Words by: Dimitri Kalagas
Dardanelles interview
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Relative newcomers, Dardanelles have already made a large splash in the music scene via an aggressive myspace campaign and a blistering, schizophrenic live show, leaving a steaming trail of new fans in their wake. Intentionally genre defying, Dardanelles take their influences from a variety of sources ranging from folk, dance, punk and new wave, and having recently been signed to new indie label Mosquitos Tweeter, it’s all systems go for the Melbourne foursome.
How and when did you guys meet initially?
We met at Uni more than three years. We’d all moved to Melbourne from different bits of Australia. I’m from good Gypsy stock that waddles along the East Coast. The others are from Adelaide and Geelong. We each arrived looking to huddle up with like-minded misfits. We found each other, formed a gang, trussing our rivals with white-out tape and clubbing them with calculators. The band is our gang’s peaceful side project; our Sinn Féin.
What’s the rationale behind the name Dardanelles?
In short, to reassure people that it’s okay to trash-talk Churchill.
In long, because Dardanelles is a place of transformation. It’s scarred by the past – a theatre of the Trojan and first World Wars, and the campaigns of Xerxes I and Alexander – but its ongoing physical beauty slaps mankind’s lust for a longer shadow in the face.
And the failure at Gallipoli, instead of remaining an open wound, is trumpeted as the birthplace of the Australian identity. Transforming sore spots into celebration is something we aim for in music. We want people to bounce to music with a dark bloodline. One thing we didn’t give enough thought to was accessibility. The amount of times it gets misspelt, or misheard! If we ever get referred to as ‘Darn Aliens’, ‘Arm Yourselves’ ‘Garden Elves’, or ‘Darkened Shelves’ again …
How would you describe your music?
Without genre. Genre walls keep music stagnant, and stagnant water stinks.
We just try and write earnest, interesting songs and if the only genre they fit is ‘Nu-Grunge/Gangsta-Rave/Punk-Electro’ then bravo. We’d rather we sounded like a trash and treasure stall than a boutique.
Your sound is quite eclectic, how do you guys go about creating tracks?
It usually starts with a ‘Eureka!’ hook, which we pull in as many directions as possible. Sometimes those directions include early 90s rave and white rap, yeah.
Tracks keep growing up the more we play them live. ‘Origami Tree’ was written and re-written over nearly four months of gigs. Lots of our best ideas come with the salty gig sweat in the eyes.
Who would you say are some of your biggest influences or inspirations, musical or otherwise?
Martin Hannet, Johnny Cash, KLF, Ed Banger, Roc-A-Fella Records, Burroughs, Nerf bows and arrows, Lou Reed, Robert Crumb, Henry Miller, Betty Davis, Werner Herzog, Kraftwerk, Dr John, Stanley Milgram, Frank Sinatra, Andre Breton.
Do you have a clear vision of where you are headed musically, or are you guys more into leaving it up to fate and taking things as they come?
The plan is there is no plan – continue to experiment. At the moment we’re experimenting along electronic lines. We’ll be happy so long as the music always has some cajones behind it, something to say, and fits uncomfortably into style boxes.
What do you think of the state of Australian music right now?
Good. In Melbourne we’re very spoilt – a tide of young bands with big and fresh ideas. If the thirty-something industry types and broadcasters were a shade more streetwise, sideways rather than backward looking, Australia would be the land of musical milk and honey.
Has it been tough trying to get recognition for the band and getting your music out to audiences?
We’ve been very lucky so far. Streaming our demo/EP over the Internet was a huge help and introduced us to people we wouldn’t have touched otherwise, including the people that booked us for our first trip to Sydney, some radio stations and a local music TV show. We’re just grateful to have caught a few breaks and have no complaints, even though it’d sound more rock’n’roll if we did.
How did you guys end up getting signed?
A happy coincidence – our label’s A&R guy saw us at a Melbourne club night that he dee-jayed while on holiday from Sydney. His beard, youth, worldliness and genuine love for the music reassured us. After a few weeks of plotting and planning, we delightedly signed with his hombres, Mosquitos Tweeter.
Are there any upcoming Dardanelles releases we should be looking out for?
Our debut EP comes out on 25 October, and we’ll be touring in early November supported by Tic Toc Tokyo, gonzo DJs The Reproductive System, and some local acts/DJS including a busker dressed in an alien suit.
What do you foresee in the future of the Dardanelles?
Global warming, which is bad news since I have a sweat problem as is.
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