How did you get into music?

Rationale: I think as a kid I grew up around music. I grew up the first eight years of my life in Zimbabwe, Harare in Africa and the first musical memory that I have is going to a part called Mbare which is basically in the sticks, which is out of the city where everybody is coming and going and we play different kinds of instruments. Like a box instrument which is called ‚Mbira‘ which is a box with metal reeds and I remember watching people do that. When I came to England aged eight schooling was a massive part of music because they made every student pick up an instrument. And the first thing I picked up was a guitar and I had an amazing teacher, he in particular inspired me to start to listen to different kinds of music. I think my first exposure was Jaco Pastorius, aged ten and Miles Davis and came on to different types of music. After that week I had faith and it rose like madly into guitar music during school years. And all the while I was picking up the guitar and playing – that was when I normally started to write my own songs. It started from there, I think. It’s a long story (laughs).

But it’s very interesting.

Rationale: I took it very very seriously as from the age about fifteen. I remember having a conversation with my mom – I come from a very strict African background, so you have to be a doctor or a lawyer and I remember when I was fifteen they gave us the option, when you’re leaving school and you have the chance to go to college and to either go on study further six form sciences and mathematics and stuff but I walked into the house with my long hair and said ‚Mom, I want to study music‘. She went mad, she kicked me out of the house (laughs). She hates when I tell this story but I wasn’t living in the house for about, I think three months after that. She texts me I was ruining my life and if I don’t decide to study something serious I couldn’t live in her house. So I went to a music college and concentrated so hard and just tried to learn as hard as I could at that time. Eventually she accepted the fact, she said ‚If you want to ruin your life it’s up to you‘. And I think leaving college… I went into a world where I had all this information and ideas I’ve had applied the things I learned in making music but I didn’t know where to start. So the first place to start is by playing music in pubs, clubs and bars and wherever you can and me enduring through to find a direction. And I just met a bunch of musicians, eventually who helped me to focus a little bit more. And at that time I was into indie guitar music, that was my thing… it was like I had this really long straight hair… (laughs) similar to your hair but like ridiculous looking and I remember I was studying different types of alternative music, I think this is the closest term I find to call it. And I picked up probably like lots of friends who even now to this day are important in my journey in making music. I think the point Ralph coming to be Rationale as it were has been a long process of learning how to get music right and to get music wrong in different ways. And I finally got to a place where I feel comfortable in and my voice being my sonic palette and the choices that I make of start of music that I want to put out there. And I think it sits in an interesting language which is accessible for people but also has that slightly something different, I hope. And The Rationale as it were behind me as a person is every time when I’ve almost tried to deviate from music or do something different I always come back to music as a thing that makes sense for me even if I sit here and speak to you it’s an easy flow of words I can talk about music because it’s always my being, you know. That’s why I chose the moniker and everything what you hear is a combination of that, all those years until this night.

Which genre got the most influence on you and why?

Rationale: It’s strange, I go through moments but I think what always sticks is soul for me, so I think in everything what we kind of hear lately there is an element of soul and R’n’B to integrate, just dressed up differently. I think as a performer I want to emulate acts that are like Donny Hathaway or Hendrix. A real performance and everything that feels smart and just contrives… I hide when I come in and play I want it to feel real. And when I’m on stage, perhaps in Hamburg you may have seen, it may be different what people expect, because it’s a band first, playing electronically produced music that I have made in a room or wherever it had been and I’ve got some amazing musicians doing that job. But than it always feels like whenever we finish a show I say I didn’t expect it to have so much groove and so much feel, so much passion and soul so I think that’s what always will be true, my voice carries that and whatever I put around it’s pluses and minuses but my voice is what it is and I think it’s a strong voice (laughs).

When you write a song, what comes first – lyrics or melody?

Rationale: I think melody, a lot of the time. I usually build my songs around what I can hear not what I’m speaking and aesthetically. When I’m producing songs I start with sounds and try to build an atmosphere in the song and once it got that feel I replace till it feels I technically know what the lyrics are gonna be. Very rarely sometimes the lyrics are coming up at first, it might be in the shower or I come up with like a theme or a title or something at first. Like ‚The Mire‘ for example but the idea of that was a rarely one but it wasn’t until I come across the keyboard and I found the right sounds that may be in the right emotions and the right scenes. Because I’m unique in a sense that I’m always continuously building the tracks from the drum’s base to whatever it may be at the same time. So it’s a complicated process but built around what I like to hear. To inspire the words or the lyrics.

Because the music is way more feeling than just words?

Rationale: I totally agree, yeah. It’s funny, the song that I’ve put out now is probably… ‚Prodigal Son‘ is a very accidental track, exploring a relationship with a man that I didn’t perhaps necessarily even know. I wanted to have an understanding of my mum, with both mum and dad. So that was the case when I was, you know the three months out. I’ve never wanted to be that guy like ‚Oh my father was missing for my life‘. It’s just you accept the circumstances that you are raised in. So I remember it being at my station as I were and designing the background which is very prominent throughout the song, it’s not very much in it but it was really fun to make it and I knew technically what it made me feel what I wanted to write about but it wasn’t until I got to the second verse that I realised it was about that man. The relationship between music and your brain is a complicated mess, it’s probably why I do what I do.

Your new EP will be released in 2017. What may we expect of it?

Rationale: I think you can probably expect an extension of what I did on the first EP. But digging far more into rhythm and blues and perhaps a bit more of a groove based element to everything. It’s been interesting with ‚Prodical Son‘ coming out as the first the one, the one that connects directly with my last EP, is very bold large statements. I mean fitting the word ‚equilibrium‘ is really difficult but I found a way to do that (laughs). But you can also expect a continuation of my song ‚Fast Lane‘ with one of the songs that is called ‚Reciprocated‘. Again something that makes you feel good as far more funky with a massive bassline. But it is perhaps a bit more mature, it feels like perhaps reminiscent of like a Michael Jackson kind of groove, you know. So a lot more of my influences I’m trying to pop into stuff. It’s difficult to understand, or even try to remember for me that we put out four or five songs, that’s it. And you know over the space of a year everybody asks me ‚What are your influences? How many influence has got this one and this one?‘ It’s lots and I want to do that over a carreer. So this one has lots of influences from R’n’B and soul world and the extension of groove.

Yes I already heard something of it and it sounded perfect. I wrote you on Twitter.

Rationale: (get’s excited and smiles) Yeah, of course! That’s why! (he probably means why someone could write him about a song that isn’t released yet) Yeah, yeah! That’s one of my favourites! One of the hardest songs but it’s so slow. And it’s funny, that’s the side I want to show a bit more as well. And getting a band and trying to make an album is a difficult thing, but things like that and songs like that, they take time because I need to understand what I want I’m trying to achive and this is me and my own. Up until I got the band up on stage, it’s a process and it’s a fun process but it can be boring at the same time. But that one, I think it might be my favourite track actually.

Which song was the most difficult to write of the new EP?

Rationale: I would probably say ‚Reciprocated‘. It was the first song that I’ve written with someone… there’s a chap called GRADES and he is an amazing producer and writer. And at the backward at his club we got together with the idea to put something together that is brand new. To see what else I can do with other people. And GRADES has been working on really interesting stuff and there’s a lady called NAO and he produced a lot of her stuff. Another lady named Sinead Harnett, he worked with lots of people. So I wanted to work with him, so I reached out, but it’s funny when people get together in a room sometimes, the language of music is not easy to simplify. It’s not like a method where you sit two days and you come up with a hit, so there’s compromise and the collaborative process is really interesting and lyricly it was difficult because it wasn’t just me so therefore you start to check yourself and what it is you’re saying. And it’s a simple, simple song. But the simplest things are the hardest things to try to achive, you know. You must challenge yourself ‚Is that sentence not saying anything? Or if I achived the right kind of emotional intend here?‘ and that was a really hard one for me to get to the point where I was happy to let it go out into the eve. Lesson is learned, but it’s sometimes easier living in ones own head than showing your head spaces to other people as well: I know collaboration is great but it’s also a difficult thing.

Because the emotions of the people are also very different.

Rationale: Exactly! You’re trying to mix those into a verse of a three minutes song. It’s tough but it’s fun, all the same.

What is the suggested mood to listen to your music in your opinion?

Rationale: A lot of the time people say chilled… that the mood is relaxation. That is what they kind of tell me, but I think with the album coming out people will be perhaps a little bit surprised about the levels that we are going to. Because it’s dynamically and I love space in songs and maybe that’s why people say ‚you should be in a relaxed mood to listen this music‘ or something. But then again you came to Hamburg and I’m sure without even speaking to you, you were probably surprised by the energy of the tracks because they are bigger than they are on the EPs. So yeah, whatever mood grabs you.

May we expect a Rationale headline tour and when?

Rationale: Oh yeah, for sure! I have to take care of home territory cause for lots of reasons (laughs). But I think when the album comes out I’m 100% hoping to come back out all way across Europe and make sure we thank people that have been really great to us and the new fans that we’ve made. I mean, yesterday for example in Poland… I have never… it was the LOUDEST crowd!

It’s ALWAYS the loudest crowd (smiles).

Rationale: Yeah and it was strange. I was saying to the guys ’so even if we were terrible they would be loud‘ (laughs). But the thing is generally speaking across the socials it’s been a blitz of good comments and just love all the way back from that. And thats a territory I want to go back and show some thanks to if I can. And again something about Hamburg it was a different kind of level and that’s what I love about touring. You are at one place and its a muted response and you thought it was a terrible night and you go to the socials and everyone is going mad because people are different, aren’t they? The emotion and the reaction to your music and that’s the great thing about it. Whe’re not making something you can even feel or you can even touch but it does so much in and around. Even this conversation we’re having about something. So coming back on tour here would be great. When the album is out hopefully.

What is the best on touring with Bastille?

Rationale: I think for us it’s the fact that it’s a family feel and they don’t treat anyone like they’re lesser or greater than them. They’re just a bunch of boys who have made it really really well what they do and they do it really really well by themselves. Whenever we finish a show for example I get a text trom Dan saying ‚What are you idiots up to?‘ We are still the people like ‚Do you think we could go in there and ask them if they are okay and hang out with them?‘ and they’re just ‚Come on!‘ and in the minute we get in there it’s just fun to just hang out with everyone because it is…. these are the days of our lives, aren’t they? Like how many times I’m gonna play an arena in my life? Hopefully lots of times (laughs) but then it feels like a special family to be a part of for this time, you know and we just feel lucky to be on here playing like these kind of venues.

Yeah, I absolutely understand that. I know Dan for I guess three years now and he is so kind and so nice to everyone, it’s incredible. So I just can imagine you all hanging around is very funny.

Rationale: Yeah, funny and messy… and he likes to party (laughs), that guy. Yeah, it’s fun.

What was the weirdest or funniest gig you ever played and why?

Rationale: What was the weirdest one? Have we any weird ones? There are just weird things happen on stage sometimes that you can’t account for. I think every gig for us is a lottery of reaction. But I think the weirdest thing that happens is sometimes having people react in between songs or me say something completely ridiculous on stage (laughs). I think one of the funniest was probably… was it when I tried to say ‚Are you here to see Bastille?‘ and than I messed up the entire sentence? Yeah about two gigs ago I tried to pull out a sentence and say ‚Ah thank you for coming, are you ready to see Bastille?‘ And my mouth has been ‚brubbel brubbel brubbel‘ in this way and it was completely wrong and everybody was looking like ‚What?‘ and I just had to laugh ridiculously. I think one of the strangest gigs, would be a Spotify show we played recently in Sweden and it was interesting. Spotify invited us to come out and play for them and it was like rocking onto an office party but then everyone is extremely friendly and in the end of it we ended up going on this boat ride across the river somewhere having dinner and days like that are always strange. It makes you realise that what you do is a dream, isn’t it? No day is the same, but we are a pretty controlled bunch, aren’t we (smiles)?

You seem so, yeah. I have a couple of short questions that you need to try to answer very quick.

Ever tried a German Currywurst?

Rationale: No, but maybe I should!

You should! It’s the best invention Germany ever made!

Rationale: I’m doing it, alright! Definitely! I’ll let you know what I think of it.

That would be awesome! Could you imagine living in Germany?

Rationale: I’d say yeah, I think all of Europe is exciting to me. It feels like there starts a lot of history that’s there for me to be inspired by. So yeah.

Funniest German word you know?

Rationale: Wiener… is that German? It’s only word I know that’s funny (laughs).

Because the Americans made something special of it…

Rationale: Yeah exactly (laughs)! The Americans are always doing this.

Theme you would never write a song about?

Rationale: Oh that’s a hard question. I’d probably say… I can’t say it, cause there is no never. I don’t think there is. I think that’s the interesting thing. I know I should keep it short, but as a writer if you can find a way to write a song that may provoke in a way that doesn’t provoke or perhaps encourage thought then you are winning. Than you can do any songs or any places should be at all beyond reach. Because that’s the point. It really makes music an expression of it, isn’t it? And what you say may affect somebody else. There isn’t a thing that I found yet but ask me in another year maybe.

Most underrated artist?

Rationale: At the moment?

You! (smiles)

Rationale: (laughs) Ah that’s kind. I think there is this kid who’s called Mura Masa who I think is a little bit underrated. I know people love him but I think he is of the new breed of young people making music. I think he is extremly talented and I really think he’s gonna do well. Even with galant kind of success up he deserves way way up there for me personally. I think he is promising super music like a young Seal or something like that you know, there is just beautiful music and I think his future is bright. I would like to give him a bit more of a stage, a bigger bigger stage if possible… tough question.

Favourite time of the year?

Rationale: Winter, because I love to wear coats. Large coats are my thing.

Best British Food?

Rationale: Phew, I love a full English breakfast. It’s been really strange, we’ve been doing that all the time on tour, we’ve all gaint about extra ten pounds. It’s really embarrassing, but yeah I love the full English breakfast.

Best reason for being on stage?

Rationale: To express oneself and friends feel free. It’s the only place.

Best song for….

… being in love?

Rationale: Mhm… I think ‚Untitled‘ by D’Angelo for me, it’s wicked. It always get’s me, it’s one of the ones that’s really brilliant. If you love soul and R’n’B like I think you do, you will love it, you should check it out.

… midnight on the dancefloor?

Rationale: What’s the Barry White song that we were playing the other day?

Manager: ‚I can’t get enough of your love‘

Rationale: If that comes on at any place, I think I would end up on the dancefloor. You don’t need to know how to dance to it, it’s more like a feeling.

But Barry White and dancing… it’s more like making out or something, isn’t it?

Rationale: (laughs) You can still go down at the dancefloor, maybe you need a partner but yeah. It’s great, I love that song.

…in the shower?

Rationale: Mhm.. what was I was listening to in the shower the other day? Oh god it’s the Bee Gees, but I can’t remember which song it was or what it is called. I have to come back to you and text you when I find out which one it is, because I can’t remember.

The Bee Gees… impressive you can sing the Bee Gees in the shower.

Rationale: I didn’t say I could sing it (laughs).

…overthinking life?

Rationale: Oh it has to be something like Bon Iver or José Gonzáles, isn’t it? I love listening to them, but I feel broken afterwards. ‚Veneer‘ by José González I think it is for me.

You watched ‚The strange life of Walter Mitty‘? The soundtrack is perfect.

Rationale: Yeah, it’s really amazing. Stuff like that in music is mad, isn’t it. ‚Cause it makes you feel almost too much so it’s hard to listen to it continuously. But that kind of stuff keeps me thinking.

…a cold November day?

Rationale: You know, I’ve been listening, funny enough, to a lot of Bastille’s (starts to sing) ‚these four walls…‘. That tune is great, it sounds like James Blake. It’s emotionally, kind of hurtful but then great again for ticking things over in your head. It’s one of his favourite songs to perform as well so I listen to it a bit, yeah.

Uuuuh I love that song!

Rationale: It’s brilliant, isn’t it?

Absolutely brilliant!

… summer cruising?

Rationale: ‚A lovely daaay, lovely daay…‘ (sings Bill Withers – Lovely Day). Yeah, that’s what I’m listening to when I’m in my garden and having a BBQ or chilling or driving somewhere in my car. It’s a really brilliant song.

interview conducted by Maria