EMQ’s With Jordaan
EMQ’s With Jordaan
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Italian Post-Black/ Post-Doom/ Post-Death/ Post-Rock/ Stoner band, Jordaan. Huge thanks to them for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Hi everybody, we are Michele Pappacena (voice and guitar), Omar Sansoé (drums) and Marco Rigamonti (bass guitar), Jordaan’s members.
The questions of the interview will be answered by Omar.
Jordaan project was born in 2009, drawing inspiration from the varied influences of the musicians that make up the band and from the observation of international musical realities, with an eye also on the province of Turin, which has always been culturally very lively and prolific. Jordaan combines ambient/depressive atmospheres with more aggressive and obsessive sounds leaving plenty of emotional space to the listener and the possibility to recognise themselves subjectively and intimately in the band’s work. We have to our credit 2 previous full releases more post-rock oriented ( “An Drone Myda” and “Theoretic”) and a split (“Sanctity is a way to Armageddon”).
A line-up change has transformed the original band into a trio (guitar/voice – bass – drum) and in 2024 we are returning with a new album ( “Season Of Redemption”) that drew a clear line from our musical past, showing the new, more mature face of the band, unequivocally affirming our will to evolve, to pursue new, broader goals with consistency, determination, cohesion and hard work.
How did you come up with your band name?
The band’s name comes from the Jordaan district of Amsterdam, a charming, multicultural area known as THE place for alternative people… a perfect mix of artists, street markets, old cafés, surprising museums and historic buildings.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
We are from north western Italy, from near Turin, in Piedmont.
The Italian scene has always been very lively; rock, metal and even goth were very popular and widespread in the 90s and the first decade of the 2000s. Nowadays the scene has changed a bit, there are quite a few specific venues offering a wide live programme, supported by strong booking agencies and promoters but what seems to have been lacking in recent years is the generational change that is essential to keep the scene more vibrant; big to medium/high level events have a wide attendance, while more (so to speak) “indie” or local shows often fail to have continuity due to lack of interest from the newer generations. It’s also getting harder and harder for non-major bands to play live; there used to be plenty of smaller venues willing to host smaller/local gigs, whereas now (partly due to covid, which has forced many smaller clubs to close) it’s almost impossible to book dates and play live. Also, the choice of big live shows is sometimes so huge, with dates overlapping, making it difficult to attend all the gigs you’d like to.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
“Season Of Redemption” is our new album and will be released at the beginning of October. It reveals the new face of the band, distorting our canon and presenting to the public a different, stronger identity, the result of our desire for renewal and experimentation.
For the first time, the full-length features vocal lines that we have never used before, a choice determined by the desire to expand our musical register and add a new, powerful instrument to our production.
For us, the album is emblematic of that sometimes painful journey that plunges us into the human psyche in search of self-knowledge and one’s own deepest truth. Inevitably, we arrive at an abyss of self-denial and darkness that forces us to confront our inner demons, but is this not the price of salvation? Perhaps salvation is nothing more than the barest self-awareness that drives us to ascend and evolve.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Wow, what a big question! Each of us is very different and the cultural and musical backgrounds, although converging, are extremely diverse. I don’t feel comfortable naming specific bands (I might forget some that are masterstones for the other members); what I can tell you is that we’ve always been influenced by Doom/Post-Black/Post-Rock and Melodic Death.
What first got you into music?
I think it has always been our need to combine our love of music with the need to give voice to our creative side. You, 1st thing, learn to play an instrument and at some point you feel the need to compose your own music, to be the “mastermind” behind what you play… sometimes to challenge yourself and go further and further, to prove that you can do exactly what you want with your instruments, to show yourself that you have reached a point where music is not only a beautiful exercise in style, but also your very personal means of releasing your inner pain, letting it go… it is comforting at some point, therapeutic, you know?
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Only one? Impossible, lol! I could say Amenra, Neurosis, Isis, but of course these are just some of the bands we would like to work with if possible.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
No doubts here: I will answer with Hellfest for sure! It is the best European festival so far, absolutely impeccably organised and with such great bands every year!
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Not really weird, no, but at some point people spontaneously started making posters and giving them to us to be used to advertise our live shows or as album covers.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
A message for fans, not Jordaan fans only: move your damn asses and go to lives! Stop watching gigs on youtube or behind your bloody mobile phones when you go to a live!!!Wake up people!
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Nothing to add to this answer: Chuck Schuldiner
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
What we love most is the idea of having your own personal space, free from any imposed rules, where you can be completely free and completely yourself; what we hate is all the work that is required, which does not include making music, to promote, advertise and make yourself known.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Well, what can I say…It has become quite clear that the music industry has become more and more a music BUSINESS, which means that major label releases can be bought “at the right price”, opening act slots can be bought “at the right price”, tours can be purchased “at the right price”… and so on and so forth. Sometimes it seems that money is more valuable than talent.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Oooh joy, another tricky one ;-D; it seems you really like to see me in distress, lol; I may surprise you all but it is Kyuss “Welcome to the Sky Valley”.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
Being a compulsive collector myself, vinyl is certainly the best; CD remains a valid alternative for both bands and fans due to its lower cost and high sound quality, downloads allow people to always have their favourite tunes with them but it is not as fascinating as holding your cd or your vinyl!
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
For sure it was the AlpetteRockFreeFestival, because it was a big open-air festival, attended by thousands of people, and the place, up in the mountains, was really magical.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
I have to say we are not musicians for a living, each of us has his “everyday job” to pay the bills so …. “what else would you be doing if you were not tied to your job” is the question and the answer would surely be “we would be professional musicians!!!” lol!
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Jonas Renkse (Katatonia) – Gene Hoglan (yeah you know him :-D) – H. P. Lovecraft – J.R.R. Tolkien – Charles Manson….gosh what a weird dinner that would be lol!
What’s next for the band?
At the moment we are already working on our next album and we hope to be able to return on stage asap
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
https://www.facebook.com/jordaanband
https://youtube.com/@JordaanBAND
Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun, a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake?
Not being British this is a very tricky question but my wife has lived in the UK for quite a few years so I will trust her answer’s correct (feel free to blame her directly in case and shame on her if the answer’s wrong, lol): should it be a…bun?
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
We would like to thank you for giving us the opportunity to do this interview! We hope you enjoy our new album and we hope to talk to you again soon.
Bye and thank you all for your time.
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