Latest / Ghost Cult Magazine Podcast / PODCAST: Episode - 766 - Chepang’s Kshitiz Moktan Talks "Jhyappa" and Grindcore Chaos

Transcript

PODCAST: Episode - 766 - Chepang’s Kshitiz Moktan Talks "Jhyappa" and Grindcore Chaos · Ghost Cult Magazine Podcast

0:00
A lot of people don't know the way I write songs.
0:02
I write songs in an order. I don't write songs 10 and then
0:05
we figured out the order. I write song one, then write
0:08
song 2/3. So there's a flow to it.
0:11
So when you also put those samples in, there should be a
0:13
flow. So it's comes full surgery.
0:21
What's up everybodyitskeithy@ghostcoltman.com.
0:25
I'm super stoked to be joined by Kevin from Japan.
0:27
How are you doing? Great.
0:28
Thank you for having me. Yes, fantastic to talk to you.
0:31
I've been a long time fan, actually.
0:33
I've seen the band live a bunch. You know, Queens by way of the
0:36
rest of the world. I'm originally from New York
0:38
City. I live on the West Coast now.
0:39
Thank you for making the time. Thanks for making the time in
0:42
your evening. I'm so excited.
0:44
The new album, I hope I'm not going to butcher this.
0:46
We just talked about this offline, but I didn't ask about
0:49
the album. But it's Joppa, is that right?
0:51
Yes. All right, you got it on the
0:53
first try. Oh, thank goodness I try.
0:56
I practice really hard and I I do a lot of these interviews and
0:59
I do a lot of voice overs and stuff where I have to say album
1:02
names and old Nordic and like German and like, I'm good at
1:07
languages, but not that good. Like, let's let's be real.
1:10
But yeah, man, first record I think for Relapse band has been
1:14
very prolific for over 10 years, you know, and, and before that,
1:18
I actually was a fan. Some of you guys were in a band
1:21
that I followed even before. That's in Garcia because.
1:24
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Which I loved and our website,
1:27
we did a big benefit for Nepal back in 2015 in New York and
1:34
other places. We did that compilation metal
1:37
for Nepal. That was, you know, just super
1:41
excited, you know, like I've always followed this band and I
1:43
love, I love like it's grind core, but I love that it's so
1:45
much more than just grind core. There's there's old school death
1:48
metal and there's like really, I love the samples and I love like
1:52
just the way you guys put songs together is always really
1:55
exciting. Talk about Relapse for a second.
1:58
How did you guys get hooked up with them?
1:59
I'm sure you were on their radar for a long time.
2:02
Probably, yeah, I think, I mean, we were probably on their radar
2:06
for a while. I do realize that, you know, the
2:10
last, until the last record, everything was being put on by
2:13
us independently. So I always used to see, you
2:15
know, Relapse name someone is already from Relapse, but the
2:19
name is there. But it's just Relapse records in
2:21
Philadelphia. So so with that said, that's the
2:24
last record shorter. I actually restarted lapse to
2:27
see if they were interested. But at the time, I think
2:30
everything for that record was already ready like to go
2:32
promotion, everything else. So it didn't make sense, I guess
2:36
for elapsed to, you know, jump in at the last moment because I
2:39
guess they wanted more hands on with the beginning of the whole,
2:42
you know, a new record than at the last moment.
2:44
So that's how it came about. And we recorded a new album,
2:48
this album Jabba last June and restart again and that's it.
2:51
The rest is his. Nice.
2:53
I'm sure like me, I've always impressed by the band and how
2:57
professional you guys are. So like there's a lot of bands
2:59
playing right and there's a ton of bands to choose from and
3:02
music is so it's there's an embarrassment of music right
3:06
now. There's so many good bands.
3:07
We still have some legendary bands that are out there.
3:09
I know like I I know Napalm Death is on tour with Melvin's.
3:12
Like it's so crazy to me. Like in 30 years ago, I could
3:16
not have imagined them touring together.
3:17
This is like their third tour of the world together, or at least
3:20
like North America and Europe, and I think it's really cool.
3:23
So but I I was always impressed. You guys can show up, play.
3:27
You're right. Like you said, you always have
3:29
promotion. You always had a, you know, like
3:31
a type bio videos, like interesting, you know, graphic
3:35
design and artwork and stuff that just carries the whole
3:38
theme of the band. So I'm sure they were impressed
3:40
too, because like this is just there's no, there's no fall off
3:44
here. This is just another good record
3:46
by the band. Exactly.
3:48
Yeah, good times and Relapse is great.
3:50
No, we follow. I've been fan of Relapse way
3:52
before we even had this website or I was a journalist.
3:54
So being a big fan, talk for a second like how do you guys?
3:58
Cuz it's our first time meeting and chatting in person on video
4:01
here. How do you guys put together
4:03
songs? Do you bring in a lot of the
4:04
songs? Is the band right together?
4:06
What's that look like? Yeah, it's, it's a normal
4:09
process. I, I, I write all the songs,
4:11
then I chop it up with my drummer.
4:13
We fine tune those songs, you know, create the BPM for Rancor
4:18
music and then you know, it evolves, evolves, and then we
4:22
finalize it and everything after that comes in, like the bass,
4:26
the noise, if there's a noise, vocals, you know, everything
4:30
comes out to you. That's how we do it.
4:31
Right on. I know the band has, you know,
4:34
again, put out their own records for years and splits with other
4:37
bands and things like that, but it's going to be I love what
4:40
relapse does with packaging. They always do a great job with
4:43
all their vinyl especially, and I'm I'm a big vinyl nerd.
4:46
I also have a vinyl podcast. So like I'm really excited to
4:49
get this record on vinyl. I'm sure you are too 4th full
4:52
length, but I think this is the first one where the vinyl's
4:55
going to come out. I think like right at the same
4:56
time at this like peak time for the packaging.
4:59
Yep. I think I'm super excited as
5:02
well to see because I do love records and I'm a record
5:04
collector too, like you so. I appreciate that.
5:07
And I have another question about record vinyl collecting
5:09
later for you. But yeah, man, it's such a good
5:12
record and I love, you know, the band has not.
5:15
For people worried, the band has not changed.
5:17
There's no change. Like it's the same music you
5:19
love. It's the same style.
5:21
Do you, do you anticipate that fans will appreciate the
5:26
references in some of the samples for your like home
5:29
cultural music or samples or news or whatever it is you guys
5:33
mailed in? Or do you just think it's for
5:35
you and if they get it, that's cool?
5:38
I mean, the people who have listened to it, it's always part
5:41
of us. They know it right From the
5:43
first seven days that we did. We had samples first full
5:46
length. We did have samples like, you
5:47
know, so it's they're used to this.
5:49
I don't think they're like, they're like, yeah, that's
5:51
Japan. You know, that's awesome.
5:53
That's what they they appreciated.
5:54
You know what I mean right on the how did you go about
5:57
selecting that stuff that you just kind of all put like, oh,
5:59
hey, I heard a thing. Or do you have like just such a
6:02
such a mental like library of things to pull from?
6:05
You don't have to worry about finding something.
6:08
On this record, the besides the last one, the the outro sample,
6:13
everything was pre taught by me already ready to go.
6:16
It went writing the songs already like, OK, I need to you
6:19
know, on the song this is going to go on the sample, blah, blah,
6:23
blah. But the last outro where there's
6:25
a sample that was done during the recording.
6:28
Actually, we were in Baltimore and we were watching it watching
6:31
like some YouTube or somewhere. We had a friend and he somehow
6:34
turned us into this song and then this the idea just popped.
6:38
Oh, this would be a good closing, like closing down with
6:41
the traditional music. Be perfect.
6:43
Here we go this this is the whole theory behind the samples
6:46
here. Right.
6:47
It's like the it's like the grind core.
6:49
Pink Floyd is a beginning and an end, and it loops, right?
6:52
Yeah, it's always. I mean, if you listen to our
6:54
record, there's always a flow to this.
6:56
I always say this as well. A lot of people don't know the
6:59
way I write songs. I write songs in an order.
7:02
I don't write songs 10. And then we figured out the
7:04
order. I write song one, then write
7:06
song 2/3. So there's a flow to it.
7:09
So when you also put those samples in, there should be a
7:11
flow. So it's comes full circle, you
7:13
know. Right on.
7:14
And I love that so much. I will say one of the things I
7:17
do love particularly about this record is how there's so much
7:21
more groove on this record. I think, I think you guys have
7:23
wow. You're the you're the first one
7:25
to say that because I always have to say, because I already
7:28
have, always on the last interviews I did, I always had
7:30
to think, what is the difference between all the records that you
7:33
have done and this new record? So I always say the number one
7:36
thing. This is the most grooviest
7:38
record we have ever talked. There's underlying proof to this
7:40
record. I'm glad you you should get.
7:42
Out Thank you, man. Well, I mean, you know, I just
7:44
trust the ears. I've been doing this a long time
7:47
and I love a lot of extreme metal that's kind of on a whole
7:50
base for me and I love that the grooves to me really reminded me
7:55
not so much a little slow, but not so slow that it's like I'm
7:58
going to go to sleep. But I like that it's like old
8:01
school death metal reminded me of obituary and Cannibal Corpse
8:04
early records and DSI early records where it's just like,
8:07
Hey, this is a groove part. We're going to just do this for
8:09
a minute, you know, right off of the first, the the first full
8:12
track, Shakti, which force, which I love and and I love the
8:16
video. I want to talk about the video
8:17
for a second too, in addition to the music.
8:20
That video really brought me home.
8:22
So I live in California now. I'm from New York originally.
8:24
I'm the East Coast guy traditionally.
8:26
And I love the rooftop video because like, I don't think
8:29
people, I'm sure everywhere is the same big cities.
8:31
We go on rooftops to smoke, to drink, to listen to metal, to
8:36
take ban photos. Like we think we're tough with
8:39
the with the with the graffiti and the city or the train.
8:42
I did all I did all that right too.
8:44
But I love that video, man. It's just you.
8:47
I saw the neighborhood. I was like, I know that I could
8:49
know that. I know that.
8:51
I might know that block that looks like everywhere, you know,
8:53
and like the boroughs, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, looks like that
8:57
made not so much Staten Island in Manhattan really, but or
9:01
upper Manhattan, right, Like maybe that's not that too.
9:03
So I was like, so cool, so cool. I love that video.
9:06
And it looked like it was winter.
9:07
You guys are all wearing bubble jackets.
9:09
Oh, my God. Yeah, it was super windy, too.
9:12
Thank God it was sunny because the, you know, the video came
9:14
out good because of the light, but windy.
9:17
And Paul, you know how it is, especially New York and peak
9:20
winter. It's horrific.
9:21
So I had to have a jacket. I moved here because I was like,
9:24
where is it? Like the East Coast but no snow.
9:26
And then we have snow in mountains out here too, but
9:28
like, not where I live. So I was so happy.
9:32
But yeah, I love that video. I'm going to, we're going to
9:33
link that along with how to buy the record, all your details in
9:36
the description. I want people to see that video.
9:38
We shared it and I'm super pumped.
9:41
Will we get any more music videos for the album or you
9:43
think that's the one? Yeah, we have two more videos
9:46
lined up. I think we have 1 coming out
9:48
tomorrow. It's just a visualizer by Frank
9:51
from Elapsed, not like the official video, but then we have
9:54
a video for the song Nene that's called gonna come out 2-3 weeks.
9:58
Yeah, that's nice. Yeah, that's one of the late out
10:01
the later in album tracks. That's a good one.
10:02
Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. The DSI track is what I call.
10:07
It, I love it so much. Yeah.
10:08
Good times. Yeah.
10:09
We're excited for that, man. I I, you know what's
10:11
interesting? It's like you guys came up at a
10:13
time, like I said, almost 10 years of the band.
10:15
Next year it'll be 10, you know, like vinyl was just coming back.
10:19
It's big now, but it was just happening again 10 years ago.
10:22
And music videos maybe came out of fashion, but I still think
10:25
they're useful. I know that I'm a different kind
10:28
of listener and watcher because of what I do, but I think
10:31
especially lyric videos and visualizers are helpful.
10:34
They help promote the record. I know that that, you know, the
10:36
budgets are not there anymore for like, you know, unless
10:40
you're at a certain level, but I, I think it's cool to still do
10:42
creative things. Yeah, and it keeps, it keeps
10:45
things interesting, you know, that's what we are here for, to
10:48
be honest, as a band as well, so.
10:50
Right on. And then for the back to the
10:52
record for a second, you know, it doesn't stay very long.
10:55
I think actually like that you have like 1-3 minute track and
10:59
four two-minute tracks is surprising.
11:00
Obviously one of them is the sample that closes the record,
11:03
but it's like, Oh yeah, like this is like it might even be
11:06
the longest record by the band, I think maybe.
11:09
Yeah, Yeah, it's pretty. I think the whole point of this
11:12
record was to be direct to the point and get out.
11:16
Because the the last record we did, Swatta has four sides, he
11:20
has AI. It's a lot of, I don't know,
11:23
maybe 50-60 minutes of music. We wanted this record to be to
11:27
the point, nice and short, quick and easy, in your face.
11:29
That's it. Done.
11:30
Nice. Yeah I meant like 9 songs in
11:32
terms of number of tracks. Oh yeah, yeah.
11:34
Yeah, like. Numbers like no, no, that's me.
11:37
But I like that. I like that you went there
11:39
because like it is true. I think the last SWAT it was
11:41
probably a little more experimental.
11:43
A little way more. And and this one is more to the
11:45
like you said, directing to the point, which I love.
11:47
Yeah. And I think it's like what we
11:49
need right now is this, you know, and, you know, pissed off
11:51
good music that's having to shake us out of whatever the
11:54
shit is going on in the. Yeah, yeah, for sure.
11:57
We need this so much right now. And, and the band has always
11:59
been like, you know, very hard on the sleeve, very smart, very,
12:03
you know, very political, which I always appreciate as as a
12:06
person. I was a fan of punk and metal
12:08
growing up, so it's cool. You know any, you know,
12:11
obviously there's no shortage of material to draw from, but at
12:14
what point do you guys put down like lyrics and finalized songs?
12:19
You said you write completely and from start to finish, but
12:22
like, you know, themes and and lyrics and things like at what
12:25
point is that finished in the recording?
12:27
I sort of have a usually have a team with a record, especially
12:31
on this record we wanted I had a team usually, I mean lyrics
12:34
wise, even though you have a team, lyrics wise, it comes at
12:38
the end. You tie everything together.
12:40
So this this how it goes with to bang?
12:42
I guess so. Nice.
12:44
What? What's going on in terms of
12:47
touring and and festivals? I'm sure there's like no
12:49
shortage of people wanting you guys.
12:51
Actually, so we're kind of slow on that piece.
12:53
I think the last time we played a show was what is this 2025,
12:56
right? August 2023, I think or maybe
12:59
the winter of 2023. We're trying to do some shows.
13:01
We have a record release show coming up in July 5th in TVI in
13:05
New York City. Maybe we will do some West Coast
13:08
tour in August. We're planning, planning to do
13:12
with Andrew from Ritu Shreds, you know, yeah, from relapse.
13:16
So hopefully that will come. And then as we, I don't know,
13:18
maybe your next year in Europe, I don't know.
13:20
We have some plans, but nothing completely as a fit diagonal.
13:23
All right, right on, we'll put the word out.
13:25
We are also partly a European brand as we yes, we started as a
13:29
magazine back then and we and we covered like very avant-garde
13:33
and extreme metal right from the gate.
13:35
So we've always covered this band and your pass bands from
13:38
you and the guys and I love RIP to stretch actually one of the
13:41
more fun. So if you come out West, I'll be
13:43
here. If you come to San Francisco,
13:45
we'll. Get 100%.
13:46
Or LA someone else will go cover it if not me, but like, I'll
13:49
come out and say hi to you guys. I would love to meet you again
13:52
and and say what's up. Yeah, You know, this may be a
13:55
smart approach. Right now, touring is so
13:57
expensive and and risky and I don't think fans, I know fans
14:01
are like, when are you coming to my city?
14:02
I'm sure it's every e-mail, every social media post.
14:05
When are you coming to my city? It's, it's hard right now, not
14:08
just for America, but the whole world.
14:10
It's expensive, fuel costs, insurance.
14:14
I remember before the plague, I, we did an interview with the
14:18
guys from Sepultura and they were saying it caught when they
14:21
were all living in Brazil at the time.
14:23
And they were like, yeah, just to come into the States, it cost
14:26
us like 15,000 bucks a person. And it's gone up since then,
14:30
since 2019, it's gone up and up and up.
14:34
You know, conquer every mountain you can.
14:37
But it's hard. I know you want to get out there
14:39
and play. And I love, I love the band
14:41
live. I've seen the band a few times
14:43
and it's always a where. Did you?
14:44
Where did you see? US E yeah, but I think Baltimore
14:48
and New York City for sure. When?
14:49
I was. In Brooklyn, so I saw you guys
14:51
in Brooklyn, I think at the old Anchor or the Archer on whatever
14:55
that was called. It was like a death trap and I
14:57
used to go to grind core shows. They were in heart and shows
15:00
there and then there wasn't. I think there was a show I, I
15:04
want to say St. Vitus also, but then Baltimore,
15:07
I think I saw you guys down there also.
15:09
So is, you know, in town. They love the brutal shit down
15:11
there. But yeah, I wish I and I, and
15:15
again, like I said, we've been, you've been on the radar for a
15:17
long time for us just as a website and when we had the
15:21
magazine, which hasn't been in quite a while, but you know, I
15:25
edited most of them. So I know you were, I know we
15:27
covered reviewed albums and splits and things.
15:31
But yeah, man, I'm super excited to finally get to talk to you.
15:34
You know, I just have a couple more for you, which is, you
15:37
know, of, of the, there's a lot of new bands now there any newer
15:42
I know who your original influences are there any new
15:44
bands that you're excited about that you might like to tour
15:47
within the future? Not really.
15:49
I listen to any soul and jazz. Sort of.
15:54
No, actually, I don't know new bands, to be honest.
15:59
That's a bummer, right? No, not at all.
16:01
Well, first, I love soul and I was raised on a lot of jazz.
16:04
Oh, there you go. My parents are crazy jazz nerds
16:07
so I grew up actually in which is I love rock and metal.
16:10
I grew up on classical and jazz too.
16:12
What are your favorite soul and jazz artists?
16:14
Right now I'm really interested in the Southeast Asian bands.
16:19
You know that like from Taiwan, there's a band called Sunset
16:22
Roller Coaster, There's one from like a City Puff, sort of jazzy
16:28
band from Korea called Hugo. So both of them just put out a
16:33
collab called AAA, It's in English.
16:35
It's such an interesting mix because we have two different
16:38
cultures, two different types of music and it's it's really
16:42
awesome. They have two drummers, 3
16:44
guitars. I mean, it's just crazy like,
16:46
and that is what I've been listening.
16:48
I think I'm excited right now, so.
16:50
Nice. Well, you know what?
16:51
You can't always. You know, I've interviewed a lot
16:53
of artists and you'd be surprised.
16:54
That answer is not that strange because a lot of people, like I
16:58
make very heavy music, and I don't want to only listen to
17:01
heavy music. So maybe, yeah, putting yourself
17:03
out in a different box in a different headspace clears you
17:06
out so you can focus on your band and not, you know, take too
17:10
much in from other places. I think, Yeah.
17:12
Yeah, inspiration comes in different ways, you know, I like
17:15
inspiration when it comes to a different source, you know,
17:17
sometimes. Of course.
17:18
Yeah. And I like that.
17:19
I like, you know, music is the cultural.
17:21
Yep. Bond, not the divide.
17:24
It's the bond. Actually.
17:25
I'm not surprised that, like, a Taiwanese band and a Korean
17:29
band, this is great music coming out of Korea right now.
17:32
Yeah. And of all stripes.
17:34
So like, you know, we shouldn't close ourselves off.
17:37
Like I know people like I hear jazz and it makes me angry or
17:40
like I hear I hear country music and it makes me mad.
17:44
Like I think anything too commercial and is not great, but
17:47
you can have beautiful pop music that's made well, like, you
17:50
know, whatever or things that are outside the box metalheads.
17:53
You can listen to other stuff that's not just a heavy yes,
17:56
Yes. And then you can be angry the
17:58
rest of the time because the world is shit and, you know,
18:00
we're in it. Yeah, Yeah.
18:03
For sure. Unfortunately, but yeah, it's
18:04
not a bad answer at all. There's no bad answers.
18:06
Actually. There's no bad or wrong answers
18:08
in any of my interviews. People watching.
18:10
And yeah, man, that rules so much.
18:12
I actually prefer it when people don't say like, oh, the same
18:15
shit. I always listen to like, no,
18:17
it's cool to get different answers and stuff like that.
18:19
And you know, people that wear more wear more than just one
18:22
thing. Everybody like metal people
18:25
where we have, we have a taste beyond what you know, Don't
18:28
always judge us. It's not fair.
18:31
Just for a last question, and I enjoy talking to you so much
18:34
since you mentioned vinyl before and I'm a big vinyl person.
18:37
What is your favorite record on vinyl that you own?
18:39
Oh discordance access in a labial in alienable dreamless,
18:46
that record. I have it in all versions plus a
18:50
test plus. Sick.
18:51
Oh my gosh, that's dedication. I'm I'm pretty sure that's hard
18:54
to find. Now I'll go look at this.
18:57
Thoughts. I bet that was probably took
18:58
time to get them all right. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I have that.
19:01
And I at the second one, I think it's a griddling record or from
19:05
the record. So yeah, with test press and
19:08
whatever like I, I took those two records kind of stick with
19:11
me no matter where it is. Nice work.
19:13
Yeah, those are great. People should look those bands
19:16
up. Maybe we'll link them in.
19:17
Yeah. For sure.
19:19
Those are those are important bands.
19:20
There are two more records. Hey Kevin, super cool meeting
19:23
you finally and and and this in this arrangement, meeting you
19:26
and chatting with you and interviewing you today.
19:28
I love the new record. I want everybody to hear this
19:31
thing Relapse records in May And thank you so much for hanging
19:34
out with Ghost call today. Kevin, I appreciate you.
19:37
Thank you so much. Take care.