MAMALEEK

MAMA INTERVIEW BY CHRISTOPHER J. HARRINGTON T he free-swinging, anonymous sibling reinventing itself because it has to. It flows in duo, Mamaleek, paint their canvas with a negative and positive way, and, therefore, hues of violent outbursts. A periphery of is free to choose its direction, which it does neo-jazz subdues the listener, while the total in a multitude of ways. There is a country, a vision drips quick and free. The band’s newcontinent this album lands on, yet it is homeest work, Come & See, drops March 27, 2020, less, possession-less. Its intent is to persuade via The Flenser. It’s another step in another misdirection, confusion, all for the sake of direction for the group, the distance travfreedom, or feeling of place. eled relative to the wide expanse of their eternal monologue. Mamaleek is different “You can look to the example of Ornette because they echo a looseness that feels Coleman, Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler, dangerous, their consumption of frequency, Cecil Taylor, and other free jazz pioneers a sort of time travel to a lost planet known as who were initially treated with insidious the inner-creative, human experience. disrespect for producing music that wasn’t serviceable to the drinking and dancing “There once was a notorious video store on club clientele,” the group says. “That’s why

Kearny Street in San Francisco,” the band many of these musicians ditched America relays. “Pre-tech colonization, called North for Europe.” Beach Video. Its name sounds innocuous enough, but the store featured home-reCount Come & See as part of the pilgrimcorded VHS videos of people shitting and age. Its heart is a Western-turned spiritual pissing on other people, with Polaroids reckoning, its compartments shuffled and of the act crowning the cover sleeves. I spun, a sort of repetitious chant. The album remember a strong resistance and bewilwas captured live on tape, and has the feel derment overcoming me while ‘browsing,’ of spontaneity that many of the great, early the type of aisle-traipsing you can’t find psychedelic records do. Timelessness is its anywhere else. A part of me mourns the loss genesis, an odd placement and dangerous of this San Francisco, replaced now with its vibe surrounds it. It’s crafted wisely, but freely. high-cost monoculture.” “There was a lot of preparation and rehearsCome & See sparkles in the way old, free al leading up to the recording,” Mamaleek jazz does: hard and painful, darting and note. “But the recording process was enuncompromising. Its purpose is circular, tirely different than [on] previous albums. Everyone recorded live to tape, including vocals. We did about two takes of each song and had a first mix the next day. There were no punch-ins and only one or two overdubs. But, I do think it’s wrong to characterize this recording as a strictly ‘live’ recording. It is still a studio recording, with very specific recording choices and mixing techniques between Jack [Shirley, engineer] and us. And it was all over before we knew it, just like life itself.”

The pain of memory. Rawness has always clung close to the heart of Mamaleek, a primordial originality bouncing around the parallel universe. Where some bands treat compositions as opportunities, Mamaleek treat them as life itself: deranged, perpetual, and horror-stricken. That is why there is nothing like this band. Indifference reigns

“The noises produced by animals create mental images or impressions that trigger a response,” the band explains. “Whether to attract mates or warn predators. Other animals are able to interpret these noises to mean something that might affect them. The church bell or call-to-prayer signals that it’s time to head to a sanctified space to perform prayer, and yet the associated images of the deity that they might conjure are considered idols. Music is a kind of idolatry. It seems to hold that whatever integrity or core presumed of a sound withdraws as soon as you approach it. A mental image of music is just a snapshot of you trying to sneak up on it, but it ain’t it.” ��

Celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2020, OvO is a singular force in the underground. They have released a thrilling new piece of work in their anniversary year, a ninth full-length, Miasma, out now on Artoffact records.

INTERVIEW WITH FOUNDING MEMBER BRUNO DORELLA BY MARIKA ZORZI Using a mix of electronic and acoustic better as a band.” career,” Dorella says. “But Giulio Favero instruments, founding members Stefania [engineer] had the hardest task when Pedretti and Bruno Dorella have faced “We started as an open improv colhe had to mix it. He was able to keep many challenges throughout the years. lective back in 2000, and now we’re a both things: dirty sound and clear vision. heavy duo,” he continues. “We found a Then we really had this crazy, morbid, “We really never even considered quitwhole new inspiration when we added apocalyptic sound that you can almost ting, even during the hardest moments,” electronic elements to our tribalistic smell and touch. It’s poisonous, sick. But Dorella says. “We’ve always been curiapproach in 2013. And we began as a glorious, somehow.” ous and creative, we never got bored. couple in life, and we’re not anymore. And I think we’re still getting better and It has all made us stronger and more The political situation of their home focused.” country of Italy also inspired the new album, Dorella says. Miasma sees OvO continue down their path, mixing tribalism and futurism by “There’s a serious fascist thing going on. way of radical cross-contaminations of People are tired and angry, and they go sounds, rhythms, and genres. for the bad guy, because it’s easier, it’s something everybody can understand. “Before we started to work on it, we were There’s so much ignorance, hate, popusure it was going to be radically differlism. Representing evil, and at the same ent: even a fully electronic album, maytime fighting this distorted society in our be,” Dorella admits. “But then our punk/ everyday life, are things that definitely hardcore roots took over, and there was go into our music.” no way to stop them. As usual, the composition took its own way, no matter what “We do believe that music can make a we meant to do, and we just followed it.” lot for a positive change,” he continues. “Our first contact with rebellion and The title Miasma was chosen to represent political statements was through punk every massive center of power in society, music, and history says that music has such as corporations, religion, or the always been a powerful way to commuright wing. It was chosen as something nicate to large amounts of people and, dark and terrifying that tries to take consequentially, to influence some pocontrol over people. litical decisions. These times aren’t very strong in terms of a united scene. But “While we were working on the tracks, we it has to come back, we’re sure it’ll be realized that we were achieving the dirtone of the ways to fight for this positive iest sound, yet the clearest vision, in our change.” ��