Interview with Reuben Wu of Ladytron
Originally posted: January 29, 2010
on TheAmbitiousC
Words: Peter Quincy Ng
"Formed in the summer of 1999, a group of Liverpool musicians formed the band Ladytron and established themselves as a staple in electronic music. After more than a decade later, the band still together with its original lineup continues to churn out hits with its self-described genre-bending “electronica with a fist”. We got the chance to speak to Reuben Wu (one of four synthesists in Ladytron) not only about the band’s extensive career, but also his photography. Using the motto “less is more” Reuben has defined a style that evokes memories of the classical age of electronics; lo-fi Polaroid photography and vintage synthesizers."
Peter: Hello Reuben how are you doing?
Reuben: Very good thanks. Pleased to be back in England.
Where is Mr. Wu now?
London
It seems like the members of Ladytron don’t seem to be in one place in any given time. Do you collect a lot of airmiles on your custom Reuben Wu credit card?
I don't bother anymore to be honest. They are too much hassle to keep track of.
So you just completed touring solo doing DJ sets across South America. How was it?
Very good, I was out there for a month DJing and travelling in Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador.
How is the touring experience different going solo versus with the band or with a bandmate like Mira in the past?
When I travel with Mira we both do the same kind of stuff so it's quite similar. When with the band we are playing live so it's a completely different experience. Travelling in a large group, in a bus, soundchecking, playing the gig, et cetera there is less time to spend on your own, and generally these tours are much longer than DJ tours.
It’s just been the turn of the decade and you’ve been in Ladytron for more than 10 years now. Are you the slightest bit surprised you’ve made it this far?
It's kind of crept up on me really, I am just glad that we are still here making music and being appreciated. Our fans are loyal and love everything we do, so that gives us confidence to keep going.
You’ve seemed to shrug off the bubble that was electroclash and now you’ve been placed in the bloghaus remix economy how do you manage to keep relevant?
Electroclash was important at the time. Without it, there would be no Lady Gaga, no La Roux, no Katy Perry. It brought electronic instruments back into use again. Yes there was a backlash (as expected) but the influence it had on the music scene has lasted. I'm not familiar with Bloghaus but we're lucky to be liked and appreciated by our fans online. We just want to make music which we love and keep going with an open mind.What surprises me as well is the international appeal of Ladytron. You’ve achieved cult status in some pretty unlikely countries, take Colombia for one. What’s the atmosphere like playing outside home field?
Better than playing inside home field (Laughs).
What’s new with Ladytron? Korova seems to be up and running strong again and what’s this we hear about you working with Christina Aguilera?
We've just finished working on a few songs with Christina; song writing and production. She is great. They sound great. We are really pleased. I hope everyone likes them.One of the things that caught my attention lately about you is that you’re deeply interested in photography and you’ve been previously involved with much of the creative process of Ladytron such as the album artwork among other things. Tell me a bit more about that.
I was very heavily interested in art at school. Drawing was my main thing. I love it and still make art now, but since I've been travelling a lot, photography is a way of documenting where I've been. I'm in the unique position where I have been to 45 countries now. I want to remember where I've been when I get old. Plus I like old machines.
Speaking of album artwork, Reuben is always tucked away in the back during photoshoots. Camera shy or do you much rather prefer taking your own shots?
Neither really. The girls just look better.
Digital or film photography?
Film.
Favourite piece of equipment?
My Polaroid 195.
You’ve been quite an intrepid explorer being part of the manifestation that is Ladytron. Any favourite places to shoot?
New Zealand, Hawaii, Borneo, New Mexico, Peru.
How do you decide on what to shoot spontaneous ideas or a theme?
There are loose themes in my work. They are generally associated with manmade objects in the natural world, the obscure history behind them and the people who built them. Mainly really about the relationship I have with the time and location I am in. This is why I like to shoot on Polaroid.
Any advice to aspiring photographers and synthesists alike on how to find their sound?
Less is more.
Thanks for taking the time to speak to me today. It’s been an absolute pleasure Mr. Wu. Anything you want to say to all the single ladies out there before I sign off?
No, I'm shy."
Reuben's Flickr
