Are they like Mogwai? Are they like Tortoise? Are they like Godspeed You Black Emperor? Are they post-rock? On all these questions you could answer both yes and no.
Masda (it has something to do with the car, and it has nothing to do with the car) are a Belgian duo fronted by Tierps and Dlodr.
It’s experimental music that has the drive from Sonic Youth (sadly enough without Kim Gordon) and the spirit of well…I don’t know it,…to be honest.
Second attempt : if Morc Records reads this or any other label that believes in music with an own voice, then…well then….
HELLO, PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELVES AND HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC THEN?
Hi, we’ve both been playing music in the band sheeft since the beginning of its existence (1998).
Tierps plays guitar, Dlodr the drums. Musically we know each other quite well.
Our music can be seen as stories told by drums and guitar who are equally balanced.
STARTING WITH A CLICHÉ…WHY THE NAME MASDA?
After making a list of short and powerful words in order to find a good bandname tierps came up with MAZDA.
We had to change the Z into an S because MASDA with a Z already existed.
I GUESS YOU’RE AGREEING THAT YOU’RE PLAYING POST-ROCK, NOT?
It is probably the closest term to label our music, if it needs to be labelled.
It is never the plan to play post- rock or to not play post-rock.
The music we play originates from us having played music together for over 10 years now.
In those 10 years we have listened to post-rock a lot , but also to ballads, chansons, electro, singer-songwriters…
IN ALL HONESTY, I LOVE THE GENRE BUT IF THERE IS ONE GENRE IN WHERE THE BIGGEST SHIT EVER CAN BE FOUND IT MUST BE IN THE POST ROCK-LEGION, NOT?
Possibly.
YOU’RE COMING FROM BELGIUM, WHAT’S YOUR IDEA ABOUT THE SCENE?
We don’t have a clear view on what’s supposed to be the/a Belgian scene.
We don’t consider us a part of it or any scene at all, besides it seems like a sacrifice having to live up to a scene.
We do like the idea of sincere people who help each other in their passion.
And I’m sure they must be out there. So if with MASDA we manage to make nice contacts, that would be great.
AND WHAT ABOUT THE SUPPORT….. IN ALL HONESTY I WOULDN’T WANNA BE A BEGINNING BAND IN BELGIUM AS THERE ARE ALMOST NO E-ZINES AROUND AND THOSE THAT ARE, ARE MOSTLY COPIES FROM HUMO OR RIF RAF. (EXCEPT FOR DARK ENTRIES, THE ONE I WORK FOR NOW, OF COURSE…)
We’ve never been very good networkers, so we probably can’t say if the support is good or bad.
What we do know is that in all those years with sheeft (sending out demo’s, taking part in contests, asking for reviews, rehearsing our asses off) we never experienced support of any kind.
It is a shame that lots of bands make their way through networking more than through making, playing, releasing good music.
Anyway we hope that with MASDA we can stay ourselves and find our way to the right people.
To start with, we’re very happy with this opportunity from Original Sin.
THANK YOU, IF IT’S ONLY NORMAL TO DO SO BUT I REALLY FEEL BITTER ABOUT THE FEEDBACK FROM BELGIAN BANDS TOO.
THE RESPONSE FROM BANDS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES IS LIKE 100% AND HERE IN BELGIUM I HAVE TO BEG (GAVE UP DOING THAT) FOR BANDS TO HEAR THEIR DEMO….
BACK TO MASDA ITSELF… YOUR MUSIC IS INSTRUMENTAL. IS THAT A VOLUNTARY CHOICE OR JUST BECAUSE THERE’S NO GOOD SINGER AROUND?
Tierps did some singing on “Check The Birds” but we reduced that to a minimum because it changed the atmosphere of the EP too drastically.
There might be some singing in the next MASDA record.
Tierps is a good singer, so whenever a song would need a voice we’ve got one in the band already.
& collaborations are always possible.
YOU JUST HAVE A SELF RELEASED MINI-ALBUM OUT. HOW DO I HAVE TO IMAGINE THAT NOW? UP TO THE NEXT OR TRYING TO GET THE ATTENTION OF SOME RECORD LABEL?
Our main intention with these recordings is to get us some gigs.
A record label would be very nice of course.
But our emphasis lays on playing our music.
HOW DIFFICULT IT MIGHT BE TO ANSWER, IS THERE SOMETHING BEHIND THE SONGS OR IS IT JUST A MATTER OF PENNING DOWN SOME GREAT TUNES?
As we’re both active in fine arts you can say that there’s a big visual aspect to our music.
We like to think of our songs as images who unfold themselves while listening or playing them.
Masda wants to create an abstract world where the essence is melancholy.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN SEX, DRUGS AND ROCK ‘N ROLL OR IS THAT JUST SOME BULLSHIT?
Sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll is no bullshit, it stands for freedom.
LAST QUESTIONS ARE QUESTIONS I ALWAYS ASK, I CALL IT THE TRADITIONAL ORIGINAL SIN-QUESTIONS… WHAT’S YOUR FAVE RECORD OF ALL TIME AND WHY?
Tierps: Neil Young – On The Beach
Dlodr: Afghan Whigs – Gentlemen
WITH WHO WOULDN’T YOU MIND BEING STUCK IN AN ELEVATOR FOR 8 HOURS AND WHAT WOULD YOU DO THEN?
McGyver. Does it need to be explained ?
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM MASDA IN THE FUTURE?
These recordings are the result of the first 2 months of MASDA.
It is music that has always been slumbering (while playing with sheeft) and it got made specific into 6 songs. Now it is fantastic to rehearse, because brand new music is being made. It is fresh to us and also a real pleasure to do. I’m sure that pretty soon we can record again.
And then you’ll get to hear it.
Live or on tape.
DO YOU WANT TO SAY SOMETHING SPECIAL TO OUR READERS?
Thanks for reading, listen to MASDA and make your friends do so too !
THANK YOU!!!!!!
& You Mister !
Listen and discover Masda at www.myspace.com/masdamasda
thanks guys!
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