Introducing #113 - Rampton Prom
Let us introduce you to Rampton Prom - who have been championed by the likes of Steve Lamacq on BBC 6 Music with their exploration of the UK baseline sound - taking influences from modern pop to US hip hop. They took a moment to talk to us about their music.
Hey there Rampton Prom - how are you? So your new track ‘Little Things’ is out now - can you tell us what the track is about?
Hi, we’re all good thanks, how’re you?!
Sure - Little Things is about those niggles, like the things that worry you…the stuff that chases you and how sometimes it’s best to just push it all to the bottom, so you don’t get absorbed into the clouds. It was so much fun writing this track, we just got a bit loose and basically let it pour out. I think there’s definitely an element of escapism in the energy and lyrics, like capturing the moment you break free from whatever it is that’s pinning you down.
This is your second single now - so you are quite fresh as a band - how did it all begin?
We’ve actually been working together for a good few years now, previously in a band called The Desert and we started Rampton Promabout nine months ago. We were keen to make sure this project didn’t take itself too seriously and we’ve had a lot of fun making the record. We hope that comes across as we want people to feel good while listening to it.
Where are you from? And what is your favourite things about living there?
We got together when we were based in Bristol but we’re a bit all over the place. Originally Ryan’s from Newquay, Jonny from up North in Chester and Gina grew up in between, in a village in Cambridgeshire called Rampton. Our favourite thing about Rampton is how flat it is. It’s like a fresh piece of paper. You get nice skyscapes and it’s got a weird open feel to it. It is pretty shit though too. Like there is nothing going on, no shops and maybe one bus a day if you’re lucky.
You take influence from contemporary pop to US hip hop - so who would you say are your key artists you look to when writing?
Ahh there’s sooooo much. We all listened to loads of Frank Ocean when we were working on this batch of tracks. The production and arrangements on records like Blond and Endless were a constant point of reference for us. Gina also loves his approach to top line melody and stream of consciousness type lyrics. We also listened to loads of records produced by Kenny Beats, Jack Antonoff and Ian Kirkpatrick - they were both massive influences as well.
We’re kind of living in a golden age of Pop at the moment. It feels like every other week there are these amazing pop records being dropped all over the place so there’s constantly new inspiration for us when we’re working together. Gina’s been getting into Taylor Swift’s recent stuff and Jonny’s got a pretty massive crush on Dua Lipa (he tells his girlfriend it’s the production but we’ve seen the way he looks at her), Ryan’s big on Brockhampton and 100 Gec’s at the moment. It’s constantly changing though!
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never listened to you before?
The broad bracket is ‘pop’. There are a number of appropriate prefixes that the discernible listener may like to add, including - but not limited to - alt, hyper, art, indie. Generally speaking, most of the songs include a mixture of synth, guitar, beats and Gina serving up her scrambled brain on a toasty bed of hooky chorus.