Start A Fire

If much of the mindset and mantra behind Above & Beyond over the last quarter of a century has been born from the idea of connection, then their fifth artist album ‘Bigger Than All Of Us’ is best summed up in one word: reconnection. 

The depth of those intuitive reconnections, both between the three band members and with their inner circle of trusted collaborators, is evidenced in the latest single 'Start A Fire’. Originated as a deep instrumental cut from Paavo Siljamäki’s vaults, it’s a demo that he estimates is “easily seven, eight years old. Tony [McGuinness] had always said: ‘I like this...’ Then as we were entering this album process, Tony's like: ‘Hey, I've written something on this! Then everybody's going: ‘Oh my God, this is great!"

"I have a notebook that I keep for song ideas", says McGuinness. "I had this thought a few years back, 'There’s enough of you in me to start a fire' and after dwelling on it for a few months I found that it worked great over a piece of music Paavo had written. I had just that one line for years, until I went to The Gorge two years and one afternoon the verses came together. I was trying to do something conversational, like one of Dire Straits love songs. I think it’s ended up being one of our favourites."

“That’s been really nice for me,” continues Siljamäki, “because it's something that I completely forgot that I'd created. Then I get something fresh from Tony, and his input reignites my excitement. And then, it would have never been as good if it didn't have Richard’s new vocal.” It is, he concludes, “that thing where it's the power of a team.”

Now in its completed form, the track features Richard Bedford singing Tony McGuinness’s lyrics and melody line.

Of course, it’s not the first time Richard Bedford has teamed up with Above & Beyond on a Tony McGuinness-written song — see beloved classics “Sun & Moon”, “Thing Called Love”, and "Northern Soul", to name a few.

Debuted at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival this past April, "Start A Fire” kicked off an Above & Beyond set that would become a defining moment in the ‘Bigger Than All Of Us’ campaign.

’Start A Fire’ is out now on Anjunabeats.