A entrevista que se segue foi realizada no âmbito do artigo que foi publicado na Rua de Baixo, e que já foi referido neste post. Deixo-vos com as respostas e perguntas, na íntegra, sem qualquer tipo de tratamento.
BP = Benjamin John Power
AH = Anfrew Hung
You're around for some time now, since 2004, the year when Fuck Buttons first saw the light of day. When you look back do you feel you had to come a long way to get to where you are now? Your thoughts about it, please.
BP - I feel like we have come a long way from when fuck buttons first started. It's been a journey and i think we've grown as individuals and definitely learned how to function as a touring unit. We never realised when we first began that this would become a way of life and our livelihood so we have had to learn how to exist as a duo. And i think we've become stronger through doing so.
AH - Absolutely, we've gone through vast arenas of change since then. Upon reflection, the journey has been incredible.
We're living in a time where change is an almost absolute constant. Before you used to have a band signing a record deal for 3,4 or 5 albun, now you get bands switch labels between albuns, always editing EPs or singles. You guys signed with ATP recordings in 2007, your first and still current label. Is there any secret?
AH - Ska Punk fusion... not really. It's certainly got dance elements to it, but I wouldn't say it's a dance record as such. We wouldn't describe it as anything, we haven't purposely tried to arouse any common aesthetic throught the album. It's simply a document of our findings at that time. And yes, we agree, we were not looking to repeat ourselves.
BP - Well we certainly didn't want to release the same album again, so i think our sound has developed and evolved since the first record for sure. as for being more danceable, sure, there are a few more beats which might be considered danceable on there, but i think that they were apparent even with the first record. The sounds are more complex and the songs and structures have limbs which flail outwards, where as i feel the first record was more direct, a slap in the face. Tarot Sport delves deeper into exploration, which is at the forefront of everything we do.
If there's a track that almost immediately calls out the attention it's 'The Lisbon Maru'. Well, at least I guess it's a fair thing to say if you're from Portugal. So I got curious about the title and did some research about it. I ended up discovering a part of WWII history that I had never heard of. Was there any special reason to name the music after that event?
AH - Ben has an especially resonant story behind that and i'll let him explain...
BP - My grandad was actually one of the prisoners of war who escaped from the Lisbon Maru before it was sunk.
I read a few interviews with you guys in the internet and everytime someone suggested some influences you always ended up putting them aside. Pink Floyd, My Bloody Valentine, bands from the Bristol music scene such as Portishead, Massive Attack or Tricky and even Mogwai, just to name a few. You also said that you enjoy to experiment and use your own decision making and were not looking for any outside inspiration or influence. Did that approach worked for Tarot Sport or the composition and creation process worked differently?
AH - Experimentation and exploration are inherently without formula and we have learnt to embrace that. Obviously, there are certain outcomes that can be predicted, but it's the surprising elements that we we search out for. The creative process is most labour-intensive when we are experimenting.
BP - We always try and operate in our own little bubble.
Ah! A foto é da autoria da Vera Marmelo e podem encontrar mais fotos do concerto aqui mas eu... Não Digo Nada :)
