ID MAGAZINE September 2008
Dark and foreboding beats interlaced with
synths and reverbed guitar loops. Post-
punk darkness with reverent nods towards
'70s industrial and experimental projects,
Kris' perfectly executed monotone delivery
builds the momentum of his stylish work
with great style.Princess Julia
P.i.X MagazineAugust 2008
Project:KOMAKINO take the spirit of Berlin-era Bowie and render it in glorious two-tone monochrome, then add in a sprinkling of early era Factory bands such as A Certain Ratio, Joy Division et al to create their own distinct sonic template. Originally the solo venture of singer/guitarist Kris Kane, the lineup has since expanded to include bass, drums and synth. P.i.X sat down with Kris on the eve of the E.P's launch (out on Parlour Records on the 28th July) to find out more about the enigmatic music of Project:KOMAKINO...
P.i.X: Hey Kris, tell us a bit about the new E.P - is there any kind of underlying theme or concept underpinning the tracks on there?
Kris Komakino: The EP is basically a 4 track narrative exploring the themes of agoraphobic social tendencies. The first track is an instrumental which is a nervous build up, 'Nebula' which follows is a continuation of that with big, pounding drums. 'Syndrome' is a bit more dancey and about needing to escape certain social conditions and the climax is 'Walking on Glass' which is just a crazy explosive freak-out.
P.i.X: Are the tracks sourced from the period where Project:Komakino was just you or are they ones which have been developed as a band?
Kris Komakino: Yeah all the tracks were ones I had written myself which were then developed in the studio with the band and the production.
P.i.X: Has the writing process changed since you've expanded the line up, are you still the principle song writer or is it a more collective effort now?
Kris Komakino: Well before I always felt like I had to have a 'final piece' whereas now I write a bit more openly. I'm still writing a lot and have accumulated around 50 songs over the past year or so! I haven't actually involved the band members in the initial writing stage yet but we change things around in the studio and when we practice and stuff.
P.i.X: The E.P was produced by Bonnie K from Electricity in Our Homes, how did that transpire?
Kris Komakino: I've played loads of gigs with Electricity in our Homes, we both kind of started at the same time and played, I think, our second, third, fourth and fifth gigs together. Bonnie has the exact same music taste as me and I just thought she'd have a really good insight into what we wanted and it turned out she did. She was perfect, the best person to do it.
P.i.X: Tell us a bit about the cover art, I understand it was all screen printed? What was the thinking behind this?
Kris Komakino: 300 copies of the E.P have been pressed which is a relatively low number so we wanted each record to be completely personal. We thought the best way to do that was for me to literally touch and hand number every one. It was all done in a studio in Dalston; we wanted to keep everything in Hackney with the E.P having been recorded, produced and mastered there.
P.i.X: How long did that all take?!
Kris Komakino: 12 hours on the front covers 12 hours on the backcovers then about six hand numbering them so about 30 hours altogether. I had blisters all over my hand by the end of it!
P.i.X: How important to you is the aesthetic of the band in terms of the artwork and in how you dress etc?
Kris Komakino: I think the most important thing is unity. We're all best friends outside of the band and I think it's important that visually you can see that we are one of a kind.
P.i.X: Is it something you ever discuss together?
Kris Komakino: It's unspoken; it just happens.
P.i.X: What's next after the E.P - tours/albums/festival appearances?
Kris Komakino: Mainly for now just to get everything as tight as possible - we've got a few good gigs coming up. We're playing Offset Festival in around a month or so, then we're trying to line up a Spanish/Italian tour. We played Madrid and Rome the other week and they really appreciated out there, you don't see that a lot in London, people visually reacting. Then we've got a single pencilled in for October with April77 Records.
P.i.X: Given the chance to curate your own line up of bands living or dead to play with who would project:komakino choose and why?
Kris Komakino: Well Factory Floor are one of my favorite bands at the moment, just their stage presence, the energy and the aggression. Electricity in our Homes are just so fun to watch... I suppose I should choose an influential band too - A Certain Ratio? I couldn't have Joy Division that'd just be too big a shadow to follow!
ArtrockerJuly 2008
PROJECT: KOMAKINO - (EP)
Released 28th July 08 on Parlour Records
With their robotic post punk and sinister reflections of dystopia,
Project: Komakino are on a mission to spread the doom this summer.
Emily Kendrick reviews their forthcoming EP, and finds a band who
are conceptually satisfying, if a touch too indebted to their heroes...
Having lurked about in the leftfield of Southend-on-Sea's
Experimental Circle Club for long enough, Kris Kane has filled out his
solo effort to join his off-kilter monochrome clad brethren with this
debut EP.
Unsurprisingly for a band whose press release claims their
intention is to purely 'construct', Project: Komakino are deeply
embroiled in a torrid affair with post-punk - and one that whores
itself across this 4-tracker.
As much a lesson in angular design as it is music, the bands gloomy
tales are elevated with some precise drumming and heavily effecting
guitar pedals. Their sky-facing disorientation echoes These New Puritans,
but in an altogether more accessible form.
Project: Komakino are also shadowed by their uncanny likeness
to Joy Division – most firmly in 'Transmission', for it's monotone
vocal and paranoid murmurings.
'Walking On Glass' with its spine twitching individual guitar notes
feels like a positive mental attitude gone AWOL, succumbing to a
less healthy pre-disposition with agoraphobia. The drums are relentless
and the repetition of 'I've need to get out, out of my mind' only seals
the induction of fear and disturbance.
With a somewhat familiar face to the new brand of dischord,
Bonnie K of Electricity in Our Homes fame takes up the production helm.
Where EIOH's Shareholders EP was a prickly affair to challenge its listeners,
Project: Komakino is a less intimidating prospect, although no less artistic an endeavour.
At a quarter of an hour in length, and including one instrumental
in 'KV-1', they could afford to push the boat out and display their
extra dimensions - that is, presuming they have any. The band
emulate the ones they love, but you know what they say about
romance; careful not to let it go to your head (even if it is quite good).Emily Kendrick
New NoiseJuly 2008
Project:Komakino EP - Project:Komakino
Dressed all in black, probably wearing gloves,
suggests that they've just been collectively reading
Nietzsche in a cellar their music is an undulating
wave of Sisters of Mercy style synthesizers and tumbling clouds.
Music for a krautrock funeral.
Rob McCrae
SUBBA CULTCHAAugust 2008
PROJECT: KOMAKINO - S/T - PARLOUR RECORDS
Space age sounds meander onwards like Can on ambient mode,
a disquieting air at the core, spooking the listener into
continuing onwards…
still not sure whether I like this or am too scared to switch off!Father Bernard O'Fla'haherty
PIX MAGAZINE