The Bleach Works

—

“The Bleach Works hail from the Northwest of England and are fronted by lead singer and guitarist Christian Burns.

Whilst busy working with his band The Bleach Works, Christian was contacted by world renowned DJ Tiësto who’d heard his songs on Myspace. Tiësto was looking for a new writer/vocalist for his forthcoming ‘Elements Of Life’ album. Although musically at that time it was a million miles away from what Christian was doing with The Bleach Works, it seemed like an interesting combination, plus, he fell in love with the backing track Tiësto had sent him.

The world-wide smash ‘In The Dark’ was born, As was Christian’s love of dance music. The success of ‘In the Dark’ led to Christian performing on many of Tiësto’s live shows around the world. It also sparked many collaborations to follow including songs with Benny Benassi and BT.  A further collaboration with Tiësto has led to a new song called the ‘Power Of You’ being included on his forthcoming album ‘In Search Of Sunrise 7’.

Christian is now busy working with his band the ‘The Bleach Works’ on their forthcoming album due for release in 2009 and has other releases with Matt Darey, BT to come soon.”

- www.myspace.com/christianburns & www.myspace.com/thebleachworks

CONFRONT: We always like to start with the background.  So can you give us a little history into your musical journey?  How you started in music and how this project came to be?

CHRISTIAN: I Really got into music when I was about 14 and my dad bought me my first guitar, My first band was called ‘No Exit’ and was made up of me and a few school friends. After school I discovered cars and girls and the music kind of took a back seat for a while until the late 90′s when I met with Mark Barry and Ste McNally and we formed BB Mak. We went on to sell 3 million albums world wide and had hits all over the globe. BB Mak split up in 2003 as we thought we had taken it as far as we could. After being stuck in a legal situation for a couple years I was itching to get back into music. This is when my vision for ‘The Bleach Works’ began.

CONFRONT: Seeing as your father was formerly a musician, would you say he had a big part in getting you into music?

CHRISTIAN: Yes, I remember being a young boy and being fascinated by the guitar, my dad was always playing it at home. Although he bought me my first guitar, he never forced anything upon me. I have always loved music and probably because of my dad.

CONFRONT: Growing up, did you aim for fame or were you just doing what you loved, hoping that maybe it would be good enough?

CHRISTIAN: To be honest, I never thought “I want to be famous”, I just loved making music and performing.

CONFRONT: You used to be the front man for 90′s pop rock band BBMak.  What are your hopes for this new project?

CHRISTIAN: Well, I hope to follow on the success of BB Mak, Touring the world and playing your music to big crowds is the best buzz on the planet for me. And to play to big crowds you have to have some hits! So hope to get my songs on the radio on both sides of the Atlantic.

CONFRONT: What would you say you learned from BBMak’s success that you can now apply your new solo project?

CHRISTIAN: Well I guess one thing that I have learned is that you have to work very hard to achieve your goals in the music industry, I am prepared for the amount of work and traveling I will have to do. And I guess you learn from your mistakes, I would not take a three year gap between albums this time!

CONFRONT: The first time DJ Tiesto asked if he could use one of your songs, you said no, not knowing who he was; but suggested that you write together, which he agreed to. What did you think after discovering how successful Tiesto was and that he wanted to work with you?

CHRISTIAN: Working with Tiesto was amazing, it has definitely opened other doors and opportunities for me. I didn’t know much about him at first and then his label sent me a DVD of him performing live, I was blown away. This guy sells out stadium tours! I feel very privileged to be part of his Grammy nominated ‘Elements of Life’ album

CONFRONT: After your hit “In The Dark” with Tiesto, great artists such as David Guetta and Benny Benassi wanted to work with you as well. Was that part of your inspiration for starting The Bleach Works?

CHRISTIAN: Well, I was already experimenting with synths and electronic sounds before I worked with any of these dance giants but has definitely influenced in tracks I created after working with them. I have a new found love for dance music these days.

CONFRONT: Are you currently working on any new material? If so, is there anyone you’re working with?

CHRISTIAN: Yes, working on some very exciting things at the moment. Most recently I have been working with David Guetta, Matt Darey, BT, Dirty South and Funkagenda. I can’t wait to share these new songs with you all.

CONFRONT: Where do you get your musical ideas from? Are you the type that a melody or lyric will just pop into your head and won’t let you rest until you’ve created a song out of it or do you take inspiration from other mediums and other artists?

CHRISTIAN: Exactly that, melodies come into my head ALL the time, I really don’t know where they come from, most of the time it’s when I am just about to go to sleep, cooking, showering or other random times! Thank god for my iPhone, I always have it with me so I can record these melodies and listen to them when I get back into the studio. I always do melodies first, that’s just the way I work. The thing is with music though is that there are no rules. I like that.

CONFRONT: Is there a specific message you’re trying to convey with your music?

CHRISTIAN: No, although a lot of the dance projects are suited to a positive message.

CONFRONT: How has your music evolved since you first began playing music?

CHRISTIAN: It has changed a lot over the years, I have been heavily into Rock, R&B, Classical, Dance and Electronic. But above all I have always been into GOOD songs.

CONFRONT: What do you think it takes to be successful in this career?

CHRISTIAN: A LOT of patience, hard work and a manager who truly believes in you.

CONFRONT: How would you say music affects you and the world around you?

CHRISTIAN: Music is medicine for me, I use it to calm myself and I also use it to pick myself up. It is a very powerful medium. I do not think I could live without it.

CONFRONT: Which song of yours, from any of your music projects, means the most to you, and why?

CHRISTIAN: Probably, Back Here because it was such a big hit around the world and Won a few songwriting awards, this proved to me that I could write a hit. And on days when i am having a bit of a mental block I think, ” Right, I have done it before so I can do it again!” Not to mention all the good memories I have of performing the song around the world.

CONFRONT: What is your favorite lyric from one of your songs, and why?

CHRISTIAN:

Get in my car,

So we can drive

Out of this town

We can both survive

You don’t need them

All you need is me

And i’l love you

Until it’s time to die

This is from an as yet unreleased song called ‘Gravity’. The song means a lot to me for personal reasons.

CONFRONT: What have you learned about fans and their importance in your career?

CHRISTIAN: I have been lucky enough to have loads of support over the years from great fans. I still have a lot of the same fans from my BB Mak days and very grateful that they have stayed with me all these years. At the end of the day the fans are a massive part of any artists successes. It’s great being on twitter now as I can stay in touch with them all the time and let them know what I am up to. My twitter screen name is ‘thebleachworks’.

CONFRONT: And lastly, if someone had never listened to your music before, what song would you want them to hear first?

CHRISTIAN: I would say, ‘Something About You”, It’s a great reference to the next chapter in my musical journey.

CONFRONT 5
Complete the sentence: I would never…Buy a PC.

Complete the sentence: I have never…Bought a PC.

Name your first and last albums purchased:  The Beatles ‘Sgt Pepper” was the first and just bought Bat for Lashes ‘Two Suns’

Name your first and last concert attended:  My first concert was Paul McCartney when I was thirteen and the last concert I went to was ‘FrankMusic’

What would you want your legacy to be? I would love for my music to be remembered long after I have gone.

To learn more about The Bleach Works visits the sites below:

www.myspace.com/christianburns &  www.myspace.com/thebleachworks

___