A small talk with Motorama

“Mε το πρώτο τους άλμπουμ Alps οι Motorama κατάφεραν αν γίνουν γνωστοί ανά την υφήλιο και να κάνουν ευρέως γνωστή την άγνωστη μέχρι τότε,και άκρως ενδιαφέρουσα,Ρωσική post-punk σκηνή. Το 2012 βρήκε τους Motorama κάτω από τηνς τέγη της Γαλλικής Talitres,μέσω της οποίας κυκλοφόρησαν ένα ακόμη εξαιρετικό άλμπουμ με το τίτλο Calendar. Με την ευκαιρία αυτής ης κυκλοφορίας και με αφορμή την επερχόμενη περιοδεία τους στην Ευρώπη στις αρχές του 2013 η φωνή των Motorama,o Vlad Parshin,μιλάει στο Music Velocity. Για να δούμε τι μας είπε»

-The band is back with a new album. What's the feedback that you receive so far from Calendar?

For me it’s a little bit annoying to share or discuss such things like feedbacks inside the band or with somebody else. We read some reviews in several Russian magazines, they said that «Calendar» is very close to our first album. I can understand this opinion. For us there was no aim to play trumpet or sing in german.

-Once again your sound seems very fresh but there are certain shades of 80's post-punk in your music. Do you have any major influences?

We are in love with 80’s music. At the same time I do love Leonard Cohen, Antony Hegarty, Jarvis Cocker and Nick Cave.

-Are there any specific things that have inspired you on this album?

Mix of different things: changing weather, memories, summertime sadness, Lee Hazlewood songs, Claude Chabrol movies, Oscar Wilde novels.

-You are the man behind the band's visuals. How important is for you the connection between music and video?

Today it’s important, but I don’t know what will be tomorrow. It’s interesting to experiment with these things.

-Your songs seem to be perfect for mind travelling in dreamy landscapes. What kind of landscapes come on your mind when you are composing music?

Hard to remember… Maybe something surrealistic.

-Your new album has been released under the label of Talitres. Was that a significant change from your first self-financed release? How the things change when you are on a label?

We need some time to understand, but we are already happy with our new friend from France.

-The Russian indie scene seems to keep on growing. Are there any other Russian bands that people should check?

I really like «Palms on Fire», «Manicure» and «Pompeya» who are singing in English and some bands who sing in Russian like «Spring on Karl Uhan Street».

-Does your music provide you all the necessary things for living or you have to work as well?

No, we have to work in offices 5 days a week. That’s why we are trying to play less and only on weekends.

-How do you spend your spare time and does that affects your music?

I know that Irene likes to cook and she’s very into discovering things in the internet. Old music, clothes, animal pics etc etc. Max and Alex love food and beer. They are true foodies. Roman likes Sonic Youth, Pixies and vodka with tabasco. And I’m very into drawing, photo shooting and sleeping.

-Have you ever considered of covering a song? If yes which song would it be?

We did some covers. I can remember «Race for the Prize» by The Flaming Lips. It will be great to cover  4’33 by John Cage. 

-Shall we expect a European tour (or a tour in general) for promoting "Calendar"?

We are going to have our second European tour in feb-march 2013.

-Is there anything else that you want to share with your fans?

If you feel bored and sad, try this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Fo8sB_oVxg

Best,

Vlad

Night Beats @ Music Velocity

Μπορεί να μένουν μόνιμα στο Seattle,παρόλα αυτά οι Night Beats παραμένουν μια μπάντα πιστή στον πρώιμο R&B ήχο,στην ψυχεδελική rock του Texas,στα Blues και την Folk και Soul μουσική.O Danny Lee Blackwell (κιθάρα/φωνητικά),ο Tarek Wegner (μπάσο/κιθάρα/φωνητικά) και ο James Traeger (drums) συνθέτουν μια τρομερή μουσική τριάδα,που παράγει ήχους και μελωδίες ικανούς να σε τριπάρουν και να σε ταξιδέψουν μέσα σε μία μουσική χρονοκάψουλα πίσω στα 60's και 70's.

Με αφορμή τις δύο εμφανίσεις τους στην Ελλάδα,στις 7 Δεκεμβρίου στην Αθήνα και το Six D.O.G.S,και στις 8 Δεκεμβρίου στο GAIA Multi Culti Spot,οι Night Beats μίλησαν στο Music Velocity Blog. Ας δούμε τι είχαν να μας πουν σε αυτή την παράξενη,όπως εξελίχθηκε συνέντευξη.

-So Night Beats.Why have you chosen that name?

Danny Lee named it after Sam Cooke's record "Night Beat".

-Two of you have their roots on Texas but you all live and record in Seattle. Is it easy to produce the characteristic Texas sound that your music has in a city that is mostly known for its Grunge music scene?

We don't focus on that shit and people won't stop talking about that. We play soul.

-Are there any albums that have affected your music the most?

As far as I'm concerned with the bass and vocal delivery influence

the cure-three imaginary boys

13th floor elevators-Easter everywhere

captain beefheart-safe as milk

-Your full lenght album was a total blast. What feedback are you receiving so far?

That apparently we are a 60s band or something. We were born in the 80s so just cause we might be trippy or play rock n roll different than the average teen punk green day fuck doesn't mean we are trying to be vintage.

-You have also released material on tape.Why have you chosen that format?

Well release on as many formats as possible so that people have a choice. In the states my friends all have cars with tape players.

-You have shared the stage with some really great bands and artists,like The Black Angels,Jesus & Mary Chain,Mark Sultan etc.Was it really fun to co-exist with all these?

Hell yeah!

-You show in last year's Austin Psych Fest was a great surprise. What can you tell us about this experience?

We weren't watching

-May I ask about UFO Club? First of all the album is just AMAZING!Tell me about this collaboration with Christian Bland

I've only played with them live but Christian is a really fun musician to play with. He has great ideas! Him and Danny wrote all the songs and Bob Mustachio plays the drums it's easy with these people.

-During this period you touring over Europe.How it is so far?

It's been good seeing who's into us and what we can get away with out here. Right now I'm at a cafe in Bordeaux while our van is at a mechanic. We've been push starting it and this is like our only day off. But we aren't tired yet.

-What shall we expect from Night Beats in the closest future?

New album "SONIC BLOOM"

-Feel free to share anything you want

Asa llama lakers ,won love, heat, slime, arrogant erosion blowing coca cola through your a/c made em skip out on their rent and got evicted to the seventh layer of taco hell, tell your mom when you heard this you peed permant ink graffiti and no you gotta clean that shit up! -Tarek Wegner

Ο James Blackshaw μιλάει στο Music Velocity

O James Blackshaw είναι ένας από τους πλέον ιδιαίτερους καλλιτέχνες του σήμερα.Ένα εκπληκτικό μουσικό μυαλό που καταφέρνει να συνθέτει μελωδίες ικανές να σε ταξιδέψουν και να εικονοποιήσουν την κάθε νότα που ακούγεται.Με σημαντικές προσωπικές κυκλοφορίες σε labels όπως η Important Records,η Young God Records κ.α. και με συνεργασίες με μεγάλες μπάντες,όπως οι Current 93 (τον οποίων αποτελεί κατά κάποιο τρόπο μέλος) και Swans (τους οποίους ακολούθησε σε δύο περιοδείες),ο James Blackshaw έρχεται στη χώρα μας για τρεις εμφανίσεις,σε Αθήνα,Λάρισα και Θεσσαλονίκη στις 6,8 και 9 Δεκεμβρίου αντίστοιχα,για να μας παρουσιάσει τις μοναδικές του μουσικές που συνδυάζουν άψογα την folk με την κλασσική μουσική και τον μινιμαλισμό με τον πειραματικό ήχο.

Με την ευκαιρία αυτής της επίσκεψής του στην Ελλάδα ο James Blackshaw μας έδωσε μια άκρως ενδιαφέρουσα συνέντευξη.


-You are a young and talented musician. At what age did you first become interested in music? How has your classical backround affected your view of music?

Thanks! I’m 31 years old in two days time and I first started fingerpicking just over ten years ago, but I’ve dabbled in playing all kinds of instruments in different since I was 10. I’m not sure having a handful of piano lessons when I was around that age would count a having a classical background! Actually I was more keen on the idea of writing fiction as a kid, but I got more and more obsessed with music, mainly punk and indie rock initially.

-Your melodies seem to have an almost perfect symmetry. This is your sense of how you want your sound to be or it is just a natural musical instict?

I’m kind of obsessed with symmetrical things, I think that’s just the way my brain works. I’m actually quite a chaotic person in many ways. I’m not very good with routines and I can be impulsive, so maybe I need to make sense of things by making my music very audibly structured.

-What kind of music do you prefer to listen to? Are there any other forms of art that interest you and inspire your music?

I like a lot of contemporary classical music, minimalist composers mostly, but maybe the music I listen to most is really just good, ambitious pop music, for lack of a better word. A lot of stuff from the early-mid 70’s like Jackson Browne, Judee Sill, Harry Nilsson, Warren Zevon etc. I also have a special interest in Japanese underground music.

I’m probably as equally influenced by films and books, too many to mention here. I watched ‘The Conversation’ on repeat while I was writing my latest album.

 -Some people compare you with great guitarists, such as Bert Jansch, Robbie Basho and John Fahey. Does this comparison make you feel anxious?

I’m flattered, although I definitely don’t see myself as part of any lineage of great guitarists. Idiosyncratic ones, maybe! But honestly, I don’t consider myself technically that good, I think I just have some unusual ideas.

-You have been blessed to be a member of two great bands (Current 93 and Swans).Was it a pleasant experience?

I’m still, as far as I know, involved with Current 93 although I don’t know in what capacity that might be. David’s a good friend of mine and it’s always equally interesting and challenging working with him. I’ve never been a member of Swans. I have played live with Michael Gira once and I did support Swans on two separate tours. A lot of highs and lows, but I love the guys in Swans and it was a real experience.

-The new Swans' album, The Seer, is ,by far ,one of the greatest albums for 2012.What's your opinion about this album?

I’ve not heard it yet.

-What's the feedback from your latest release, Love is the Plan, the Plan is Death? The title has been taken from James Tiptree's story?

It seems people really like it for the most part, certainly more than my album before it. Some people complained about the sound of my breathing, which I thought might happen. I’m happy most people enjoy the album though, that was difficult record to make for personal reasons.

The title is indeed taken from a James Tiptree Jr story.

-You have released so many records and took part in many projects in such a sort period of time. It is a inner compulsion that leads you to be that creative?
If I knew exactly what it was that inspired me to make music, I’d do it more often. I think it stems from exactly the same reason I started playing in the first place: boredom and a desire to express some feeling that I can’t otherwise articulate in the day-to-day.

-In some cases your music seems to have a strong cinematic feeling.Maybe an OST in the next step in your career?

I’d love to write a film score, but nobody’s asked me yet.

-Can you name some the albums that have inspired you the most?

Robbie Basho ‘Venus In Cancer’
Bola Sete ‘Ocean’
Philip Glass ‘Music In 12 Parts’
Charlemagne Palestine ‘Strumming Music’
Jackson Browne ‘Late For The Sky’
Jim O’Rourke ‘Eureka’

-You are on the road again. The process of touring is enjoyable for you?

I like meeting people and I like having some kind of reason to travel. I’ve had experiences of tour which are some of the best moments of my life and I’ve also had my fair share of shitty ones too, but I really wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.

-What shall we expect from your live shows in Greece?

I’ll be playing guitar with my hands.

-Do you want to share anything with your fans, here in Greece?

I’m really excited about the shows. I’ve played in Athens a couple of times and I’ve always had a great time, but I haven’t had the chance to explore the rest of Greece, so I’m looking forward to it a lot!

Tides From Nebula interview

Οι Tides From Nebula μας έρχονται από την Πολωνία και είναι ίσως ένα από τα αξιολογότερα σχήματα που έχει να παρουσιάσει η σύγχρονη post-rock σκηνή.Με μουσική που βγάζει έναν απίστευτο ηλεκτρισμό και με live εμφανίσεις που χαρακτηρίζονται από την μοναδική τους ενέργεια έχουν καταφέρει να στρέψουν την προσοχή των απανταχού μουσικόφιλων πάνω τους. Τα δύο τους άλμπουμ,Aura (2009) και Earthsine (2011),έχουν λάβει διθυραμβικές κριτικές,ενώ η συνεργασία τους με τον μουσικό κολοσσό που ακούει στο όνομα Zbigniew Preisner δεν μπορεί να περάσει απαρατήρητη. Πρόσφατα ολοκλήρωσαν την Ευρωπαϊκή τους περιοδεία η οποία περιελάμβανε και δύο Ελληνικούς σταθμούς (Αθήνα και Θεσσαλονίκη) και με την ευκαιρία αυτή ο Maciej Karbowski μοιράστηκε μαζί μας κάποια πράγματα. Ας δούμε τι είχε να μας πει:

- You are hailing from Poland,a country not that known for its post-rock scene. How the things

are there as fas as it concerns music?

Actally i think there is quite good scene here. Maybe not specific post-rock scene, but i would say alternative one, so it is not that bad as it seems to be. We have a luck of playing always to the packed venues, so we really apreciate this situation.

- There many people and fellow artists in post-rock that speak with great admiration about you.

How does this feel?

It feels great that some people are really into the bands music, we never dreamt that some people will come to our shows and will buy our records. Now, when it is really happening we are enyoing it as much as we can, thanks people!

- Your latest album "Earthshine" was a real piece of gold! Is there a certain writing process for

the band?

Thanks a lot man! There is no rule for the writing. With the first album 'aura' we mostly played live in our rehearsal room. With 'earthshine' we created some music on tracks, straight into the computer, and some in the rehearsal room also. With the third album which we started to write now it seems hat we are going to spend most of the time in the rehearsal room and also one more time in the hause in the mountains, to create something different maybe?

- Your collaboration with Zbigniew Preisner gave you an extra credit for sure. How does it feel

when you have to work with such a name? Has he affected your sound?

Of course he did, he helped us to create this deep, layered sound. We really apreciate his work on the sound of this album, it was a bit though time, but it was worth it.

- Are there any certain influences that helping you create your musical landscapes?

Moslty music of some other bands, but i think whole life inspires you. There are some tracks on 'earthshine' which has some private conotations and were inspired by some traumatic events. It is hard to point one specific inspiration.

- You were on a European Tour. What's the feedback of that tour? Any highlights and any

moments that you don't want to remember?

Most of the tour was really great and enjoyable. There were some better shows, but we really loved it in general, definetely it seems that some people knows our music there, in all these countries, its wonderfull. Thank you.

- Do you think that the band has reached it's music in the higher possible level or there are no

top limits for you?

Absolutely no limits, the day when we will feel 'this is it', will be the last creative day of our band.

- Apart from being musicians you are really cool guys! What do you do when you don't play

music?

Reading books, playing computer games, studing recording technics, taking care of dogs, hamsters etc. Normal lifes.

- Shall we expect a new album and a new tour soon?

2012 should be the year of writing the third album and releasing vinyls of the first two. Hopefully we will release next album in 2013.

- Be the one to share the last words with us

Thanks to the Greek listeners, we really love your beautiful country!

The Fall Of Leviathan by TidesFromNebula

Tragedy of Joseph Merrick by TidesFromNebula

Purr by TidesFromNebula

Samsara Blues Experiment talk to Music Velocity

Οι Samsara Blues Experiment είναι μια Γερμανική μπάντα ψυχεδελικού rock που ξεκίνησε το ταξίδι της στη μουσική το 2007. Με όχημα την πέρα από κάθε αμφισβήτηση μουσική τους ποιότητα και τις  πνευματικές τους αναζητήσεις μας έχουν παρουσιάσει μέχρι στιγμής δύο εξαιρετικά άλμπουμ,τα “Long Distance Trip” (2010) και “Revelation & Mystery” (2011). Λίγες μέρες πριν την εμφάνισή τους στη Θεσσαλονίκη (Την Κυριακή 15/01 στο Eightball Live Stage),ο τραγουδιστής τους μας παραχώρησε μια άκρως ενδιαφέρουσα συνέντευξη.Δείτε τι μας είπε: 

-First of all let me ask who are Samsara Blues Experiment?

In primary terms, I´d say four male individuals which form a band since 2008. Music style is a bit hard to focus, so I always say it´s Heavy Rock for adults and this without any limitations. The only boundaries would be aspects of taste.

-The term Samsara has to do with some certain spiritual pursuits of yours

I guess so, somehow I believe in reincarnation and a purpose in life that goes beyond reproducing and consuming.

-There are many who describe your music as Sabbath oriented psychedelia with some Krautrock aspects! How would you describe it?

Heavy Rock for adults who are still able to listen.


-Listening to both your releases gave me the impression that there is space for lots of improvisation in  your songs. Is there a certain wrtiting process or the jam factor plays a significant role on your recordings?

Not necessarily, quality jamming is difficult with two guitarist. You have to be dedicated to the music, not to only do your ego-thing and for all members it needs a lot of sensitivity and intuition to really do it well. But then I also see difficulties in jamming too much, because it often lacks a direction. I am a more conservative kind of guy let´s say. Most of our songs are actually structured, the second album remained a jam-space of maybe 10 percent.

-In my opinion your sound gathers a variety of influences and combines so many organs. Is it an easy job to compose a Samsara song? Is it easy to produce your music accuretaly on your live shows?

We work much by intuition, not much by thinking in terms of real composing. I can not really tell you how a song would come out, but it´s often quite a long process, sometimes like trial and error. Most of our songs have to pass the "live-test" as well, where we can see if they work and people still like what we do. We never reproduce the songs accurately. I would find this quite boring!

-Have you ever thought to release your music only on vinyl?

Why should we? It would be real stupid economically-wise and ignorant to everybody who is not a "vinyl-nerd".

-When I first heard "Long Distance Trip" I said to myself "can they become more awesome?". Then "Revelation & Mystery" came as an answer! What's the feedback for the new album so far?

Different. Many people like it, some love it, some people still prefer the first album, which is a bit confusing. For us as a band the new album represents a large step ahead, even if the songs are different, but we don´t want to always redo one and the same album. We actually returned to create longer songs, so there is not a straight direction.

-Can you also add any more info about the recording process of "Revelation & Mystery"?

We recorded all songs live, playing them in studio over and over again, which was quite a short process of ca. one week. Then we had to do several overdubs, mixing and mastering which summed up to an overall period of nine months of work with interruptions due to jobs, family, playing live and so forth. We are lucky to have Richard in the band who co-owns a professional recording studio.

-As far as I know you had only one proper release with your previous band TERRAPLANE. Do you think that Samsara Blues Experiment give you the opportunity to express all your musical talent?

It´s my main project and I am not only the singer (Please beware!), but the main initiator and lead guitarist. By the way Terraplane release more than ten records, but that´s another story.

-What shall we expect from the band in the future?

Quality music.

-The famous last words belong to you

Thanks for your interest. Looking much forward to playing in Greece. Take care.


(The interview has also been posted on the website of  Up 'n' Loud Web Radio,home of the Music Velocity Radio Show. You can check it here)

Light Asylum @ Music Velocity blog

It is fair to characterise Light Asylum,the duo of Shannon Funchess and Bruno Coviello,as one of the most intersting bands that the Brooklyn darkwave revival scene has to present.Their sound creates a beautiful unique feeling to the audience and their melodies are something really innovative.


Light Asylum are actually the colalboration of two really talented people. On the one hand we have the dominant figure of  Shannon Funchess and her great voice force.On the other hand we have Bruno Coviello which illustrates the power of this voice through his music. These two things create a combination that it is just irresistible.


On the occasion of the presentation of their EP from our blog,Light Asylum offered us a really interesting interview. Let's see what they have to say!

-Although you are on of the hottest names in music this period too little things are known about the band's bio. Would you like to share some more info?

We've been busy over the past two and half years playing shows - too busy to write bios.

-I have noticed on your Myspace page that most of your influences have to do with the Up Records label,one of the Seatles' greatest labels. How are you related to this city?

Shannon: I lived there for 11 years and played music 90% of the time. I had friends on the UP record label.

-I have seen several videos from your live performances and I was really astonished by your energy. It isn't common to see something like that in an electro band. How

can you manage this?

Really, people think we are an "electro" band? We hope to show people we are multi-genered and not fit into any one box the industry might label bands coming out at the moment from N.Y.C./Brooklyn.

As an artist/vocalist/front person what have you if, they are doing their job right they should, whatever their medium act as a vessel and have it come through them be it sound/visual and express it like a medium to the world at large. Think of the energy coming off the stage you perceive whether live or via the internet as the narrow opening of The Strait of Gibraltar. This massive body of water/energy, the Atlantic Ocean/the music of LIGHT ASYLUM trying to flow into the Mediterranean Sea/THE WORLD.

It's a tight fit so, it's hitting you hard like a tidal wave on the other side.

-How is it possible to produce that wall of sound in your live performances,though you are only a duo?

Think of us as the two Pillars of Hercules at The Strait of Gibraltar with waves crashing all about!

-Your songs are something more than great. Is it a product of collaboration or each of you has his/her own ideas about songs?

Collaboration.

-Are there any plans for a full length release?

Early Spring 2012 on Mexican Summer Records

-Are there any certain influences on your music? Many people liken the sound of Light Asylum with that of the great New Wave,Synth Pop bands of the 80's.

We both really vibe off of Clan of Xymox, Depeche Mode, New Order, Joy Division, Ministry, Kraftwerk, DAF, Nitzer Ebb and the like. We also like house, freestyle, techno, punk, ska, hip hop, pop/ experimental and underground dance music.

-Shall we expect any collaborations in the field of song remixes?I must confess that

the remix of Fatima on Shallow Tears is really awesome.

Yes, Motherland's remix of "A Certain Person" (available on iTunes, U.K.) and a limited edition vinyl release with remixes by Stereogamous in December. We'll also see remixes by friends for "Shallow Tears" limited vinyl released in January.

-(to Shannon)Some critics have written that you are the Grace Jones of our days. How do you feel about that?

Shannon:Flattered, she's amazing! I'm really not trying to do her and I don't think we sound alike. She's very demure. I'm a spazz!

-Are there any plans for live shows in Europe?

We'll play an Austrian festival in April 2012 we were in invited to by the curators our friends, Coco Rosie. We'll also to tour massively for the release of our debut full length record the same summer.

-You can share anything you want as a closure

We are very concerned with the level of greed and corruption effecting the planet as we know it today and hope to be a positive force for change.   

Arms and Sleepers @ Music Velocity

Είχα την χαρά να περάσω αρκετό χρόνο με την μπάντα στην πρόσφατη επίσκεψή τους στην Ελλάδα! Είναι πραγματικά ευχάριστο να βλέπεις δύο ανθρώπους που λατρεύουν αυτό που κάνουν να περιοδεύουν κάτω από αντίξοες συνθήκες σε όλο τον κόσμο με μοναδικό σκοπό να μοιραστούν την μουσική τους με τους ανθρώπους που την αγαπούν. Η εκτεταμένη Ευρωπαική περιοδεία των Arms and Sleepers έκανε και μια στάση στη Θεσσαλονίκη στις 25 Μαίου. Κατά την διάρκεια αυτής της στάσης είχα μια ευκαιρία να κάνω μια συνέντευξη με τον Mirza Ramic και τον Ben Shepard των Uzi & Ari, που τον ακολουθεί σε αυτήν την περιοδεία, την οποία και σας παραθέτω!

I have always been wondering how did the name Arms and Sleepers came up! Why have you chosen that name?

On our very first days we used to be in another band,a big band actually,with lots of people and we have decided to release a double album,with the first side called Arms and the other side called Sleepers but unfortunately this never happened and so Max and I (Mirza Ramic) decided to use these to names to name our band! We liked the name and we wanted to have it in order to remember the roots of our music.

What can you remember from the first days of the band?

Things were really dizzy,not normal at all! We were trying to write music,expressing our feelings for girls (lots of laughing at that part),trying to enclose to our music all the difficulties that a band has and of course all the odd places in which we had to play. We were just so passionate and enthusiastic to make music and sometimes nothing seemed to work out! Our music back then used to be much. more electronic

What inspires your music? Do you have any specific artists that affect you as a band?

Almodobar! Basically Almodobar! We really love him and his movies and he definitely is very inspirational to us. We are also inspired by lots of other directors like the Coen Brothers,Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck etc.We also like the music of independent films and get inspired by visual artists!

Is there a definition for the music of Arms and Sleepers?

It's not easy to give a definition to our music. We personally prefer lots of different styles of music and we compose songs that are not similar,so it is quite hard to give a definition. Let's say that we create music for relaxed people (laughing again). It is a music created by people who have lots of things in common and our music is given to people in order to make them feel all these great feelings from happiness to sadness. It is a music to deliberate your soul. People say to us that they match some of our songs with a specific mood or memory of theirs,which actually happens with us as well. Every song of ours is carefully composed. Altough we are jamming and then gather all these ideas we try to keep high standards to our songs in order the result to be the best possible and express what we feel in a descent way.

What's your experience from your tour so far?

(Laughing!) Let's say that it has so far really high moments and really low (low low as they said) moments,but it is a great experience so far. It is our very first time in Greece as well. We have visited so far so many new places and seeing people being so supportive to the band,especially in Eastern Europe,give to us a very positive feeling. Every place is different and unique,so we can say that everything is OK so far!

Is it difficult to reproduce your music live as a duo?Is there any space available for improvisations?

For this tour we are just the two of us,so there is a lot of pre-recorder stuff. It is easy in general because our new album is also very electronic. If we wanted to reproduce our music as a full band we would actually need 8-9 people playing with us which would never happen because of the cost. I think that it is nice the way we are because we have the chance to present something different in every show. It is like we are giving a new life to our songs every night,which is really interesting to us and gives us the opportunity to discover new elements on our music.

Is it easy to release so many album during a single year?Is it a need to share the music inside you?

I guess that this is our way of relaxing. When we came back to work or whenever something happens to us,music is our way to relax,step back and enjoy something that we really like to do. When we have time we try to spend it composing music so as a result we have made so many songs that we love to share them with other people. We are trying in general to be productive! It is just a way to stay focused in this thing that we love.

How would you describe the audience of the band?

I always have the feeling that our music appeals to different audiences! In some shows we have only young people! In others we have people that are older but they still seem to be interested for our music. It really depends on the place we have to play live and for sure it has to do with the different culture and different people that you can find in every place. You can also say that the different elements of our music appeal lots of different types of audience. Our music consists lots of ambient,trip hop,post rock parts,so people that like these kinds of music,even if they are not similar to each other,come to see us.

Do you get updated about the music releases? Is there any music that you like during this period?

I think that we both like the Caribou record that was released last year. This album is amazing! School of Seven Bells is another band that we like. Animal Collective is a great band as well. We are waiting to listen to several new releases in general. I also like (Mirza Ramic) to listen to lots of electronic bands. I like this type of music.

I think that you are from Boston. What's the music scene there?

I live in Boston and Ben lives in New York! In Boston there are a lot of good bands and we all know each other,we tour together,we play shows together but you cannot say that Boston has a music scene. You know Boston is a big university city with lots of people coming in and out,so it is really difficult to have a certain scene. People are changing,music is changing,so you can listen to electronic music during one year and during the next year you may listen to post rock,or indie music etc. There is no consistency in the audience so a certain music scene can't be built. There are some similar bands like us,Caspian and other who seem to have connection but we are only able to see each other during a tour or a live show,so we don't feel that we belong in a scene.

You can share anything you want with your fans here in Greece!

Oh well!If you haven't came to our live show you've lost (laughing). Thank you for inviting us to your beautiful country. We have spent some really nice time in Greece and we hope to come back for a live show soon!

Zagar talking to Music Velocity Blog

Λίγες μέρες μετά την εμφάνισή τους στη Θεσσαλονίκη και πιο συγκεκριμένα στο Block 33 ο ιθύνων νους των Zagar,Balázs Zságer, μας παραχώρησε μια άκρως ενδιαφέρουσα συνέντευξη,στην οποία μίλησε για όλα. Για την μουσική σκηνή στην Ουγγαρία,για την μουσική των Zagar,για τις δικές του προσωπικές επιτυχίες σαν μουσικός και για το μέλλον της μπάντας! Ας δούμε όμως τι μας είπε ο ίδιος


MV : Hungary has always shown great bands in various genres.Unfortunately,almost every band didn't go beyond the limits of Underground. What's your opinion about the Hungarian Electro music scene? Has it passes the limits of this underground feeling?


In Hungary the real independent and honest music as you mentioned comes from the underground scene. Usually this kind of bands and musicians are not supported by the radios and the TVs maybe that's one of the reason that they are not so well known. In spite of that I think the Hungarian electronic music scene is very strong. I know many talented musicians and producers who don't want to be more just playing in clubs and they don't want to sign to any label. For us our hit single 'Wings of Love' helped to get through the border between underground and mainstream, but we want to keep the balance and our independency.

MV : The sound of Zagar compiles lots of different styles. Indie,Bossa,Jazz,Soul,Electronica. Is this the result of your music education or you just wanted to compile the intersection points of these genres?

I think nowadays the electronic music is influenced by many genres. We try to use every kind of influence which gets through to us from Jimi Hendrix to Trentemoller. For us the point is to communicate and convey our imagination through the music with a characteristic style. For this reason I don’t really like to describe our music with an exact category. Zagar is a 5-piece band now with vocal, drums, bass, guitar, turntable, keys and different kind of electronic instruments. Each band mate comes form different music scenes like jazz, abstract hip-hop, rock or electronic dance music. We don't want to skip these facts, so you can feel all of these influences on our tracks. In spite of that I think there is a typical Zagar sound which is based on a coherent mood.

MV : How things are about electronic music in Eastern Europe?

For us is important to express in our music that we live here in this region. The band name, Zagar comes from my family name Zságer. With this name we wanted to represent our Eastern European roots also. The Eastern European attitude makes our style a bit different sometimes more dreamy and melancholic. When I was a child I usually watched typical Eastern European cartoons which were more sensitive and emotional then the Western Europeans like Walt Disney movies for example.

MV : What are the main themes of your music? What kind of things inspire you?

We do not really want to convey any exact message, we are simply writing songs about things that interests us. On our latest album there are some simple topics from our every day life such as solitude, desire to love, snobism or vanity. But sometimes we write songs influenced by a book or a film. My favorites movies are the surreal ones like Terry Giliam's Brazil,  David Lynch’s features or the Hungarian Szindbad. But sometimes, when I listen to a new tunes or a good song I tell to myself I want to write music like that, of course if I try it becomes totally different when I finish. Usually I am always looking for something new which makes me excited. I think one of the most important thing in art is that the artist has to be totally involved in his work.

MV : As far as I know you are the only electroning musician that commisioned Hungarian National Theatre! How does this feel?

I'm not sure I'm the only one, but I was one of the first who got invited by the National Theatre in Budapest to compose music for couple of great pieces. It was a great honour and experience at the same time to work with such famous actors. When I was a child I watched them many many famous Hungarian movie- and TV film.

MV: I adore the music of CSI and I was really surprised when I saw that the OST of the series was your work! I also think that the music of Eastern Sugar movie is yours, right? Is it easy to make music for a movie or a TV program?

Yes, beside of the albums and live performances we are involved in other projects like theater, advertisements and films as well. We made music for TV- and feature films and documentaries also. As a movie fan I really like this kind of works. I like to work with such directors who has the same associations about a topic like I have. But sometimes the screenplay requires a strange genre or style considering the soundtrack. In this case is a real challenge to compose music, but it can lead to new influences  wich can be usefull for my own works for example.

MV : Do you have any future plans?

Recently we are working on a new album, but in the meantime we are releasing two new single on the German label from our latest album with the tracks called 'Prophet is a Fool' and  'Never the Same'. Remixers include the well-known german electro producer duo Moonbootica, the UK soundcloud phenomenon Cottonmouth, the pioneer of German minimal houseTerry Lee Brown Jr. and my bandmate, Dj Bootsie as well. We plan to shot new videos for these two songs also. Besides we try to spread our music all around the world, so we would like to get to play abroad more and more in the future.

MV : Share anything you want with your Greek fans. 

Keep listening our tracks and come to see us on stage live!


For more info about Zagar visit their official website at: www.zagarmusic.com


or their profile on facebook: www.facebook.com/zagarmusic