ELETRIKA
Eletrika is already a famous
band in their country Brazil and it was about time for them to start spreading
their name and their innovative and full of energy music all around the
world and electrifying the masses… Here we have Daniel talking about lots
of very interesting things regarding the band and not only of course…
1. HELLO! ELETRIKA IS A VERY FAMOUS
BAND IN BRAZIL AND NOW YOU TRY TO EARN SOME MORE RECOGNITION IN THE REST
OF THE WORLD. SO, I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO START THIS INTERVIEW BY POINTING
US OUT THE MOST IMPORTANT MOMENTS OF THE BAND’S HISTORY.
Hi, Nick! This is Daniel. Nice
“talking” to you... Well, Elétrika´s career has been built
with some great moments, such as the two songs included in soap-operas´
soundtracks and the appearances in big TV shows in Brazil. We have played
at important festivals ´round here, but even the small gigs are very
precious for us, because every single person that we can touch with our
music becomes an important moment for us. I have to say that signing with
a French label (Anvil.corp) was a huge step for Elétrika. We always
wanted to spread our music abroad, and now we hope we can sell records
in a lot of countries (including Greece, of course!!!) and make a tour
very soon.
2. SOME CAN EASILY DESCRIBE YOU AS
A NU-METAL BAND, BUT AS I SAID IN MY REVIEW, YOUR MUSIC IS MORE COMPLICATED.
DO YOU AGREE? HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND AND WHICH BANDS HAVE INFLUENCED
YOU?
I’m glad you think this way. We
like a lot of these bands that are labeled as nu-metal, such as Sevendust,
Incubus, System of a down, Mudvain, Disturbed. But we believe that nu-metal
is not a style, but a generation of musicians making heavy rock. All these
bands I told you about are heavy, but each one has its own “accent”...
Elétrika uses a lot of different influences to create. We have been
influenced by the Beatles, Iron Maiden, Pantera, Pearl Jam, Metallica,
Queen, Kiss and many other bands. Each member comes from a slightly different
background. This is good, because we can have a rich mixture.
3. I THINK THAT I READ IN THE BIO THAT
YOUR PREVIOUS ALBUM WAS SOFTER THAN THIS ONE. IS IT TRUE? HOW DID YOU DECIDE
TO MAKE YOUR MUSIC HEAVIER AND WHO LEFT THE BAND, BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T AGREE
WITH THIS DECISION?
The first album was meant to be
industrial. But the lyrics weren’t strong enough to create this heavy atmosphere.
When the new guys came (including myself), the lyrics became so much stronger
that the music also became heavier, naturally. Then, the electronic started
to play a secondary role in the band, only creating interferences for the
music.
4. HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO COOPERATE
WITH ANVIL CORP. FOR RELEASING YOUR ALBUM IN EUROPE AND NOT SIGN WITH A
MORE FAMOUS LABEL? I SAY THAT BECAUSE THE KIND OF MUSIC YOU PLAY
IS VERY POPULAR NOWADAYS. DIDN’T YOU HAVE ANY PROPOSAL FROM BIGGER LABELS?
Yes. We had a proposal from Nuclear
Blast. But they wanted to release the album only in Brazil. We were looking
for a label that really enjoyed our music to spread it abroad. And Anvil.corp
offered us a very good deal.
5. IS IT TRUE THAT THE SONGS INCLUDED
IN THE “S.O.B.” CD HAVE BEEN ALSO RELEASED IN YOUR COUNTRY SUNG IN PORTUGUESE?
IF YES, WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO DO 2 VERSIONS OF THIS CD?
Four of the songs in the SOB album
were previously released in Portuguese, in the VSF album. When we signed
the deal with Anvil.corp, we were in the middle of the VSF tour, so we
decided that the album released abroad should be a version of VSF. In fact,
it became an improved version, with some new songs too.
6. I WANT TO ASK YOU IN SPECIFIC REGARDING
THE LYRICS OF THE SONG “S.O.B.”, WHICH MEANS “SON OF BUSH” AND I’D LIKE
TO ASK YOU IF YOU ARE REFERRING TO THE U.S. EXTERNAL POLITICS. WHICH IS
YOUR OPINION ABOUT IT? AREN’T YOU AFRAID THAT BY SINGING AGAINST U.S. YOU
MIGHT LOSE SOME FANS IN THAT COUNTRY?
We hate the way US have been working
their external politics affairs. And we live in a country that represents
a big danger for them, concerning economical potential. Brazil (and the
whole South America) could be doing much better without the North American
cultural and economical oppression. As for the Iraq situation, of course
we think it’s a stupid war, which no one is gonna win. This tension will
never end, specially now. But anyway, we are not against the American people,
but against the government.
7. EXCEPT FOR POLITICS, WHICH OTHER
THEMES WOULD YOU LIKE TO “HURT” WITH YOUR LYRICS? WHICH THINGS INSPIRE
YOU TO WRITE LYRICS AND COMPOSE MUSIC?
We talk about everything that touches
our lives, in a way or another. The things that happen around the world,
the problems that we have in Brazil, such as violence, drugs, traffic,
corruption... But we have our emotional moments, too.
8. WHO IS THE BEAUTIFUL GIRL WITH THE
BAD ATTITUDE IN THE ALBUM’S COVER? HOW IS THIS PHOTO CONNECTED TO YOUR
MUSIC AND LYRICS? WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU WANT TO LEAVE?
That girl is Marina, a model selected
for the album’s cover. She became a big fan of the band. And we became
her fans, too!!! It’s a simple gesture that everybody does everyday
for a lot of situations, or at least, a lot of people would like to do.
It represents our attitude in response to all the things and people we
despise. And it’s a way to lead our fans to do the same thing.
9. DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR A VIDEO
CLIP? IF YES, WHICH SONG WOULD YOU CHOOSE FROM YOUR ALBUM AND HOW DO YOU
IMAGINE IT TO BE?
We are producing the video for
“I Gotta”. Marina will be there, with the bad attitude in front of the
cameras of a convenient store.
10. IF YOUR MUSIC WERE AN EMOTION,
WHAT WOULD IT BE? IF IT WERE A PAINTING, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHOW?
Take the IF out of your question,
because for us, our music is already pure emotion. It’s an explosion of
strong feelings like hate, passion and indignation, that turns into a relaxing
feeling of letting all of them come out. A painting? I guess I’d paint
something with a lot of information around a central idea.
11. ARE YOU SATISFIED BY THE FEEDBACK
YOU RECEIVED TILL NOW? IS THERE A COMMON STATEMENT YOU SEE REPEATED IN
ALMOST ALL THE REVIEWS?
We’ve been receiving a lot of great
comments about the album. Satisfied? I think we deserve to be discovered
by a lot of people, cause we have good things to say and we want them to
listen. But we want a solid career, so we have to be patient to build it
day by day. Almost all the reviews are saying that we kick ass, and that
we are better than the nu-metal bands, because we are not following any
formulas.
12. WHICH IS ACCORDING TO YOU YOUR
BEST AND MOST APPEALING MOMENT AND WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU NEED FURTHER
IMPROVEMENT?
Difficult question... I think we
have a lot to learn. We produce our own albums, using a very simple set
of equipment. We try to do our best, with the least. I guess we would have
fantastic results working with another producer in a big studio.
13. DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR TOURING?
WHAT SHOULD THE FANS EXPECT FROM AN ELETRIKA LIVE SHOW?
We have plans for touring in France
next April. Elétrika´s live show is pure electricity. A very
powerful sound with a lot of movement.
14. WHICH FAMOUS PERSONALITY WOULD
YOU LIKE TO MEET AND WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO ASK HIM?
Very personal... I’d like to meet
Paul MCartney and ask him : WHY ????? :))))
15. IF TIME TRAVEL WAS POSSIBLE, WHICH
HISTORICAL PERIOD WOULD YOU LIKE TO VISIT AND WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE?
I love history, man! I’d like to
see a lot of periods. The ancient Greece, Egypt, the pre-Colombian civilizations
(Aztecs, Maias, Incas). And concerning rock ‘n’ roll, I´d love to
see the sixties and the beginning of the seventies.
16. THANK YOU! HAVE I FORGOTTEN TO
ASK YOU ANYTHING AND YOU’D LIKE TO MENTION?
Thank you very much. It was a great
pleasure to send my words and music to Greece. I hope you like the album
and that we can sell records in your country soon... Best regards... Daniel.
Nick “William_Kidd”
Parastatidis
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