Ukrainian Gothic Portal - Interview with ATHAMAY

Interview with english cybergoth band ATHAMAY [by Alexey Shamardin]

ATHAMAY ATHAMAY was created in 1995. They were based on the fact that some modern electronic groups sound more interestingly then Mission/Sisters/Nephilim and they didn't have a desire to be similar to them. In 1996 on a wave of the just appeared English cybergoth they release the debut album "The Pleasure Of Sin" on Nightbreed, impregnated by fetish aesthetics. After some calm ATHAMAY returned with the new name TortureTekk, formed as the side-project, and new work "Revelling In Perversion", having tested new studio Plastic Whore, and having not wanted to be on Nightbreed. The long-awaited album ATHAMAY is called "Torture Tekknology" and prepares for release. New CD will be sustained in firm fetish style with "colloquial" style of singing, but with new ideas and influences.

Questions were answered by Jess - vocal, lyrics - and Phil - guitar and programming. In the following later: UGP - Alexei Shamardin.

ATHAMAY UGP: Hello! What is the sense of Athamay and please tell us who Athamay are...
Jess: ATHAMAY are - me- vocals and lyrics, Jo - key boards, Sean - bass and programming and Phil - guitar and programming.

UGP: What is the Gothic for you?
Jess: Black, black and more black! To me goth covers a huge range of styles from frilly vampire wannabe's to the more recent cyber goth. I hope that we are more cyber goth than other types of so called goth music.
Phil: A lot more than it is to Andrew Eldtritch ;-).........

UGP: How was Athamay born and what had influence to TortureTekk creating?
Jess: Born around 1995 by Sean, Jo and me who were sick of the bands around at that time and thought that we could do better! TortureTekk was created as a side project to get around being able to still release a CD without hassle from our record company.

ATHAMAY UGP: What do you do except music?
Jess: I am a final year student studying an animal science degree.
Phil: Computer Programmer for a University.

UGP: What are the music you listen to, books you read, movies you watch?
Jess: Other bands I like include VNV Nation, Mesh, Icon of Coil, Assemblage 23, Covenant, Ultraviolence, Apoptygma Berzerk, Project Pitchfork, Funker Vogt, etc etc. Books include mainly horror - James Dean, Dean Koonz, Graham Masterson, etc. Movies - Preaching to the Perverted, Stigmata, Boxing Helana, Pet Cemetary, most horror or good thrillers
Phil: My Favorite bands at the moment are Project Pitchfork, Icon of Coil, Das Ich, XPQ21, Suicide Commando & Zeromancer. Books: Michael Marshall Smith, William Gibson. Films: All Sci-Fi & Horror.

UGP: What is your favorite CD?
Jess: At the moment "Blood line" by Funker Vogt.
Phil: At the moment Suicide Commando "MindStrip"

ATHAMAY UGP: Tell us about the bands who had influenced on Athamay's music.
Jess: Some early 80's stuff, some trance, some techno, some old goth and some modern electro goth. A real mixture but we still don't sound like any other band.
Phil: The bands that influence me come from many different forms of music & there's too many to list here.

UGP: And what do you think about modern talent gothbands (Intra-Venus, Goteki, Swarf...)
Jess: Crap really! There hasn't been a decent UK band out for ages.
Phil: I think in the UK The new bands which mean the most to me are Katscan & Swarf, also The Cruxshadows from the US are excellent, as they have an original sound. I think that too many bands are still stuck trying to copy old bands like the Sisters & the Nephilim, instead of trying to make a sound of they're own, they need to move on from the past.

UGP: ...and old heroes - Sisters/Nephilim/Mission/All About Eve?
Jess: Good at the time but they died in the 90's so bloody leave them there!!
Phil: The older Gothic bands who had an influence on me were always more from the punk side of Goth, Christian Death (Rozz Williams era!), New Model Army, Virgin Prunes, The Danse Society etc.

UGP: What bands do you have a friendship with?
Jess: No good friends with any at the moment, but we know most of them!

ATHAMAY UGP: What are you working at nowadays and do you plan to release a new CD, what happen/happened with TortureTekk?
Jess: TorureTekk may release another album after the new ATHAMAY one has come out (next few weeks!), we also plan to release the best tracks from the Pleasure of Sin soon as well.
Phil: TortureTekk was a side project to explore some of out other influences & it was a good exercise in learning to use our new studio set-up, it turned out very well & we are very pleased with the results. There will be a new Athamay CD very soon, We are writing & recording it at the moment and hope to have it released early 2003

UGP: Please tell us some things about the new CD... if you can?
Jess: It has 10 new tracks, including "Into Ecstasy", "Holy Sin", and "Face Of Tears" which people may of heard on the net. It quite different to the 1st album, but along the same style vocal wise though not as fetishy.
Phil If you go to http://www.mp3.com/athamay you can hear a mix of a new track "Holy Sin". The CD will still have a fetish style like "The Pleasure of Sin", but we will also be trying out some new ideas & styles.

ATHAMAY UGP: Will you stay on Nightbreed or will you change label for release of the new CD?
Jess: No we have nothing to do with Nightbreed now, but they owe us lots of money!
Phil: NO the CD will not be released on Nightbreed, we are currently negotiating with record labels for the release of the new CD.

UGP: Did you play for CARNIVAL OF SOULS " Episode Two: "The Witching Hour Calls" on Sunday 20th of October 2002 and did you play for first part in March?
JessЖ No, we played this back in 1997 and said 'never again!!'

ATHAMAY UGP: Do you know something about Russian gothbands (Missionaries From Outside, Lunophobia, No Man's Land, Antisisters...) and about gothculture in Russia ? What do you think about it?
Jess: Haven't heard any thing at all.
Phil: - Unfortunately Russian bands have not broken through into the UK yet. It would be interesting to hear some though.

UGP: Were you in Russia or Ukraine and what do you think about this country?
Jess: Never been either!
Phil: I've never been to Russia, but it would be nice to play a concert there someday.

UGP: Do you want to say something special for our readers?
Jess: Thanks for supporting ATHAMAY and sorry for the long wait in releasing the album, we hope you think it was worth the wait!!
Phil: Keep enjoying the music...

UGP: Thanks a lot.

Web-page: http://www.athamay.com/
Mp3-page: http://www.mp3.com/athamay
E-mail: info@athamay.com

Review on TortureTekk "Revelling in Perversion" (p) 2000 Plastic Whore review you can soon find in out REVIEWS section.

The interview has been taken by Alexey Shamardin.

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