Welcome to Hector Morlet's Variety Show. The Perth-based artist has continued to level up since last year's Music For Squares EP, and now he has released his rich, intricate debut album The Variety Show. The album was inspired by a series of weekly shows that Hector hosted at Mojos in North Fremantle last year, featuring acts one wouldn't normally see in a pub setting (think ventriloquists, sad clowns, poetry, magicians, an Irish jig band, a veggie hotdog eating contest and more). The result is an album that flows effortlessly between groovy basslines, psychedelic funk and sweet melodies over classical and contemporary instrumentals. The Variety Show solidifies Hector's musical prowess. We spoke to the artist about creating the album:

Hello again Hector! Congratulations on releasing your debut album. Which song are you most excited for people to hear? 

Hello! I can’t pick one song but I’m excited for listeners to hear the themes (The Variety Show I, II, III and IV)!

When we last spoke to you, you told us that through making your EP you’d learnt how to take a song from ‘half-baked’ to fully produced. What did you learn on the debut album journey?

In creating my EP 'Music for Squares,' my aim was to make a distinctive artistic statement and lay the foundation for my identity as a producer and songwriter. I delved into the realms of production and harmony, mulling over whether to embrace or challenge established patterns in Western popular music.

With this LP, my intention is to explore the diverse stylistic influences that have shaped my life, without fixating too rigidly on addressing clichés. Armed with more experience in production, I explored the realms of various artists and movements from the past century, using the songwriting techniques I've honed so far. ‘The Variety Show’ is more of a showcase than a statement and more of a curated menagerie than a monumental expression of my own voice.

I really wanted to refine the sound and improve the production in the LP, particularly the drumming. I spent a considerable amount of time tapping away at my snare drum, much to the chagrin of my housemates. I also wanted to create a feeling that was deeply satisfying for me, akin to works like "Momo" by Hubert Lenoir, "Whatsapp" by Duval Timothy, or "The More We Love" by David Versace. This is where the core of the album, those non-single tracks, arose from.

We love the concept for this album. Was there an act at the variety show that you loved most?

I loved my friend Harry’s mouth trumpet performance but I’d have to give my favourite to the tabla drumming at the one-off variety show we did earlier this year.

You explore a lot of themes, sounds and movements on this album. Which song was most fun or rewarding to create?

‘Ghosts and Ghouls’ was a fun one to make because it bound together a few disparate ideas that I was thinking of at the time. I spent a long time on a couple of the other songs and this one was relatively quick, so I think the production sat in a really nice spot of well formulated but not over-cooked. I really enjoyed playing around with reverbs and singing styles in it too.

What were you listening to while you created this album? Are there any direct influences?

I was listening to Hubert Lenoir, David Versace, Duval Timothy, Kevin Ayers, Elis Regina, Breno Mello & Marpessa Dawn, Sun Ra, Ennio Morricone’s The Good, The Bad & The Ugly soundtrack, Dick Dale, Surprise Chef, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, King Gizzard, Little Sims, Tex Crick, Gorrilaz (the old stuff 👌), Paul Desmond, Ahmad Jamal… all of them greatly influenced the sound.

Where is the best setting for fans to listen to this album in full for the first time?

Not sure… get up onto your roof with a pillow and beer? But don’t fall.

Who have you been listening to recently? Who is on your radar?

I’ve been listening to Tex Crick a lot and I’ve been getting back into ABBA and The Beatles:) and Nature Boy by Nat King Cole - gets at me. I’ve been loving the releases by a new band from Perth called The Bures Band too!

What has been exciting or inspiring you lately - aside from music?

Music takes up a lot of my life but here are some relevant activities:

• Hanging out with my friends
• Going to the beach in spring when the sun’s out but the water’s still cold. We swim anyway because it’s exciting.
• My grandma turned 90 the other week. She’s so old!
• Bouldering! My hands hurt
• Ice cream
• Riding on the ferris wheel in Freo

Now that I’m reading this list, I sound like a 8 year old, don’t I? I’ll add a couple more:

• The Dune books
• Euphoria tele-vision show
• Watching runway shows with my partner
• Sign writing signs
  

What’s next?

I’m working on the next lot of songs! In the meantime we’re playing shows around Perth and Fremantle during November-January, and hopefully getting over east soon.

Listen to The Variety Show HERE.

@hecmmm