KGB
KGB don't play metal
music, but a strange mixture of Punk Rock with electro elements and noise.
I know that most of the metalheads don't like this kind of music, though
in my opinion is very interesting, but I recomend you to read this interview
cause here you will find a different point of view. KGB can't be labelised
easily...
1. WHEN DID You START THE BAND?
HOW MANY RELEASES DO YOU HAVE? CAN YOU NAME THEM PLEASE?
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This KGB project started mostly due
to a big influence from an Athens electro punk band, called ANTI... that
split at 91-92. First tape (1997) was a 6 song attempt which was clearly
insipred by ANTI music and lyrics. I got some positive feedback and I saw
that there're reasons to do further stuff like this and distribute them.
Since then I have put out many-many releases, many of them in total different
style, 7-8 tapes and split tape, 4-5 CDRs have participated in several
compilations and I am always making music which will possibly be
featured in my next "release". So, to me its really preferable that I have
15 different releases around rather than a single one spead more widely.
Last one is called "each end is a begining" and has many guitar parts and
much grindcore shit, and not so many electronics as usual ! In this last
one, I attempt an assault to DIY/hardcore/punk stereotypes and dogmas .
2.KGB IS A STRANGE NAME FOR A BAND.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE NAME OF A SECRET SERVICE OF SOVIET UNION TO NAME
AFTER THE BAND? DID YOU CONFRONT ANY PROBLEM BY USING THE NAME?
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Hehe, yeap the truth is that KGB is
quite a stupid name. It's after an AMIGA - demo of 1991 from a Danish demogroup
named KGB. No, I haven't confront any trouble about the name, since it
doesn't really mean anything having to do with the real KGB.
3.KGB IS ONE MAN'S BAND. WHY IS THIS?
IS IT PERHAPS BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT ANYONE ELSE INTERFERING WITH YOUR
WORK OR IS IT POSSIBLE IN THE FUTURE TO COOPERATE WITH OTHER MUSICIANS?
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Indeed, I compose my stuff 100% alone.
I don't want or need anyone's opinion during the process of my creation.
I like to have total power over my stuff and make it the way I like. Let's
be honest about this one: being in a band, that is, creating music collectively
has its negative aspects, along with the positive ones. I have done some
collaborations from time to time, but most of them were just jamming, or
just using some other people's lyrics, or getting some female friend to
sing for some song. Yes, it is possible to do something with other people
in the future. After all these years I feel that I want something like
that - but it's kind of hard to find people for my thing, and that is:
a) doing gore/scream/manic vocals for grindcore band and b) starting a
noise/experimental band which should have at least have 3 members so as
to perform live improvisations
4.YOUR MUSIC ISN'T SOMETHING THAT WE
GET TO LISTEN TO VERY OFTEN. IT REALLY HAS A PERSONAL SOUND. HOW WOULD
YOU DESCRIBE IT FOR THOSE THAT AREN'T AWARE OF YOU?
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I have done many different styles.
What I mentioned above could be described as electro-experimental-harcore-punk
with lots of melody, in parts, or in whole, and many scattered rhythms
from reggae to ska to waltz. Actually the split with TUG which you listened
and review on your site, has neither so much melody nor many electronics.
I have also done grindcore and cyber-grindcore, noise, experimental, tekno-shit,
breakbeats and other shit.
5.PUNK ROCKERS AND METALHEADS ARE NOT
OPEN TO NEW IDEAS AND EXPERIMENTATIONS WITH THE MUSIC THEY LIKE. YOU, AS
A BAND, USE MANY ELECTRO AND NOISE ELEMENTS ALONG WITH THE PUNK ROCK YOU
PLAY. DON'T YOU THINK THAT SOME FANS OF THIS MUSIC MIGHT ACCUSE YOU OF
"DESTROYING" THIS MUSIC OR OF LACK OF RESPECT?
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Hey, that's the best question so far!
As with everything, you can't say that a specific group of people are narrow
minded, as with all the rules you got exceptions. I used to believe that
most "metal-heads" were really narrow-minded in life, attitude, dressing
codes, musical horizons and stuff. Now I tend to believe the opposite,
because as life evolves, technology has entered for good in our lives and
we are fed with tons of information, more and more people break the 'chains'
of labelization, groups of similar behaviour and 'political' correct attitudes.
Strangely enough, groups of people with radical and supposedly 'thoughtful'
attitudes towards life, society and the individual, such as "anarchist"-activists
and 'hardcore-punk-rockers" seem to have the most narrow-minded views and
attitudes, and along with the other extreme edge, the extreme right-wing-nationalists,
nazi-bastards and conservatives, they confirm and preserve any stereotypes
& 'ghettos', preventing social groups and the individual (the
center of life) from evolving. As you might have already understood, I
don't give a damn about what 'hardcore-punk scene' is accusing me of. Life
goes on, and I am evolving, even if the surroundings don't. I can't accept
to be a part of this grouping-joke anymore. I am an individual, make music
by heart, and I couldn't care less about the narrow-minded guys around
that consider me an insult to music, DIY scene or anything. As far as music
is concerned, YES, I fuckin' disrespect people's attitude towards it. Music
should evolve, free of profit-driven companies, magazines or narrow-minded
'prophets' that think they're big enough to define a music genre. Fuck
critics, fuck music genres, I destroy them on intension. Fuck punk-rock,
this is KGB electro punk. And YES, I am a big fuckin' egoist!
6.AS A METALHEAD THAT I AM, I WANT
TO ASK YOU AS A REPRSENTATIVE OF PUNK ROCK THAT YOU ARE, DO YOU THINK THAT
THIS "HATRED" BETWEEN PUNK AND METAL STILL EXISTS OR DO WE HAVE MORE ELEMENTS
IN COMMON THAT THOSE THAT DIVIDE US? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF HEAVY METAL
MUSIC?
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I am not a representative of punk.
But you could say I have a punk mentality in my veins! There's a big problem
in this question. There's no (evident) idea behind metal music. Most metal
lyrics are nonsense (sorry folks, maybe it's just me!) whereas THERE IS
a general idea (not particularly specific, though) behind punk. That doesn't
of course justify the 'hatred' you mentioned. Maybe I am missing the point
here about the metal idea or mentality but I can't seem to find things
that divide us, it's just music, and to me, a punk can always be as stupid
as a metalhead. It's the individual that always makes the difference. We
are people, not members of different groups of sheep. I can find things
in common with anyone, whatever the music he listens to.
7.HOW DID THIS COOPERATION WITH TUG
OCCUR FOR THE SPLIT CD? WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THEM AND WHICH IS YOUR
FAVOURITE TUG SONG?
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TUG (Giorgos), also one-man-band, is
actually a friend of mine. We know each other for over 10 years now, and
have a history together. I can't be objective with this one. Through the
years I have loved many TUG songs, such as Prokatalipsi, Outopia, Na mi
fovitheis, too many to mention. We also did a split on tape and CDR in
2001, same style, only more electronic/melodic KGB part.
8.I READ SOME VERY INTERESTING LYRICS
IN THE BOOKLET. CAN YOU TELL ME WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM? WHAT
KIND OF LYRICS DO YOU WANT TO HAVE, POLITICAL OR MORE SENTIMENTAL AND ESOTERIC?
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KGB lyrics were always written by me,
unless otherwise noted in the info-sheet. In some songs, which are 8-9
so far I have used lyrics from Evgenia and Lina, whose words inspired me
to compose music. Many of these songs are on the 2 splits with TUG. The
lyrical content of my shit, is not pre-decided. I have written lyrics in
different styles as well. Lately it tends to be more personal and praises
the individual. And of course 'political' is a harsh term. I suppose I
write quite on a personal level, without having any 'political correct'
rules in mind. After all it's exression of oneself through creation, words
and sound, not an attempt to change the world.
9.HAVE YOU DONE ANY LIVE SHOWS OR ARE
YOU JUST A STUDIO BAND? IS IT POSSIBLE IN THE FUTURE TO FIND SOME MUSICIANS
AND MAKE SOME GIGS?
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KGB started solely as a studio project
and I never felt like performing live and that not only because of technical
details. Lately (last November) I did a small 12 min 'live act' which included
a video projection I had shot and edited myself, while I played live electric
guitar and various noise/ experimental along with help of friend who played
drum and bass rhythms on computer. The sound as a whole accompanied the
picture. The other 2 acts that night were in the same vein: music with
video. People who attended the show liked it. All organization and financing
of this peculiar gig was done by us, who played. Overall my only 'live'
experience was very rewarding. Like I said in question 3, I am after people
who I could rehearse and play live with - but this is hard, because of
my tastes in music.
10.IN SOME OF YOUR SONGS, YOU ALSO
HAVE A FEMALE SINGER WHO IS SHE? IS SHE A PERMANENT MEMBER OR DOES SHE
SING IN OTHER BANDS TOO?
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The female singer in split 2002 with
TUG (only one song) is Xrysa. She sang for 4 or 5 songs for my latest release
(each end is a beginning). Xrysa is also a friend, but no regular singer
for KGB. We get along really good, so it's all done in friendly atmosphere
in my home-studio. There's a possibility that she sings for a rock / strange
/ experimental band of Patras, but that's not sure yet, so I can't say
more. She will propably sing for some other KGB in the future, though.
I like female vocals!
11.ARE YOU IN A SEARCH OF A LABEL OR
ARE YOU AN UNDERGROUND BAND AND YOU ARE AGAINST OF THE IDEA OF FINDING
A CONTRACT? ARE YOU AFRAID THAT IF YOU SIGN TO A LABEL, YOUR MSUIC MIGHT
CHANGE?
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I will be short and realistic about
this. I never tried to find a label for my shit. It's a choice, but I know
the stuff I do would never be considered as merchantise or commercial.
Do It Yourself is not only a choice, but also the only way I could put
out my thing. I would never sign to a label, but I might release something
in a normal 'independent' label in the far future. Generally speaking,
it's no secret that bands that sign to labels and become famous change
their music. All big bands like Sonic Youth, Pink Floyd, Napalm Death,
Carcass, Kraftwerk and so many more, play their best in their early times.
Of course that's my opinion, but I believe that the purest form of art
is the art that is made in a way that is uneffected by profit/commercial
rules. The thing you make thinking of you and your close enviroment, not
the world market of music.
12.IF YOU WERE A FLY, WHERE WOULD YOU
LIKE TO BE AND WHY?
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I would like to be in a cover of a
BATHTUB SHITTER 7''! These guys are an awesome japan grindcore band
which lyrically deal a lot with stuff like shit and flies. Actually I dislike
flies, especially big ones, so what did you expect? But BATHTUB SHITTER
rulez, and so does japanese grindcore!
13.IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO MEET THE
CREATURE THAT CREATED THE UNIVERSE, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO ASK HIM?
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I don't believe that some creature
of any kind created the world, but if I DID meet this... creator I would
ask him why the fuck he created such a crazy thing. I would also tell him
that, whatever he wanted to make, he surely failed!
14.IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO TRAVEL
BACK IN TIME, WHICH HISTORICASL FIGURE WOULD YOU LIKE TO MEET AND WHAT
WOULD YOU LIKE TO ASK HIM?
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That's a hard one. Really hard. The
first one that crossed my mind is the director of 1935 film 'Freaks', Tod
Browning. I would ask him stuff regarding the movie and about how hard
it was to make films like these back then.
15.WHAT TITLE WOULD YOU LIKE THIS
INTERVIEW TO HAVE?
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KGB: ELECTROSYNTH GOD ,
hahahaha
16.THANK YOU! THESE LINES ARE YOURS...
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You are more than welcome to contact
me about anything. All releases are always available, from 1997 till now.
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KGB/SHR
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Amfissis 5,
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26331 PATRAS
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GREECE
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For some KGB mp3 go to:
www.punk.gr/shr, email: [email protected]
Nick "William_Kidd" Parastatidis
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