After attending a recent ‘Ay Trick’ show, I can assure you that you will undeniably enjoy an energetic explosion of funk and soul every time they play live. So, don’t miss out on their upcoming concert at ‘La Fabrica de Hielo’ on 11 August . They are an international band from the US and France, formed within the last few years in Valencia. They have already released a mix of jazzy, funky tracks. Their music is inspired by legends like James Brown, Rick James, Prince, and Tower of Power. This is combined with the modern style of Silk Sonic, Thundercat, Robert Glasper, Erykah Badu, N.E.R.D., Vulfpeck and more. Their live show will captivate you with passion, intrigue you with their compositions, impress you with their talent and entertain you with heaps of thrills and funk.

EXCLUSIVE ’24/7 VALENCIA’ INTERVIEW WITH ‘AY TRICK’

24/7 VALENCIA: Can you tell us more about how you all met and how the band was set up?

 Adrian of Ay Trick: So, I came here to visit Valencia with my wife in 2018 and I was living in China at the time. André was actually in China… on a trip from Asia. So, the band that he usually played with didn’t have a drummer. So, I showed up, and I was like, I play drums. So, I filled in. I met Manu and some other people. I didn’t meet André because he was gone, and that was in 2018. Fast forward two years, to the end of 2020 and we moved back to Valencia permanently. And then at that point, Manu had opened his studio, so it was lockdown. There was nothing to do. So, we were like, hey, let’s go in the studio. Let’s just start playing music! So, me and Manu, and a former member of the band named Kevin, we started playing together. We started writing songs and we were like, yo, we need a drummer because I don’t want to play drums and sing too…and we just need somebody to do this better. So, André came in, joined the band and this was 2021. January through March, we started writing music, and by March, we had already released two songs.

 24/7 VALENCIA: What motivated you to begin a musical career?

André of Ay Trick: I grew up in a musical household. Well, I was the only musician, but there was always music going on in my house. RnB, go-go, gospel, Luther Vandross, Anita Baker, my grandma’s Jamaican, a lot of reggae roots, dub, lovers’ rock. All my female cousins sing in choir, and I never sang in a choir, so I would go to church and all my cousins were singing. My cousin took private clarinet lessons, and one day I was like, I want to learn clarinet. So, I went to maybe like ten of his private lessons without even playing. And then I picked up the clarinet and it was history from there. I started playing clarinet, trumpet, and sax. Then the movie Drumline came out and I was like, I’m going to be a drummer. And then ever since it’s been drums until I die.

Manu of Ay Trick: Transpose that into a French household. There was a lot of music at home including Classic rock and Classical music too. And then for as long as I can remember, I wanted to play guitar, pick up the tennis racquet, and then I just wanted to be that kid. And then high school came around. Skater vibes! That was it; I was about 10-11 years old.

Adrian of Ay Trick: Basically, transfer that over. Same story. I started singing when I was four. I remember they wouldn’t let me sing in the choir. All my family sing. So, a similar background. I started playing West African drums and dancing, and I was playing at that same age, 22. But these guys studied music…

24/7 VALENCIA: Do you have any preshow rituals?

AY TRICK: Haribo’s! Our newest bass player told us we need to start a ritual before every show because we have a lot of stuff to do. We try to get Haribo’s when we’re not on diets. Gummy bears, smurfs  sweets. Love sweets!

24/7 VALENCIA: Can you tell us more about your single, ‘Harry Busch’? Why the name and what’s it about?

 AY TRICK: Harry Busch is a fictional character. When we write music, we like to write together. We’ve written some songs separately but we prefer as a unit to write together. So, we went to our friend’s house, who has a studio called Mary Bush. Actually, we wrote it in his studio. We’re just playing around, just coming up with stuff, coming up with lines. So, Harry Busch came out of random ideas for a name, and I think André said it first. I (Adrian) said something like Curt Bush, Harry Bush, Harry Busch. That’s B-U-S-C-H. So then from the name came like, okay, well…let’s make this character. So, like, the whole song is kind of telling the story of this guy… like a 1970s ex porn actor! But he’s really nice…. he makes you feel comfortable when you’re around him. He’s really smooth, sophisticated. And it’s just silliness! A totally made-up character!

24/7 VALENCIA: What are your musical influences? Who inspires you the most.

AY TRICK: Lettuce, Vulfpeck, James Brown, Anderson Pack and Judy Beck, the Roots, Bruno Mars…Cory Wong, Kendrick Lamar, Robert Glasper…

24/7 VALENCIA: What has been your most memorable gig that you’ve done?

AY TRICK: Palo Market Festival…. Halloween’s always great… That might be one of our traditions. We played Halloween at Radio City.

24/7 VALENCIA: What is your favourite song to perform? Do you play your own songs?

André of Ay Trick: Harry Busch. It’s one of the only songs that never sounds the same because I like to experiment and get weird (to) bring us out of our comfort zone….

Adrian of Ay Trick: I don’t want to choose but to perform though I would say STRUT. Or ‘All Around’ because people love that song. Strut, All Around, Harry Busch.

24/7 VALENCIA: If you could open a show for any artist, who would it be?

AY TRICK: James Brown or Charles Bradley. That would be a great show opener. Maybe Bruno Mars. Or Anderson Parker, Robert Glasper, Janelle Monáe. If André 3000 ever started performing again, that would be incredible. Vulfpack, N.E.R.D. and another band would be Hiatus Kaiyote.

Interview by Sabina Redfern

Article copyright ‘24/7 Valencia’

AY TRICK (Live)

11 August

20.30h

Free entry

La Fábrica de Hielo

Calle José Ballester Gozalvo, 37

46011

El Cabanyal

València