The staggeringly-prolific prog/ambient black metal duo Njiqahdda is a bit of an enigma. Their music has undergone numerous transformations, the language with which they sing many of their lyrics is one of their own invention, and their members sought to be fiercely anonymous – until recently, as I discovered while conducting this interview. I asked a few questions of E., the clean vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist/field recorder of the duo (credited as “/” according to Metal Archives) and the operator of their record label, EEE Recordings, to try and figure out some things about them.
(((o))): Serpents in the Sky is obviously a stylistic departure from your previous works. What prompted the change? Were there any new influences you incorporated into your sound? Or, perhaps, old ones that you may have emphasized more?
E: Nothing in particular really. In one way or another, our entire existence has been one big transition period, so it seemed to be the next logical step for us. We explored a ton of territory in the more extreme arenas, so to bring it back to something a bit more refined and simplistic seemed appropriate. The main idea was to take it back to before our first step, step zero if you will. We had discussed exploring more of a prog-rock kind of territory since the time of Divisionals, but it never seemed right until now. We had actually recorded about half an albums worth of more technical work before Serpents and scrapped it, but it will appear in some form before the end of the year.
Same influences as always, I think. Just different life circumstances, opinions, etc. Those are the things that mold our work, everything we do is solely influenced by our own personal lives. Lives shift and change, that is always the biggest influence on our work. It is impossible to not be influenced by life, in all its craziness. If anyone says they are lacking inspiration, they are not living to the fullest that they possibly can.
(((o))): Is there a grand ideological message you seek to express through Njiqahdda's music?
E: Yes and no, there are basic ideas we promote, but no sole defined ideology. It all ebbs and flows, shifts and changes, but at the root of what we want to express is the importance of knowledge, changing to become the best person you possibly can and the ultimate freedom of consciousness. Also the idea of complete dedication to what you believe, but always leaving room for improvement and positive change. While none of those may ever fully be achieved, the journey is more important than the goal. Everyone wants to be happy, successful, etc. but very little want to put in the work and live the struggle to get there. Nothing worth having comes easily. In some way we are the fist in the face of all, but especially to those who choose to deny us. We will not be denied.
(((o))): What are Njiqahdda's philosophical influences? Are they the same as your artistic influences?
E: To a certain extent, they are very different. Some of our philosophical influences: Stefan Molyneux, Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Charles Darwin, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Luther King Jr., Homer, Arthur Waite, Fredy Perlman, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Epictetus, Carl Jung, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Carl Sagan...the list could go on infinitely.
Most artists stay as far away from philosophy as possible, so it is almost impossible to connect the two in common scenarios. I will say the biggest influence for me as an artist AND philosopher is Varg Vikernes. Even though I highly disagree with his overly race based concepts (among other things), he was the first person I had ever seen that explored the idea of writing books and positing philosophical ideas, amidst being a prolific artist as well. That was something that I had always thought was possible, but he was the first to really show me that you can do both. Another one I really enjoy is Jesse Hughes, more-so because he is not afraid to speak his mind in any situation. I do not have to agree with everything someone says to acknowledge their importance in a broader sense. We need more artists to speak their minds and try to change the collective conscience for the better (which is obviously subjective, but I think you get the idea). Having a platform via art to try and make a bigger difference in people's lives is very important, whether people realize it or not. I have always viewed art more as a public service than entertainment
(((o))): I know you've touched on some political issues in the past on the EEE Recordings podcast, but do you intend to publish any strictly philosophical work outside of your music?
E: Yes. We have already published 5 books (technically 4, one of them was an all photography book), but there will be more. There will be one for our next full-length in January 2014. We have flirted with the idea of writing books removed from the musical side of our work, but have yet to completely flesh it out. It is good to have the ability to include numerous topics, ranging all over the mental spectrum in one digest. So from doing that to doing something completely one-sided would be quite a task. I am fairly certain it will happen sooner than later though.
The state of our world is in absolute, utter chaos. It always has been, but it is hitting entirely new strides as of late. It’s frightening to say the least. I feel that to a certain respect, these are the ONLY conversations people should be having. There are so many people that are still asleep to what is happening in our world, that any effort to change that must happen, no matter how uncomfortable. Anything we can do to help must happen, no matter how small the effect. We are responsible for our own lives and our own destinies, it’s time people start acting like it.
(((o))): What does the cover art for Serpents in the Sky represent?
E: We have used sigils on a ton of our previous work, so to use them in our current context only seems natural. The sigil itself is a visual representation of the album and its concepts. The background art is an illustration of a photograph I had taken in Hawaii a few years back. We wanted an illustrated cover and after having 3 artists bail on completing the original art, I went ahead and did it myself. Not even close to the original concept we wanted, but ended up better than we could have imagined. In some way, it worked out for the better. The main concept is the same as the underlying theme of the album: there are always many things lurking beneath the surface. What you see is not always what is really happening. One has to look beyond the surface to see the more complex things beneath it.
(((o))): Where do the sigils on your album artwork come from? Are they related to the Njiijn language?
E: All of our sigils are manifested through numerous esoteric means. Meditation, introspection, dreams, etc. They usually coincide with the topical matter and sound of a specific album, but also the emotions and processes that surround said album. Each one is special and unique to the work that it is presented with. These sigils are not necessarily connected to the Njiijn tongue, but could be in some sub-conscious way. At some point all things overlap and intersect, all things are connected. Our presentations are no different.
(((o))): To what degree are Njiijn, Funeral Eclipse, and Oaks of Bethel part of the Njiqahdda's message? Obviously, Njiijn is closely related to Njiqahdda; should Funeral Eclipse and Oaks of Bethel be viewed as part of them, or as completely separate entities?
E: They are all connected in some way, because it’s the same 2 people responsible for all of them. They may arise in different ways or ideas, but the basic concept is all the same. I will say that Njiqahdda is the main vehicle for whatever message we are conveying, but they all borrow and lend to one another. Sonically they are separate entities, but they all converge in the middle, at some point.
(((o))): You've stated in previous interviews that you don't listen to newer bands very often. Has that changed? Any recent musical bright spots that have left an impact on you?
E: Not really, to be honest. Considering the amount of time spent on our own work, I don't spend much time looking for new music. If something is brought to my attention or I accidentally stumble upon something I like, it will be explored, but otherwise I could not care less about new music. I have recently (accidentally) discovered JD McPherson, really digging that lately. I have been listening to the new Queens of the Stone Age record ...Like Clockwork almost religiously since my copy arrived. Also been listening to a lot of Chuck Berry, Bad Religion and Infernum. Not anything new, but that is what I have been listening to most as of late.
(((o))): How difficult is it to maintain your anonymity? How do you keep the few who know your identities from spilling the beans? Have you ever been "found out" by an outsider?
E: Not as hard as one may think, but we have pretty much thrown that out the window at this point. We came to the conclusion to make Njiqahdda as transparent as possible and it really became a reality around the release of Serpents... between our forum and podcasts, we decided to be as open about everything as possible. If we do not answer questions about what we do or think, no one else will. We are doing our best to be informative and let people know exactly what they want (or do not) want to know about us. People can spread all the info they want about us as long as it’s is TRUE.
The people who have followed us the longest have always known our roots, in some form, but we have been more willing to speak than ever before. If people have questions, we have answers. Will we start doing huge 'typical' band photo-shoots and music videos with our faces plastered all over them? No, but to keep the same level of anonymity as we had before is no longer our priority. We realized that the music our aliases would make is exactly the same that we as 'normal' people would make, so there is no longer a need to keep them separated. That has been a huge part of our growing process.
(((o))): Your label and musical projects lack any kind of social media presence. Why?
E: We have had social media presence on and off over the years, but we ultimately choose to stay away from it. It is nothing more than a fashion show, used mostly by fools. Even the most worthless person wants to be famous, posting their daily meals, where they are and what not, we want nothing to do with that. Now considering all the NSA nonsense that is public knowledge (although we have known for years - do your research kids) it was the best decision. We are only a part of our own social networking sites, which is the best for us. There is no desire to have 30 different sites to update, we have more than enough work to take care of as is. We try to keep everything self-contained to the best of our ability. It is clear that the people that run these sites cannot be trusted in ANY form, so we choose to not support them.
(((o))): You've released three albums through Pagan Flames Productions: Nji. Njiijn. Njiiijn., Yrg Alms, and The Path of Liberation from Birth and Death. You continued to release material on EEE Recordings in between and after those, including Serpents in the Sky. Why split releases between the two labels, rather than just do it all yourself or turn the business aspect completely over to a different label?
E: We release material on other labels when it is convenient for all the parties involved. Truthfully I would love to hand the business aspect of it over to someone else to deal with full-time. It’s not really something I enjoy, but it’s necessary given our situation. We have been fortunate to work with really awesome people and labels, so when the opportunity arises and we can benefit from it, we do it. We do not work with shady labels or people looking to screw us over, when we can just do it ourselves, albeit to a lesser form. The main reason to work with other people is funding. We cannot afford to spring for lavish layouts and vinyls, so if someone wants to invest in that for us, we listen to what they have to say and make our decision according to the degree of our benefit. Our band and label is (currently) 100% supporter funded, which is awesome, but also has its downsides. Since I was laid off from my job in February, anything I had to sink into our endeavor has been completely erased. Thus any outside funding would be looked at and evaluated justly. Outside labels are nothing more than a fatter wallet to us. It is not the end, nor the beginning of anything. A label cannot do anything for you that you cannot do yourself.
(((o))): The Path of Liberation from Birth and Death was the first vinyl Njiqahdda release. Will there be any more in the future? Are there concrete plans in place for anything yet?
E: It is impossible to say, we would love to have all of our material on vinyl (our favorite format) but that is very unlikely. There are no plans for any vinyl in the future, as much as we wish there would be. From the view here, that will probably be the only vinyl release we will ever get to do. No one is rushing to help us out with anything and knowing our previous experiences, we can only base the future on those. It could happen, it could not happen, only the future will tell. We do not worry about these things until they are presented to us, until then, it’s all 'what if' situations. There is no interest in 'what if', only in what IS.
(((o))): That should just about wrap this up. Is there anything else you would like to add?
E: I just would like to thank you and Echoes and Dust for the opportunity and coverage. It gives me hope to know that there still are real journalists out there and people who are not afraid to stray from the norm. Keep up all the great work and never give up.
