Shachak Itzkovitz of Soda Fabric

QRO caught Soda Fabric’s Shachak Itzkovitz between touring and the release of the band’s debut full-length, 'Atlantis'....
Soda Fabric : Q&A

Soda Fabric : Q&A

QRO caught Soda Fabric’s Shachak Itzkovitz between touring and the release of the band’s debut full-length, Atlantis. In the conversation, the drummer talked about the group’s “WALL OF GUITARS,” working with producer Max Bloom, Berlin, Hamburg, Atlantis, and more…

 

QRO: This has been one of the rare times where a band’s self-description is very fitting. On your Facebook page it says ‘WALL OF GUITARS’ and with that must come an ethos for that desire. What were some of your influences that made you want to play music the way you do? 

Shachak Itzkovitz: We believe that guitars are not just for decoration. Mainstream music puts the vocals at the front of the mix and guitars on the back. We don’t agree with this approach and believe that the guitars should create a thick, but still reachable and touchable, waterfall of noise.

QRO: It always shocks me a bit when a band will tour extensive without having an album out. Do you feel that there’s a sense of ‘having to prove something’ to crowds who can’t purchase your music right away, or has that ever crossed your mind?

SI: From the moment we got a few good songs together, we started playing as many shows as we can. Plus, we also took some time between recording and the forthcoming release of the album. In that meantime, we wanted to start reaching different crowds and playing in many places as we could. We think the crowd could experience should be something unique that is happening exclusively on stage before its released to the public.

QRO: Was there ever a show you attended where you thought, ‘Wow I want to do that!’ and what was it about that show that did that for you?

SI: We saw the Brian Jonestown Massacre a few times. The way they mix genres together… the sound, the songwriting and the style is simply unbelievable. It’s also really impressive to see a band that exists for more than 20 years and still releasing great albums and tours around the world. Big inspiration.

We believe that guitars are not just for decoration.

QRO: How was it supporting bands like Drenge and Smith Western, and how do you feel their crowds took to you?

SI: Both of them are great bands and it was a pleasure. We felt that their crowds liked us a lot and it was a chance for us to reach relevant and cool people.

QRO: Has their been a city/town where you felt everything clicked just right? With being in Berlin now I’d imagine the shows would be quite brilliant, yes? 

SI: With Hamburg we fell in love immediately. We came to play in the legendary Molotow at Reeperbahn Festival and everything was just perfect. The crowd, the vibe and the scene in this city. Berlin is our new home so here we have great shows with people that show up every time and go crazy with us.

QRO: It’s great seeing that Max [Bloom, frontman of Yuck] is producing music now. How did he end up being at the helm of producing your album?

SI: We came to see Yuck playing in Berlin. After the show we got to hang out with them at their hotel bar and play table soccer together. Max seemed to share lots of musical influences, visions and roots with us and ended up mixing our album brilliantly.

From the moment we got a few good songs together, we started playing as many shows as we can.

QRO: What I find curious is the title for the album, Atlantis. Not exactly the why, but I wonder: did the name for that album come from a natural place? Meaning, was there ever a possibility for it to have another name or did ‘Atlantis’ just fit what you wanted to convey?

SI: We like the idea of an ancient island that exits underwater. This vibe is inspiring us and that’s the only name we could think of.

QRO: Lastly, do you feel as though you guys have a track that best encapsulates what Soda Fabric is? A track that has the sound and vibe just nailed down perfectly? And if so, which track would you say does that?

SI: The song that ends the album is named “Atlantis” as well. We feel that something spiritual happened to us when we wrote this song. Everything was perfect and all the chakras opened completely.

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