Nick Millhiser of Holy Ghost!

First off, how did you guys get started working together?
We grew up together and started playing music at a very young age.  Our first band together was a group called Automato which we started in high school with four other friends.  After that fell apart in 2005 we just kind of paired off and kept working together.

Your current tour with LCD Soundsystem must be pretty awesome. How’s life on the road so far? And how does it feel to open for such an established artist?
We haven’t left yet, but I know it’s going to be a blast.  We’re all good friends anyway and hang out at home so it’s basically going to be like a DFA field trip.  Bros on the road!  And there’s no other band I’d rather open for.  Friendship bias aside, they are truly one of my favorite bands ever and though I’ve easily seen them over 100 time, I never get sick of watching them play.

What equipment are you using live?
A lot but considering how indulgent we are in the studio it’s pretty modest.  It was a big challenge to figure out what to use because for the most part we really couldn’t bring most of the stuff we used on the record because it’s too big and too fragile.  We were really lucky to get hooked up with an amazing company called Dave Smith Instruments which makes great, durable, small, new analog synths so we’re using a lot of their stuff and it sounds great.  On top of that there’s a Rhodes, some older Roland synths, drums, lots of delay pedals and our greatest indulgence is a big real spring reverb. For the most part we’ve been able to emulate the sounds from the record very closely and we’re 100% happy with all the sounds coming from stage.  That said, if we get to the point where we can afford to be a bit more indulgent we will be.  We really want a piano and another modular synth on stage but just can’t afford to travel with either at the moment.

What are some of your favorite pieces of gear to work with?
We love our toys so it’s hard to pick just a couple.  The most essential is probably a console – we really can’t work purely in the computer.  On top of that if I had to scale down our setup to the bare essentials they would be console, a Roland Space Echo, Orban Spring Reverb, DBX 162 compressor, UA-610 preamp, Modular synth, a piano and a guitar.

Static on the Wire comes out this Tuesday. What was the recording process like for that?
Long and drawn out.  We started the demo for that song almost two years ago at a studio in Woodstock with Juan and then tinkered with it at home before putting the final touches on it, “Say My Name” and “I Know, I Hear” in the studio with producer Chris Zane and then later with mixer Eric Broucek.

We’re sure that you must have a huge amount of material, so how did you decide what to put on the EP?
I wouldn’t say we have a huge amount of material but we’ve got a bit more than an album’s worth at this point and when it became clear that it was going to take a couple months to get the actual LP out we and DFA decided we wanted to get a couple new songs out sooner.  “Static On The Wire” had already been floating around a bit and we were really proud of “I Know, I Hear” so they seemed like good choices.  Likewise we wanted to give “I Will Come Back” and “Say My Name” a proper vinyl release.

How did you end up signing with DFA?
It just kind of happened.  We were all good friends and when Alex and I started working on Holy Ghost! stuff there was just kind of an unspoken understanding that they would put it out.  We never actually signed anything until a couple months ago.

How much of your work is done individually, and how much is a collaboration between the two of you?
We both start ideas for songs on our own, though recently Alex has been doing this more than I, and then we bring them to each other and flush them out collectively.  Nothing is finished without lots of serious back and forth between the two of us.

How did the Friendly Fires vs. Holy Ghost! project come about?
We met those guys at a music festival in Corsica last summer and after a long night and early morning rum Alex and Ed came up with idea of doing a cover swap.  It was the rare drunken plan that someone actually made good on.

We heard that you originally were more into hip hop. How did you transition to your current style?
Alex and I played in a rap band called Automato which James and Tim produced.  At the time, Alex and I were starting to get into disco records as a result of looking for samples and at the same time James and Tim were introducing us to a lot of new stuff too.  Towards the end of Automato Alex and I were definitely trying to push Automato to dancier tempos so when Automato fell apart we just kept moving in that direction.

What are some of your major influences, from any genre?
A couple: Michael Jackson/Bruce Swedien/Quincy Jones, Jerry Fuchs, James and Tim, Juan, Fleetwood Mac, J Dilla, Pete Rock, Chic/Nile Rodgers/Bernard Edwards/Tony Thompson, Gino Soccio, Gavin Russom…

What is the process like when you collaborate with other artists or producers? How much do you draw from others’ styles when you collaborate with them?
We haven’t worked with too many but in general with James, Tim, Chris Zane, whoever, we try to just shut up and listen as much as possible without compromising what we want too much.  The decision to work with a producer is a decision to ask for help and an acceptance of the fact that we can’t do it alone, so we try to get out of our own way and let them help as much as possible.

Any dream collaborations?
Bruce Swedien.

Lastly, what are three of your favorite new albums?
This Is Happening.  I’m biased of course, but it’s fucking amazing and think it is, without a doubt, the best work he’s ever done.  A spectacular and triumphant swan song.