PHARAOH OVERLORD
1. Would you like to talk us about the project of Pharaoh Overlord ?
PO is a three man rock band that tries to play as boring and quiet hard rock as possible. Music is very monotonic, psychedelic, smooth and mellow. PO has released one album via my own label called ‘Ektro’. Next album is going to be released next fall via ‘No Quarter Records’ from Philadelphia.
2. Why did you choose this name for the band?
We wanted to choose a bombastic name like this as a contrast for the music.
3. Your music is extremely minimal, does minimalism play a special role in human’s perception of the environment ?
In minimalistic music even the slightest change can mean the end of the world. Might be that we are afraid of the changes in our own lives and because of that want to play this kind of music. And on the other hand, the universe is just as big or small as you want it to be. There are millions of ways to do things, and we have set strict limitations in making our music. That can be our prison.
4. you choose to record an instrumental album and not also find a singer ?
In poprock-scene a singer in usually considered as a leader of the band. I think that the only way to have a singer is to have it as one instrument among others. At this case we didn’t find it necessary. Also lyrics often take away the abstractness of the music itself. And because lyrics usually has to be written in some understandable language, they often too powerfully underline something.
5. Which are your influences for your music ?
Love and frienship. And of course films, litterature and music. Films of Kusturica, Bergman, Godard, Truffaut, Von Trier, Anger, Tarkovski, Kurosawa… About musical influences I could mention for example Roy Harper, Led Zeppelin, NEU!, Pentagram, Faust, Art Bears, Can, Terry Riley, Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Mad River, Kraftwerk, High Rise, Sandy Bull, Iron Maiden, Venom and many, many others.
6. Do you find psychedelic music a different kind of expression ?
Yes. PO is psychedelic music and there are also “stoner” rock vibes, but that is without fast cars, women and drugs. Drugs are part of psychedelic music, but we don’t have that kind of interests. Therefore it’s hard for me to understand psychedelic way of living.
7. Are you going to tour for this album ?
I think we are going to England next year with PO. And then to USA. I hope.
8. Is there any relationship between drugs and psychedelia, or is just a myth?
I guess they go hand in hand, but I hope that the music remains to be the most important thing.
