DaCast - A progressive-mathcore labyrinth

A chat with Paris-based DaCast, who just a year ago released the excellent “Dédale“, a work that managed to combine math-core visceral energy with progressive intellectualism.

So, Abdel, want to tell us a bit about how your adventure began?

We formed the band in 2002. Sylvain (guitar) and Thibaut (bass) met at a music school in Paris, Atla. Then Drixxe (drums) and I (vocals) joined, and we started recording a demo on a four-track. Back then we were playing a kind of crossover metal. After recording “Dédale”, another guitarist, Adrien, joined the lineup, beefing up our sound.

But before DaCast, had you had other experiences in music?

Thibaut was already playing music with some friends he'd met at Atla. Sylvain had a metal band called Peryoem and was also studying at Atla. Drixxe, on the other hand, was the drummer for the death-metal band Whispering Tears. The last to join, Adrien, had played with various bands, including Third Arm, Sickbag, Hellbats, Hangman's Chair, etc. As for me, I hadn't had any musical experience at all, apart from singing at karaoke or in the shower...

Your different influences must have played a big part in shaping your sound... Which were the most important and significant?

We share some common influences, like Dillinger Escape Plan or Converge, for instance. That said, each of us has our own background: for me, artists like Mike Patton, Radiohead, Candiria, Guru, Meshuggah, Tool and Job for a Cowboy have counted for a lot, while for Sylvain there are bands like Comity, King Crimson or Behold... The Arctopus. Either way, we listen to a ton of music, always on the lookout for a new song or a new band capable of shaking the floor! So every time we play, things can end up shifting in one way or another. Old films from the Fifties and Sixties have also influenced us a great deal, as have documentaries exposing the flaws of capitalism, or ones about Futurism or Egyptology.

Your first release was “The Undertown Experiment”, a demo put out in 2003, a year after the band was born. Then in 2008 came the EP “Smoot As A Riot” and, after that, your first full-length, “Dédale”. How did your sound change over those years?

The “The Undertown Experiment” demo was essentially, for us, a way to get to know each other and figure out what we could do together. At that time we'd just set out on the hardcore path (mostly thanks to Converge), coming from traditional metal (death metal, including its more melodic side, and fusion). After that, we started writing material for our first EP, “Smooth As A Riot”, with which we wanted to lean more towards metalcore, moving past the crossover phase and heading towards something harder and more original. In the meantime, we discovered some strange bands doing bizarre, interesting things, and we ended up absorbing their lesson too. After playing a bunch of shows, we then set to work on “Dédale”.

“Dédale” is an excellent record. A wild, passionate and creative work. A self-produced album, by the way. Did no label want to release it?

In France, people in general and record labels in particular are followers rather than leaders. Basically, they only tend to invest money once they realize you're already succeeding. And, of course, there's also the "murky" side of the music industry, which doesn't help at all...

I got the impression that “Dédale” could be “read” as a kind of concept album...

If by that you mean that an album can be different from the average of what's out there, or that it can revolve around one particular idea, then yes, it is. But if you mean that it was entirely conceived and worked out around one precise concept, then no, it wasn't. In the end, it's a long journey which, we hope, will still last a good while longer.

I find the cover art really beautiful. What's it about?

It's a collage that gathers various covers of old films from the Fifties. We put them together to represent a maze, a journey riddled with pitfalls, a modern labyrinth in which some of us stay stuck for a long time.

You went from the crossover of your early days, through a mid-period metalcore phase, to arrive at a liberating form of progressive math-core. All things considered, how would you define the DaCast sound?

A mix of post-hardcore, noise, jazz, prog and other styles/genres that can be played at full volume, something that hits you right in the face! (But always play it twice before listening…).

What does DaCast mean?

(Sylvain) It means “the cast”, as written at the end of a film. It's a name that can also indicate the list of people taking part in a pièce, and it can also evoke a sort of gang, a crew, a clan from a cinematic point of view.

Do you feel part of a particular Parisian scene?

Certainly. A small part of the underground hardcore scene. We're slowly, but steadily, carving out our own little corner.

Usually, when I interview bands or artists, I always ask them to give me a list of ten albums they couldn't live without, albums that may have also influenced their musical choices. Do you want to play this “game”?

(Abdel) Ah, sure! So:

Meshuggah – “Nothing”

Candiria – “300 Percent Density”

Dillinger Escape Plan – “Calculating Infinity”

King Crimson – “Lark’s Tongue In Aspic”

Nostromo – “Ecce Lex”

Converge – “Jane Doe”

Miles Davis – “Bitches Brew”

Sun Ra – “Space Is The Place”

Moonchild – “Songs Without Words”

Peter Brotzmann – “Machine Gun”

What should we expect from DaCast's next moves? Do you have new material ready?

(Sylvain) Well, right now it's hard to say, because some of the band members are very busy with another project, Cowards. They're often on tour, so DaCast is mostly on hold at the moment and new material is scarce - we only have a few unfinished song fragments. Anyway, if we do end up writing new songs, they won't be as long as the two parts of “Dédale”... in fact, they'll be short and more "dense".

What are the main themes of your lyrics?

(Sylvain) It depends: every record has its own themes. The ones on “Dédale”, for instance, deal with a particularly stormy life, exile, inner conflicts, the struggle against the system; on “Smooth As A Riot”, instead, we focused more on rebellion against our consumerist society, "visual" manipulation, violence and prejudice. Basically, we don't have fixed themes, but we like to engage with all the issues that matter to us.

What kind of feedback did you get after the release of Dédale?

(Sylvain) Most of the reviews were very positive, though some showed they hadn't really appreciated the record, maybe because they didn't want to dig deeper, who knows... And there are some countries where we were very well received, like Italy, for example. However, since we haven't had much chance to play live, so far no label has stepped forward to offer us the production of a new record.

On your Facebook page I saw you uploaded a long movie clip dedicated to “Dèdale”...

That video was put together by a friend of ours. It's a long collage of old black-and-white films, more or less kitsch, more or less disturbing. Normally, this should be projected on a screen while we play live, obviously synced with the music. Let's say it's a kind of response to the color collage on the cover of Dédale.

Do you think music today should have a certain political impact?

I don't think music should have a political impact. There will always be another way to express many different feelings, whereas with music you need to have fun or simply listen and enjoy; music can also be an outlet for anger, for feelings of revolt. Well, nowadays, I think it's increasingly difficult to use music to express political positions, because the major labels only pick "politically correct" bands. On the other hand, when a band tries to reach a wider audience, it always tries to avoid any kind of political stance. In short, as far as we're concerned, in Western countries music these days can hardly carry any political weight. It might work, perhaps, only on a local level or in very limited, underground circles. Whereas in some far-from-democratic countries like China, Arab nations or Russia (in much of the world, when you get down to it!), music can certainly still carry a certain political importance (let's not forget that in these places you can end up in prison because of lyrics that are too explicit!).

From your point of view, what are the differences between webzines and the classic print magazines that cover music?

There are no real differences, except for the possibility, which webzines offer, of being able to comment on and discuss reviews, articles and records online. In the end, it's always the same old battle between physical and virtual materials, just as it happens with CDs, books or magazines. The problem is well known: what is virtual can be free, and that means everything that is "physical" will disappear, even though, in the end, we might end up paying for what is virtual... It's a change that mainly affects sellers and consumers, due to the development of new technologies. A kind of transitional period.

To wrap up, feel free to add whatever you like...

We all know it: this world is chock-full of shit, but you can always enjoy a spatial trip by listening to "Dédale"! So go on, do it, goddammit!

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