If you've got the new album or seen/heard their Woodstock session (the Pretty Lights Afterparty at Bethel Woods), you'll want to catch up with our interview with Jack (he of Ben and Jack) whilst they are 'Just Passing Through'.
It goes without saying that we're very much in love with the album (see review HERE) but the 'Flying Mojito Bros.' as a concept is so different to anything else around, how did you hit on FMB as a thing?
FMB: Over a decade ago we were spending time as mates sharing tunes and DJing, and identified the gulf between the tracks that we were both wanting to play in a set. We love classic/country rock/funk as well as dance music and technically they don’t work that great when played together. So we started building that bridge. The sound, look and feel of FMB took shape from there really naturally, very much as one organism in our separate heads. That was the wild thing – that core feel of FMB seemed to arrive to both of us pretty much fully-formed – we saw it coming toward us from over a shimmering horizon as a complete being. And one that needed feeding…
YATM: Do you think your audience know of the Flying Burrito Bros?
FMB: It’s surprised us how few do. Maybe half?! But even if you’ve never heard of them, the spirit comes through in the music. Irresistible cosmic country dance music with a groove.
YATM: Gram Parsons had a very specific style. Were you inspired by him at all?
FMB: Big time. He was one of the first to really mix up country with soul and rock in a way that felt emotional but also a bit trippy. Not to mention, visually, the band’s Nudie suits. That whole era’s obviously a touchstone for us – like us, they were looking both backwards and forwards at the same time in search of something better; something new.
YATM: What came first, your DJing or the Refrito edits?
FMB: We’d both been DJing or performing music for a while before FMB came about. The groundwork was in place, which made the rest relatively easy.
YATM: Are there any tracks that you're still looking to rework, like Little Feat or Flying Burrito Bros themselves?
FMB: We’ve actually done one from each! – 'Down On The Farm' and 'Just Can’t Be' respectively – both slower tempo groovers. There’s tons more from them both though that are on the list.
YATM: The FMB 'formula' is one that’s really works brilliantly. You've played at Glastonbury, Pikes and from London to LA. You so fit in with the Too Slow To Disco / Poolside ethos. How big a step was it to team up with Ubiquity for the album and why do you feel that it’s a good home for the FMBs?
FMB: We’ve always admired Ubiquity for their taste. They’re not massively genre-bound – they care more about feel, covering legacy catalogues while championing new artists. So it made total sense. They've been super supportive and more than happy to hoist the FMB freak flag for us, and they completely gave us the creative space to make our own statement with the album.
YATM: How did you settle on the Steve Miller Band's 'Greatest Hits 1974–78' 'Wild Mountain Honey' as a cover version for the album? The original is very sparse and certainly a lot less known. Your version is very cool…
FMB: Cheers! That came from Scott Hirsch who we were in communication with regularly following our remix of his ‘No No’ track – he said how he’d felt inspired late one night to track a cover of 'Wild Mountain Honey' in his studio and very next day sent it to us saying “you gotta fuck with this now!” and we’re so glad he did. Both his and the original are floaty, euphoric and under-the-radar, so we thought we could respectfully push it somewhere new – add some drive, some heft, stretch it out for the dancefloor.
YATM: When this new album comes out I think many folks are going to be surprised that there's no covers (apart from 1976 Steve Miller Band classic ‘Wild Mountain Honey’). Tell us why you decided to change direction on this release?
FMB: We’d been doing edits for years and it felt like time to show what we could do from scratch. It was more for ourselves than listeners if it’s OK to say that! Still the same spirit – groove-led, spacey, desert dust-y.
YATM: The quality of the band is high, especially Shawn Lee. Is he connected with Ubiquity in some way? What’s his relationship there? Or is it a Cali thing?
FMB: Yeah – the musicians on the album, whether vocalists or players, are all highly accomplished. Shawn’s worked with Ubiquity a lot and is a legend in those earlier circles, as well as living in London like us and making a name for himself there. But more than that, we knew we could send him the brief and he’d nail it. Overall, it was important to us to have real musicians playing throughout the album so we could comfortably straddle the saddle of our intended band-vs-electronic sound.
YATM: You've have a host of vocalists on board. Who does the vocal on the title track?
FMB: That’s the mystical Desert Oracle, voice of the Mojave Desert. If you haven’t listened to his podcast, you’re in for a treat. A journalist of the highest calibre, he’s in every sense a representative of the Yucca Valley itself – capable of sharing great beauty while at once being entirely uncompromising (DESERT ORACLE RADIO – DESERT ORACLE).
YATM: 'Slow Train Fuego' and 'Thunder Exchange' - have you 'tested' them out on the dancefloor? What has been the reaction?
FMB: Yeah – the nice thing about FMB is our repertoire of tunes is vast enough that we can tailor it to most settings – be it an all-day hazy, late and lazy americana-balearica fuzz fest or an uptempo, primo-loco top gear rager. These two apply somewhere within those extremes. We always road test tracks and debrief for improvements after.
YATM: Californian singer-songwriter Pearl Charles features on 'Take The Long Way', how'd you link up with her?
FMB: She’s an absolute gem and very talented, based out of Landers near Joshua Tree. The vocal was tracked quite a while back now, when we were exploring some new sounds and we’re so gratified that it’s on the album. Pearl’s new album ‘Desert Queen’ is a suitable title, and out the same day as ours as chance would have it, Friday 25 April 2025 (Bandcamp).
YATM: And who sings on 'Lost To The Desert'? Sounding very Emmylou Harris.
FMB: That’s Hero Fisher – one of our FMB family. Earlier we mentioned supremely-accomplished musicians – well this track’s a perfect example of that. Hero is a truly amazing singer-songwriter based in England, who brought what we feel is such a richly-evocative Sandy Denny sound to the album – really gratifying for us to meld the England-USA cross-cultural folk-rock exchange. Further to FMB production, also contributing on 'Lost To The Desert' are her partner Adam Chetwood (brother to FMB Ben), an insanely-talented guitarist who’s worked with the likes of Mark Ronson and White Denim, alongside our mate Joe Harvey-Whyte, still the youngest Best Pedal Steel Player in the World.
YATM: 'New Mexico ‘76' is very rocked up Giorgio/Donna - was the inspiration Disco Sucks or the Ford Escort Mexico?
FMB: Haha! Probably somewhere in the middle. We love that late-70s friction – disco going mainstream, rock getting weird and hitting dancefloors, with synths becoming (much!) more prominent in production. The title came from our headspace more than anything literal.
YATM: The album swings from the Soul/Disco of 'Catch Me' and the Chem Bros 'Glitter'. Who does the 'rap' in Daniel's Disco' [my current favourite track with Slow Train']?
FMB: That’s an old interview featuring FMB hero Tony Joe White talking about his musical background and heroes. We’re working directly with his son on reworking never-before-heard archival Tony Joe White material in our way while also remixing works from his late 70s/early 80s period in which (a) he was off the commercial radar and (b) went a little bit disco. It’s prime FMB town and a total dream to be working with his estate. Check (video below) release ‘Bout To Dance (In My Pants)!
YATM: This album is a DJ set of tracks of the highest quality! Were there any mix tapes or DJ sets that have inspired you along the way?
FMB: We’ve always been music fans first and foremost, growing up in the 90s/00s UK listening to or seeing live very eclectic DJ sets from the likes of Quantic, The Bees, Mr Scruff, Simian Mobile Disco, Fatboy Slim, Optimo, the Chems, classic Balearic Phil Mison / Chris Coco, 90s Essential Mixes, Lemon Jelly, LCD Soundsystem. We’ve also made personal mixes for years in this respect. We’re always looking to that feeling of being taken on a journey.
YATM: With your remix/edit background, have you put any thought into remixes for this album?
FMB: Oh yes indeed. We’ve a juicy little black book hit-list and are zoning in on the targets with a sharpened graphite pencil.
YATM: How did you get involved with James Alexander Bright? - I saw him play a solo set a couple of years ago in Bournemouth and he can get very spacey!
FMB: James Alexander Bright and Ben FMB go back to their twenties, having played together a fair bit since, Ben drumming for James quite a lot. We all connected at Glastonbury one year and it clicked into place really nicely. James is a fireball of creative energy.
YATM: Is there a launch party planned for the album?
FMB: Yes indeed – Thursday 24 April at El Cid in Los Angeles. Scott Hirsch is opening solo, then we lay out the FMB album tracks interspersed with others, and Nashville’s Sparkle City Disco take the helm until late to allow us to celebrate the release. Feeling like a special one! otherwise we’ve plenty of USA dates around that that can all easily be found via our site and socials.
YATM: Is there anything else we need to know about the album/promo/you any mixtapes online?
FMB: Look out for special album promo mixes that not only tease the album tracks but also weave in a bunch of new FMB refritos of classic/country rock/disco…[and] Thank you so much for your thoughtful questions and see you down the road!
Many thanks to Jack for his time and Sharon at Shine for organising the interview and who knows, perhaps the 'Desert Disco & Outlaw House' could have a move to the US coast and a Shag (the dance) on a yacht with a “Salty” Miller Refito? (see review HERE) and don't forget the appearance on Soho Radio see link on the album review (see HERE).
BUY LINK: https://flyingmojitobros.bandcamp.com/album/just-passing-through-2
Artist: Flying Mojito Bros.
Title: Just Passing Through
Release date: 25th April, 2025
Label: Ubiquity Records
Cat. No: UR 438
Format: Digital / Bandcamp
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