Zukanican - Free-funk jazz from the “Horse Republic”

Creators of one of the greatest albums of 2006 (“Horse Republic”), England's Zukanican (from Liverpool) are one of the most interesting bands on today's music scene. We wanted to get to know them a bit better, so we had a chat with Tom Sumnall, bassist and co-founder of the band.

Hi Tom, I'd like to start the interview by talking about the genesis of Zukanican and the meaning of the name you chose.

Zukanican came about from the ashes of The Living Brain, the band James (Pagella, the drummer) and I used to play in. We'd just finished recording “Bad Present Day” when both our guitarists decided to leave the band, leaving us literally disoriented and demoralized. James and I absolutely wanted to keep playing, so we started booking gigs, even though we had no idea where we'd end up. We took the plunge and played a show in the basement of an art gallery in Liverpool, with two friends of ours on horns. It was probably the most terrifying gig of my entire life, because we felt more exposed than ever. It was a very raw and “free” show, but I think the audience felt caught off guard, because there was nothing like it happening in Liverpool at the time — and we're talking about 2002.

Around the same time we started recording some more structured “songs” we already had, along with other jam sessions we were doing. Those recordings led to E 5number, a vinyl EP released on Pickled Egg Records.

Fast forward to today, we've had a few line-up changes, but now we've settled into a five-piece. The live setting is where we perform best, and it's probably where people get the truest sense of what Zukanican really is.

“Zukanican” is a nonsense word, as you've probably guessed! Actually, it's a word that has a very important meaning for James, going back to his childhood, but now it's been fully adopted by the whole band. You could say it's an adjective that describes the music we make.

“Horse Republic” is one of the best albums of 2006. A mix of Sun Ra's cosmic vision, the acid funk of Funkadelic, the avant-jazz rock of Rollerball and Bablicon, the “exotic progressive” of Ozric Tentacles, and traces of the “Radio Gnome Invisible” trilogy by Gong.

We're clearly in great company! To be honest, among the names you mentioned, two in particular mean something to Zukanican: Sun Ra and Bablicon.

It's impossible to set out to recreate Sun Ra's style, because so much of who he was goes beyond his music. I think anyone attending a music-focused school should be introduced to Sun Ra even if they're not interested in avant-garde or jazz: his attitude and his approach to music and to the music business should be an example to everyone! There are so many Sun Ra recordings out there that you can never get bored, because you always hear something new.

Bablicon, on the other hand, are a band that had a big influence on Zukanican. I saw them play live a few years ago and they were fantastic. I don't think it's a surprise that we, too, ended up on Pickled Egg!

What's your take on the file-sharing phenomenon?

Zukanican make basically nothing from record sales, and I know the same is true for other, better-known bands too. If I saw our songs available on a file-sharing site, I'd mostly just feel honored. Let's just say it would be hypocritical of me to condemn the phenomenon!

I have to confess I only own “Horse Republic”. What can you tell me about Zukanican's other records?

“Horse Republic” was our first full-length release, and over the last 3 years we've put out other material. One thing we've always been keen to point out is that Zukanican have their own personal rehearsal space and a private recording studio. We have a 16-track digital setup that can be used both live and in the studio, and we've accumulated a considerable amount of recordings over the years.

Our studio is located in the attic of St. Bride's Church: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Bride%27s_Church_%28Liverpool%29

Our complete discography to date is: Horse Republic (Pickled Egg Records – 2006), Astral Zuk Fodder (Medical Records – 2005), E 5number (Pickled Egg Records – 2004), Jarr (Medical Records – 2004), None Jazz (Medical Records – 2003).

Medical Records is our own label: we set it up specifically to release our records.

We started recording for Pickled Egg in January 2007, and a 7” single for Oof! Records will be out soon as well.

How do your songs come together, and how important is improvisation for a band like Zukanican?

We use several different methods when we write. If you listen to “Horse Republic”, it should be fairly easy to pick out the tracks that were composed in a more structural way. For a lot of the tracks on the album, we simply hit record and played; what you hear on the record is exactly what happened.

When Zukanican was just James and me, we really enjoyed structuring songs made up of different parts and stitching them together. Once other members joined the band, it became a bit harder to write in that structured way, because now it's not just the two of us, but five.

Our live shows are a mix of improvisation and structured songs, so I think we tend to play that way in the studio too.

“Horse Republic” has a very free-jazz streak close to the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Anthony Braxton, but with free-funk leanings. How would you describe your music? Free-funk-jazz?

I think that's a beautiful description you've coined there! One thing we've never done is claim that we can be filed under a particular genre, because every member of the band is influenced by different sounds that don't necessarily add up in the final mix. Unfortunately, if you say your music has jazz influences, a lot of people get the wrong idea or form preconceptions about what your music actually sounds like.

As we all know, the term “jazz” can cover many different styles, but for a lot of people it just means Frank Sinatra or Jamie Cullum, which has nothing to do with what we do.

The only way I could describe Zukanican's music is: dance music, in the broadest sense of the term. When we play together, we certainly don't overthink what we're supposed to do — it all comes out very naturally. We love improvising while we play, and I think that comes through in our recordings.

What can you tell me about the current Liverpool music scene?

I don't know how Liverpool is perceived outside of the UK, but I think it's still very much linked to the Fab Four. Their influence is still very strong here and there are loads of guitar bands around. That said, if you look beneath the surface, there's always been an alternative scene, and plenty of people in Liverpool appreciate it. There's definitely a network of venues that are all pretty similar to each other, a bit like supermarket chains, but for every one of those venues there are countless galleries, installation spaces, cafes, bars and other places hosting events with an atmosphere, a spirit and a level of fun a thousand times better.

The events we put on feature a different lineup every time, and in theory that could easily end in disaster on a regular basis. Practice always turns out differently though, and it always ends up being the most fun you could ask for.

Now that I've told you all this, you could be in Liverpool on any given weekend night and you'd still be spoilt for choice when it comes to gigs. I don't know if many other UK cities, outside of London, can say the same.

There are lots of great-sounding new bands in the city: Melodie Du Kronk, Lazily Spun, Snap Ant, Biltone, Loka (featuring Zukanican! www.myspace.com/lokafireshepherds), antbear, Cubical, The Regimental, Mirrorball, Solar Fire Trio, The Heyze, Stig, a.P.A.t.T. and The Bootleg Beatles.

I've always thought that Zukanican's music could really appeal to tastes in continental Europe. It seems to me that "traditional music" is still very widespread in Europe, whereas that's no longer the case in England. Our most enthusiastic fans in Liverpool seem to be mostly foreign students, and a lot of our most glowing reviews come from Italy!

We're trying to put together a short tour, and I'd really love for it to start right in Italy.

Do Zukanican have a political message to convey?

I'd love to be able to tell you that we're all radical Marxists living in the sewers of Liverpool, stealing industrial secrets via Wi-Fi technology to help opium farmers in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, though, I have to tell you that's not the case. In the UK, being tied to any political party isn't really seen as an advantage in the art world, since it also implies getting involved in financial matters, as happens in the case of WAR. We've always tried to appeal to all music lovers, and I think using music as a political tool is a pretty crude way of self-promoting. That's what I think, anyway.

What do you think of the revolution brought about by the iPod?

I think it has its pros and cons. People are now exposed to a lot more music (and a lot more genres), and that's definitely a great advantage. Zukanican have always had a great relationship with the web, and we realised that a huge number of people were listening to us through PC speakers rather than stereo speakers.

On the other hand, I think it's the beginning of the end for records, since people now just download the tracks they're interested in and that grab them immediately, while the songs they get tired of just get shelved. The thought that scares me most is how quickly the major corporations jumped into the mp3 player market, which has already become a substantial chunk of their revenue, while musicians are left with barely any crumbs. I really can't wrap my head around that.

What will your next record sound like?

I think for the first time we might bring in people from outside the band, to provide a "fresh pair of ears" during mixing and production. Other than that, we don't know anything else except that it won't be released until we're completely in love with it and convinced it's truly representative of the band.

Expect the unexpected!

Since you're answering questions for a web-zine, what do you think of the phenomenon? Do you think the spread of web-zines has brought about a revolution in music criticism?

I'm more interested in reading the opinions of those who aren't bound by editorial and advertising lines. I heard that a well-known magazine, when asked by a record label why it wasn't reviewing its releases, replied that the label's chances of getting its releases reviewed would improve if it invested a lot more in advertising space.

Personally, I don't read many webzines, but most of the ones I've looked at are always very well written. It's obvious that it's thanks to the forums of these webzines that people compare their ideas. All of this is positive for bands like Zukanican, because not only does it mean people find out about bands they'd never have had the chance to hear otherwise, but it also gives readers the chance to let other readers know what they're listening to most at that time.

The bad part is that my knowledge of foreign languages is minimal, so I tried copying the reviews into some online translators and the result was as useless as it was hilarious!

5 records from 2006 that particularly blew you away…

In no particular order (and I apologize in advance if there are some 2005 titles in there)

Moondog – The Viking of Sixth Avenue 

Absolutely lunatic. 40 short tracks, a great sense of what Moondog represented and of the musicians he worked with. There are some great pieces (Rabbit Hop is definitely a classic), lessons on how to play in offbeat time signatures (From One To Nine), and a brilliant showcase of percussive skill (Improvisation in 4/4). Probably not as eccentric as people wanted him to be, but definitely hugely talented.

Loka – Fire Shepherds

It took many years to put together, but it was absolutely worth it for this psyche-fusion record. There are echoes of the sextet Herbie Hancock used in the early '70s. A record that's definitely not for the faint of heart. A record that still sounds very "raw" and completely unlike anything else released last year.

By the way, did I mention that Zukanican make up 50% of the lineup that plays at Loka's shows?

Jeans Team – Kopf Auf

Harry Zukanican calls it the most exciting thing to come out of Berlin lately.

A Hawk And A Hacksaw – The Way The Wind Blows 

Third album for AHAAH, which will lead them straight to their destiny: world domination. Zukanican have been lucky enough to play with them on a few occasions, and every time it's more compelling than the last.

"Psychedelic klezmer" will become their genre.

Super Numeri – The Welcome Table

The sound a flock of angels makes when they shake a rain-laden gutter looking for a rock that fell out of their pipe when the lighter was lit… And then track no. 2 starts with……. I think that's enough, right?

Yes, I think so too. See you soon!

See you soon!

(4/04/2007)

Special thanks to Magda Di Genova for the translation

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