What is the background story of MEMBA?
It’s a story we’ve just started to tell. SAGA-I was the first instalment, and we will continues to reveal more with each EP we release.
Considering the large number of great remixes MEMBA has made so far, what does a song need to wake up your desire of making a remix?
Usually it has to make us feel something // take us to a place. That’s the kind of music we like. Also it’s highly dependent on the vocal – we usually only use the vocals from a song and rebuilt everything from scratch around it.
What are the musical influences, video, and scenic arts that are in the aesthetics of MEMBA?
World music is our biggest influence. We love microtonal wiggles and polyrhythms. We usually mix that with elements from hip hop, trap and future bass. Aesthetically we are super influenced by the myth of pakal. He was an ancient Mayan ruler that built things that were almost beyond his time. On his tomb there are some crazy patterns and inscriptions. Conspiracists think it’s a depiction of him riding in a spaceship. At that intersection, of futurism and ancient human culture:, is where our aesthetic lies.
What kind of studio equipment do you use to produce your music? What exactly lead you to invent new instrument like the Aranyani?
We have KRKs and YAMAHA HS8s to listen with. a Roli seaboard, native komplete keyboard, a juno emulator, push2 to fiddle with. And a U87 and Avalon preamp to record with. We’ve always been really into maker culture. We wanted something special that looked amazing on stage. None of the midi controllers out there really did this to the extent we wanted, so we decided to build it ourselves. Plus it’s just mad fun to slap giant glowing balls on stage haha.
Your project ‘SAGA-I’ has an elaborated visual and creative aspect behind it. What are the things, thoughts or feelings that action as triggers of your imagination?
Music is the one thing we never get sick of. We also find it the clearest way of communicating complicated emotions. There aren’t enough words to describe feelings. It’s crazy all this happens through our ears alone. We wanted to see how we could enhance this through all five senses. That’s how the idea for SAGA-I was born.
What characteristics of planet SAGA – I, do you think are the most attractive and hopeful for humanity? What hidden message does the multi-sensory box brings with it?
The inhabitants of SAGA-I relentlessly chase what makes them happy, even if it means giving in to their vices. Unlike on earth there body’s don’t give out and they never feel guilt or shame. It’s kind of hoping to highlight that you actually have more control over your feelings than you think, and u can be shame and guilt yourself less to live a little happier. To uncover the hidden gems in the box you need to experience it yourself! Check our YouTube for a little more explanation on the concept.
The imaginative, and the imprint of playful fantasy, which evoke at least in me, make me ask: With what toys, games or sports, did you like to play when you were children?
I played a lot of rugby, basketball and Xbox. I also loved dominoes, LEGO and embarrassingly, magic tricks – things that involved using my hands. – Ishaan
The immersive event hold in Brooklyn this summer revealed MEMBA also as a creator of multi-sensory experiences. Which senses did this show stimulate?
The purpose of this event was for people to experience the SAGA-I planet through all five senses. We had a smell installation that used a custom scent we made with the help of olfactory artist Rhiannon catalyst. We also had a visual light reactive wall. Overly flavourful drinks named after songs on the EP and a bunch more interactions for people to experience. Check out the show recap on our YouTube!
You have recently launched a new music video called XiLLA! in collaboration with artist Vacades. Why did you choose 3D art to represent the theme of this track?
We wanted to literally put ourselves on SAGA-I. We 3D scanned ourselves and put our faces on distorted bodies. Will gained a few pounds. We are born by accident onto the planet and live a short hectic life, much like what happened to us here on earth. We wrote out the script and worked hand in hand with Timo to bring it to life.
Your latest release ‘Flash’ comes awash with interwoven rhythms and delicate shards of melody. How would you describe it in words?
A short burst of bright energy coming out of the top floor of a hotel window.
Send a codified message to your future self.
// u alw4yz nu it woooo00d 3n.d //
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All images, courtesy of artist: MEMBA