Sneaking into our hearts

When you succumb to a Sneaky Sound System song the rumour is you’ll be transported to a realm of hallucinations, banging beats and unstoppable gyration.

There’s something addictive about this threesome -” Miss Connie (Connie Mitchell), Black Angus (Angus McDonald), and MC Double D (Daimon Downey) -” and when your ears swallow the ecstasy-fuelled rhythms and acid-tripping melodies all you can do is dance the night away.

Much has been said about what influences the group’s lyrics with songs about UFOs, pictures and now Kansas City -” it’s out of this world, but spellbinding at the same time.

They may be peculiar but being idiosyncratic is part of being a member of this music-making machine.
Frontwoman Connie Mitchell is edgy, airy and has a unique sense of style. But it’s her impressive vocal range that has earned the band such an amazing reputation and following.

So what’s the secret to a sneaky tune?

It works in about three different systems. Most of the time a bit of music would tell what lyrics would come -” it’s the mood or the tone of the track that influences the song format, Mitchell told Sydney Star Observer.

Other times the track will play and I doodle on it and whatever spills out is what lyrics we use on the track.

Alternatively I would go -˜that’s really amazing’ and I got to go now and work lyrically to make this song fit.

The group has a close working and personal relationship with the Bang Gang Deejays and The Presets, as evidenced through the synthesised pulsations of their songs.

The new album 2 is set to stir the music industry again with its release on August 16.

We have so much to do with Bang Gang and The Presets. We always reference stuff and they would have heard all our demos, Mitchell said.

And they say, -˜Yes, we like that one or not like that one’.

I think 2 maybe has an 80/20 difference from the last album. It’s fresh. Where Do I Begin certainly has a different Sneaky take with its acoustic guitar and just me singing. I thought Kansas City was quite different as well.

I want a bit of mix and match. It’s still very happy and dance, but dirty and clean at the same time.

The positive thing about recording an album is to be completely honest and have trust. So if you do something musically you value the opinion of your bandmates, but you have enough diminished pride to take their criticising.

One of Mitchell’s career highlights was playing at last year’s Get Together at Oxford Art Factory.

It was amazing because they don’t give a shit. There’s no beating around the bush and they have the gumption to say they like it, she said.

There’s a big sense of fun and that’s what we want to do with the music.

Sneaky Sound System played last year’s antipodean Live Earth concert, supported Robbie Williams and the Scissor Sisters and are now set to play at the Enmore at the end of the month.

The two shows are expected to be a light and costume extravaganza with a live DJ and band set.

With the Australian charts conquered, the group is now keen to take on the British club scene with an album made up of the best from the first two Australian releases set to hit the UK stores in September.

Given the Brits’ love of dance music, we fully expect them to fall under the Sneaky spell as well.

info: Sneaky Sound System will play the Enmore Theatre on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 August. Tickets: 9550 3666. For more information on the group visit www.sneakysoundsystem.com.