FAQ

Q: Is this blog run by Tame Impala?/When are you coming to my city?/I love you guys!
A: No, this blog is not run by any members of Tame Impala. Hence being called a “fan site”.

Q: How old are the members of Tame Impala?
A: Jay was born on 27th of May 1990, Nick was born on 23rd November 1987 and Dom and Kevin are around 25-ish.

Q: When will the next Tame Impala album be released?
A: The album is said to be released between March and July this year (2012). According to Kevin it was recorded at home over the last two years and will be mixed by Dave Fridmann again. At the end of 2011 it was around 80% complete and is yet unnamed. As of December 7 2011, Dave and Kevin started mixing the new album.

“In some way, this album sounds like a different project. With InnerSpeaker I tried to make an album that was comfortably audible and easily enjoyed, but still smart. Meanwhile in the second album, I surrendered to temptation and desire to make an album that is really fucked up. But I also have a desire to sound like Britney Spears, I love pop music . On the one hand this album is weird and fucked up, but on the other hand very pop” - Kevin Parker

Q: Can you give me a list of all the bands related to Tame Impala?
A:

  • Pond
  • Mink Mussel Creek
  • GUM
  • Allbrook/Avery
  • Rabbit Island
  • Gunns
  • Electric Toad
  • The Silents
  • Drop Macumba
  • Space Lime Peacock
  • Giant Tortoise
  • Electric Gooch
  • Sonny Roofs
  • Carbuncle
  • Cease
  • Whalehammer
  • Taco Leg

Q: What drumkit and cymbals does Tame Impala use?
A: http://tameimpala.tumblr.com/post/5387323031/does-anyone-know-what-ride-crash-jay-watson-uses-and

“Just in addition to the question about what ride he uses, I am fairly positive that lately he has been using a Zildjian K Constantinople (either way it is definitely a K Line). and an Paiste 2002 crash (when he uses a crash, which isn’t very often). As for the backline stuff, the kit would be but the cymbals wouldn’t be. I’m fairly certain Kevin used the same ride crash setup the last time I saw him on the skins at the Mink launch, but before that I have seen him using a Sabian AAX ride multiple times. Just thought I would help out in answering,” - Anonymous

“Kev usually tapes a folded wettex cloth to the snare to make it nice and snappy. After seeing him do that I used to tape an old pair of undies to my snare and it sounded pretty quality.” - Richard Ingham

“Yeah, I think drums are a pretty important part of the sound whether people realise it or not, and no one makes drums sound like Dave Fridman does. When you’re in his control room with his monitors they sound like someone is drop kicking you into a black hole and then pulling you out and kicking you back in on each beat. Anyway, I had tried mixing the album myself for a while and our record label was trying to convince me to get someone professional to mix it, to which I kept saying no, until Dave suddenly popped his head up. Then it was kind of obvious.” - Kevin Parker

Q: What pedals does Kevin use?
A:

(L to R top row)

  • TC Electronic PolyTune
  • Boss TU-3 Tuner Pedal
  • Boss AB-2 2-Way Selector
  • Electro Harmonix Holy Grail Reverb Pedal
  • Electro Harmonix Holy Grail Nano Reverb Pedal
  • Boss BD-2 Blues driver
  • Dunlop DVP1 Volume Pedal or Ernie Ball Volume Pedal
  • Boss VE-20 Vocal Performer
  • Boss FV-50L Volume Pedal
  • Boss FS-5U Footswitch

(L to R second row)

  • Dunlop Cry Baby Wah Pedal
  • Dunlop MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay Pedal
  • Dunlop MXR Dyna Comp Compression Pedal
  • Boss BD-2 Blues driver

(L to R bottom row)

  • DOD FX25 Envelope Filter Pedal (or possibly an FX60 Stereo Chorus Pedal)
  • Electro Harmonix Small Stone Phaser Pedal
  • Dunlop Fuzz Face Fuzz Pedal
  • Diamond Vibrato Pedal
  • Moog MoogerFooger MF-105 MuRF or Boss RE-20 Space Echo Delay Pedal

Q: How is the guitar-synth tone in Alter Ego, Why Don’t You Make Up Your Mind and Skeleton Tiger made?
A: Dom uses a Red Pand Bitcrusher pedal which has a crude pitch shift setting. The sound is then fed through a Z.Vex Fuzz Factory pedal and a Boss DD7 Digital Delay pedal. Kevin talks about the sound in this interview, but doesn’t say what the exact piece of equipment is.

Q: What vocal effects does Kevin use?
A: He uses a Boss VE-20 Vocal Performer live which adds reverb and delay.

Q: What is the green wiggly light that is projected behind the bands at their live shows.
A: Each of the instruments are sent through a mixer into an oscilloscope which turns the sound of the instruments into images. The output from the oscilloscope is then filmed by a camera and projected onto the big screen behind him. Kevin briefly speaks about the oscilloscope in this interview.

Q: How do I send Tame Impala a letter?
A: Your best bet is to contact Garth or Jodie at Spinning Top Music.

jodie@spinningtopmusic.com
garth@spinningtopmusic.com

Q: Where is the bootlegs page?
A: Here.