the kidameln lo-fi
photos and music courtesy of kidameln
by Steve Ackerman
posted 2005-04-24
WL - Thank you and I most certainly agree. We got to get something out. There's some fat riffs in those songs that I'm very proud of.
Photo courtesy of kidameln
DG - I had that EP on repeat, I think it melted in the cd drive!
MB - That EP can be found at Powertool [powertoolrecords.co.nz].
ProMusicNews - Where does the kidameln sound come from? What are your influences?
DG - Mine are just about all I've heard, including everyone involved in kidameln, because it leads me off on a new tangent when we jam. Writing different, playing different, singing differently over their ideas. I think we just thought between us all it would be interesting, and it is.
WL - eeeekkk hard to say I look at music more like a picture more than sound lotsa visual things inspire me, my range probably is from Tori Amos(shes huge musicly) through to the Cult (my faves), Prong, Kyuss, Alice in Chains, some Sabbath and Zeppelin and AC DC, more their originality and innovation, Shihad, Zakk Wylde, Korn, Pantera, 7 dials (everyones playing and writing in that band is HUUUGGEE!!
Blows my mind, bein a guitar guy I learnt heaps from Stu's [Hussman] playing which I still draw upon every now and then 10 years later.....legends) mostly heavy stuff I s'pose (metaller at heart arnt I gggrrrrr) or where I here the most passion coming from even motown stuff and some hip hop (not radio stuff though) I could just go on an on... (come to think of it kida sounds nothing like my influences ha ha) bla bla bla but writing with Michael and Daniel things have evolved even more influence wise, riffs that Ive done that arnt much to talk about turn into little pop dittys (yeeyaah).
Photo courtesy of kidameln
MB - My influences are all over the show. At the moment I'm reading agreat book I was given for Xmas on the whole "Dark Rock/Goth" music scene. This was a huge influence on me when I was at high school. I started out listening to punk, which led me more towards The Jam, Clash etc. Sisters of Mercy really changed what I listened to, Fields of The Nephilim, The Lorries etc, but all the while still listening to the Jam and my all time Fav band New Model Army( who I saw at the Astoria just before Xmas).
I'm also a huge Cult fan which continued on through all the different musical tastes. When I left high school I joined a speed metal band (Ultimate) playing bass, and spent my 90's listening to speed metal, all the fantastic grunge bands and really got into stoner rock - Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, Unida etc. Now I'm pretty much listening to the same stuff, every so often pulling out some old funk albums (wicked bass players) or some punk/goth stuff to keep the influences as all over the show as they've always been. What we do in Kidameln really is what happens when we all get together. There's no plan to sound like anything or anyone so its great, it's just us.
Photo courtesy of kidameln
ProMusicNews - How did you guys record?
DG - The way P Dogs [Michael's cat] tells it is that we just took over her house for a week.
MB - 2 weeks of noise and instruments, and people sleeping on her couch and floor... But the process was quick, especially after talking about it for so long. We'd jam, and then put it down, work out lyrics, lead lines, everything on the fly.
WL - At the "Greek Consulate Studios" ha! ha! [Michael's lounge] ...Each of us had the threads of ideas for songs & it happened really quickly. Recording to Michael's old 4 track, or through Daniel's little PXR4 into the computer, sometimes we were all doing parts of different songs at the same time. Chaos! You can see it in some off the art pics, music gear everywhere.
Michael soundproofed a broom cupboard for some of the vocals, some in bathroom... the coolest thing was no speakers were used, now thats lo fi... no wait... maybe we did mike some gat parts... crazy, ...apart from headphones... of course. But that could have been me dreaming, I cant remember as I was half asleep at the time ha! ha! Sometimes frustrating for Daniel and Michael putting up with my 50 takes "sorry guys can I try again" ha! ha!
Michael and Daniel are one take wonders (tinny buggers). Really we probably could have done two albums worth, but ran out of time. They did most of the production labour, specially Daniel, what a machine. So you might want to ask them...good night...ZZzzzz. Sorry P Dogs, 4 stealing your couch... Guys careful not to spill my milo...
