Trees Speak just recently released their fifth album. As with all their previous releases, ‘Mind Maze’ is a mind-boggling tightrope walk across an array of musical influences that seamlessly create the unique present-day world of Trees Speak.

The band’s sound is characterized by a combination of German krautrock motorik-beat rhythms, angular New York post-punk attitude, 60s spy soundtracks, psych, rock, jazz, and 70s synthesizers and vocoders. There is also a cosmic spatial awareness to their sound; both personal inner space and galactic outer space, as well as a wilful pushing of sonic boundaries.

“Each session also includes pieces written and improvised in the moment”

What led to the formation of Trees Speak?

Daniel Martin Diaz: Trees Speak came about somewhat by chance. Damian and I spent a summer recording in a Tucson, Arizona art gallery with the intention of creating experimental minimalist music. We recorded over an hour of music, all live and without structure. Many of the tracks were short, preludial pieces akin to library music, and we were simply guided by feel and emotion. We uploaded the songs online, and Marco from Cinedelic Records (Italy) stumbled upon them, reaching out to see if we would be interested in releasing them as an LP. Impressed by the label’s aesthetic standards and curation, we agreed.

What other projects have you worked on?

After our first record Trees Speak, we released ‘Others’ in collaboration with Lesli Wood and Vicky Brown, released by Cinedelic Records. Lesli’s vision was to create a witch psych synth record, by using dulcimers, violins, and organic instruments in addition to our standard vintage 70s synths. We are currently discussing a follow-up record.

What was your and Damian’s first collaboration?

Our first collaboration was with Amelia Poe, recording, performing, and producing a dark pop record that was never released, but is now available on Spotify. We wrote the songs with Poe, whose vision was a dark, haunted western, with processed vocals. It was a very experimental project.

What were the circumstances surrounding the release of your debut release in 2017?

Our first release received a lot of press, leading us to feel that we were onto something interesting and ready to record a follow-up.

Is there any mantra you follow when it comes to music-making?

Our philosophy is to never bore ourselves, abandoning any ideas that don’t resonate. We also place an emphasis on recording drums, bass, and instruments live without editing or quantizing.

What’s your typical creative process?

Damian and I each come to the studio with about ten ideas we’ve been working on, which we develop live in the studio. Each session also includes pieces written and improvised in the moment, often as transitional pieces.

What are some of your strongest memories from working on your second album, ‘Ohms’?

With ‘Ohms,’ we had the freedom to not have a concrete concept, only bits of aesthetic ideas that we pieced together to form a vision. Our goal was to create a minimal record with driving beats and sequences, using only 70s synths and going through twin reverb amps, Neve outboard equipment, and vintage mics. We never use midi, and the Roland JX3P’s fluctuating sequencer added a raw energy to the record.

“Both of us are fans of lost music from the late 50s, 60s, and 70s”

What are some of the essential records in your life?

Both of us are fans of lost music from the late 50s, 60s, and 70s from all over the world, including Italian horror composers, John Berry, Klaus Schulze, Stockhausen, Cage, and more.

What are some of your plans?

We’re preparing to release our sixth record, ‘Mind Maze,’ on Soul Jazz Records (London) recorded in Brooklyn in 2022. We’re also gearing up for another European tour, following a successful one last November. [Editor’s note: Interview was conducted in January 2023]

The last word is yours.

We’re grateful for all the support we’ve received and couldn’t continue creating without it. Each album takes a significant emotional toll on us, but we strive to keep everything we create, from music to artwork to live performances, engaging and fresh. Trees Speak is more than just music, it’s an artistic expression, a way of life and we’re privileged to share it. Thank you, to each and every one of you who have supported us!

Klemen Breznikar

Trees Speak Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Bandcamp / YouTube
Soul Jazz Records Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / YouTube
Cinedelic Records Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp / YouTube