Band Interview: Mother’s Cake
Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life had the chance to chat to Jan Haußels (drums) of psych rockers Mother’s Cake. Their brand new album, Cyberfunk! is out September 18th 2020. What follows is a transcript of some of the talking points from the interview. You can watch/listen to the full thing via YouTube, Soundcloud, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Jan, it is an absolute pleasure to be speaking with you. How have you been coping throughout 2020 and the worldwide pandemic?
I’m at this point now where I’m actually starting to enjoy all the free time that I’m having and also the possibility to look into other fields and jobs and experiences. But the first couple of months were definitely a bit tough.
It’s just kind of a hibernation as I call it. You know, we have our little winter hibernation that’s started in summer. It’s also a break that we never had before and for many years we just didn’t have. I also see it as a chance to be highly motivated, energized and really stoked to play our songs and all that stuff again, especially with the new record.
So, we are less than two weeks away from the release of the brand new album Cyberfunk! How you’re feeling about now? Are you still excited? Are you energized or are you sick to death of it?
I am a little bit sick of the song I’m working on right now because I’m doing the video! I’ve heard that song probably five hundred times now!
No, off the record, I’m not sick at all. I’ve I have stopped listening to it a long time ago already, so I kind of wait until it’s released to give it another listen. Then when I finally have it physically in my hands. I’m super anticipating it.
You’re going to hear a ton of different ways to describe the album. Eclectic, imaginative, creative, fascinating, confusing, captivating and many more. How do you guys, as a unit keep yourselves in balance for not going insane with this eclectic style of music you create?
Well, we are maybe a little bit insane, so I don’t know how much we’ve succeeded with that.
The idea of Cyberfunk is bit being a mix tape. We have this big eyed creature on the front that hands over a mixtape, a mixtape called Cyberfunk. The idea is that we have a collection of songs that go into very different moods and very different stages of energy. Our aim is to be entertaining and as diverse as possible and also to push our own diversity.
I think they’re (fans) in for a surprise. I think they’re going to celebrate when they hear it, because it’s definitely diverse.
One of the things that I think stood out the most about Cyberfunk is the flow and from what I understand the flow of the album is very important to you.
Absolutely. I’m so, so glad that you say that, because that’s the intention. Also, those little snippets you have in between, that’s supposed to be, you know, if you’ve done your mixtape back in the 90s. Sometimes you have these snippets in between. So that was kind the glue to keep that flow going as much as possible. Not having just the songs there, but to have it more as a whole experience.
There’s also a cool surprise also on the vinyl version!
Do you feel as though Mother’s Cake understand what it means to be successful in the modern era of music?
No, honestly, no, no. I think we’re very classic in that matter. Like, we know how to go on stage and we know how to perform and people enjoy that very much.
How you keep attached to your audience. Non stop. Twenty four hours, basically, ideally. And that’s really something where we’re incredibly bad.
That’s not us. I don’t know. And I, I for my part have accepted that. That excludes us a little bit from the game.
Was there a specific moment where you were able to stop and think, oh, hell, we actually are famous?
I haven’t thought that to this day. We are somewhat famous and I always say that we’re somewhat famous in certain circles. We are all glad that we made it to a certain level and certain extent. It’s special for sure but it’s easier to think it’s something is much bigger than it actually is.
The best moment that maybe feels a bit like fame, but like more in a good way, is when people actually come up to you after the show and they say, this made me want to play the drums or your music made me want to be in a band or something like that. That’s the good moments for sure.
Links
