The Crazy Crazy World Of Mr Rubik - Sociopolitics and Africanness: a salvation

A conversation with the Bologna-based trio, the day after the release of their new work “Urna Elettorale” and in the midst of their extensive tour, to trace evolutions and devolutions, note affinities and divergences, and draw out themes and previews of the live show, their favourite habitat.

Hi guys, hope all's well. How are you feeling the day after the release of the new album “Urna Elettorale” and the day before kicking off a new, long tour?

We're feeling pretty great given the excellent feedback we're getting and the quantity/quality of dates we've been offered. We've already been on the road for a few weeks now and we couldn't be happier.

First, a small boutade. With a title like this, what's the relationship between you, your music, and politics in a broad sense? Is there a more recognizable message than the one that was perhaps missing from your first record?

In this record our approach to social and political themes has definitely become more extensive. Almost all the lyrics are drawn from impressions we gathered during our long tour in support of "Are You Crazy Or Crazy Crazy", whereas on the first album the themes were more varied.

We won't ask whether you voted or what you voted behind the curtain of the ballot box. But with a title like this, the question is unavoidable: do you like the results?

Definitely not. Because they confirm that cultural and mental deadlock we've had the chance to observe travelling up and down Italy. I think nothing captures the state our country is currently in better than the line "Europa persa in trance" used by Cccp in "Live in Punkow".

Back to us, or rather to you as you. How did you meet and what gave you the right push to start the project?

When we founded The Crazy Crazy World Of Mr Rubik in 2009 we were already orbiting Bologna's underground scene and already playing in other projects. We met on a stage, during a soundcheck. The right push came from our first improvisations - it felt like interesting material right away, the kind worth digging into properly.

A fairly long stretch of time passed between "Are You Crazy" and "Urna Elettorale". Was that down purely to the "unavoidable hindrances" of your many live dates, or was there also a rethink of your aesthetic?

Rethinking our aesthetic didn't take up much time. It came about in a completely natural way, and we didn't have to wait for any flash of inspiration. We waited 3 years to release our second album because in the meantime we put out the new release of our parallel project, Eveline. We took it around Italy and Europe (almost 80 shows in support of it). Writing "Urna Elettorale" then took a long time in the development and arrangement stages.

Has your way of composing changed, or has it simply been, so to speak, carried over?

It's definitely changed. The first album came together with a more spontaneous approach. The result was very heterogeneous, but in our view rich in interesting ideas and sounds. With "Urna Elettorale" we wanted to put together a more cohesive work, using electronic music and ethnic music as the glue holding it together. This is the result.

Especially on "Urna Elettorale" there's a hint, in my opinion, of "Africanness", I'm thinking of tracks like the gem "Sebele". Is that an innate component for you, a spontaneous chemical reaction, or did you seek it out and want it in some way?

We love electronic music a great deal, and we've always been interested in productions tied to ethnic music (first and foremost the work of Awesome Tapes from Africa, but also releases by groups like Tinariwen, Tamikrest, Faris e Terakaft, Bombino and many others). It seemed interesting to us to merge our influences, reinterpreting them into something new and personal. We did that on the first album too, but leaning more towards rock and, above all, psychedelia. It's a spontaneous approach that's simply part of how we make music.

Here and there you can also pick up on hints of Cccp, whom we mentioned earlier, and Italian new wave more broadly. What's your relationship with this distant neighbourhood? And in the present, with the Bologna/Romagna scene?

Cccp are among our main influences. Ferretti's lyrics still have an evocative power that remains unique and unmatched to this day. So our relationship with them is one of great esteem and admiration. Honestly, today we don't see that same tension and communicative urgency that world managed to convey to the listener. Even so, our region still has that drive to produce different sounds, contaminations geared towards the new, which is hard to find elsewhere in Italy. So we can only feel proud to be part of this "scene".

Now for the big question. But this time we won't ask you about "influential records", "the albums that changed your life" or "desert island listening". If you had to pick an ideal guest to play with you on your next recordings, or even to bring up on stage with you, who could it be?

Well, I think all three of us would love to do a great live session with Tinariwen.

What happens at one of your live shows? I had the chance to see you – I remember it because I keep track of every live show I attend – on August 27, 2010 in Noale, for the “Rospi in Libertà” festival. You lit up the stage with tribal energy in the main set, then gathered in acoustic intimacy with a cappella vocals, drawing the audience in. Is one of your shows still like that?

The show has changed a bit, there's more electronics now, even though the tribal side is still the main element. But the best way to explain it to you is to invite you to one of our performances.

Thank you guys, we hope to see you live soon and talk again before long.

Thank you Michele, hi to everyone!

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