Lincoln spins full circle
Influential DJ is back to the guitars and rocking out on groundbreaking new album
With his new album Night Gallery, Welsh superstar DJ Lincoln Barrett makes good on the cinematic dreams that have always inspired him.
Mapping out a musical universe far beyond the drum and bass that made him famous, Lincoln, 38 – aka High Contrast – has a rich background to draw on.
He composed music for the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, has remixed tunes for The White Stripes and Adele, and also produced an album for dance champs Underworld.
It’s been a whirlwind ride for Barrett, former hardcore punk and film student whose father managed retro Welsh rocker Shakin’ Stevens.
He says: “As a teen, I tried my hand at various roles before realising my strengths lay in producing and DJ-ing more than rocking out.
“Ironically now, years later, I’m using guitars again and singing on rockish tracks like Shotgun Mouthwash in my live show. Things have gone somewhat circular.”
Underworld have loomed large in the High Contrast story, employing Lincoln to compose for London 2012 and introducing him to director Danny Boyle. “I learnt a lot from them, ranging from studio production techniques, to live performance advice, to philosophy of life,” Lincoln admits.
“A key thing is the confidence they gave me to not be tied to a single genre and to instead become your own genre in a way.
“One of my favourite pieces of advice from Rick [Smith] is that in every song there should be something wrong or a problem left unfixed – some quirk that often can become the most endearing feature of a work if left in.” The new lease of life Lincoln has found on Night Gallery can be directly traced to Underworld’s genre-busting creative process.
But working on the Olympics opening theme must have been the ultimate confidence-builder?
“The goal was to make tracks that would keep the athletes marching, not too fast or too slow. After some experimentation, 120bpm was decided as the perfect pace. It felt uplifting and energetic but without being too overbearing or in your face.
“It was a tricky balance but it seemed to work well.
“A highlight for me was seeing Usain Bolt doing a boogie to one of my tunes.”
Night Gallery is out on Oct 6