For their immersive and mightily impressive third full length, Brazilian experimental punk/noise rock act, DEAFKIDS, took a mind-boggling route toward a more electronic and harsher sound, which is surely tough to pinpoint, but very easy to become absorbed in.
Metaprogramação is a noteworthy record, and something that should be experienced loudly and in its entirety. Mariano from DEAFKIDS answers our few questions about the band and the new album in the interview below, followed by an incredible, abstract new visual for the hard-hitting, industrial dynamism of Espirais da Loucura.
Do you think of Metaprogramação as your most forward-thinking album thus far?
I think we would agree on that - all the processes that began when we started changing our sound and incorporating key elements to what we do nowadays (such as the emphasis on percusiveness and psychedelia) are now more matured than ever before. Our own journey with music itself has changed a lot and that is a key aspect of the whole thing. All of that make us think that this is our most forward-thinking album - so far!
How heavily has the new album been influenced by worldwide politics?
It is entirely related to it, even if doesn't address the theme directly. The whole concept of the record relates to structures of power, of colonization, of control we have inside of our heads, all of which determine how our mental dissonance reflects onto acting like we are expected by certain social powers. We live in a time where politics themselves are under control of emotional forces, manipulated by a chaste, able to influence people based on their own frustrations and fears. We see a rise on things like 'the communist fear', in broad 2019! Brazil last year's elections were a good display of those old powers adapting to the new era of slogan chanting, and it's happening all over the world.
Being able to dismantle those structures within - structures which are connected to our upbringing, parental relationships, social circumstances such as colonization and so forth - should be a goal if we want to comprehend ourselves, individually and socially, to create a better world.
Of all the many different genres and styles implemented so slyly into your own sound, which ones would you say have had the primary role in shaping the character of the music on Metaprogramação?
When we create music we relate more to a certain feeling rather than stylistic similarities with what we like. For example, the freedom Dub artists have with meddling with sound as a physical entity is something we feel deeply influenced by. The same type of feeling can be found on certain 'Kosmische Musik' acts, even if on a completely different way. We also feel very influenced by percussive, trance-inducing music from all over the world - Salsa, Gnawa music, Hindustani and Carnatic music, Brazilian Umbanda records from the 60's and 70's... the list goes on. The meeting between daring manipulation of sound with the ground-up hypnosis generated by the rhythm is what drove the composition of this record, and the thing that moves us forward as well.
How different is your live act in comparison to the records?
It's different because we are there on the act, sharing with people who are reacting to what we do, and that alone might take things to extremes. The whole reason why we do this (and the reason we feel so connected to the aforementioned forms of music-making) is to get to that moment where space and time dissolve through the power of sound and rhythm. It's where things are on slow-motion and fast-forward at the same time. We have the best experiences by doing it live, even if the records allow us to tamper a little bit more with what we're doing.
There's also the fact that many of our songs are quite open on their structure, which is something that converts live concerts into experiences as well, ones where parts might last more or less, or what actually happens on them might change, all depending on the heat of the moment. As we travel a lot we can say we're definitely a live band.
If you had to parallel Metaprogramação with any other, non-related to music, work of art, what would it be?
Some key inspiration for this record was provided by the writings of Timothy Leary, Robert Anton Wilson, Gurdjieff and others - the whole notion of the eight-circuits of consciousness and even metaprogramming itself come from this body of work. The record is heavily influenced by experiences with DMT, and while those sources might sound unrelated, this idea of advancing through unknown hallways of one's own mind is something we find in both - the idea of transcendence as a different concept, as something divorced from what we generally associate with the word.
You are about to embark on a European tour, and you have been to Europe before. Have you noticed any differences on how European audiences react to your live act compared to American and Brazilian crowds?
The difference is not so big when you consider nationalities, since most people are often unprepared for the type of blend we do, both here and there. I think that in Brazil we're now going through a lot of different scenes, belonging and not belonging to them. Electronic music, punk, experimental... That makes the impact we have differ a lot depending on the background each viewer has. In Europe I think it is more common to be a little bit more cosmopolitan when it comes to scenes and genres (that depends on people and places, of course), but then again most people there lack the experience with the rhythm that is more common to be seen and heard here. The nice thing about creating crazy music is that it ends up being hard to describe even for people who are familiar with some of its characteristics. But mostly people seem to enjoy what we do, and this is something we're grateful for.
What were you listening to mostly during the making of the album? and what do you listen to these days?
We've been listening to a lot of different things... like Tito Puente, Willie Colón, Guem, Fundo de Quintal, Francis Bebey, Funkadelic, Pedro Santos, Can, Ash Ra Tempel, Djalma Correa, Indian artists such as Pandit Jasraj, Ali Amjad Khan, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Ravi Shankar and Hariprasad Chaurasia, Underground Resistance, Muslimgauze, a lot of Reggae/Dub, Racionais Mc's... the list goes on!
What's next for DEAFKIDS?
It's hard to answer to that question - we have made a lot, but at the same time we feel like things are only beginning! There's an album of remixes from Configuração do Lamento going to be released soon, with artists from UK, Portugal, Brazil, and we're very excited for it! After the release of Metaprogramação and the European tour we have some more plans, like recording some more stuff and going to the USA for the first time.
Metaprogramação is out now on Neurot Recordings.
DEAFKIDS TOUR DATES 2019
11/04 NL Tilburg Roadburn
12/04 NL Tilburg Roadburn (with PetBrick)
14/04 NL Amsterdam SOTU
16/04 PL Wroclaw DK. Luksus
17/04 CZ Prague Underdogs
18/04 DE Berlin Urban Spree
19/04 NL Nijmegen Merleyn
20/04 UK London The Lexington
21/04 UK Manchester Soup Kitchen
22/04 UK Brighton The Hope & Ruin
23/04 UK Cardiff Moon
24/04 UK Newcastle The Cluny
25/04 UK Bristol Rough Trade
26/04 FRA Paris OLYMPIC CAFE
28/04 PT Viana do Castelo SWR BARROSELAS METALFEST
29/04 BE Bruxelles mag4
30/04 FRA Rennes Bar Hic
01/05 FRA Concarneau TRI MARTOLOD
02/05 FRA Brest Espace Léo Ferré
03/05 FRA Rouen Les 3 Pieces
04/05 BE Antwerp Het Bos
05/05 AT Donau Donau Festival
...and more dates to be announced
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