Hey Subway readers! We have an awesome interview for you today, but before I get to that I (Stephen) need to make a quick announcement. Sadly, this will be my last write up for The Progressive Subway. My time here has been great, and I’ve had the opportunity to chat with/interview a bunch of bands I have become a fan of. Unfortunately, my free time has become more scarce and my reviews and interviews have more and more challenging to complete. I will miss the blog and will transition from reviewer to avid reader. With that out of the way, I had the pleasure of chatting with the amazingly experimental, Neptunian Maximalism. For those of you who are unaware, Neptunian Maximalism is an psychedelic free jazz band from Belgium. We talked about their newest release “Solar Drone Ceremony”, the band’s creative writing process, musical backgrounds, and more. Without further ado, farewell, stay proggy, and let’s hop in to the interview!
I’ve been a fan of Neptunian Maximalism since discovering Éons last year, so thank you for taking time to interview with us! For our readers who have never heard Neptunian Maximalism, how would you describe the band in your own words?
NM: Hi! NNMM is a community of multi « occultural engineers » with a variable geometry/line up. Our starting point is improvised music. We make music across Doom / Drone Metal and Spiritual Free Jazz, mixed in a psychedelic cauldron. I usually use the terms “Drone Arkestra Experience” and “Heavy Tribal” music. These are our main polarities. We can also speak of the genre “Zeuhl”, like the band Magma, because of the result of our music and the use of an imaginary proto-language. Some speak of a mix between SunnO))) and Sun Ra.
I’ve listened to the 52 minute epic that is “Solar Drone Ceremony” and would first like to ask what inspired this latest track? As a listener I could hear a lot of different elements that made up the overall composition.
NM: This track is a reinterpretation of «The Conference Of The Stars» song from our first EP. There is some elements from stoner doom music to space rock and heavy psych music, with a krautrock touch. I’ve some inspiration from Bong to Hawkwind for exemple, and also traditional Indian music and traditional flamenco too.
How did the band come to the idea of combining Sun Ra influence with elements of drone metal on “Solar Drone Ceremony”?
NM: There’s no explicit idea. It’s just the core of our own music language, the mix of our different personalities and our respective influences. Sun Ra is a great influence, but we never speak of that before making this live.
I imagine to create such a unique experience, different styles and backgrounds make up the band. What musical background do the members of Neptunian Maximalism have?
NM: There are a lot of different backgrounds. Jean Jacques (Sax) comes from radical and avant-garde improvised music, free jazz and No Wave. He is 60 years old and has a big high level practice behind him. Didié, same generation, comes from experimental, electronic and avant-garde music and improvisation with many years of activity as well. Romain, Reshma and Alice (Guitar, Bass, Synth) are the youngest and come from extreme metal music and/or post punk new wave. For example Reshma was a beginner at the beginning of the experiment when she joined the collective, and she learned bass within the project. Stef and Lukas come from Doom, psyche and progressive rock with a very different experience on the drums. Joaquin comes from traditional flamenco and psychedelic rock. He is an outstanding flamenco musician. And for my part I mainly come from extreme metal music and noise rock/psychedelic and avant-garde experimental music. I started playing the trumpet as a child in the brass bands of the south of France, then as a teenager in a batoucada with Pierre mon cousin (drums on Éons). Now I am very interested in traditional Indian music (Dhrupad) and Balinese Gamelan. What is cool within the collective is that there coexists in harmony a plurality of sexes, nationality and level of musical practice. It is a bit of our challenge.
What bands/artists are some of the biggest influences on Neptunian Maximalism?
NM: It’s hard to say there are so many different personalities. So I would speak for myself. I think it is no longer a surprise to quote the work of Stephen O’Malley and SunnO))), but also Oren Ambarchi, Will Guthrie, Diamanda Galas, Phurpa, Eliane Radigue, Magma, Swans, Sleep, Earth, Mats Gustafson, Zu & Mombu, Glenn Branca, Gnod, Aluk Todolo, Om, Steve Noble, SunRa, John Coltrane, Manolo Caracol, Blut Aus Nort, Leviathan, Deathspell Omega, Jute Gyte, Chaos Echoes, Pink Floyd, Enio Morricone, Master Musician Of Bukakke, Bong, Khanate, Psychic TV & Strobbing Gristle, Zero Kama and for the Indian classical scene Ustad Asad Ali Khan, pandit Malikajun Mansur/Parveen Sultana/Kaushiki Chakrabarty as well as the sarod of Ali Akbar Khan, or the sitar of Ustad Irshad Khan and Ustad Nishat Khan as well as the discovery of Indonesian Gamelan music of Dewa Alit for example or the french ensemble Nist Nah.
How did the experience of recording a live album compare to recording a studio album? Did the band face any unique challenges?
NM: Basically there was no real intention of a live album. I record almost everything we do, since it is the good part of improvisation, each experience is unique and deserves a trace. This one being of quality and given the circumstances of the pandemic, it seemed good to us to release it, since we had played 2 days before the 1st lockdown in Belgium.
Did the fact that we’re in the era of streaming and “pay-per-play” weigh in the decision making process to release one 52 minute track?
NM: We have absolutely not thought about it at all. You yourself make me realize it (haha). For us it is a live made up of 2 songs revisited, but as all this develops of a single impulse, it seemed logical to us to respect this. In truth, the Bandcamp is misleading because the vinyl is cut into 2 sides / 2 songs.
Is the band scheduled to play any live shows in the near future?
NM: Yes sure, we have new gig from August to December, in France, Belgium and Holland, with several lineups, therefore very different live sets, like pure Drone Arkestra to Heavy Tribal (big) lineup.
What is the local music scene like in Brussels and/or the rest of Belgium?
NM: It’s very different, but the main underground styles now are EBM/electro music, new wave, post-punk, garage punk and metal. There were a great pass with HxC too. And a good place for jazz too, but unfortunately to less radical free jazz.
Are there any local bands from Brussels and/or Belgium you would like to shout out?
NM: Yeah sure! Our mates from Emptiness, Excuse Excuses, Wolvennest, Pega, Bengale, Saqura’s Cult, Terrifiant, Possession, Zuiker Zuiker, CUSSD, or like my others bands Sol Kia, ZAÄAR, Czlt, Oath Okrana, Jenny Torse, Aksu.
Again, thanks for taking time out to interview with us. Neptunian Maximalism has the floor now, is there anything that you’d like to add that weren’t covered in any of the questions?
NM: Anarchy is the horizon.
Learn about the Aquarius era to come.
Respect all living form and people.
Satan will shine.
Zazas, Zazas, Nasatanada Zazas!
Neptunian Maximalism social links:
Bandcamp: https://neptunianmaximalism.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neptunianmaximalism/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/azure_the_band/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6nduTNbAIVN08gjy67gEAt
0 Comments