Mehawk

–                    Who are you?

We are Aleksei from Arnhem (NL) and Search from Landau (GER). And together we are called “Mehawk”.

–                    Why did you choose this pseudonym?

We have been looking for something short and catchy. Also for something that evoke a description of our sound. Mehawk is derived from „Mihawk“, the name of an anime character of 'One Piece'. But in fact, it has no special meaning.

–                    How was your  collaboration and project born?

Aleksei: Actually we were  living very close for a long time without knowing each other. However we have kind of the same circle of friends. I found some  tunes of Search on Soundcloud and totally fell in love with his voice.  After contacting him I asked around and randomly discovered that he’s a friend of a friend.

Search: Then we made a song together and after becoming very good friends, we started a serious project out of it. This was one year ago and it sounds like a really beautiful myth. Destiny!

–                    Why do you make music and what does it mean for you?

You always need to express yourself. Doesn’t matter what kind of art but music seems to be the most easy one for us to capture moods, feelings, thoughts… it’s also great to have the chance to make people forget their everyday life.

–                    Talking about the compositions of your songs: how and where were they born?

Because of our distance we are not a band which meets once per week. Most of the time s.o. starts a basic idea and sends it to the other. Then everyone is adding some parts. Sometimes it is created pretty quick. A few days and the song is almost done. In some cases we immediately know that there is sth special which brings us in certain kind of moods we were looking for. But for sure not every output is exactly what we needed. For us it is really important to be honest with ourselves and if it’s not good enough we just leave it. 

–                    Talking about your tracks ,what is your favourite?

Actually none of the both tracks we have online is our favourite. We really like them, that's why we made them public, but we got  a few new songs which are more advanced but not completely finished yet. It depends from time to time. Mostly the newest track is our favorite. 

–                    How would you define your sound?

We think that most of the songs are kind of deep and have a certain kind of darkness in it. Some songs also have a certain kind of Asian touch.

In general we define it as „Emotional Electronic, Future RnB, Organic Electronica“. But everyone has a different view on music.

–                    What genres and artists influenced your music the most?

There would be too many to name. There isn’t just music which influences/inspires us. We like art and graphic design a lot. A great movie/book and also nice or sad moments in our lives can have a deep impact. But to name some artist we like the most, there are Sufjan Stevens, Flying Lotus, Ryan Hemsworth, Ifan Dafydd, Nicolas Jaar, Lapalux and many more.

–                    You come one from Germany and the other from the Netherlands. What do you think about the music coming from your countries and  how do you see yourself in relation to them?

There are lots of great artists from Germany: Apparat, Sizarr, Roosevelt, Nils Frahm, Sven Kacirek, Christian Löffler, Matthias Grübel, LO or I Confess. We are influenced by German acts who make an international sound. That's what we try to make, too, in our own style.

And the Netherlands are in love with techno and house. There are also many guitar bands which are more a copy of famous bands. Both in a way we don’t like. Nevertheless there are also some bands to name: Iamoak, Machinefabriek and Mineral Beings. 

–                    What's your favourite artist and song?

Aleksei: Changes from time to time…we really like 'Left Alone' from Flume             feat Chet Faker.

Search: ...we listen to that song before we go on stage. But if I had to choose     just one, I would name 'Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland,                  Illinois' by Sufjan Stevens.

–                    Who do you think are the most relevant musicians nowadays and who are you listening to the most?

We think the producers are more relevant than the artist in most cases. Producers like Diplo or Timbaland.

–                     How much does the live element matter in your music?

Playing live is very important for us. Instead of just listening you can see and even feel the music. We try to create a special atmosphere with our music and also visuals.

–                    If you could pick an artist or a band to play with on a stage, who would you choose?

Search:Sufjan Stevens

Aleksei: Apparat

–                    What do you think about the music industry nowadays?

In music we get a kind of a revival of the vinyl. It can't compensate the great losses of the record industry. Many artist have to tour almost the whole year to make a living.

The music industry is not willing to take any risks at the moment. That’s why many people started their own label.

–                    What is the message that you'd like to express to the people who listen to your music?

It's different from song to song. Most of them shouldn't be obvious. Everyone can make his own interpretation to the songs. For example the song 'Rocket Bolt' can be seen in a negative and sad way or in a positive one.

–                    What is your favourite book and movie?

Search: My favourite book is 'Things The Grandchildren Should Know', the autobiography by Mark Oliver Everett. The movie which impressed me the most is 'Jacob's Ladder'. I've seen that movie just once, and I want to watch it again, but I dread it, this movie catches your brain!

Aleksei:The Map and the territory by Michel Houllebecq

            I recently watched wrong from Quentin Dupieux but my all time fav is      Caché by Michael Haneke.

–                    How and where do you see yourself in ten years from now?

Living together in a mansion!... Released two Lps with both best new music on Pitchfork... Well we don't really look that far.

–                    Pc or Mac?

We always argue about that … and we will never be in complete agreement...

–                    Beatles or Rolling Stones?

Beatles!

Mehawk – Abovt from Mehawk on Vimeo.

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