INTERVIEW TO Zumaia
First say welcome to this written interview for Cian Orbe blog. Today we know more about the music world of the french composer Zumaia. Also founder & curator of the label: Kalamine Records.
https://kalaminerecords.com/
https://kalaminerecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/kalaminerecords/
https://twitter.com/zzumaia
https://soundcloud.com/kalamine-records
https://www.minds.com/ZUMAIA/
https://mewe.com/i/zumaiazu
- What is the meaning of the word "Zumaia"?
Zumaia is a small seaside town in the north of Spain (Basque Country) where I used to go - made famous by the TV series Game of Thrones and unusual archaeological formations (the Flysch of Zumaia).
I like spending time alone in this location - I live in the south of France, it is not very far.
I also like the phonetics of this word and the fact that it has no « dark » meaning.
- Which are the concept behind your music project, how you categorize your own music?
Not easy for me to describe my own music.
I have no concept, I just try to express emotions or situations - I am instinctive - I work mainly from a gut feeling.
It can be dark ambient, industrial, electro, or experimental sometimes, a mix of several things – kind of personal music…
I'm not trying to intellectualize my music - it's just noise, made by a logical animal.
- Do you release music only under Zumaia name? do you have other active or past music projects?
I also release music under Dada Scientists ( with guests/each album). I sometimes release some tracks under different names for compilations but I keep it secret (!).
https://kalaminerecords.com/dada-scientists-the-beat-opera/
- Favorite music genres?
Industrial music (Throbbing gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten, Laibach…) – new wave ( reminds me when I was young and hopeful and was listening to The Cure every day ) and Cumbia when I’m drunk.
- In what year did you start making music? which was your first band/project?
The first tracks composed by ZUMAIA were recorded in 1989 but my first recordings date back to 1987.
I started my first band around 1986/87 (kind of new wave) and joined an industrial rock band in the early 90's.
I then hosted two radio shows, one metal and the other industrial / gothic
Then I disappeared for over 20 years from the musical scene – no more desire nor inspiration. and…life !
- Which inspiration you have from the place where you live? There's some inspiration from your country in your music?
I have no particular inspiration from Bordeaux or France – of course there are some good bands but no real independent music culture.
I now live near the atlantic ocean, next to a huge forest which inspired me a lot - nature fascinates me and inspired Inside/Beside 3 compilation - tracks composed with sounds of the nature.
“When we learn that in 50 years, 50% of the sounds of nature have disappeared, we say that we must hurry to record the song of the world before the music stops.”
https://kalaminerecords.bandcamp.com/album/inside-beside-3-2
- Which are your favorite music projects and visual/plastic artists who inspire your work?
Well, I’m 50 next year so many artists have had a big influence in my life – Asia and Buddhist culture also inspires me – but I am of course a "child" of the industrial scene of the 80s.
I really like the visual work of 404.zero and all the paintings of my beloved daughter.
http://www.404zero.com/
- How do you see the current Experimental / Ambient music scene?
Many very talented artists and not sufficiently well known - but this important scene is not very organized - there are also quite pretentious people – not easy to share something with these fools.
- Favorite ambient, dark ambient composers?
Steve Reich – Philip Glass – Laurie Spiegel - Sleep Chamber (Sirkle Zero) - Hybryds (Music for Rituals) – Psychick TV & White Stains (At Stockholm) – Residents (Eskimo) - Coil – Eno – Sakamoto – and many others…
1 – Lauri Spiegel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD8hkveKmYQ
2 – Psychick TV & White Stains https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUL-BmnV7mk
3 - Hybryds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eklDloUQonE
No more - I haven't played much live in my life and I only have bad memories - hard for me to put up with people watching me.
But I must admit that I think about it anyway (a little) - maybe one day (in the dark), with other forms of artistic expression, performers, dancers ...
- Which is your favorite song or composition and album created by yourself ?
Favourite song : probably Insekt – a track about my phobia of the crowd and the noise it makes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmeEfQNItYE
Favourite album : Oural – an album/soundtrack composed 5 or 6 years ago and not released yet.
- Tell us about the concept & the creation process of one of your llatest work"Meta / Vision " released by your label Kalamine Records.
https://kalaminerecords.bandcamp.com/album/meta-vision
This album was prevoulsy released on my own bandcamp (Zumaia) 2 years ago – it’s a kind of post techno vision or “tribute” – techno has been an important movement for me, a libertarian revolution, an artistic and political declaration and then incredible parties, frequently prohibited and repressed.
- Tell us about the underground music scene in France, and which are your favorite artists from your country?
France is a very good place for food and wine but not so much for underground music - but as in all countries, there are of course some good bands like Clair Obscur, Norma Loy, Anne Gillis, Brume, Bernard Szajner, DDAA, Trisomie 21, Die Form…
- What inspired you to create your own music label (Kalamine Records)?
I had a bad experience with a label and I decided to start one - quite simply. By participating in many international compilations I met very interesting artists and I invited them to join me. There is no business with Kalamine Records, it is a confidential label, which has no claim.
KR has allowed me to meet amazing musicians and artists, and some assholes too (that i prefer to forget).
- Any anecdote that you want to share with us in the creation of some track?
Well, Initially, Kalamine was a side project of Zumaia (collaborative), but it did not turn out quite as expected and became Kalamine Records in February 2019. There must be 3 tracks from Kalamine (as a band) on compilations released on Nostalgie de la boue, Shit Noise Records and PanPanPan { Avian Distress Call } {AN} Eel.
https://youtu.be/fDd2wojCzuk
- Any news for 2021 in your music project or future collaborations?
I’m working on 6th Inside/Beside compilation – there will be Intent 2021 too, a compilation serie produced by Linn Friberg (Nova Beat Estate) and some discoveries…
I hope i can release a CD but nothing is done yet, and if I win the lottery I organize a Kalamine Records Festival in Bilbao 😉.
- Any other thing that you want to say to your listeners?
I hope you can understand my words (excuse my english).
I want to thank you for this interview and thank all KR supporters – Fuck everyone else.
ZUMAIA APPEARANCES IN CIAN ORBE COMPILATIONS:
https://archive.org/search.php?query=zumaia%20cian%20orbe
