By Patrick Hickey Jr.
Review Fix chats with Venus Fly Trap’s Alex Novak, who discusses the band’s origin and goals for the future.
Review Fix: How was the band born?
Alex Novak: I just finished being in ATTRITION who were based in London at the time,I had done an album “SMILING AT THE HYPOGONDER CLUB†and toured Holland(my first sojourn abroad with a band). Decided to move back to my native Northampton(famous for BAUHAUS/ALAN MOORE) hooked up with my brother JOHN NOVAK(ISAWS/WHERES LISSE) and TONY BOOKER an x-art school student(I also had studied at art school).
This was my own project as opposed to being in someone elses band, my idea was to get back to basics garage/rock n roll mixed with thumping drum machine beat,with dark vox and gothy atmospherics. For any new band you want to get out and play asap,but we recorded demo tracks quickly as the plan was to get a record deal.
These things happened very quickly for us, We had a release out within a year of forming.
Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?
Novak: When we were writing ICON,myself and ANDY DENTON(guitar/programming)would start with a riff/idea,just guitar and vocal. The riff would suggest a lyric and a bit of jamming would be an embryonic version of a song,not all these ideas would come to anything,but are kept for possible use in the future.
ANDY DENTON would take these ideas away and come up with a basic backing track to then add more lyrics to and to work out a structure,a lot of going back and forwards from rehearsal to studio,we would end up with a song structure that we were happy with. This is just the start of the process for recording as a track gets mixed many times before it gets to the tweaking phase where we brought in MARTIN BOWES(ATTRITION) to do the final mixes and add the fairy dust.
With electronics it is a blessing/downside as you can any sound you wish,which can make you faff around playing with different sounds.
Discipline is needed to get the final mix done otherwise you can tamper with it forever.
Review Fix: What inspires you?
Novak: With an album you will have more immediate tracks,but we construct an album to work as one piece,moving from one mood to another. Obviously tracks are picked to promote the album, VITESSE for ICON was chosen,but it is out of context and makes more sense fitting in with other tracks.
Review Fix: What are your goals for 2020?
Novak: The new release will be out in may VENUS FLY TRAP/ALEX NOVAK-MERCURIAL(BEST OF)CD/DL on GLASS RECORDS MODERN its a round up of VENUS FLY TRAP and my other projects notably ISAWS, RELIGIOUS OVERDOSE,TEMPEST,ATTRITION etc…We had dates lined up from may onwards but obviously because of the situation we are re-scheduling for September(hope its normal by then)-good luck everyone…
Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?
Novak: Try to create sonic scapes for films in your mind,draw the listener in and enjoy the ride, Wewant people to get lost in the music to let go and be part of the musical twists and turns-you should listen without distractions the lights down and the phone/tv/computer OFF!
Review Fix: What’s next?
Novak: Plans to re-issue more material,recently put out the first VENUS FLY TRAP album MARS CD/DL On GLASS RECORDS MODERN,digitize other material to be released as a download or CD-see what the lay of the land is,next re-issues would be the second and third albums TOTEM and PANDORAS BOX…hope we all get back to normal (whatever that is)soonish…all the best!
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