Most of you know Erk Aygoram as being the energetic and impulsive frontman of the international renowned Mexican Electro/Industrial act Hocico.But besides working on new stuff for this main project, Erk has foundtime and inspiration to start a solo effort called Rabia Sorda.Musically his signature is present, but under Rabia Sorda he also triesa lot to integrate different musical influences and experiences tooffer a different onslaught. And he has also taken some free time toanswer us some questions…
Chain D.L.K.: Hello Erk, time to confess now: I guess you’re filled withenvy when you see Racso’s efforts with Dulce Liquido, and you had towaste a lot of free time. So this are for sure the only real reasons whyyou built up Rabia Sorda, am I right? 🙂
Rabia Sorda: Definitely you are right, making music is a very good timekilling activity and helps you deal with every kind of envy… Actually Irecommend it as therapy for everyone out there who has ever thought ofkilling someone or already did it. 🙂
Chain D.L.K.: Please try a bit to separate and give us somebackground about the differences of the work like composition andproduction between both projects, Hocico and Rabia Sorda…
Rabia Sorda: Hocico is a two-headed monster. Basically we both takedecisions on what we do musically and lyrically, and Rabia Sorda is onlyme following my internal voices.
Chain D.L.K.: You are a bit longer placed into this Electro/Industrialmusic scene, how do you review the latest evolution with the still verypopular “Hellektro” thing, a style of harsh EBM which takes itsinspiration besides Suicide Commando also out of your work with Hocico?
Rabia Sorda: Hellektro? What is that? I thought we had inspired peopleto love each other and to follow god’s will… we didn’t do that! Thereshould be a misunderstanding in here…
Chain D.L.K.: I guess your music has become a kind of full-time job andwhile you’re being signed to a German label, is it still possible tolive in Mexico? Or do you visit you home country only in the holidays?
Rabia Sorda: Music has always been a full time activity for both of us.In my case I spend all the year traveling between Mexico and Germany.
Chain D.L.K.: Some words to the evolution of the Mexican scene, ifpossible. I think that you could start a kind of avalanche with Hocicoin your earlier days and some acts like Amduscia followed. But lately I misssomething new coming out and ready to take some international attention.Here and there are some promising and unsigned talents like C-Lekktor orAcid Trauma, but I guess a lot of stuff will remain unpublished, alsothanks to the fact of the demise of Opcion Sonica and that there isn’t afollow-up label. What’s going on there?
Rabia Sorda: There are dozens of emerging bands, I have the feeling thatevery month a new one emerges, from Synthpop to Powernoise all aroundthe country, there is a lot of crap, but some are definitely worthlistening to. A few, like Ogo, have been going for years; others, likeDeus Ex Machina, are back on the scene again; and there are brand newbands like Disfuncion Organica.
Chain D.L.K.: Back to Rabia Sorda, you surely try to figure outdifferent sound ideas and textures like some Ethno-influences than withHocico. A normal musical development for you experienced through theyears?
Rabia Sorda: I felt the need to re-invent the Erk that everyone knows.Hocico is under my skin, but at this particular stage in my life Ireally needed to explore music in a different direction, so I worked tocreate a fresh but at the same time very organic sound.
Chain D.L.K.: Is it thinkable to start a tour with Rabia Sorda withouthaving Racso on your side?
Rabia Sorda: It is going to be strange I think, but Rabia Sorda is allabout having new experiences, so it is going to be fine.
Chain D.L.K.: The last Hocico album “Wrack And Ruin” has also receivedsome unfriendly words, that you guys got tired and that you could need atime-out. How much do you care on criticism, if it is constructive? Hasthis influence on your work?
Rabia Sorda: We give a flying fuck for those critics, we do what we wantand that’s it. We usually say that with those comments and 5 pesos, westill buy a cup of coffee.
Chain D.L.K.: How is it with the technical side of your music? In timesof a growing evolution of computer-based software-synths, which kind doyou prefer, the hard- or the software-based solution?
Rabia Sorda: We were hardware freaks for a long time, but in 1999 westarted using some soft-synths and at the moment we were a bit skepticalabout them… but there is very good quality software on the marketnowadays and now we think a good blend of both worlds, analog anddigital, is the best solution for us.
Chain D.L.K.: What else do you expect from the future, musically and foryour private life? Any new releases in the works, which you can alreadyconfirm here?
Rabia Sorda: We already started working on some new Hocico tracks, so Ihope a new album is ready at some point of this year.
Chain D.L.K.: Any final words for our readers to conclude this interview?
Rabia Sorda: Eat your veggies kids and keep the blood boiling!
Visit Rabia Sorda on the web at:
[interviewed by Marc Tater] [proofreading by Tommy T. Rapisardi]