We sat down with multi-instrumentalist production duo, Intergalactix, to discuss how they came about their sound, their decision to create a double-sided EP, and how the music scene differs in the United States versus in Australia. You can read our full interview with the band below!
LOL: Your sound is really
unique, you guys call yourself electronica, pop punk kind of thing, but you
guys have been working together for a while, right
Serg Dimitrijevic: Yeah, we’ve been working together for a
long time. We’ve known each other for over fifteen years from back home in
Australia…we’ve been friends for a really long time and have played music
together as well
LOL: So when it came to
creating [Intergalactix] did you guys decide what your sound was going to be
like beforehand or did it just come naturally?
Kristian Attard: Yeah, it just sort of came out however. We
had a lot of different bands over the years – some sort of rock bands, some
with different singers and stuff like that
LOL: Yeah, you guys have
worked with a bunch of people from so many different genres.
KA: Yeah but that’s the way we kind of like it because we
like so many different styles of music. So I guess for us when we decided to do
our own thing that just comes out, all of the different influences, but there’s
definitely a strong funk-soul influence. And my vocals are more of an indie
sort of thing so it sort of is what it is. We’re influenced by so many
different things
SD: Yeah, absolutely. It wasn’t really like a conscious
thing like ‘hey, now we’re gonna do this thing,’ we do a lot of productions for
people and stuff like that and so we started working by just producing a lot of
stuff and we’re like ‘hey, this kind of sounds cool, we should sort of keep
this stuff for ourselves.’ From there it just kind of developed and our whole
thing is that we just want to have fun with music and make it accessible
without it being pop pop, but at the same time have that sort of sensibility
where people just hear it like ‘okay, I get it.’ I think it’s a good blend and
we’re happy with it.
LOL: Yeah and I hate using
the word ‘different’ but when people hear you they’ll know who you are. They’re
not gonna be like ‘this is so and so’ or ‘this is so typical,’ it’s so
different that it’s intriguing to see what else you guys would put out.
SD: It is and even this tour that we’re on, you know we’re
getting a lot of new fans and friends just from playing with Strange Talk and
that’s kind of a common thing now, you know, ‘oh you guys are so different’ –
KA: Yeah and there’s definitely a few people that they say
we sound like. We got one guy from San Francisco who said we sound like a
mixture of Chromeo, Prince, Tears For Fears and the theme from Seinfeld
[all laugh]
LOL: That’s incredible!
SD: We’re like, okay we’re going with that [laughs]. It was all positive, we just
went, ‘the theme from Seinfeld?’ That was unexpected [laughs]
LOL: So you guys are
coming out with a double-sided EP, how did you plan that? Why not a full
length?
KA: I think because we just had…we took a different
approach. The first EP we put out it was just like the first four songs that we
wrote for this project and that’s all we kind of had, you know? On this one
we’ve been a bit more selective and chosen two songs we’re really comfortable
with and I think we have a bunch of other ones that we maybe want to put out later.
LOL: So what can fans
expect to hear from this? Are you guys doing anything new stylistically?
KA: Yeah, I think the first EP showcased a bit more of the
indie side like the more electronic vibe. This definitely has a lot more funk
LOL: Which definitely played
into the session we did [check it out here!]. It sounds weird to say sometimes,
but –
SD: I know, but
that’s just because it’s used by so many things when you think ‘funk.’ We’re
big fans of Prince and the classic old school sound like that and we’re trying
to really keep those sounds into some new sounds and vocal things. We just want
people to dance, basically, to hear tracks and have a good time. And the
lyrics, on this particular release, are a bit more specific …where as soon as
you hear it you’re like ‘okay, I know what’s going on.’
KA: Yeah, they both have a story
SD: And that’s something we’ve been trying to focus on, the
stories and the things we’ve experienced and just to make them a little bit
more dominant in the music instead of not having anything there.
KA: Well I think the first EP definitely had a lot in it,
but I think it wasn’t as literal, you had to maybe guess what it meant.
SD: Yeah, or read between the lines.
KA: And this one is a bit more…
LOL: It’s basically laid
right in front of you
SD: Yeah, but they’re cool stories
KA: I think people
like a story. They don’t want to guess too much, sometimes
LOL: Yeah, sometimes. But
so, you guys are originally from Australia and your tour-mates are from
Australia. How do you think the music scene differs there versus here? Do you
think there’s any sort of difference?
KA: Yeah, definitely. There’s definitely an Aussie sound in
a lot of bands you’ll hear like Strange Talk, Empire of the Sun – they
definitely have a sound and I think we have a bit of that in ours too. But I
think as far as the scene goes over there, it’s like being in a small city. For
a lot of artists, there isn’t a big platform for them. There’s a few radio
stations like Triple J and then there’s main stream. Triple J has been
responsible for a lot of bands coming out of Australia like Tame Impala and
even Strange Talk. But they also have a very direct line of what fits into
them…so if you don’t fit into with what they do, which we probably wouldn’t, I
don’t know, because we’re in between two things and maybe it wouldn’t work over
there. But over here there’s room for everything over here…[In Australia] you
have to direct it towards certain things instead of being creative
LOL: You have more
creative freedom here
KA: Yeah, I think so but I think it’s great over there.
There’s a lot of great musicians and a lot of great music.
SD: Australia’s always had a great export of great music…but
I think it’s like a numbers game like 23 million people as opposed to 350 or
whatever, so unfortunately record labels over there tend to look at what’s
going on over here and want to try and do that. So there are the guys that slip
through the cracks and end up becoming their own, like The Griswolds who we
played at Firefly with, but it’s definitely that and like he’s saying, there’s
a lot more freedom in the fact that there are so many more people and the
tastes are so much more varied and you have options, you know what I mean?
KA: A lot more opportunity here though as well.
SD: Yeah, and opportunity on a global level.
LOL: So speaking of
Firefly, since you brought it up, do you guys prepare differently for playing a
festival versus playing a regular show? Or is it kind of the same thing?
KA: No, we definitely prepare differently. Just before we
did Firefly, I saw one of my favorite artists D’Angelo and just like, the whole
set was fluid. It’s not dance music, but it just flows so well and that was
awesome. It kind of inspired us to sort of make our set flow and I think at a
festival people don’t want to keep stopping if they’re into it, so now we talk
on top of music, which I think is cooler because you’re still listening to
something. It’s not just dead silence.
SD: We do prepare differently, even with this tour that
we’re not using a drummer on this particular tour when normally we have been.
It was just one of those things where Strange Talk’s set was more elaborate –
KA: They have a big lighting rig that takes up half a stage
and I mean, it’s been cool.
SD: Yeah, it’s been great.
KA:Yeah, we’ve seen a couple bands that do it too and it was
cool.
SD: And we also don’t like to just stand there, we like to
interact with the crowd as much as we can, so that is still definitely there.
It’s just slight changes like not having a drummer so you have to think of the
approach differently to make it flow a certain way. We’re still working stuff
out and we’re always writing and always trying new ideas and seeing if ‘hey
that’s a cool song, lets play it and see what people think’ and just get a
reaction like that. I always feel like we’re sort of trying to develop or keep
changing things up, otherwise we get bored and if we’re bored, you’re gonna be
bored, you know? If I’m going to a concert, I want the band to look like
they’re excited or having a good time
KA: Yeah, they should look like they’re having a good time,
or they should actually be having a good time
[all laugh]
LOL: I ask this question
every now and then when we do interviews. Everyone has a different way of
defining success – radio play or having a sold out show, etc. How do you
measure success?
KA: I think, as an artist, being successful is just being
able to write what you want to write and create the art and music that you
want. To have people appreciate it too and get something out of it. You know,
sometimes after shows people put stuff on Twitter like ‘I’m still so excited
about that show I saw of you guys.’ That to me, when you see people who
genuinely get into something like a show or it really meant something to them,
that’s what success is for me personally. Not so much like being a massive
band, not that I’m against it [laugh]. What do you think?
SD: No I agree, I totally agree. They’re the rewards of
having people appreciate your art and I think that’s definitely a success
because you know, when you’re writing you’re not thinking about ‘we’re gonna
make millions,’ it’s none of that stuff
KA: I think there are certain managers and they try to get
you to do that and I think music just ends up sounding controlled. We have a
manager now that’s really aware of those things, so sometimes I think it’s good
to have someone from the outside cause we can get in our own world and it can
be too much
SD: ‘This is the best song we’ve ever written’ and then
they’re like, ‘it’s really not’ [all laugh], so then it’s just like ‘okay,
cool.’
LOL: Anything else you
guys want to add? What are you guys planning after this tour?
KA: We’re gonna go back to Australia and just chill out with
our family
SD: Yeah, maybe do some shows and continue just lots of
writing songs and producing stuff
KA: Yeah, we want to put out a record next year, like a full
length, so we just have to get into doing that.
SD: Yeah, we just got a lot of tracks and we’re sort of just
writing and writing and seeing which ones are gonna stick. The first EP was
four songs, five songs we had to pick from and now what we’ve realized is that
we have a lot more to choose from so now we’ve got to be more selective. But
that’s pretty much what we’re gonna be doing, going home and relaxing a bit and
still working
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