Part of what made Italian TV series Gomorra such a cult hit is its soundtrack, composed by Italian post-rock outfit Mokadelic. Ramona Depares interviews the band ahead of their performance in Malta.
How was Mokadelic born?
Mokadelic wase born in Rome in 2000, under the name of Moka, when Alessio and Cristian met Alberto and Maurizio. Some time later, Luca joined the band on the keyboards.
How would you describe your music to those who have never heard it?
The music we make represents the way to express our emotions and our instincts, and thrills us.
How do you define post-rock and what makes it so remarkable different from other genres?
Post Rock is synonymous with freedom, a way to make music without any obligation, a kind of music in which experimentation is always accepted.
How did the band evolve from soundscapes to collaborating with film/TV?
This has been a casual meeting that we always wanted. From the beginning we discovered that our music, not using voices or words, can magically match with images. This is the reason why we used to project films in our concerts. So we decided to include a videomaker in the band – Andrea Cocchi – who can express with images what we express in sounds.
How did the collaboration with Gomorra come about?
Our experience in Gomorra – the series began when Stefano Sollima, who involved us in his first film ACAB, asked us to create the entire original soundtrack. He thought that our music could express the spirit of Naples and the story he wanted to develop.
Post Rock is synonymous with freedom, a way to make music without any obligation, a kind of music in which experimentation is always accepted
What was your first reaction upon being asked to produce music for this series? Did you expect it to be so big?
We were very excited, since the first meeting. We saw the first episode and it was very powerful. This energy engaged us and we started creating soundscapes that supported the scenes.
What is the creative process like when scoring a film or series? What comes first?
Depends on the situation. In Gomorra, for example, we watched the first episode and, later, composed some of the themes, such as Doomed to Live. After that, we composed the music without watching episodes, only imagining the emotions that we were supposed to find in the film.
Nowadays, do you create works with no visuals in mind? Or are your compositions always tied to images?
Our music is not always related to images, although all our compositions inspire in us something iconographic.
Do you prefer studio sessions or live performances?
The studio sessions and live sets are both fascinating in different ways. In this moment we feel the need to share with the public the music we have created in the studio. In other moments when we need to renovate and experiment new sounds, we spent more time in the studio, the place where we can do this.
Italy is pretty eclectic music-wise. Can you share some of your memories growing up here? What did you guys used to listen to when growing up?
Yes, in Italy there are many interesting music scenes. We grew up listening to Lucio Battisti, Lucio Dalla, Francesco De Gregori, etc. In adulthood we listened to rock and post rock, for example Giardini di Mirò, Marlene Kuntz, Afterhours, Verdena...
How do you manage to juggle your day jobs with your music? Do you ever wish it could be different?
All of us have two jobs, and music is one of them. Sometimes it’s challenging to perform both activities, but it is also very satisfying. Twice a week we meet in our studio to play music together.
What is next for Mokadelic? Anything new you guys are working on?
For the moment we are focused on promoting our new album Chronicles and continuing with Gomorra live concerts.
Is this your first time performing in Malta?
Yes, in fact it is our first time performing outside Italy and we’re very thrilled about that.
Mokadelic perform on February 23 and 24 at the Valletta Campus Theatre, Valletta. The event is part of the Valletta 2018 programme. Tickets are available online.
https://shop.trackagescheme.com/event/mokadelic-play-gomorra/