Photo Credit: Charlie BrophyOver the weekend Mexico City music festival Festival NRMAL announced it’s 2015 lineup. Amongst names like the Swans, Future Islands, Mouse on Mars, Chain and the Gang as well as acts from across Mexico, Latin American and South America was Australia’s HTRK and Kirin J Callinan.The addition of the two Aussie acts playing on such a culturally rich and diverse lineup can be attributed to Pete Keen (the hairy guy on the right) and SUGARYAMA who for the second year are involved in a guest curatorial role with Festival NRMAL thanks in part to the Melbourne based International Music and Arts Partnership.SUGARYAMA works as an umbrella for project-based works in cross-cultural artistic exchanges and this year Keen, who is also involved in the Sugar Mountain team, invited Sydney label Siberia records (Midnight Juggernuts/Forces) to join him in Mexico.
Since launching in Monterrery in 2010, Festival NRMAL has steadily attracted more and bigger acts with Grimes, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Girls, Thee Oh Sees, Twin Shadow, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Dan Deacon and Toro Y Moi all playing on past lineups. The festival made its debut in Mexico City last year and has developed a strong brand within Mexico, both artisically and musically.To find out more we had Siberia record's Daniel Stricker (the hairy guy on the left) and Pete Keen have a quick Skype chat.
__________________DS: Lets do this! Uncensored!
PK: Haha. are we ever censored?! Hey, how cold is Siberia now?
DS: Pretty cold I imagine. Never been though. Bunking up with you though is pretty warm. That's how we met (ha). On those cold nights in Austin (SXSW). Texas cowboys!
PK: ha wow ..I meant how OLD!
DS: AH - O.L.D. !!
PK: ..in dog years
DS: 28 bones. but there were a couple teething years with the MJ's That was just a logo. Now we're a full on, multi-national corporation. "Indie" Siberia began with a Kirin J Callinan 7", and a Jonti 7" (both their first) released on the same day, and then a bunch of little releases followed. Nov 2010, I believe. We only did our first "album" last year!
PK: Monsiuer Callinan yes ?
DS: Yep!
PK: I guess you could say he would be the catalyst for bringing us both together!?
DS: Well actually.. I'd have to give that honor to Dale Packard..or dallas ..DALLAS, TEXAS ..now HE's a cowboy!
PK: No, we definitely met prior to that (SXSW 2014).
DS: Met yes .. bonded no
PK: haha
DS: Now we're untouchable. We're not PVA glue anymore. We're PVC m8!
PK: I actually have a confession to make..
DS: CONFESS!!!!
PK: You left in a hurry during our time together in SXSW. Ripped on out of that hotel room, leaving your finest of high quality hair and body products.
DS: (hahaha)
PK: …My beard has never shined so brightly!
DS: Hair is power! It’s biblical really! You’re something of a Novacastrian legend of folklore!
PK: Very few people know that of me (where I come from), or know what a Novacastrian is for that matter! [Born of Newcastle, NSW heritage].
DS: What do you eat for breakfast Mr. Novacastrian?
PK: I’m onto my third bowl of Cornflakes mate!
DS: Good stuff! SO, SUGARYAMA! What is a SUGARYAMA? I've always wondered?
PK: It was actually the original name for Sugar Mountain (Festival). Yama is Mountain in Japanese. The name (as silly as it is) stemmed from a brief journey through Japan, with a dear friend. When I returned, we formalised things for an English audience when naming the festival. However, when I decided to branch out in the creation of an “international music & arts partnership program”, I felt drawn to pay my respects to the land that birthed many of these early ideas.
DS: Ah that's great! I never knew that. So, now we venture to Mexico City - I guess its kinda like a mountain.. It's pretty high up [in altitude], with some exotic creatures!
PK: Siberia is drawn from your affinity with exotic places, no?
DS: We set up the label to release things from places and people that might seem exotic to the rest of the world, that can come from an underground idea but bubble over into the world. Australia, although now part of a globally accessible world, is still vastly different to the rest of the world. Especially with our heritage, and indigenous culture. People need to remember that. That still exits all over the globe. ..And outer space of course. We only sign deals for the Universe of course!
PK: It's fitting right !? Sure we're visiting the Americas, a hot destination for any artist to venture to, and peddle their wears … but Mexico! It’s a completely different world!
Exotic and mysterious would be an understatement
DS: Exactly!
PK: The collaboration, & this trip aside, is there anything in particular that has drawn you to Mexico?
DS: The crystal caves.
PK: OH! You're talking about those GIANT crystals, right ?!? ..like, HUGE? Superman’s Fortress of Solitude! I definitely may have seen something about those caves recently on an alien conspiracy doco (haha)
DS: There's lots of Mexico I want to explore. What about you?
PK: Aside from natural wonders, and weird ancient man-made structures, I'm actually really intrigued by these markets that I had heard about last time.. I was told about these black markets.. that were beyond creepy!
DS: Oh wow rly !?
PK: I don't know if I should be ashamed for being intrigued by such a place.. but, it speaks volumes about how things work under the surface …..(apparently) you can buy panthers there! Apparently shamans, mystics, thugs & criminals go there to do their groceries …if you know what I mean. Like,.. seriously GNARLY shopping goes down in this place!
DS: I always wanted to go to Haiti
PK: ..I’m an inquisitive guy. I wanna know what’s out there. ..It would be like Harry Potter’s ‘Diagon Alley’ ..but next level crazy!
DS: Yeh totally. Secret handshakes! To tell you the truth.. I'm most looking forward to traveling in a big bus with a bunch of crew. Like.. 10 of us. It'll be good to just cruise through Mexico.
PK: Oh man, total adventure. DS: I think if we had to pick 1 band from each city, that these 2 are pretty indicative of the 2. It's hard to know though, if HTRK are a Sydney, or Melbourne band, or from somewhere else..
PK: To be completely honest, early, early on when I had first heard their music I thought they were an international act.
DS: I think they have an Australian quality to them but it's quite alien in other ways.PK:It's hard to place them that's for sure. I feel the 2 acts have an equally mysterious nature about them.DS:Totally. And Kirin I think has that minimal/maximal production in a similar, but completely overt way…"Over the top", and very uniquely Australian.PK: In my eyes they stand alone in their fields .. what ever those fields may be, I’m not even going to act like 'music critic guy', and try to break it down for you. I feel blessed to have them both along for the journey.
DS: Yeh, I agree … Special sauce!
PK: Hot sauce!Festival NRMAL takes place in Mexico City on Feburary 28
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__________________DS: Lets do this! Uncensored!
PK: Haha. are we ever censored?! Hey, how cold is Siberia now?
DS: Pretty cold I imagine. Never been though. Bunking up with you though is pretty warm. That's how we met (ha). On those cold nights in Austin (SXSW). Texas cowboys!
PK: ha wow ..I meant how OLD!
DS: AH - O.L.D. !!
PK: ..in dog years
DS: 28 bones. but there were a couple teething years with the MJ's That was just a logo. Now we're a full on, multi-national corporation. "Indie" Siberia began with a Kirin J Callinan 7", and a Jonti 7" (both their first) released on the same day, and then a bunch of little releases followed. Nov 2010, I believe. We only did our first "album" last year!
PK: Monsiuer Callinan yes ?
DS: Yep!
PK: I guess you could say he would be the catalyst for bringing us both together!?
DS: Well actually.. I'd have to give that honor to Dale Packard..or dallas ..DALLAS, TEXAS ..now HE's a cowboy!
PK: No, we definitely met prior to that (SXSW 2014).
DS: Met yes .. bonded no
PK: haha
DS: Now we're untouchable. We're not PVA glue anymore. We're PVC m8!
PK: I actually have a confession to make..
DS: CONFESS!!!!
PK: You left in a hurry during our time together in SXSW. Ripped on out of that hotel room, leaving your finest of high quality hair and body products.
DS: (hahaha)
PK: …My beard has never shined so brightly!
DS: Hair is power! It’s biblical really! You’re something of a Novacastrian legend of folklore!
PK: Very few people know that of me (where I come from), or know what a Novacastrian is for that matter! [Born of Newcastle, NSW heritage].
DS: What do you eat for breakfast Mr. Novacastrian?
PK: I’m onto my third bowl of Cornflakes mate!
DS: Good stuff! SO, SUGARYAMA! What is a SUGARYAMA? I've always wondered?
PK: It was actually the original name for Sugar Mountain (Festival). Yama is Mountain in Japanese. The name (as silly as it is) stemmed from a brief journey through Japan, with a dear friend. When I returned, we formalised things for an English audience when naming the festival. However, when I decided to branch out in the creation of an “international music & arts partnership program”, I felt drawn to pay my respects to the land that birthed many of these early ideas.
DS: Ah that's great! I never knew that. So, now we venture to Mexico City - I guess its kinda like a mountain.. It's pretty high up [in altitude], with some exotic creatures!
PK: Siberia is drawn from your affinity with exotic places, no?
DS: We set up the label to release things from places and people that might seem exotic to the rest of the world, that can come from an underground idea but bubble over into the world. Australia, although now part of a globally accessible world, is still vastly different to the rest of the world. Especially with our heritage, and indigenous culture. People need to remember that. That still exits all over the globe. ..And outer space of course. We only sign deals for the Universe of course!
PK: It's fitting right !? Sure we're visiting the Americas, a hot destination for any artist to venture to, and peddle their wears … but Mexico! It’s a completely different world!
Exotic and mysterious would be an understatement
DS: Exactly!
PK: The collaboration, & this trip aside, is there anything in particular that has drawn you to Mexico?
DS: The crystal caves.
PK: OH! You're talking about those GIANT crystals, right ?!? ..like, HUGE? Superman’s Fortress of Solitude! I definitely may have seen something about those caves recently on an alien conspiracy doco (haha)
DS: There's lots of Mexico I want to explore. What about you?
PK: Aside from natural wonders, and weird ancient man-made structures, I'm actually really intrigued by these markets that I had heard about last time.. I was told about these black markets.. that were beyond creepy!
DS: Oh wow rly !?
PK: I don't know if I should be ashamed for being intrigued by such a place.. but, it speaks volumes about how things work under the surface …..(apparently) you can buy panthers there! Apparently shamans, mystics, thugs & criminals go there to do their groceries …if you know what I mean. Like,.. seriously GNARLY shopping goes down in this place!
DS: I always wanted to go to Haiti
PK: ..I’m an inquisitive guy. I wanna know what’s out there. ..It would be like Harry Potter’s ‘Diagon Alley’ ..but next level crazy!
DS: Yeh totally. Secret handshakes! To tell you the truth.. I'm most looking forward to traveling in a big bus with a bunch of crew. Like.. 10 of us. It'll be good to just cruise through Mexico.
PK: Oh man, total adventure. DS: I think if we had to pick 1 band from each city, that these 2 are pretty indicative of the 2. It's hard to know though, if HTRK are a Sydney, or Melbourne band, or from somewhere else..
PK: To be completely honest, early, early on when I had first heard their music I thought they were an international act.
DS: I think they have an Australian quality to them but it's quite alien in other ways.
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DS: Yeh, I agree … Special sauce!
PK: Hot sauce!Festival NRMAL takes place in Mexico City on Feburary 28