{"id":45057,"date":"2026-09-16T07:20:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T05:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orkus1.com\/interview-with-nature-of-wires-machina-x-part-1-of-2\/"},"modified":"2026-09-16T07:20:39","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T05:20:39","slug":"interview-with-nature-of-wires-machina-x-part-1-of-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orkus1.com\/en\/interview-with-nature-of-wires-machina-x-part-1-of-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with NATURE OF WIRES + MACHINA X (Part 1 of 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo: Claire Stephenson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

An \u201980s classic with a fresh, darker twist: With their interpretation of Icehouse\u2019s<\/strong> \u201cHey Little Girl,\u201d Gary Watts (Nature of Wires<\/strong>) and Annie James (Machina X<\/strong>) give the well-known song a unique, intense touch. Read our two-part interview here. <\/p>\n\n

Orkus:<\/strong> What inspired you to cover Icehouse\u2019s \u201cHey Little Girl\u201d?<\/strong>Annie James:<\/strong> I love going to a concert where an artist suddenly and unexpectedly plays a cover song\u2014and, more importantly, really makes the song their own. Of course, with a classic of its time like \u201cHey Little Girl,\u201d you have the added advantage that it immediately conveys that sense of familiarity. Plus, it fit well into our setlist of original songs. A good cover is always a positive thing\u2014after all, people like to hear songs they know. I do think, though, that we both have to like a song for it to work well for us. Actually, there\u2019s another cover song I\u2019d love to do with Gary, but I\u2019m not going to reveal anything about that just yet. Gary Watts:<\/strong> That was Annie’s idea; I just went along with it. (smiles) <\/p>\n\n

O: How did you approach this song? Cover versions can be tricky, because you want to preserve the character of the original while also making something new and unique out of it \u2026 <\/strong>A:<\/strong> Absolutely. None of us sees the point in covering a song if we don\u2019t feel like we can do it justice\u2014otherwise, it\u2019s just karaoke, right? With cover versions, it can sometimes take a while to convince Gary, but with this song, it just felt right. The female vocals also give it a different, darker perspective: the dynamic shifts from an encounter between two people to a more introspective, even self-accusatory tone. In my mind, it\u2019s like a conversation with oneself\u2014as if the girl were looking at herself in the mirror. <\/p>\n\n

When I can already \u201chear\u201d another version of a song in my head, so to speak, there\u2019s a good chance it\u2019ll work\u2014a bit like with \u201cFeeling Good.\u201d Then it\u2019s just a matter of convincing Mr. Watts. \u201cHey Little Girl\u201d was a perfect fit for a darker, slower, more haunting, and minimalist style. It was distinct enough from the melancholic pop of the original while still fitting our current sound. G:<\/strong> When it comes to remixes and cover versions, I always try to arrange them the way I would have if I\u2019d written the song myself in the first place. As Annie said, I\u2019m not always a big fan of doing covers, but with this one, it felt right pretty early on in the process. At first, I sampled the \u201cHey Hey\u201d chants from the original, but that sounded kind of cheesy. The song is easily recognizable even without them, so we were able to make it even more our own. <\/p>\n\n

O: What does this song mean to you personally?<\/strong>A:<\/strong> It\u2019s a song I\u2019ve always loved. If you have a habit of learning life\u2019s lessons the hard way, lyrics like these can really strike a chord, haha! I\u2019m also thinking of the song \u201cMessy\u201d by Lola Young, which came out recently. Aside from its very distinctive sound and those captivating bossa nova beats, it\u2019s essential for a singer that the lyrics of \u201cHey Little Girl\u201d are relatable and tangible. That\u2019s the only way to convey the right emotions and shape your own version of the song differently enough to, in a sense, make it your own. And even more importantly: A well-executed cover can draw the listener into that shared space between artist and audience and engage them more deeply\u2014and in doing so, possibly spark an interest in lesser-known songs. G:<\/strong> I still remember that song from back then. The lyrics aren’t something I can really relate to, but I’ve always focused more on the instrumental side of the music anyway. <\/p>\n\n

Claudia Zinn-Zinnenburg<\/p>\n\n

We will continue the interview shortly.<\/p>\n\n

Listen to \u201cHey Little Girl\u201d on Bandcamp<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

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An \u201980s classic with a fresh, darker twist: With their interpretation of Icehouse\u2019s \u201cHey Little Girl,\u201d Gary Watts (Nature of Wires) and Annie James (Machina X) give the well-known song a unique, intense touch. Read our two-part interview here. Orkus: What inspired you to cover Icehouse\u2019s \u201cHey Little Girl\u201d?Annie James: I love going to a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":44919,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1171],"tags":[7070,5414],"class_list":["post-45057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story-qa-en","tag-machina-x-en","tag-nature-of-wires-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nInterview with NATURE OF WIRES + MACHINA X (Part 1 of 2) - Orkus1.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Read the first part of our interview with MACHINA X + NATURE OF WIRES and about the single "Hey Little Girl" here. - Orkus!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orkus1.com\/en\/interview-with-nature-of-wires-machina-x-part-1-of-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Interview with NATURE OF WIRES + MACHINA X (Part 1 of 2) - 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