal cruelty and the destruction of the environment. The blatant disregard for our fellow creatures is one of the saddest aspects of humans. Surely we should have evolved into a higher, more caring way of thinking by now. We should be leaving the world in a much better place for our children.
PD: What is your proudest moment in music?
DR: Once supporting The Flaming Lips and Green Day on the same bill.
PD: So what are you working on at the moment?
DR: Our 10th album. Parts of it are written, so it’s being recorded and experimented on. It’s set to be a bit of a concept album, with 4 or 5 segments rather than specific songs. There will still be one or two parts that will be ‘radio friendly’ parts that we can promote. Will possibly be a film to accompany the album.
PD: What music have you available online and where can we buy it from?
DR: Our 9 albums are available at an awesomely low price, to download and stream at Bandcamp: https://defrobot.bandcamp.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6baCBHt8xp2dNfLlZ87inS?si=5oj_Sfa-TI6nsGaaZO4g-A
24 videos on YouTube:
And all the other major streaming and download sites
Def Robot links:
Band/Artist location – Cumbria England
Facebook – You Tube – Soundcloud – Bandcamp – Twitter –
Itunes – Spotify – Amazon – Google Play – CD Baby
Check our page for Def Robot
