No matter where you’ve been this summer, I imagine you haven’t escaped the eccentric madcap summer madness that is Sam And The Womp’s “Bom Bom” well I have to tell you I didn’t warm to it at first at all, I found it insanely silly. However, it’s a distinctly memorable piece of party pop that’s now grown massively in likeability factor every time I hear it bellowing out somewhere…anywhere…EVERYWHERE! I have to stop and go “Bom Bom Bom”.
To be honest with you the lyrics are irrelevant all I want to go is “Bom Bom Bom” but anyway we got chance to throw some questions at Sam And The Womp to go a little more indepth on this years summer phenomenon.
Hi There Wompmakers, thanks for taking time out from making all out womp to have a little chat with us at EQ Music. Well don’t you guys cut a potent dash of carnival excitement between you! I don’t think that by the end of summer they’ll hardly be an ear around that hasn’t been shaken one way or another by the mysteriously hypnotic groovy powers of your party anthem “Bom Bom”, so tell me: Why do Sam and The Womp feel the time is right to bring out the trumpets and push brass music back into vogue? You guys have certainly stirred up a unique and interesting blend here, with your Latin, Ska, wobble, bass thumping craziness.
Lady Oo: It's all about the Brass 'n' Bass…Horns are sexy! And combined with ultra big fat bass & drums, it's just impossible not to dance.
Sam: Brass deserves to be in the cool club again- Did Louis Armstrong really ever go out of fashion? The trumpet has been around longer than the guitar and certainly the synthesizer -they even found trumpets buried in Tutankhamen’s tomb! The world should be ready for brass to take centre stage- rather than be thought of as backing or additional to a pop track.
The brass melodies in "Bom Bom" are inspired by traditional Balkan Brass rather than Latin music. Fusing different cultures and genres is at the heart of our compositional process.
Aaron Audio: Brass is very effective at getting people dancing – Its been used in all genres of dance music over the last century. Also brass instruments are one of the only things that can give modern synths a run for their money!
Now “Bom Bom” is a total festival crowd-pulling track and is being touted through the industry as being the anthem of the summer, but when summer is over, how will Sam And The Womp take that crowd and go about ensuring that you won’t just be remembered for this one unforgettable track? I mean is this wholly to be the signature sound of Womp or will the alchemy continue to evolve.
Sam Says: Alchemy is the name of the game and Sam and The Womp is our band name! Yes… we are a band that play real instruments. We grew up out of the UK festical scene after 3 years of mud and fun and developed our sound on stage. Our live show is designed to get the audience WOMPING and "Bom Bom" is a definate floor filler with the "four to the floor" groove. We have a range of pumping songs in our live set and hopefully they will be as well received by the larger public when released. Expect evolution, expect to dance your shoes off and embrace the Womp as a new way of life!
Aaron Audio: We've been playing gigs for the last 4 years and we never saw this coming! – We've written and perfected these tracks watching our crowds react to us – so I hope that a lot of people who access our music through "Bom Bom" will stay for the whole show!
A lyric from "Bom Bom" is "I want 16 pints of Rum and then I go Bom Bom Bom" well I think that if anyone had that amount of liquor they'd be carted off to A and E, (Laughs), but seriously I know that's just an over exaggerated lyric to demonstrate the theme of having a good time and party. So Seeing as you're quite the musical alchemists, lets have thoughts on what would make the perfect pre-party responsibly measured womp cocktail.
Aaron Audio: Womp Cocktail – Cheese – Tea- Bass and a refreshing beverage
Lady Oo: refreshing beverage indeed.
Sam: Did somebody say 'Tea'?
We're in party mood now and ready to WOMP. The Womp dance consists of pressing your hands backwards and forwards and feeling the bounce of the bass. This is fun but WAY too easy peasy I think, do you have any other moves in the womping masterclass to take the audiences up to stage 2 in womp movement?
Sam: I'm open to all suggestions……you can womp anyway you womping like. Come to our next show and learn to womp come to our next show and learn to womp properly. You should really stretch first to avoid joint problems!!
Level 1 is just the beginning – a single full length WOMP to get a feel for the movement and be at one with the bass. Remember to embrace the bass with your palms facing towards you as you womp. Level 2 is where you really start getting your hips into it with double womping – its fun to get really low and womp with your best friend. Level 3 is semi advanced triplet wompage not to be frowned at!
Lady Oo: well, level 4 womping is quadruple speed totally feral hyperfast superwomps.. and then there's freestyle womp. both of these are quite advanced womp styles ! be sure to have a gentle stretch beforehand.
I’ve seen quite a few people inspired to womp their hearts out already on YouTube, some of them are really quite good and their totally up for it. Womping reached pop celeb status the other week when Jordan Rizzle Kick popped into Radio 1 and rapped his own quite terrific version of “Bom Bom” who in the world of music would you call upon to collaborate with if given the opportunity?
Lady Oo: Dizzee Rascal, Tonetta and Will Smith.
Aaron Audio: Collaborate with Skrillex
Sam: Is Elvis still alive?
I'm sure your party loving crowd are also going to want to start to dress the part too, so Lady Oo, I'd like to ask you about your style, it's very disco retro chic, so where do you prefer going to pick up your funky fashion purchases, kitsch retro boutiques, a rummage around a market stall or visit a thrift shop?
Lady Oo: as my lyrics say “No got style!” Plus I'm a bit of a shop-a-phobic. But I like finding things in random places, in strange markets or secondhand shops.. My friend Robin, who made the costume I’m wearing in the video, has an excellent eye for finding fabulous items in unexpected places. To get ready for womping, anything sparkly, bright, comfy, slightly clashing and fun goes. If in doubt whether it's too much, always add more. But most of all, the item everyone should have in their wardrobe, is a banana costume. It's most liberating, because when you're The Banana, no one can tell you anything. Cause you're The Banana, you know.
Well I think we now have sufficient pointers in the art of womping. How to look the part, the best way of participating and enjoying it this summer, so thank you again for dropping into EQ Music Sam and the Womp, any final words of womping wisdom you'd like to leave with us?
Sam: The Womp is the space between the bass and your face
Lady Oo: Did somebody order a party?
Aaron Audio: Sit on your subwoofer
“Bom Bom” can be all yours to enjoy digitally on August 19th.