Fantasy Band: Gotye

'Prince has a knack for really funky stuff on a drum machine'

Gillian Orr
Friday 01 June 2012 12:28 BST
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Drums: Prince and Stewart Copeland

I'd want Prince in the band but I'd give him something hilarious to do, maybe programming a LinnDrum machine. As amazing as he is in every other respect, he does have a remarkable knack for getting really funky stuff out of that LinnDrum that he used on all his Eighties records. But then I'd get Stewart Copeland from The Police to play all the hi-hat parts because he's the best hi-hat player ever.

Keyboards: Vangelis

On a corner of the stage I'd love to see Vangelis on a huge pantheon of keyboards. I've never seen a lot of footage of him playing stuff live but the bits and pieces I've found on YouTube are just great to watch. I'm a pretty big fan of early Vangelis where he's doing more acoustic records like stuff with his prog band Aphrodite's Child, but obviously he's probably more renowned for the stuff where he got really into synthesisers in the late Seventies and early Eighties. He's fascinating.

Bass: Tony Levin

He's mainly known for playing bass with acts like King Crimson and Peter Gabriel, but he's worked with a ton of people. He's just an incredible bass player, and he makes the bass speak in all sorts of beautiful, melodic, expressive ways. He also plays the Chapman Stick, which is kind of like a bass but really a whole different instrument. It has loads of strings which allows you to play super fast bass.

Vocals: Merrill Garbus

Better known as tUnE-yArDs (below), I saw her play an incredible set at Coachella recently, which was super inspiring. I'd want her doing vocals and added percussion because she is just amazing. I don't think we need a guitarist, who plays guitar anymore? I'll take a cue from Merrill Garbus and say scrap the guitarist and just have two saxophonists. Then you've got a pretty cooking band.

Gotye's new single, 'Eyes Wide Open', is out on Monday

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