Muscovite noise-rockers Jars stopped in our area last November and we had the coolest time. The show was a total blast in a packed Bistro des Tilleuls and in front of an audience gone wild. This interview was done after the gig with Anton (guitar, voice), Pavel (bass) and Sasha (drums).
You are in the middle â or, rather three-quarters, – of the tour, how has it been going so far ?
Pavel : So far, two days off but the second day off was because of the car. We didnât want it, we didnât have a rest, we just fucked up with the car.
But
they managed to put up another gig for you, didnât they ?
Anton : No, Iâve been playing in Jars for 8 years, with a lot of different people,. Weâve been together for about two years. This is our first big European tour. Our first time further to the west than Germany.
S : So itâs our first time in France, in Spain, etc. all together. Definitely worth it !
Your
last record was put out by a French guy, Lionel from Pogo records.
Can you tell me the story behind it ?
A : The story is really simple. He just wrote us on Facebook and asked if he could put our record on his bandcamp. I said yes and then he helped us releasing the new one. He also helps a lot on this tour, sending info to everyone, spreading the word. Thank you, Lionel !
S : Yeah, he is a great guy.
Your
music is grounded in noise-rock but you sing in Russian, unlike many
bands who sing in English even if theyâre not from this countryâŠ
A : We have some records in English â early ones. For me, itâs very important that the words I sing touch me. I need to feel what I sing. And, at some point, English stops doing it. The lyrics in Russian are a good way to go deeper⊠To tell yourself what you think and feel about different things.
P : Iâd like to add that, on this tour, we played with different bands from different countries and when the bands sing in their native language, for some reason, itâs more interesting. Today, in the van, we listened to a band from Basque country, they sing in their language and itâs really great !
A : It makes music more diverse…
Anton,
obviously the lyrics are important for you⊠Itâs something that
you spend time on ?
A : A lot of time…
S : After the song is ready, Anton spends several months creating the lyrics. This is how important it is to him.
A : Some of the new songs that we played tonight, the lyrics are in process. But no one can understand them. (Laughs)
Yeah,
except when you explain it between the songs just like you did
tonight when you talked to us about political events happening in
Russia⊠Is the political situation in Russia something that has an
influence on your music?
A :
Not the music but the lyrics, definitely. Everything comes from the
feelings inside… so maybe our music too !
Itâs
quite unusual for a noise-rock band. Usually punk and hardcore bands
are more into politicsâŠ
A :
I consider us as a punk band ! And, anyway, if you walk in the
street with a guitar and somebody stops you and ask about what you
play, itâs easier to answer « I play punk. » than going
into details about noise-rockâŠ
S : Basically, noone understand what noise-rock is. (Laughs)
So
how is it to be a punk band â or a noise-rock band â nowadays in
Moscow ?
A :
Nowadays, Moscow is a good place to do any kind of music ! We
have strong social networks, a strong scene. If you want to book a
gig, you just do it. Iâve been in the punk scene for a very long
time. I know everyone so itâs kind of easy for us.
S :
I see a lot of newcomers and a lot of great new bands. In my opinion
the scene in Russia and in Moscow in particular are on their rise.
Itâs really wild !
A :
And there are people who want to listen to it, thatâs very
important !
S : And when you are in this environment, itâs so inspiring that it really helps you to push yourself and rise above yourself. Actually, I think that right now Moscow is the best place in the world to create music !
A :
Yeah, one of the best place ! Ten years ago, we needed a lot of
media to do a good show. Today we still need it but itâs much
easier.
P :
I think somehow that people have changed. They are far more
interested in knowing what other guys are doing.
A :
Yeah, ten years ago, a good band was a band singing in English. You
were good if you played like Arctic monkeys. Now youâre good if you
play like Grazhdanskaya Oborona and you sing in Russian ! Now
weâre looking inside our own culture.
S :
And also there are a lot of bands from different parts of our
country, not just Moscow : Khabarovsk, Irkoutsk, VladivostokâŠ
A :
And the guy who drives us has played a major role in that !
Yeah,
you talked about Denis during dinner… So, letâs pay tribute
to the man ! You said he was able to drive from Portugal to
Vladivostok !
P :
Several times !
A :
He did six tours from Moscow to Vladivostok. The point of this tour
is the connection between different cities and it really works !
Now we have a lot of friends from SiberiaâŠ
S : Yeah, it makes touring way easier. Some years ago, it was almost impossible to imagine that you could tour through the whole country, right now it seems doable even if itâs difficult. It just takes a lot of time but you know almost everyone on the way, great people and great bands. So itâs easy : you quit your job and go touring ! (Laughs)
OK,
so can you educate me a little about the Russian scene ? Can you
give me some names that are important to you ?
P :
Oh, weâve been asked that before and youâll need to stop us
because the list is long !
A :
So letâs set up the rules : only bands that are active now,
ok ?
S :
The first band that comes to my mind is EEVA. Great band, the
guitarist was in the audience. He lives in France right now. And
also, another band : RAPE TAPE from KhabarovskâŠ
A :
Terrible nameâŠ
S :
Itâs an absolutely insanely great band ! I think itâs one of
the best live bands in the world right now !
A : My choice is Pozori. Itâs feminist electro-punk. Right now, they kind of disbanded but soon there will be a kind of reunion. I plan to play in this band. (Update : Anton is now playing bass in Pozori. -Ed.) It’s noisy, itâs angry and itâs kind of funny. Itâs music that punches you in the face ! By a girl ! Fucking cool !
S :
I have to say that the music is absolutely disgusting ! You will
love it !
A : And my second choice will be C.X. They call themselves « boozecore ». Itâs really slow sludge metal. They sing about literally two things : weed and vodka. They are so simple that it becomes political. Weed is restricted in Russia. Vodka is not restricted but not admired. They sing against cops â or pigs, as they say â and their message is : you donât have to tell me what to do. I will smoke weed and drink vodka everyday !
P :
My first choice is Supergoats, two guys form a town called Kirov, one
is on drums and the other sings and play guitar and Iâll call their
music raw-power-rock. They sing about dicks, tits and fuck. On one
side, itâs very silly but on the other side itâs very raw, very
arghhhhh !
S :
Itâs great fun, they are so wild ! The vocalist beats himself
in the face during the show and he beats himself really hard !
And he dances on the stage like this (pushing objects around. Ed.)
Itâs really fun. I love this ! Great shows !
P :
His name is Pavel too. He is a big figure in the Kirov underground
scene !
A :
He is the Steve Albini of Kirov. Great guy !
P :
The second band is IBN. I play in this band but I mentioning it
because I only play the bass. The guy I play with is 10 years younger
than me and I absolutely love him because of his fresh and open mind
and his great ideas. As a person a bit older, itâs great to work
with a younger, high-energy guy. Itâs something like noise-rock but
not as aggressive as Jars, itâs softer but⊠we do great shows
too !
Thanks,
I will listen to all the names that you have mentioned. Thereâs one
name that comes to mind and thatâs Pussy riot, the one Russian band
that we have heard of in France in the recent years. So⊠do you
have things to say about them ?
A : I took part in one of their actions and I got punched in the face ! (Laughs) It was really strange : when they see girls who gets power, they immediately get angry. It actually took place in MacDonaldâs and I was really surprised that people reacted so quickly. I like them. They do a lot of good things – apart from being now a pop band. With the money they made on tour, they launched a media called Mediazona, which writes about police brutality and human rights and I think itâs the best media I read in Russia now !
S :
Yes, itâs the most professional media in Russia today.
You mentioned bands of many different styles⊠What are you most interested at the moment musically ? What are you looking for when you go to a show or buy a record ? I mean : whatâs your personal relationship with music at the moment ? What bores you ? What are you excited about ?
A : Actually, I like good punk-rock and noise-rock bands that donât invent anything new. But, right now, Iâm interested in improvisation stuff. Playing with rythms and time signatures rather than always the same 4/4 stuff. I like that, I like noise, I like what Death grips does. Pretty ununderstandable music for me, yet. I like⊠unusual use of instruments. Probably we can mention Lightining bolt. The things they do with only bass and drums are really interesting. I also like minimalistic stuff : you only use the sound of your instrument but try to make something really strange.
Are
there any French bands that you like at the moment ?
A : Yes, I like Psychotic monks – quite like the Irish band Girl band. I even want to bring them to Russia but I donât know how to contact them⊠Also Harpon, frightening music ! There was a band called Doppler. I heard them five or seven years ago and they totally blew my mind : so emotional, so technical, so cool.
S :
I would say that⊠Some time ago, I stopped listening to records by
emerging bands. Because I always want to see the band live first. The
records are often a bad intermediary for the energy that the band has
live. So I prefer going to live shows. Sometimes the records are
cool but on stage itâs not so powerful and no so emotional. And
also Iâm in my thirties so I think itâs time to stop aligning my
identity with the music I listen to. I donât care about the style.
I listen to jazz, academic music, everything ! Itâs just about
the talent of people who are really into what they are doing.
A :
Actually, I do remember another French band : AussitĂŽt mortâŠ
or Mort mort mort ! We played with them in Moscow and Denis
drove them ! It would be a crime to forget cool French punk
bands like this.
P : Iâm afraid that my answers arenât that interesting⊠Iâm trying to listen to new music, new bands and so on but, for some reason, I still like bands from the old age and for some reason I am still inspired by the Beatles and so on. Old stuff ! I listen to some new music but my heart, for some reason, is still with this old age. Sorry ! (Laughs)
Julien : Il y a des tourneurs qui nous auraient fait jouer en premiĂšre partie de Matmatah Ă lâOlympia mais lui si il nous fait jouer en premiĂšre partie, câest sur une date avec le Villejuif underground ou avec Cocaine piss.
Marc : Ben merci, on est vraiment trĂšs content de tâavoir parmi nous, connard de merde ! (Rires) On est vraiment trĂšs contents dâĂȘtre lĂ ce soir mais je pense quâon va y aller maintenantâŠ
« Vous pouvez parlez, on est pas chatouilleux ! » balance Weasel Walter en montant sur scĂšne suivi de sa troupe de mercenaire. MĂšche qui lui barre le visage, marques noires sous les yeux, pantalon d’officier nazi (ou peut-ĂȘtre pas), bottes en cuirs et teeshirt de death-metal.
The music of the american trio DROSE is a non-identified object in many regards. It’s a kind of slow and deconstructed industrial metal, where field recordings of sounds in a factory – the one where Dustin Rose, the thinking mind behind the band, works – are on equal terms with instruments and sometimes seem to impose their own relentless pace in a man-machine mimetism that is the very own source of inspiration of DROSE. Wether it is on the unique object/record published by the label Computer students (compiling their last album and several other recordings) or during one of their meticulous live performances, the encounter with this band is sure to have an effect on you. After going though that experience at their Urgence disk (Geneva) gig, I felt like following up with a bunch of questions I sent to Dustin by email.
This is your first time as a band touring Europe. What type of experience has this been so far ?
It’s been great! We have been shown excellent hospitality and the shows have been well attended.
The name DROSE seems to suggest that Dustin is central in the creation of your music. Is that the case ? Iâve read that your songwriting starts with the drums but can you shed more light on the process that leads to the writing of your songs ?
It’s true and the songs are usually written starting with a drum composition. The drums are very foundational in this music, so this is where I begin. I find it easy to explore different frameworks from the strongest rhythm element.
The creation of very particular soundscapes is obviously a major part of your music, with a sense of compressed space and the use of machine noises being key elements. Does this come first and do you have to work ways to recreate this sound during your live performances ? Would it be right to say that, in this respect, DROSE is similar to a studio band ?
I collect interesting audio when I come across it and then sort out how I can use it later. In order to bring this audio with us for live performances I have built some equipment to make that possible. We are able to reproduce any sounds from the recording in a live performance.
In particular, I noticed the drums were equipped with a sound system during your gig in Geneva. Can you tell us more about this system ? Are they used to modify the sound of the drums or to activate loops ?
I use pure data (puredata.info) to program our live sets or recordings. The drum sensors and foot switches are brought into pure data using a Teensy micro controller to play and manipulate sound files, synthesized or live audio. The audio is triggered in real-time, there is no click track, it keeps the performances expressive. The program counts drum hits in some sections, waits for button presses or is even allowed to behave randomly in some sections of songs.
The relation between man and machine is a theme running though « Boy man machine ». Would you say that this album is a concept album and, by extension, do you see DROSE as a concept band ?
It’s OK to call it a concept album I was attempting to describe an entire idea. I am not sure DROSE is a concept band.
A very dark, anguished outlook on the relation between man and the machine emerges from your music. Is this just a theme to expand on artistically or can you also see political and ethical implications  ?
Some of the ideas or tales of the songs are parallel with political or sociological happenings but it was not a direct intent. boy man and machine are a closed system, each effecting the other and representing thoughts, feelings, situations or experiences.
I heard you met Julien Fernandez of Computer students while he was on tour with his former band, Passe-montagne, and you were involved in setting up shows in your city. Can you tell us the story of your relationship with him ?
Julien was traveling with his band Passe Montagne. I believe it was 2009 or 2010 summer. My band Toads and Mice hosted Passe Montagne and The Conformists in Dayton Ohio. We were all friends instantly, it was a great time.
I hardly know anything about the musical and artistic scene in Columbus, Ohio. How does a band such as yours fit in with the local scene ?
The Columbus Ohio music scene was very hospitable to DROSE, I am grateful to everyone who has ever came to a show, bought something or shared.
Iâve been told thereâs a new DROSE album in the works. How do you approach this new recording and what do you expect from it ?
That’s true! This material has a different sound but it’s the same DROSE.
