INTERVIEWS
Tori Amos: Loud and Clear
Far out on the rugged English countryside of Cornwall, surrounded by the bright blue Atlantic and the nearby Celtic Sea, known for its powerful wind and stunning beauty, lives a woman almost otherworldly. American born, before the age of three she’d already found her life in music, her gift for the piano so immense and so palpable it earned her acceptance into an exclusive conservatory, at the time the youngest child ever admitted, at the age of five. Her father, a man of God who preached His word, had a vision for his daughter: She was to be the best, the brightest and perform at the greatest music halls — all by the age of 13. The girl had to get to work. And she did. But there was a fire inside her that refused to conform. In her father’s words, she would deny “God’s p...
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![Getter Returns With Experimental Six-Track EP, “NAPALM”: “It’s My Mind on a Canvas” [Interview]](https://www.wazupnaija.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/getter-returns-with-experimental-six-track-ep-napalm-its-my-mind-on-a-canvas-interview-scaled-80x80.jpg)
Getter Returns With Experimental Six-Track EP, “NAPALM”: “It’s My Mind on a Canvas” [Interview]
If there’s one artist in electronic music who knows how to be bold and unapologetic with their releases, it’s Getter. From face-melting bass and trap sounds to melodic, nuanced songs, the producer has done it all. Now, with the release of his latest EP, NAPALM, out today his own Shred Collective banner, Getter has once again proven his dedication to putting out whatever music he’s feeling in the moment—and it’s certainly paid off. While NAPALM is composed of less than 15 minutes of music, its six tracks are compelling and magnetic, demanding attention with each song’s heavy punch of experimental sonics and idiosyncratic character. The previously released “BAD ACID,” with its cyberpunk-infused trap, and “ADHD,” the s...
Saves the Day and Senses Fail Reanimate Misfits Classics on Through Being Ghoul
If you were bummed about having to cancel your Halloween plans due to COVID-19 this year, Saves the Day and Senses Fail have a little surprise to lift your spooky spirits. The appropriately named Through Being Ghoul (with perfect album artwork to match) is a four-song split EP between the two bands, with lead singers and band ringleaders Chris Conley and Buddy Nielsen putting their own unique spin on each of their two tracks. The blend of horror-punk and emo/post-hardcore sensibilities works surprisingly well, with each of the artists channeling their inner Danzig while still keeping with the sound fans expect from their decades-long careers. Clocking in at just under 7.5 minutes (which is probably about right for most combinations of four Misfits songs) the surprise drop of Through Being ...
Mel Brooks Revisits The Twelve Chairs for Its 50th Anniversary: “It’s One of My Top Favorites”
Comedy and music go hand in hand. Always. Mel Brooks knows how essential this is. He used to be a drummer, after all. Back in his teenage years, he was a student of the great drummer Buddy Rich. There’s a fundamental rhythm to comedy that oftentimes gets overlooked. If the timing of the musicality is off, then the comedy falls flat. That’s why, in so many of Brooks’ films, you will see elements of music. Whether the characters themselves are breaking out into song, or he has composed a title song, or the dialogue itself is particularly snappy and hits you over the head before you even realize what the hell just happened, it’s all in the same family. You cannot have good comedy without some form of music being present. That’s why Mel Brooks is, in some ways, as much a musician as he is a co...
Puscifer’s Maynard James Keenan and Mat Mitchell on Existential Reckoning, Alien Abduction, and More
In the midst of a pandemic and a truly bizarre year, it somehow feels like an ideal time for Puscifer to release a new album. The experimental rock act is back with a new LP, Existential Reckoning, and it’s a fitting document of the times, even if that wasn’t intentional. Led by a core of Maynard James Keenan (Tool), Mat Mitchell, and Carina Round, Puscifer have often thrown out the rulebook when it comes to rock ‘n’ roll. Each album is surrounded by eccentric characters, while the music is equally unconventional. Existential Reckoning is no exception, picking up on the story of the fictional characters Billy D (apparently now abducted by aliens) and his wife, Hildy Berger, as it had left off with 2015’s Money Shot. The new album is shrouded in a cloud of alien activity, from its init...
The Future is Female: Inside “Underplayed,” A New Documentary on Gender Inequity in EDM
In 2017 and 2018, the momentum of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements swelled to an ineluctable peak. The entertainment industry came to a screeching halt as film, television and music production companies reckoned with the blatant sexism rampant throughout their workplaces—and the dangerous circumstances such inequity can produce. The spotlight is now turning to EDM with the release of a new feature-length documentary called Underplayed. Featuring interviews with women and several male allies working in all aspects of the industry, including sound engineers, producers, journalists and major artists, the film offers timely insights into just how much work is left to be done in electronic music. Of 2019’s top 100 DJs, only five were women, according to the film̵...
Puscifer: Court Jesters of the Apocalypse
Feel like the COVID-19 era has been lacking a stone-cold jam to put some rhythm in your step as you nervously pace around your dwelling during self-isolation? Rejoice; after a five-year hiatus, Puscifer—the electro-rock side project of Tool singer Maynard James Keenan— is back with a new album, Existential Reckoning, and a lead single “Apocalyptical,” that’s infectious enough to make you want to dance the blight away and ponderous enough to make your mind work up a sweat while doing so. Though Existential Reckoning began to take form prior to the pandemic — Keenan notes that the band began “chipping away” at the new material in late 2018 —”Apocalyptical,” in particular, touches on the elephant in the room both coincidentally and otherwise. The track itself marries a weighty, sharp-an...
Mike Patton on Reuniting Mr. Bungle, Navigating the Pandemic, and More
Mr. Bungle (Mike Patton center), photo by Eric Larsen Prior to the pandemic, Mike Patton had countless irons in the musical fire. While his touring plans came to a standstill, the singer has soldiered on with his many creative endeavors. One of those projects is the first album in 21 years from his reunited band Mr. Bungle. Mr. Bungle reunited earlier this year for a handful of shows in February, featuring a lineup that included original members Patton, Trey Spruance, and Trevor Dunn, along with thrash titans Dave Lombardo (ex-Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies) and Scott Ian (Anthrax). In addition to the concerts, news came that the same lineup would re-record Mr. Bungle’s 1986 demo The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny. The re-recording, due October 30th, features the songs from original trackli...
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UZ Opens Up About His Final Album “Trinity,” Getting Sober, and the Future of Trap Music [Interview]
Operating behind a black and gold mask while dishing out forward-thinking trap beats over the past decade, enigmatic producer UZ has undoubtedly managed to craft his own style, solidifying himself as a true electronic music trailblazer. After achieving viral success in 2012 with his “Trap Shit” series on Diplo’s Mad Decent imprint, UZ took his bass-heavy sound to stages around the world, developed his own Quality Goods Records label, and established himself as an underground legend. It was in 2017 when, alongside the release of his debut album Layers, UZ decided to take off the mask, revealing himself as the two-time DMC winning DJ Troubl, as well as enigmatic UK house producer Plezier. A massive moment for UZ, Layers was followed up by 2018’s The Rebirth, when t...
10 Questions with Kasbo on New Album: “I Just Wanted to Create This World That People Could Escape To”
After a steady stream of singles ahead of his new album, The Making of a Paracosm, beloved Swedish electronic music artist Kasbo is finally gearing up for its release next Friday, October 23rd. So far the outlook is propitious, with tracks like “Play Pretend” and “Skogsrå”—out via Foreign Family Collective and Counter Records—alluding to a project brimming with the most mature and experimental music he has released to date. Kasbo initially earned critical acclaim with his 2018 debut album, Places We Don’t Know, but it wasn’t until after its release and rave reception that he started to pursue music full time. It was during the album’s supporting tour when The Making of a Paracosm’s story began, written on tour buses and in between shows. Finally completed this March, its jo...
Ashton Irwin’s Brave New World
Not gonna lie: I’m not a fan of 5 Seconds of Summer. That said, I’m not a “non-fan”, either. There’s a distinct difference between disliking a band’s music and truly not knowing too much about it. I fall into the latter category for absolutely no other reason than lack of exposure and selective listening. Some might say I’m not and never was their target audience. Some might be right about that. Point being, when I heard Ashton Irwin’s solo debut Superbloom I was listening without any preconceived notion of what it was supposed to be, though prepared for whatever boy-band-drummer-makes-solo-album might bring. Before listening, I knew Ash’s influences included Foo Fighters, Nick Drake, Helmet, Silverchair, Stone Temple Pilots, My Bloody Valentine, Curve. How, I wondered, would the sen...
T.I. on His 11th Album, All-Nighters in the Studio With Young Thug and 21 Savage
Clifford “T.I.” Harris is one of the greatest rappers of all time, the self-proclaimed King of the South. He’s also one of the rare MCs whose speaking voice isn’t a faint hint of the voice he raps with: he’s a thoughtful and loquacious guy whose vocabulary gets even more expansive when he’s not contained by a rhyme scheme. And it sometimes seems like he’s constantly holding forth with a continuous stream of thought as he moves from the vocal booth to reality shows to his podcast to film roles, an oratory that you just temporarily participate in when interviewing him for a half-hour. The rapper, who turned 40 last month, just released his 11th album, The L.I.B.R.A., with an all-star roster of guests including Young Thug, Lil Baby, Benny the Butcher, and 21 Savage. But the father of six also...
