Voice of Underground - How we loved and played in 2016.

  many bloggers in the beginning of the year make some kind of classification of the best albums of the last 12 months. As I don't like any kind of hierarchy I preferred to create this wonderful collage of interviews I made in 2016. As every band answered to the same questions we have an opportunity to see how the underground bands see the musical context nowadays, which are the instruments used right now by the experimental scene and much more. I hope that this article/huge interview/collage of thoughts will help you to understand the the underground is stronger and more united then ever. thanks to all the bands that contribute to the blog, for their music and for making this world a better place - without people like you we would have to listen Justin(choose the Justin you wish there's always some that makes shitty music). but as I used to do, i leave the voice to the musicians. This is the Voice of Underground. How we loved and played in 2016.

0. name of the band

Figure With Meat, Primidivinity, Filthy Little Star, Uncle Grasha's Flying Circus, 1:11, ILD I DIT ANSIGT, СЕСТРА ХАМЕЛЕОН, República Bananera, Slow Slow Loris, Raune & McCartney, The Son of a Seagull,Theo Nugraha,Douglas Feto Alado, Gripper, DJ Crivellator, Queelum, ESMECTATONS, Perra Galga, Złota Jesień, DISLEXIA FREE, Päfgens, 1994, Plebs & Fuckboys, YOUNG PRIMATES, Sagabarindo Tuchela, Lu Garfield, ClearVisionDream Productions, Strikkeklubben, Quefear, EOJ, Kitxch, Nuances d’Engrais, TEKNA, Dominik Suchy, Drearian, Paddock, t.b. OR NOT t.b., Екатерина Литвинова, Rat Filth, Be the Hammer, The Parking Lot Experiments, Secret Salmon, CRØSSENSE, Tedwyn James, Lilylivered, Dogless, Mr Holiday, Greg White, Antichrist Volt, Cloud Choir, Human Pesticide, Flores Feias, Buraco Negro, Aux Luna, Drwiwy, Skyjelly , Vincent Eoppolo, CANDY, Wild Books, Micleusanu, Toypurina, Restroom music.

1. where are you from?

Mansfield, Ohio. Hartford. Hobart, Tasmania. Czech Republic. Seoul. Aarhus, Denmark. Odessa, Ukraine. Northwest coast of Puerto Rico.Berlin. Berlin and Münster in Germany. Kiev, Palangkaraya (Central Borneo), Rio das Ostras, Brazil. Jose C. Paz, Buenos Aires. Argentina. Latina, Italy. Aberdeen, Scotland. São Paulo, Brazil. Tijuana B.C. Mexico. Warsaw, Poland. Buenos Aires, Argentina. Slovakia. Coleford. The Internet. Ontario, Canada. Uruguay. Sydney, AU/London, UK. The Internet. Denmark. Moscow, Russia. Quezon City, Philippines. The planet Earth. Brusselles. Majorca and Albacete. Slovakia. North East England. Albury-Wodonga, Australia. Offenbach/Main, Germany. Russia, Nizhniy Novgorod. Melbourne, Australia. Belgium. Melbourne, Australia. Poland. Vancouver, Canada. Poland. Detroit. Melbourne, Australia. Montreal. Black Sea (Odessa). Beijing, China.Melbourne, Australia. Curitiba,Brazil. Brazil. England. Belarus. Fall River. Wilmington, Delaware USA. Seoul, South Korea. Warsaw, Poland. Bucharest, Romania. Tijuana, Mexico. Rennes, France and Minnesota, USA.

2. what kind of instruments/equipment you use? do you use some particular record technique? which is your method of composition?

I play drums and usually use anything that can make a sound the usual person would dislike.

I just mess around with effects and add some synthy sounds in.

We use any unusual instrument, children keyboards, sea bells, metal plates, children military (especially tank) toys etc.

We're guitar/drums duo.

Every object we can get our hands on which produces an interesting sound.(…) We record with phones, cameras, Pcs.

Soviet bass, expensive electro guitar, drums and karaoke mic.

It’s overflowing with digital and analogue synthesizers, guitars, a bass, lots of metal sound sources, many more pedals coz Angie is the pedal queen, a collection of flutes and toys and some mannequin arms.

Mostly an electric bass, synthesizers, various noise generators/boxes, pedals, gongs and other traditional Chinese instruments.

I'm using tools like piezo, Casio keys, walkman, music toys, Nintendo DS, Circuit bending etc 

Electric guitar with heavy fuzz, drums, a sampler called Funk Brazil and voice.

I use a dell notebook, monotron, electric guitar, sometimes bass, microphone, connected to a Tascam external audio soundcard

My gear nowadays  is based on sampler grooveboxes, I started off with handheld game consoles and old computers with software sequencers on them

I design and build avant VST machines which i can either play from a keyboard or trigger via midi, most of them are generative, and i program them with formulas derived from chaos and automate all parameters so they can also auto-compose.

For a basic answer, I play guitar, bass, drums, saxes and other brass elements, electronics, key/piano/synth, and I try to use all other possible things, including non conventional instruments, I mean, I'm always carrying with me a tape or any record device in my pocket to capture noises and stuff I heard

cheap guitars, stolen amps

We use guitar-drums-bass, with the addition of samples, violins, computers, cellphones and other objects in a few occasions.

We use two guitars and bass and various guitar and bass effects, various things from Electro Harmonix to Behringer

We use a Philips cassette recorder and a really cheap drum-kit

Basically, my bass guitar on occasion, a lot of midi & a lot of effects, run through massive, acid & reaper. For the noise, I'll usually circuit bend or on occasion loop a lot of effects all at once.

I use a lot of  "traditional"instruments like guitars, bass, kalimba, flutes etc., home made instrument, toys and many kind of objects, and also software and samples.

I use a korg poly 800, as well as a few toy keyboards. I also use a roland tr-707 rhythm composer

I use a combination of different types of software and plug-ins, mostly for FL Studio.

In my music I use a wide spectrum of possible tools: ranging from traditional music instruments (such as piano, guitar, bass) and ending with different computer programs and plug-ins.

I use a crappy Dell laptop, a 10 watt amp, a Squier Classic Vibe Tele, an Intopic Web microphone, a ProCo Rat and a multi-effects unit.

I’m using a mixer with some cheap and random stuff: looper, radio, drum machine or synthesizer, contact or headphone as microphone, guitar, effects, feedback.

synthesizers, guitars, acoustic and folkloric instruments from Morocco, a tape recorder.

Both of my solo albums were made completely in my computer.

I've got a teisco inter-mark that I picked up at my local guitar shop and its my baby, wouldn't let it out of my sight, I've got a load of broken pedals from various eras too.

whatever instruments are at hand.

We use a lot of small electronic noise generators, most of them custom made (by friends who know how to build them, because we don’t), the korg monotron (all three models), an akai rhythm wolf, sometimes electric guitar or bass and a lot of (mostly african) percussion instruments. and a cello!

As simple as that: electric or semi-acoustic guitars, digital amplifiers

We use drums, guitar and organ. We recorded it in our homes separately as we both used to live interstate.

Drums, guitar, bass, and lots of electronics (software based)

I can't play any instruments.

My recording philosophy is to place a microphone where it sounds good enough then I leave it.

I make my music mainly in the entirely virtual realm of VST plugins, simulators, etcetera.

We mostly use guitars, drums, drum machines, and keyboards and run through two mixers and crappy microphones to get a lofi sound.

As of right now, I wouldn't necessarily say that I'm part of a "scene," although I guess I could be lumped into the whole "DIY basement" kind of thing.

Everything is useful, girlfriend's detuned piano, stepfather's old and noisy electric guitar, stolen drums from the beach club and person whom we had never met before.

The instrumentation is me using synths and drum machines that are run through a ton of pedals and Richard uses some drone machines, small synths, and vocals through another ton of pedals.

Amp, microphone feedback, pedals, screaming

I usually record in cassette, experimenting with the tape texture, wear and feedback.

I think the main idea is to experiment our sound on whatever equipment in reach. Its punk aesthetics.

Filed recordings and old soviet synth were also involved on some recordings.

I use both old and new synthesis technologies.

We use Fender Jaguar/Vintage 12 string guitar, Witkowski Bass, and the drums.

I use a variety of instruments, virtual syntesizers, granular & modular synthesizers, and also (the real) string instruments like prepared electric guitar.

I've also used random objects like some rice in a box, coffee pots or boiling eggs.

3. what do you think about the music context nowadays and how you place yourself in? do you feel a part of any scene?

Hobart is strange with its music scene. Sort of like all the animals escaped from the zoo and started bands. Everyone is really different.

We are very close to so to say hardcore-punk scene with its DIY principles, but we can identify ourselves with extreme and avantgarde music as a whole

Even though there're few music scenes in Seoul, I don't think I've ever met any scene which play music I really like. I owe Youtube and Soulseek, Bandcamp.

Music nowadays is going through a very tragic situation.

It sound interesting. I always be a part in my friend's scene

Today we see our music as a part of the great internet-salad which is full of genres and young blood generation

This scene is composed of different groups with everything from conceptual to laptop to circuit makers and benders to harsh noise industrial people to machine destroyers and re-builders to instrument inventors and so on. We feel like we don't really fit in any of these categories either, but are influenced by all of them.

I see myself as a part of some underground, unknown, marginal artist from the suburbs trying to express myself, my art, trying to sharing with everyone i know, even i don't take part in any musical scene at least with Gripper.

I can happily definite myself an outsider, got some serious difficulties being part in my local scene and beside this, the most of people do not make sense in music or noise making

I view Queelum as pioneering a new virtual sub-genre of the classical scene. One that doesn't exist yet, one that has no limits, it evolves and embraces technology, takes the art of recording seriously, maximizes sound design and automation etc.

We are living the best age for underground music. If you like to go deep you can find whatever you want online, and from the further lands.

we are part of Warsaw diy underground. we're friends with jazz musicians, electronic nerds, noise kids, cute wierdos, techno heads. I don't believe in scenes.

I think music scene today is super bright and diverse.

We don't think we are part of a scene at this stage. I think when we made this we were more just enjoying making a noise rather than trying to fit in.

I think the context of music nowadays is something humanly special, like all the musical epochs before it. We are apart of the transgressive scene or in other words 'new age-Dada', whatever the fuck that means.

I don't really feel part of a scene. I make music for myself.

I think maybe I have some familiarity with some subgenres or artists, but I do not feel the need to be part of any scene

I think though in the age of the Internet a scene isn’t so much a physical thing and perhaps isn’t as easy to discern.

I think that there is no clear cut context in music today, once you look past mainstream media at least. In the underground you hear a plethora of sounds and styles.

I don't think i fit in to any particular scene, especially because i don’t play with anybody or play any concerts or live gigs.

It seems to me that today the concept of the “music context” and “scene” is very indistinct, in the age of the rapid development of independent and underground music it may have different meanings and include different content.

Here in Quezon City, the scene's very cool and very interesting, 'cause it's filled with exciting bands playing different kinds of genres, sometimes fusing different kinds of genres, forming a complex one.

I am a part of the deleted scene usually marketed as a bonus content in the deluxe dvd box set.

we self edit our projects, do a few copies and distribute them among our friends. we take care of the music, the recording, the arts, the serigraphs.

I think its hard to define a scene in the modern world, with all this internet culture its possible to be part of a scene with people from all across the world, its a terrifyingly beautiful concept but it means its hard to find your place as part of a local scene, unless you start to build one yourself

We do not feel particular to a special scene.

our little scene basically disappeared.

I think I'm not a part of any scenes now.

I don't think much about being part of a scene.

We don't really fit into a particular scene or style because we cover a bunch of styles and genres.

The experimental electronic scene in China is very interesting to me and there are people doing similar things which makes it easy to organize shows and collaborate with people.

In terms of this project we feel a bit scene-less, we generally play within Melbourne’s queer and trans music scene (which is thriving in Melbourne right now).

I love the current brazilian music scene we make part of. Its mainly fruit of punk bands that started having gigs with experimental groups that then opened its cluster for electronic music.

I believe that music context is something really hybrid and plural around the world.

I place my own work in 'hauntronica' - deliberately vintage-sounding work held together with drum machines and old analogue synthesizers.

I believe the greatest compositional work being done today is being created by people totally outside the mainstream.

Maybe not a 'scene' but more of a generation.

I guess I'm part of the people that put lo-fi songs for free on the internet, not sure I'd call it a scene though, people that grew up listening to the same slanted stuff i was listening too, like Pavement, this kind of music. Is that a scene?

4. do you think that nowadays has still sense talking about "underground"?

I prefer to use the term “experimental” maybe. There’s a lot of non-mainstream stuff coming out, which is great.

I think they'll always be an underground, its just becoming less clear whats underground and what isn't

we ARE the underground!

I see underground music as any music that is played outside venues in warehouse, houses and interesting spaces. It used to be very strong Melbourne and still seems to exist Here and there.

Yep. Just be aware that "Mainstream = Bad" and "Underground = Good" are ideals that are way too simplistic and naive to live by forever.

That's the underground for me. Something different and something not so easy and obvious.

No.  Everything is at ground level or in the clouds so it's all relative.

If you understand underground music as music that is not being commercially promoted, then, well, it's all over the place, and SoundCloud is a true underground music cornucopia. And that’s fantastic.

More and more people are learning how to make music in their bedrooms without money and the support of labels meaning the underground scene is getting bigger and bigger.

Even today I think that underground music is still happening, and that it's a very strong community.

The "underground" will always be around because not everything can be widely accepted by the majority of people.

Underground is where you don't have to please anyone to play.

Most music I buy is by un-signed artists doing interesting things in their bedrooms.

The underground isn’t one big cave where all the cool shit is. It’s more like an endless serious of tunnels and caverns that are everywhere.

I believe that the underground scene is always there even though we're able to introduce our music without a distributor through platforms like Bandcamp and YouTube.

And we think that the void between underground and mainstream is even bigger now than it was in the 90s for example.

5. do you play live? how does the public react to your music?

I've only played live for a couple of my friends

This means the crowds seem to be confused by us changing consistently. It's great fun.

We prefer to play in autonomous centers, squats or in some underground venues. Our experiences are various - from throwing of bottles to mosh pits or hypnotized audiences

We definitely owe a lot to the underground noise, shitcore and performance art scene in Aahus

I've noticed that people don't know how to react to something different from what they're used to even if they dig it, but after a few songs they get into it.

we play live frequently.
often people get emotional.
sometimes people don't understand it.
sometimes people think it is unique, like it’s its own thing.

I don’t know the reaction of people because I’m not interested in this. Reaction is only first stage of understanding and it’s much more essential to get interpretation from listener then simple reaction.

I ever see people are enjoyed, and there is also people are watching and then make a question "what was that?" and sometimes people think I do a sound check LOL 

We ain't already play live, only accidentally for our neighborhood (during the session), who don't care about, I expect.

I am very happy to play live and look for nice situation to do so, as mentioned before local scene is not ready for  this kind of performance... local shows were sometimes totally crap, luckily there are always curious or noise enthusiasts, a hug to all of them!

no live shows

I refused to play live as Esmectatons for years.

Yes , we play live.  the public has reacted in a positive way so far, very supportive , we are grateful for that.

playing live is the most important. audiences has been nice to us... mostly.

We consider playing live as being the same as practicing; the audience doesn't really come into it.

Have not played live yet

We haven't played live yet.

Today I don't play live for a lot of reasons related to the music scene in my country.

I have played live several times and it has always been a strange experience to me.

I think a lot of people don't know what to make of my music, because its really far out there in left field.

I haven't played live yet. Not sure I need this.

I don't play any of my songs live, and as of now, I don't plan on playing my songs live, cause all of my songs are instrumental and I write really bad lyrics, and I really want this thing to be underground as possible.

I’m playing during experimental, noise and alternative event, could be in warehouse, bar, flat, art space, basement, church.

We’ve played about 10 gigs since 2013 but all in our area, some of them even in Torstn’s club. People are always fascinated by the minimal electronic set up and by the stage acting.

B_T_H in its first incarnation, comprised of Dominique and myself, never performed live for a simple reason: it was always meant as a studio-based project, basically consisting of a virtual Theremin orchestra, and it would have been quite difficult to recreate it in a live environment.

I've never played in front of humans before, only cats, dogs, and raccoons that wander into my room.

I don't play live, except for in an alternate universe.

Our live performances are loud and abrasive and have been pretty disastrous at times if we get too messed up before hand. Sometimes people love it and sometimes we'll clear the room.

Live music is the best that we can do.

Actually, each show is unique and different, if someone is looking for something stable they will not find it in my gigs.  

I do not perform live. My music is produced and designed to be listened to through headphones.

I wouldn’t say that all of our live appearances were nice, but people react in various ways - from kind words after concert to real hatred.

We love to play.

We have played small venues as well as big festival and it's always fun!

6. Genesis P-Orridge said "Our records were documents of attitudes and experiences and observations by us and other determinedly individual outsiders. Fashion was an enemy, style irrelevant.". What do your records represent to you?

My records are pieces of raw emotion I cut and paste from my mind to an amp

I’d say my little record here represents some of the emotions I've felt throughout my experience living in Hartford.

I saw a news today that David Bowie died. This old man just had a birthday and got an album released like 3 days ago, and I thought fuck, I should get done my shit together, and uploaded the file on Bandcamp.

Our performances are rituals. What we do is daDa-ist guerilla-warfare.

These records represent a reflection of inborn wildness

Many people perceive music (and other kinds of art) as some kind of entertainment or background music to get drunk or get high, which results in devaluation; for me is much more than that.

journeys of our life and the liberation of its expression

We do not do this music, because it is fashionable or on vogue.

Basically my records it's like something between story and psychological portrait of me in different perspective.

For me it's like a painting which sometimes cannot be re-paint. Then as sound documentation or moments for me and my friends. 

Our record represents our life style, funny nihilistic attitude, brutal aesthetic, post primitive way to sell our soul to the unknowledge norm of universe. 

I record stuff for my need, I feel this urgency and then make things

these Queelum albums are documents. somewhere coded in the notes are reflections of an outsider observing

My records are my history.

through our music we express our experiences, the way we see our environment that surrounds us and hopefully transmit it through our  music.

despair, fear of death, love, happiness, paranoia, lust, confusion, aggression, sickness, fun, god

The records represents the moment, feels, diseases, experiences that we was living at the time they was recorded.

we use a lot of field recordings, which is pure documentation of our experiences.

These are personal items which sit outside of the present.

For me it represents accepting, celebrating, and reveling in the transgressive chaos of life- and our music and art is tool to attempt to manifest monument to that

My records are therapy for me.

My records are to my something so magic and hard to explain. Something like a wonderful and laughing creation born of the best of myself and a spitting out or a psychic analysis of my worst traumatic experiences.

It’s a method of restoration - the emptying of sodding, self-indulgent malaise or the inaccurate recreation of memories you fear you will forget.

My records represent the inner thoughts and feelings that I could never express to anybody in real life.

The music i make, is music that i enjoy listening to myself, music that stirs my own imagination, therefore it is also, somewhat a small piece of my soul.

My music is a sort of diary for me, some kind of therapy.

My records are a representation of my feelings and emotions towards my friends, existentialism, school and love.

Substances for the soul.

what we record is the way we express what we see, live and think about our surroundings with sound.

For me, my records are pure self-expressionism. I think they are quite moody and aggressive.

I guess I theres a lot of hate built up and I think my new ep is the catalyst for that.

To me, Paddock records represent a gathering of people playing, arranging and recording songs in a manner that felt right at the time.

Our music is inspired by our feelings and the situations we went through.

Our recordings represent an immediate feeling that is captured and quickly recorded, fragments of sounds, ideas that aren't thought out, intuitive responses slapped together.

To me, recorded music is a way to freeze time and keep a trace of how you feel, how you see yourself and the world at that exact moment.

Our records are a shambolic collection and distillation of all sorts of musical influences from around the world, filtered through a sense of not-belonging, playfulness, questioning and hope.

I would say my music represents me, my feelings.

My recordings are uncoordinated experiences and thoughts filtered through sound.

I see my albums as a snapshot of my mental state at whatever point in my life I recorded them at.

The records are accurate representations of us: having a good time while succeeding, failing, and fucking around.

Records hold memories.

Life is constantly changing and these records can show me where I was at that time.

More than a documentation, the recording is already an attitude, a moment and a process to be experienced.

Our records are documents, of course; snapshots of where we were at the time.

I view my works (compositions / recordings ) as if they were short films that explore human behavior...society's realization of itself.

Our songs are about love, rage and youth

To us, every record is like a photography of a band in a certain moment of its life.

My records is my research of life, love, sadness and joy

My records represent me entirely.