It's been three years since their last album, in which time we actually thought they'd split up, but Leeds post something 2 piece Khuda are very much back with a spectacular new album; Molasses Constricts The Clinostat. We sent Dave Guzda to talk to Tom (guitar) and Steve (drums) to find out what they've been up to in that time.
(((o))): Making music is often complicated collaborative process at the -best- of times. Does the distance between you (Tom and Steve) and/or working as a two-piece pose any unique challenges and/or benefits?
Steve - Hey Dag, thanks for taking the time to have a chat with us!!
Tom - Yeaah, hey dude! Nice to talk with Echoes And Dust!!
We had this album already pretty much written when I made the move out to Finland, and just met up together for a week or so before the recording session to get some loose ends tied up put the finishing touches to stuff! It was surprisingly smooth though, we were both a bit worried beforehand... I guess we've just spent so much time together over the last few years that we managed not to really loose that connection!
Steve - Yeah the distance pretty much killed the process hah hah. As we've been on hiatus since we recorded Molassess then we haven't written anything new, we've been jamming a lot during preparation for these last two shows though with some pretty interesting results so who knows 🙂 Working as a two piece has always made things really easy, there is definitely more room for tracks to be gig ready before being 100% completed which has led to a lot of this material being sculpted over time rather than "written" in full.
(((o))): You guys must be pretty tech savvy to collaborate in such a manner?
Steve - I guess if we were to start trying to write new material we are in a fairly fortunate position, we both work as sound engineers and Tom is in the process of building a recording studio over in Finland (www.tonehaven.net) luckily Dropbox exists so we may not be as stumped as it appeared initially.
(((o))): Which one of you is the science enthusiast?
Steve - Neither of us are massively scientifically minded.
Tom - I think we both spend a bit too much time on wikipedia though... 🙂
(((o))): Where did you come up with the album title 'Molasses Constricts The Clinostat'?
Steve - Now that would be telling hah hah! You have to bear in mind that a lot of the titles/themes we have ended up working with have been devised over a very long time in varying states of sanity sat in a van together for hours on end. We'd really love to do a step by step explanation but it kind of spoils the fun 😉
Tom - With our previous albums we didn't really ever take much time to tell a story and link the song titles etc.. we definitely struck more of a theme on this album though, which somehow inherited the name Molasses Constricts The Clinostat.
Steve - There was one review for our last album Iecava where the reviewer had painstakingly gone to the effort of finding a link between the tracks which was absolutely incredible (it was by E&D reviewer Magda as it happens). It completely changed the way I look at that album now as the conclusion that had been met was a load more succinct than our original ideas. With this one we thought it would be cool to lay down something down for people to find if they look hard enough.
(((o))): What is significance of the song title 'Balduinius 1491'?
Steve - Balduinius 1491 is an outer main-belt asteroid, it's significance to us is another head scratcher though I'm afraid..
(((o))): 'Onward Planarian' is quite a musical journey stretching to over 12m. I find it to be a very evocative song. It makes me think of sunny days spent lakeside with a gentle breeze blowing. Was there a specific inspiration (or inspirations) for this beautiful song?
Steve - I love how music can cast a completely different image to each listener. It really should be encouraged for people to take what they naturally take from it without it being coloured in by us at all. I like the idea of it being about a sunny day on the lake side if that's what you take from it then that's what its about.
Tom - I like that image too, and can definitely see how it would fit. It's cool though, because I guess no matter what our answer or inspirations are... for you, it's the sunny lakeside... for someone else, it could be the total opposite! We've always enjoyed watching and listening to people different reactions and interpretations of our stuff, that's one of the things about being an instrumental band, the meanings are a lot less obvious!
(((o))): When I listen to Khuda I hear a lot of different musical influences. Do you have any influences that fans might be surprised to know?
Steve - I had a real thing for tech hardcore, extreme metal and old school funk while in my adolescent years. The old driving funk grooves have always had a hypnotic quality to them which I could never get enough of. These days I try to just soak up everything I can get my ears on, its gotten to the point now where I try to find something to like about everything, there really is no point in cutting yourself off from an entire style just because it doesn't fit into your self image.
Tom - We had a tour a few years back where we listened to a load of really hard dubstep/grime/uk hip hop stuff which was a lot of fun!! And again, like Steve, I try and listen to as much stuff as possible, variety is really important. Working as a sound/recording engineer I have definitely developed a bit of a bad habit of listening to stuff based on who recorded it... I've been through a bit phase of being quite obsessed with anything recorded by Steve Albini. Not that that is particularly surprising or a bad thing...
(((o))): What was the Kin Hell Fest experience like as musicians? It looked like a very intimate setup. Especially for Khuda.
Steve - Kin Hell Fest has been pretty close to us since it started, we played the first edition and Tom ran the sound rig back when it was at The Well. I built the rig for the past couple of years as we had to outsource p.a equipment and have also done the branding/t-designs for the last two editions. Its a great festival, Paul Priest has an exhaustive taste in music and is one of the most enthusiastic promoters we know. The general atmosphere has always been really open minded too which is just as well for us heh heh.
Regarding the set up we always just play on the floor these days, it takes away a lot of the bullshit, we travel with one or two little LED cans so we can see and we don't even like to use the PA any more. It just means that things are the same every time and it just improves the atmosphere no end, we kind of like the idea that everyone in the room is in the same place and of the same status.
(((o))): Kin Hell Fest had a really diverse cross section of Metal artists. Khuda seems to fit in well with a variety of genres. Do you care how the 'media' labels you genre wise?
Tom - Yeah, it's really not something we've ever really given any thought to. I'm all for genres and labeling stuff, but I guess for me, genres are basically just that... adjectives to describe music. I think people can take that stuff way too seriously. I like that we can play with a variety of bands. It keeps things interesting for everyone involved!
Steve - I suppose we are always going to fall under the "post" whatever blanket and I'm totally fine with that, in all honesty though what you name things really doesn't matter so much (I know that sounds rich coming from us hah hah). Its probably going to get to the point where sub genres get so numerous that everything just starts to come back into one big melting pot any way :D.
(((o))): A great deal of passion and emotion comes across on Molasses Constricts The Clinostat found in both the gentle passages and the moments of full-throttled aggression. What emotions do you feel as you play these songs live?
Steve - It really depends on the atmosphere and the timing, the last few gigs have been understandably a bit charged seeing as each time we haven really known when/if we will play together again, there have definitely been a few people walking away with wobbly bottom lips which is mind blowing. I always kind of just zone out into whatever we are doing, not to say that there is no emotional impact but the calm of 100% concentration is one of the main reasons I love playing, it's almost meditative.
Tom - The emotions definitely change every time we play! I wouldn't say that there are 2 gigs we've played that are absolutely the same. Like Steve, I just get into a zone, and the emotions take over. There isn't really a formula to it... if we've had a good period and things are going well, the feelings can be happy, euphoric etc, or if we're stressed or somethings have being going wrong, we can also pour all of that out when we're playing! There are of course some moments of songs too that are more emotional than others, and some where we can just have fun and rock out!
(((o))): Are any of the songs linked to personal experiences in your past?
Tom - While I can't say I've ever written a guitar part about one particular experience in my life... the stuff that comes out is just a build up of the emotions from the environment and circumstances around!
Steve - I guess all of them are somehow the culmination of our experiences up until that point in time. A couple of them are directly related to specific occasions but as I said before, what a song means to me is not necessarily what it means to Tom. I can say though that this album is a lot more personal to us than the last couple have been.
(((o))): It took me a few listens to really appreciate Molasses Constricts The Clinostat. The unique drum patterns, the musical cul-de-sacs, numerous tempo changes and unusual time signatures require time to be absorbed. Is this surprising to you? Or is this expected of 'experimental'/'progressive' music that pushes the envelope?
Tom - Hehe well the stuff we've always written has always been purely for our own satisfaction, in the sense that we've never really changed a song to make it easier to listen to, only more interesting/fun for us to play... the fact that other people seem to enjoy it is just a happy accident, and one which we are incredibly grateful for! We probably do have quite a weird mix of playing styles and influences, so I'm definitely not surprised that it isn't the most immediate listen!
Steve - Hah hah thanks for bearing with us 😀 Personally I like a record to be a bit challenging, the bits that are jarring are usually the bits that stick out upon repeated listens that being said its definitely possible to go too far out the other end but even that has its time and place. I'm not sure that we wrote the album to be deliberately confusing but I guess due to our personal tastes there would always be a certain amount of that.
(((o))): I've always felt the Khuda's musicianship was extremely high; evident since Palingenesia. The songs on Molasses maintains that level of playing while appearing to have refined the cohesiveness of each song. Has anything changed in how you approach song writing since your first album?
Steve - Thanks, that's really kind of you to say! Funnily enough the writing process is almost exactly the same, we have always just jammed through ideas tweaking things along the way and then playing the songs live as much as we can until the parts are solidified. We were probably a little more disciplined regarding changes and structure with these songs than we have been on the last couple of records but the songs are still the culmination of lengthy jam sessions.
Tom - Yeah, thanks a lot!! It's very nice of you to say that! I guess the only real difference was that we were just in a bit less of a rush with this one. There wasn't a big change in terms of our writing style. bit this time around we gave ourselves the time to play the songs live, and figure out what was working and how things were flowing before booking time in the studio!
(((o))): Question for Tom (Guitarist) Sorry Tom, you are stuck on an island and can bring only one guitar, one amp, and one effect pedal. Which would they be? 🙂
Tom - Well, I'd bring my guitar, which is a Schechter, and a loop pedal, I've always used a Boss RC-20, but also really like the look of the new dual pedal Ditto Looper from TC, aand I would bring my Mac Amp (which is a hand made hiwattesque tube amp built by a lovely man called Howard, from Leeds).
(((o))): Any future plans you would like to mention? Will fans be able to see you live?
Steve - We really aren't sure at the moment, we have a couple of leads that we might end up following so long as we can make it work around the rest of our lives I guess the one thing that can be said is that we don't want to be so resolute about not playing any more. Khuda has been a big part of our lives for the last few years though so I guess it wont be as easy to quit as we initially thought hah hah.
Tom - Yeah we have an open book with things. Whilst we definitely have no plans to start actively touring again, we've had such a lovely time playing together, that we're just going to stay as flexible as possible with regards to future plans, so who knows... 🙂
