The Wellington film composer and founding member of The Phoenix Foundation talks us through his new solo album BUDA.
Photo: Doug Johns
Luke Buda was born in Poland and moved to New Zealand with his family in 1987.
Buda is not a typical Polish name and means something unromantic like 'shed', he tells Charlotte Ryan.
"If people want to attribute it to some kind of wisdom, that's fine as well - go ahead."
Luke recorded BUDA, his first solo album for 12 years, at Christmas Studios - a "reasonably dilapidated" former garage with a nice rug and some moody lighting where he makes music all day every day.
Inside is an electronic keyboard, an iMac and a large TV on the wall so Luke can watch the film or TV scene he's composing for.
Christmas Studios is a great space to escape to when there's two teenagers in the house, he says.
"It's good to be able to run away to this little space down here which isn't as nice as I'd like it to be but is nice enough and gets the job done."
On BUDA, he employs a range of collaborators including Don McGlashan, Riki Gooch, Toby Laing (Fat Freddy's Drop), Anita Clarke (Motte) and writer Damien Wilkins.
Damien had offered to help Luke with song lyrics three years earlier, and this time Luke took him up when he got stuck on lyrics for the track 'Here Comes The Wind'.
He sent the "guitar smorgasbord" to Damien, who sent back some lyrics the next day.
"I was hugely impressed at the apparent ease with which he wrote what I think are some really good lyrics, actually."
Luke says he finds it difficult to listen to his previous solo album Vesuvius (2008): "It's too cynical and it's too straight-up down…. I feel these things sometimes but it's only a part of the story."
On BUDA, he tried to balance "depressingness" with humour.
Two of the album tracks feature Luke playing his son's electric drum kit.
"I was basically sitting in the garage in my underpants playing electric drums and that was possibly the most fun I've ever had."
Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, Luke's planned national tour is not going ahead this month.
"I just want to send my thoughts and prayers out to everyone who has to reschedule their tours and all of that… jeez, it's a rigmarole."
Vinyl, CDs and t-shirts that would have been for sale at Luke's shows are available on his Bandcamp page.
