Go!Zilla interview
Modern Jungle’s Prisoners is the Go!Zilla comeback album, released two years after their last Sinking In Your Sea album. It’s the beginning of a new sound adventure for these five Italians.
Let’s start off with the basics – tell us a bit about the origins of the band. How did Go!Zilla come together?
The project was born back in 2011 as a duo, basically all the formation, the old and the new, and the people that joined us here and there are all friends from the scene in Firenze. We are all friends with the same goal in music and with similar music taste.
What do you consider to be your first real exposure to music?
Well, as a band I like to remember the first show we played outside of Italy. It was in Germany on a squat called Epplehaus, in a city called Tübingen.
What does the name “Go!Zilla” refer to in the context of the artistic name?
I think I’ve answered this question a million time, ahaha! It comes from an idea our first drummer had, never knew what was referring to, I just liked the sound so I kept it after he left.
What’s the songwriting process like?
Luca or Mattia comes with an idea for the melody or the guitar, then we jam and try to put together the song. Then we generally record a demo and analyze the song until we’re satisfied and wait to play it live before recording in the studio.
Can you share some further details how your Modern Jungle’s Prisoners was recorded?
For the first time in our history we took a bit of time and we decided, together with our sound guy Leo Magnolfi, to record every day a different song, starting in the morning with the drum kit, ending at night with the voice. I don’t like the idea to record, like most of the band does anymore and so we did, all the instruments one each time like: “first all the drums and bass of all the songs and then on…”. Basically cause we wanted to be more concentrated on the single tracks.
Can you elaborate the meaning of mental captivity in the urban jungle?
It is basically related to the times we’re living where Internet is creating double personalities and where the politics is coming back to nationalism. Where if you’re related to art or music it’s really hard to express yourself and stand out, it is a complete jungle where sometimes you can feel like being trapped in labyrinth: you need to know the way out before the others.
So, is there a certain concept behind this release?
Yes, the idea was to make a concept album.
What would you say influenced you the most? Have influences changed during the years?
Probably, just simply our age: people go on, all of us are people interested in different styles of music and with different interests, so the influences are many: from Afro music to cumbia, from Italian soundtracks to ethnic music or psychedelic music of course.
What about Sinking In Your Sea? How would you compare it to your latest album?
Sinking In Your Sea was more urgent, more punk, more fuzz, recorded on like four or five days and written on a couple of months.
I also really enjoyed Pollution / Gambling With The Crocodile single (Stolen Body Records, 2016).
Thanks, those are the only two songs, from the previous records, that we’re still performing during our live sets.
Let’s talk about gigs. You recently played at Rome Psych Fest.
Rome Psych is a good festival in Italy that is raising recently, a good opportunity for Italian audience to get closer to some new bands on the psychedelic music scene. We played a good set in front of a packed venue, right after us Dead Meadow were headlining.
What are some future plans?
Touring Italy and the rest of Europe, probably going to South America and start working on a next release.
Let’s end this interview with some of your favourite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?
Africa Oscura by Giuliano Sorgini, an Italian composer from the 70s. That’s the last record I got. I suggest also whatever you can get from Piero Umiliani or Egisto Macchi, both great composers from our country.
Headline photo © Erika Errante
– Klemen Breznikar
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