Rob Smith from The Swedish Railway Orchestra selects five key influences
As The Swedish Railway Orchestra prepare to release their final album Repetition Without Permission, we ask the man behind the beats Rob Smith about five seminal albums with influences on his music
The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses (1989)
This is not an apparent influence for TSRO. But there are certain grooves and moments within this masterpiece of an album that is in the project’s DNA: the bowel shuddering deep bass of Mani on She Bangs The Drums, the repetitive shimmering guitar and house style drums on Waterfall, the experimentation of Don’t Stop. I’ve tried to copy bits of this album many times in my own style. Failed miserably. But it made TSRO what it is.
Beastie Boys - Ill Communication (1994)
This was a huge record for me and my friends when we were twelve. I obviously don’t rap, but its diversity made me realise that it’s completely fine - and indeed welcome - to make a record of multiple genres. And that’s what I love. It’s not a basic rap album of 20 songs. There’s also hardcore punk, funk and all sorts on there. It’s very inspiring. A complete no-skip album.
LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem (2005)
They have more acclaimed records, but LCD’s debut laid the groundwork for what I really tried to recreate. The first thing is the drum machines with live drums over them. That is the very fabric of TSRO’s classic sound for some. Plus the grooves on it on songs like Too Much Love and Disco Infiltrator is something I found infectious.
Daft Punk - Homework (1997)
This is such a huge record. I have tried and tried to emulate what those two guys do when they made this record and failed miserably. But I don’t mind trying. Songs like Revolution 909 and Rollin’ & Scratchin’ were the very basis of my instrumental Connotations EP.
Gilla Band - Most Normal (2022)
Arguably the most original and experimental band ever to come from Ireland. They sound like nothing else from here. This is a relatively new record but it’s full of sonic chaos that I’ve found hugely inspiring and moments of it appear sporadically throughout the last couple of TSRO releases. In my manifesto, one of my self-imposed rules was to do no covers. I covered Gilla Band’s Eight Fivers on a b-side. I couldn’t resist. It’s not a particularly great cover. But whatever. I DJ’d with the drummer Adam and told him this - whether he listened or not shall remain unknown. But I love them.
The final album from The Swedish Railway Orchestra Repetition Without Permission is available to order here:
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