Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/943656
maltatoday SUNDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2018 31 This Week How would you say your sound has evolved from when you guys first started out, and what were some of the most important steps to make you the band you are today? Our sound has grown up with us, even if some characteristics remain, such as the raw instinct that defines our direction. We started playing because we felt the need to express ourselves, and we found the way to do that through psychedelic rock and post rock. Since the first time we played together our sound evolved, also thanks to the ex- periences that we had working with film and theatre. For ex- ample we started experiment- ing with electronic music when we were working on ACAB ('All Cops Are Bastards') and it be- came a reference to the big work we did in Gomorrah – the series with Stefano Sollima. How did your leap into writing music for film happen? Would you say that the post- rock/psychedelic sound is particularly conducive to movie soundtracks, and what do you find most enjoyable about working on them? We've always wanted to experi- ment with visual imagery; ever since our first few concerts, re- ally. It quickly became a defining feature of our live shows. Indeed, post-rock, as genre, with its mini- mal and instrumental tendencies, matches cinematic texture, and we think that this is possible be- cause it is naturally predisposed towards creating emotions and interior landscapes. And this continues to be one of the most fascinating aspects of the genre for all of us, to this day. Apart from your landmark work on Gomorrah, you've also collaborated with the likes of Gabriele Salvatores. What was your experience of working at such a high level of Italian film production like? What were some the main challenges of crafting a soundtrack to fit projects of that scale? We have very distinct and fond memories of working on the 'Come Dio Comanda' soundtrack, and we still cherish having been given the opportuni- ty to do so. At that time, we were fans of Gabriele Salvatores and his movies, as well as the writer of the source novel, Niccolò Am- maniti, and for us this experience was almost like living a dream. The composing of the score was particular and was developed in one year, before shooting the movie and, obviously, after. We had the opportunity to work with very nice people and great professionals, who are at the top of their field in Italy. The entire endeavour motivated us to do the best job we could do, and we're still very proud of it. On that note, Gomorrah is arguably one of the most significant stories to emerge from Italy in quite some time – both in terms of its sheer popularity as well as its wider political import. As musicians, what kind of sound did you seek to craft that would match the tone and feel of the series, and why did you make these stylistic choices in particular? For Gomorrah – The Series we were influenced by what we had seen in a non-definitive version of the first episode. Everything that we developed after that is the musical consequence of the emo- tional impact that episode had on us. We translated in music what we saw on the screen, such as restlessness, action, darkness, rage and the desire for revenge… Are you looking forward to playing in Malta? We're absolutely thrilled to play in Malta – it will be our first per- formance outside of Italy. The University seems to be the ideal place where we can have this experience, we'll do our best to involve the people. See you soon! Scoring the underworld successful series Strada Stretta on Television Malta, viewers tended to believe that the romance, con- flicts and sub-plots in the series were based on what had actually taken place in Strait Street across the years. One has to bear in mind that TV series are based on fantasy and writers have to pepper their scripts with all sorts of dramatic twists to keep viewers on ten- terhooks week in, week out. Hu- man nature being what it is, we tend to take such adaptations as the truth. To take one example, find a couple of people who have watched Mel Gibson's The Pas- sion of the Christ, and ask them whether the film depicted what really happened in Jerusalem when Christ was crucified. Would you be surprised if they refer to the movie as their pri- mary source about this painful episode rather than the Biblical account? What are some of the main reasons you've published this new, revised edition, and what do you hope readers will get out of it? With the crowning of Valletta as European Capital of Culture, the story of Strait Street is meant to entice the thousands of visi- tors who are expected to swarm to Valletta this year. The book Strait Street: Secrets and Stories from behind Closed Doors opens a window on a world that is hard to imagine. A world that was based on allure and fascination that has ensnared in its web so many punters, art- ists, musicians, authors, voyeurs and dreamers. While that world is gone, the seductive pull some- how persists. The book and the street have been 'discovered' by Lilo Solcher, a top German travel writer who has had features pub- lished in Augsburger Allgemeine and in Der Spiegel. Another writ- er, Priscilla Totiyapungprasert has broadcast her impressions on the same theme on Fodor's Travel. Mokadelic will be performing at the Valletta Campus Theatre (ex-MITP), St Paul Street, Valletta on February 23 and 24 at Strait Street: Secrets and Stories from behind Closed Doors is available at all leading bookshops Mokadelic: "We're absolutely thrilled to play in Malta" The acclaimed, Rome-based post-rock band Mokadelic will be performing a special two-night concert at the end of this month. TEODOR RELJIC catches up with the band, who are especially renowned for their film and TV work, such as composing the soundtrack for the 'Gomorrah' TV series – based on the groundbreaking Mafia expose by Roberto Saviano yet again "Valletta's older population is dying out, and rising rents are pushing the younger people away. How, then, is the city to retain its colour?" "The post-rock genre perfectly matches cinematic texture" Mokadelic composed the soundtrack of 'Gomorrah – The Series', the entirety of which they will be playing at the Valletta Campus Theatre on February 23 and 24