The Brit is Back
Christian Burns Shows Off His Synths
You may remember Christian Burns as a member of the trio BBMak, whose single, “Back Here” (2000) was played on heavy rotation on every pop radio station known to man. Now embarking on a new project, The Bleach Works, burns is getting back to his love of electronic and new waves sounds. He’s also been establishing an impressive solo career, collaborating with artists Tiësto, BT and Benny Benassi. Not only will his album with The Bleach Works be released sometime this year, but tracks created with BT and Matt Darey are coming soon.
I had a chance to speak with Burns about being a member of a boy band, a deep love of ‘80s tunes, and what’s in store for him over the next sure-to-be-exciting year.
I have to ask before we get into the more serious stuff, what’s the craziest story you have from the BBMak days?
[Laughs] I can’t pinpoint any one thing. There were a lot of crazy times especially touring with *Nsync and Britney [Spears] when we had the parties that never seemed to end. There was the usual stuff of having people sneaking on the [tour] bus and hiding in our wardrobes and that sort of thing. Mostly it was a lot of fun, though, but there were definitely some crazy times. (Ed. note - what a terribly weak answer. His songwriting better not be as bad as his storytelling).
You’ve been working on some collaborations as well. Who have you worked with and what’s that been like?
I worked with this one great musician, Jes, on the track “As We Collide” [available at www.myspace.com/thebleachworks]. Besides him I’ve worked with some different writers and producers, so it’s been really cool getting to work with quite a few different people.
Tell me about The Bleach Works.
The Bleach Works is my latest project that I’ve been working on for a few years. Right now we’re about 80% finished with the record, which is kind of a mish-mash of all the music I loved in the ‘80s with some of the rock elements from the early ‘90s. There are a lot of synths and guitars with some really catchy pop melodies.
When can we expect the album to be released?
Most of the tracks haven’t been mixed yet, so we’re hoping some time before Christmas – maybe in November.
Can you give us a taste of what it will be like?
We’ve got a lot of hooky synth lines – I try to make songs as catchy as possible and I’m really happy with the songs so far. The songs on my Myspace page are two tracks from the album, which gives a good taste of what it will sound like. Basically it’s a really upbeat album and all of the songs are coming together nicely. But no title yet [laughs], so I need to get a title.
Are there plans for any performances or a tour?
We’re looking to do some gigs later in the year in the U.K. We’ll do some showcases and promo tours around the U.S. as well, probably New York first, then L.A. Hopefully after that we’ll really get going. I would just say check out the Myspace – I’ll have all the shows up there.
Who are your influences and who are you listening to right now?
Like I said I loved a lot of the music from the ‘80s like Ah Ha, New Order, The Smiths… especially with the synths. I’m also into a lot of the club bands like MGMT and The Killers.
Anything you’d like to say to your fans about the upcoming album or the future of The Bleach Works?
I just want everyone to check out the Myspace and start following The Bleach Works. I’ll have some new songs up in the near future and I’d love to get some feedback. Keep an eye out for shows later in the year. It’s a really uplifting album and I’m happy with how it sounds so I hope everyone enjoys it.
For more info check out www.myspace.com/thebleachworks or www.myspace.com/christianburns. You can also follow Christian Burns on Twitter for updates on the album, walking his dog, and going to the dentist.
