Mayaku

MAYAKU – The other side of the volcano

MARIUS:
1. Why “the Other side Volcano” ? I think your sound is explosive … 
With our music we have always pictures in our head. We had this kind of Asian feeling in the studio and I saw this misty clouds over a volcanic landscape..
2. What do you think about the evolutions and influences of the house music in this moment?
I think there are a lot of different kinds of house music. Jazzy, hard, electro, tribal, progressive, disco… I like that. Every good producer has his own sound and you always hear them getting better. The technology of today makes it possible that the records sound better than 5 years ago. That’s cool. for example I like Swag, JT Donaldson and At Jazz because they keep on delivering quality music and they don’t become cheezy.
3. Do you like play hard or play quite mellow-funk-dub ? 
I like to play deep house and tech-house. Always funky and atmospheric. also percussive and with soul.
4. Tell us about: “Funketeers” …
We wanted to make a tech house track that day. we started with some electro samples from an old 80ies record. somehow, the bass drum and the synthesizer bass kick ass!! we also added spacy sounds from films. we have a lot of
those 808 sounds, like “Paul Hardcastle” with “19” back in the days.
5. and “City Spinners” … 
That had to become a jazzy breakbeat track with a pitched fender rhodes sound. Rubba J played a very jazzy bassline then. We have a lot of live feeling in the drums. I also wanted to make this seventies-pulp-soundtrack kind of break with the windchimes! And at the end I added a Moog solo to make it complete!
6. Plans for this Summer? Festival? 
Yes ! we have two festivals in Belgium: Alter-Ego in June and Dour festival in July. We are going to perform semi-live: this means Koenie and I play a DJ set and Rubba J playes live on the bass guitar. We also have a festival in Italy Arezzowave “Love Festival” 05.07.2002 www.arezzowave.com

RUBBA J:

1. Why “the Other side Volcano” ? I think your sound is explosive …
The other side… makes you dream of something, another world maybe a new place …
2. What do you think about the evolutions and influences of the house music in this moment? 
F or me i get most impulse of good djs playing fine grooves, especially Koenie is some of a mentor who still keeps finding and playing those interesting beats.
Koenie:
I think the music only gets better.The Beats and how it sounds. Maybe a little bit to much music that comes out.
You have to more be selective.
3. Do you like play hard or play quite mellow-funk-dub ? 
I come from a funk background, as long as there’s a funk feel to it, it can move me. although a hard beat sometimes can give a lot of energy as well.
Koenie: It depends for how many people you play. Also the mood you are in. I like to play hard as well funky and also very spacey.You try to do the best for the people.
4. Tell us about: “Funketeers” … 
Ii liked the electro feel to it, made me think about my breakdancing years back in the days…
Koenie: I like it but I think it could be a little better : my favourite tracks are Space Race Dub & Omnidirectional.
5. and “City Spinners” … 
has that acid jazz vibes feel, when koenie came up with that beat i emediatly picked up my bass and started playing on top of it, quickly Marius starded addind the nice percussion and hihats (as only he can) and we were rollin’ again. thats the formula, we all do what comes up in our soul without any rules.
Koenie: This track really has a lot of emotions, Laidback, funky etc.
6. Plans for this Summer? Festival? 
Great plans in the mind, i hope we can bring our vibes to as many people as we can, i enjoy playing live bass on top of the dj selections of Marius and Koenie and hype up the crowd ( if there into our beats of course…)
Koenie: We just going to have some fun and give the public a great time.

MAYAKU is a fresh Belgian collective of the 3 main WGW-producers with the members lending the first two letters of their name for the project.

First we have MARIUS who released his debut album last year on this label and getting lots of attention also by doing remixes for An Pierle, Yann Fontaine and Groove Armada.

Together with the second member RUBBA J (aka JAN COSTERMANS) he was also responsible for a series of twelve inches called the Deep Water Sessions not so long ago on this same Antwerp imprint and his more “Live – orientated” project called Trio Delicado on Wha? Roots Recordings. His debut album on WGW is about to released in June 2002. Besides producing Rubba J is also an active member in various funk and hip – hop bands.

KOEN VAN IMMERSEEL (Wonka, Wally’s Combo, Koenie & Frederik, WGW-headmaster) is the last tweeker on duty and mostly the Belgian party people just know him as DJ Koenie who has already been spinning for almost 15 years now. He was there from the beginning and anno 2002 he still is one of the most booked dj’s in Belgium and surrounding countries.

On the twelve inch single level Mayaku already release some very significant releases on WGW (4 releases) but also on the subsidiary Wha? Roots recordings (2 releases) with everytime some very surprising feedbacks from worldwide respected Dj’s like Dorfmeister, Kenny Hawkes, Doc Martin, Jon Marsh (The Beloved), Ivan Smagghe, Billy Woods, Ralph Lawson and the list goes futher.

Magazines like Muzik, DJ, 7,… were amongst many others that reviewed singles of Mayaku and recently Jockey Slut featured an interview of these boys. The debut album ‘The other side of the volcano’ will be a very pleasant surprise for the non vinyl buying public and the hype is on!
Expect in the near future also a MAYAKU tour in Europe with DJ Koenie, Marius and Rubba J live on bass.

www.wallysgrooveworld.com

THNX: Filip WGW, Dax DJ (4interview/article), Guglielmo Mascio (New Funk Klan) (Year 2002)

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