In celebration of the label's 100th release we put together a Q&A for some of the artists involved to give an insight into their artistic world and how they connected with Gizeh.
GZH100 - We Hovered With Short Wings is a compilation album celebrating Gizeh's 100th release. It features 21 exclusive tracks from artists who have been involved with the label over the past 18 years.
— PRE-ORDER // SHIPS LATE NOVEMBER
— DIGITAL EDITION AVAILABLE FROM BANDCAMP
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Q&A SERIES
SOME BECAME HOLLOW TUBES
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Related releases:
GZH90 - Some Became Hollow Tubes - Keep it in the Ground
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Can you remember how you ended up first getting involved with Gizeh?
Aidan: Eric got me out of the house.
Eric: I probably first heard of Gizeh through early Her Name is Calla releases, then furthered through Aidan Baker/Nadja, connections with Consouling Sounds & A-Sun Amissa. I also distributed my book "Thisquietarmy - Conqueror (2009-2017)" in the UK through Gizeh.
What are you currently finding inspiring?
A: Hahah you asked... https://youtu.be/
Since none of us have been able to tour this year, what have you been occupying yourself with?
A: Being a dad, renovating houses for money, leading with my left hand on the drum kit...
E: It's been a difficult transition as touring was a lot more than a job - it was a lifestyle which involved activating many different aspects of myself, which are now quite dormant. But I've enjoyed cooking, biking all over Montreal, rediscovering the city even though it's in pretty bad shape with all the closures, lack of activities, poverty and housing crisis. After a couple of months of numbness, I initiated a few livestream performances to raise money in support of local homeless shelters and charities such as Accueil Bonneau, Native Women's Shelter of Montreal & Hoodstock, also finished some comp tracks to benefit organizations helping BLM, the victims of the Beirut explosion, Doctors Without Borders, Italian healthcare workers, etc. I've also recorded an online performance for Consouling's 24 Hours Deep Listening event, put the final touches on the pre-mentioned records coming out this year, jamming with a few people and tying up some loose ends with music projects I have going on. I'll likely dive into some writing & visual arts projects I've been meaning to tackle on as winter approaches.
Tell us a bit about your workspace / studio / the place you create.
A: My house up in the hills north of Montreal in the woods, poverty is getting pushed out of Montreal, the old people up here are dying and getting replaced with families, the unhealthy up here seem to be responding by murdering people and getting drunk and burning down the corner store.
E: My workspace/studio is also my tiny Hong Kong-style living space in the middle of a ghostly metropolis; I've been keeping it pretty minimal for years as I'm usually away a lot and rent it out when abroad. Thus it's been difficult to be confined to it as it wasn't really designed for being a long-term every day home during a pandemic. Over the months, I did turn it into a personal gallery/performance space for livestreams, back to a messy living space, to a yoga space, to a painting artist space to a semi-warehouse of records & merch, basically constantly cleaning up and rearranging things every week to make it bearable and fit whatever everyday activity of the week I've decided to take up. At the moment, it's back to having a recording/jam station set-up, ready to play when inspiration/motivation/mood hits.
What does a regular day look like for you? Do you have routines or habitual ways you work?
A: Push the kids onto the school bus, go work out, work construction or make music...
E: I'm usually up super late and I usually stay in bed for a couple of hours in the morning going through emails and social media on my phone before standing up. If there are important things to answer, I'll do it right away, else I'll wait until after coffee and lunch. If it's nice out, I'll postpone everything to later in the evening to get some air, run errands, bike around, meet up with people, or cook something. Art-wise, I work better when after sundown, after everyone is off the streets, asleep or dead - something about city vibes.
What would be your dream collaboration?
A: John Waters and Divine.
E: I tend to think that having specific ideals/dreams/desires usually don't turn up to be as great as it is in your mind, so I don't really think in terms of those. I'd rather prioritize personal connections, surprise meetings, mutual respect - some pretty cool collaborations have already come up that way in the last 10 years which I'm pretty grateful for: Aidan Girt (GY!BE), Michel "Away" Langevin (Voïvod), Mathieu Vanderkerckhove (Amenra), Scott Cortez (lovesliescrushing), Noveller, Yellow6, Year of No Light, Dirk Serries & too many more to mention.
What was your entry point into playing music?
A: Punk rawk.
E: Because I always associated playing an instrument with being extroverted, I prefered to draw and paint instead. As I got more into experimental music in my early 20's, I got a guitar and I got straight into pedals and essentially went straight up into trying to not make it sound like a guitar anymore... After a few jams with people, I started up Destroyalldreamers around then, in 2002 - already self-recording/producing, self-promoting, booking shows and releasing some records a couple of years later.
How do you know when a record's finished?
A: When I can't stand it anymore...
E: When I can't stand it anymore...
How do you balance health and productivity?
A: Work out as much as possible.
E: Being okay with not doing anything, with being unproductive, inadequate, not up to it - letting go of the pre-pandemic inner capitalism that kept us husting to keep us going to stay relevant to fill the void, enjoying the forced downtime, not having to constantly book tours, chasing down every opportunity, promoting things... Prioritizing different hobbies such as biking, hiking, reading, cooking, netflix... Self-care is exhausting.
Do you have a favourite Gizeh release or one that particularly resonates with you?
A: See Through (by Aidan Baker / Faith Coloccia / Jon Mueller)
E: I've enjoyed the latest A-Sun Amissa, bleak waves of melancholy are fitting atm.
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