Beyond redemption
How did base idea of BLOODY PANDA actually rise? Who have think it out and what does this name mean? Could you shortly describe your history?
The basement floor of Bloody Panda was formed in underground chambers of New Yrok City. Our first rehearsal was held underground. The mold gestated and rose like yeast. The name emits power and disrespect toward humans. We have been together for almost five years. Three out of five of us have known one another for over fifteen years. Yoshiko told us to "make music at the risk of our lives" ...since then we have chosen to follow her. Maybe it is not entirely a choice, rather more like mind control.
In my view you produce so much unique music that is not possible to mistake you with any other band. Are you trying to be original intently? Is originality important to you?
We aim to push our own limits definitely. It is important for us not to repeat ourselves or create anything typical. Anything that we like to listen to has marked innovativeness.
Almost every death metal band is similar to SLAYER, CANNIBAL CORPSE, MORBID ANGEL, or something in Swedish way...I can't find band similar to you...I think you haven't many things common to classic doom metal....where is the source of your dark depressive moodiness and aura? What music do you listen to?
The sources of our ideas are many. As far as heavy metal is concerned (now we're talking about the tastes of Josh Blake and myself as Yoshiko listens to absolutely zero metal), we like bands from Finland a lot, we hear the suicide rate is really high over there, so that makes sense. Thergothon, Skepticism, Fleshpress, Stumm, Wormflegm, Tyranny, these are all bands paving impressively sticky tar. Other extreme forms of metal are enjoyed by some of us, bands like Belketre and Blut Aus Nord are appreciated.
Structures of your tracks are very interesting, they are complex enough and varied, moreover Yoshiko's vocal makes some disharmony and curiosity towards music... now I cannot imagine harmonic and clear vocal, but this contrast makes perfect unit! Are you satisfied with "Pheromone"?
Pheromone documents what we were doing and where we were coming from. One is likely never entirely satisfied while living, but that's not a lamentable fact. In other words, thoughts like, the drums could be louder maybe, or things like that, make one face acceptance. We are working on a magnum opus of a record now and our methods are constantly changing.
Seems you have big problems with drummer...Is it hard to find drummer who would play so schizophrenic music, or you have only no luck?
We have an arsenal of mercenary percussionists. We get to work with a lot of professional drummers who just drum to earn their food, and that can lend a deep field of percussive understanding into our midst. We also write a lot of the drum parts ourselves.
What is most important to you at song writing? How much do you feel bound or free as for ideas you use? What music wouldn't you want to play?
What music wouldn't you want to play ...I like that question a lot. Music must supply mystery. Not for mystery's sake, because that would be contrived. Like any lens, music will alter has the power to alter perception. If it isn't doing that in some way than it can fall flat. Unless you are really just looking to dance.
What's most important in song writing tends to vary song to song. Architecture is closely attended to, but whether we want it to be tight or to be loose can depend on what sort of communion is happening in the song. The limits that we'll impose seldom stint our ideas, rather, if there are limits that we work with, they're designed to hone in focus.
What way will you take to develop creation of BLOODY PANDA? Want you write stuff similar to "Pheromone", but with quite a differrent musical, harmonic, rhytmical, feelings themes?
We want to keep expanding on all fronts. We are bursting creatively and that's a good sense to have, collectively. We want to place our music in different contexts, such as Butoh dance, or perhaps film. The music we're writing is taking some of the elasticity of time that we endeavored to communicate with Pheromone and stretching it further at all ends. Some of our newer stuff is locked into a metronomic polyrhythmic grid, other stuff is arhythmic and never quite played the same way twice.
You have mentioned that Yoshiko listens to absolutely zero metal....how did you actually meet and settle on cooperation with Yoshiko? Still you are metal band. How much do you think Yoshiko prove to enrich your music? Or do you enrich her vocal? haha.
I met Yoshiko through an ad that she had posted. She is the helm of the group. What she brings is irresistible to us.
You belong to so-called down tempo bands. Do you think that speed, or faster tempos don't fit to your music? Does slow music have some thisness?
We like to play with tempo and with elasticity. How tempo gets treated -- whether we are playing on top of the pulse or pulling back behind it -- is elemental to what we do. Fast music can be very powerful, as can slower treatments. We are also interested in what gets done between the spaces, how the music can be subdivided, so that all of the molten lava beneath the surface can be felt. Tempo can be recognized for its metonymic use, as a baby associates a nipple with milk.
Probably you have read some critics to your music in some magazines. Have you been surprised by something? Were there aslo some irritating critics or some very precise ones which you absolutely agree with? How much are critics important to you?
Lastplanetojakarta has written some kind words about us recently, as has Aquarius. The reception we receive seems to depend upon if this music appeals to one's tastes or not. No one is objective.
To highlight atmosphere in your music you use some kind of whistle that sounds very quietly and some keyboards. Sound of organ is nice and it adds true essence of darkness. Will you use these instruments also in "Magnum Opus" album?
Blake plays a synth stacked on top of an organ, sometimes with foot pedals. Yoshiko has told him that his sound can go anywhere. This was a helpful way to think about keys, especially when mixing... the keys need to enforce the basement floor here and act more like smoke over there.
What is the source of your inspiration besides music? Are you interested in any kinds of art?
Butoh dance is something that has inspired us. We have some music featured in a performance in this year's biennial NY Butoh fest, which has been an honor to experience. Fiction like La Bas by Huysmans, the Monk by Matthew Lewis, Chants de Maldoror by Lautreamont and Dzahn by Platonov are recommended if you like books in line with visceral bleak music. We're pretty serious movie addicts as well.
Who is responsible for lyrics of BLOODY PANDA? What do they express? To confess I haven't read your lyrics....what stress do you lay upon lyrics?
Yoshiko writes most of the lyrics, which tend to be pretty personal.
Do you know American director David Lynch and his works as Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Wild At Heart, Mulholland Drive, Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, Lost Highway etc? How do you like it?
I must have seen Lost Highway ten times right after it came out. I thought Mulhulland Drive was much of the same. Inland Empire is really solid. Some of our music, specifically the more quiet section of Fever, has been compared to Twin Peaks.
Ok, that would be all from me. Big thanx for answering my questions. Good luck to you. You have the last words...
Thanks for your interest and support. We hope to make it over there some day. Contact us if ever in New York.
Mortuary
The basement floor of Bloody Panda was formed in underground chambers of New Yrok City. Our first rehearsal was held underground. The mold gestated and rose like yeast. The name emits power and disrespect toward humans. We have been together for almost five years. Three out of five of us have known one another for over fifteen years. Yoshiko told us to "make music at the risk of our lives" ...since then we have chosen to follow her. Maybe it is not entirely a choice, rather more like mind control.
In my view you produce so much unique music that is not possible to mistake you with any other band. Are you trying to be original intently? Is originality important to you?
We aim to push our own limits definitely. It is important for us not to repeat ourselves or create anything typical. Anything that we like to listen to has marked innovativeness.
Almost every death metal band is similar to SLAYER, CANNIBAL CORPSE, MORBID ANGEL, or something in Swedish way...I can't find band similar to you...I think you haven't many things common to classic doom metal....where is the source of your dark depressive moodiness and aura? What music do you listen to?
The sources of our ideas are many. As far as heavy metal is concerned (now we're talking about the tastes of Josh Blake and myself as Yoshiko listens to absolutely zero metal), we like bands from Finland a lot, we hear the suicide rate is really high over there, so that makes sense. Thergothon, Skepticism, Fleshpress, Stumm, Wormflegm, Tyranny, these are all bands paving impressively sticky tar. Other extreme forms of metal are enjoyed by some of us, bands like Belketre and Blut Aus Nord are appreciated.
Structures of your tracks are very interesting, they are complex enough and varied, moreover Yoshiko's vocal makes some disharmony and curiosity towards music... now I cannot imagine harmonic and clear vocal, but this contrast makes perfect unit! Are you satisfied with "Pheromone"?
Pheromone documents what we were doing and where we were coming from. One is likely never entirely satisfied while living, but that's not a lamentable fact. In other words, thoughts like, the drums could be louder maybe, or things like that, make one face acceptance. We are working on a magnum opus of a record now and our methods are constantly changing.
Seems you have big problems with drummer...Is it hard to find drummer who would play so schizophrenic music, or you have only no luck?
We have an arsenal of mercenary percussionists. We get to work with a lot of professional drummers who just drum to earn their food, and that can lend a deep field of percussive understanding into our midst. We also write a lot of the drum parts ourselves.
What is most important to you at song writing? How much do you feel bound or free as for ideas you use? What music wouldn't you want to play?
What music wouldn't you want to play ...I like that question a lot. Music must supply mystery. Not for mystery's sake, because that would be contrived. Like any lens, music will alter has the power to alter perception. If it isn't doing that in some way than it can fall flat. Unless you are really just looking to dance.
What's most important in song writing tends to vary song to song. Architecture is closely attended to, but whether we want it to be tight or to be loose can depend on what sort of communion is happening in the song. The limits that we'll impose seldom stint our ideas, rather, if there are limits that we work with, they're designed to hone in focus.
What way will you take to develop creation of BLOODY PANDA? Want you write stuff similar to "Pheromone", but with quite a differrent musical, harmonic, rhytmical, feelings themes?
We want to keep expanding on all fronts. We are bursting creatively and that's a good sense to have, collectively. We want to place our music in different contexts, such as Butoh dance, or perhaps film. The music we're writing is taking some of the elasticity of time that we endeavored to communicate with Pheromone and stretching it further at all ends. Some of our newer stuff is locked into a metronomic polyrhythmic grid, other stuff is arhythmic and never quite played the same way twice.
You have mentioned that Yoshiko listens to absolutely zero metal....how did you actually meet and settle on cooperation with Yoshiko? Still you are metal band. How much do you think Yoshiko prove to enrich your music? Or do you enrich her vocal? haha.
I met Yoshiko through an ad that she had posted. She is the helm of the group. What she brings is irresistible to us.
You belong to so-called down tempo bands. Do you think that speed, or faster tempos don't fit to your music? Does slow music have some thisness?
We like to play with tempo and with elasticity. How tempo gets treated -- whether we are playing on top of the pulse or pulling back behind it -- is elemental to what we do. Fast music can be very powerful, as can slower treatments. We are also interested in what gets done between the spaces, how the music can be subdivided, so that all of the molten lava beneath the surface can be felt. Tempo can be recognized for its metonymic use, as a baby associates a nipple with milk.
Probably you have read some critics to your music in some magazines. Have you been surprised by something? Were there aslo some irritating critics or some very precise ones which you absolutely agree with? How much are critics important to you?
Lastplanetojakarta has written some kind words about us recently, as has Aquarius. The reception we receive seems to depend upon if this music appeals to one's tastes or not. No one is objective.
To highlight atmosphere in your music you use some kind of whistle that sounds very quietly and some keyboards. Sound of organ is nice and it adds true essence of darkness. Will you use these instruments also in "Magnum Opus" album?
Blake plays a synth stacked on top of an organ, sometimes with foot pedals. Yoshiko has told him that his sound can go anywhere. This was a helpful way to think about keys, especially when mixing... the keys need to enforce the basement floor here and act more like smoke over there.
What is the source of your inspiration besides music? Are you interested in any kinds of art?
Butoh dance is something that has inspired us. We have some music featured in a performance in this year's biennial NY Butoh fest, which has been an honor to experience. Fiction like La Bas by Huysmans, the Monk by Matthew Lewis, Chants de Maldoror by Lautreamont and Dzahn by Platonov are recommended if you like books in line with visceral bleak music. We're pretty serious movie addicts as well.
Who is responsible for lyrics of BLOODY PANDA? What do they express? To confess I haven't read your lyrics....what stress do you lay upon lyrics?
Yoshiko writes most of the lyrics, which tend to be pretty personal.
Do you know American director David Lynch and his works as Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Wild At Heart, Mulholland Drive, Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, Lost Highway etc? How do you like it?
I must have seen Lost Highway ten times right after it came out. I thought Mulhulland Drive was much of the same. Inland Empire is really solid. Some of our music, specifically the more quiet section of Fever, has been compared to Twin Peaks.
Ok, that would be all from me. Big thanx for answering my questions. Good luck to you. You have the last words...
Thanks for your interest and support. We hope to make it over there some day. Contact us if ever in New York.
Mortuary