Yattaї: Fast Music Is Love!

What do you know about France? Paris, the Eiffel Tower, Elysian Fields... And what is about Yattaї - blasting grindcore band from French Angoulême? About forthcoming new album, wine and aliens we've talked with band vocalist, Gautier...

Hi, Gautier! Thanks for doing this interview! How are you? Waiting for spring?:)

Hi, Serge. The pleasure is ours. We don’t do that much interview. I’m quite fine, I finish preparing our march mini tour in Switzerland and Italy and try to find some other gigs for the April French mini tour. And yeah I’m waiting for spring, my tan isn’t so good anymore, ha ha !!!

When the first Yattaї rehearsal has took place? That is to say, tell, please, some biographical facts from the band life

We don’t remember exactly when the first rehearsal took place. I think end of 2004, beginning of 2005. First, I wasn’t in the band. The line up was by then William (guitars and screams), Daniel (guitars), Thomas (drums) and Clement (bass). Then when looking for a vocalist, they thought about me. I was vocalist in a previous band with William called GASTRICK BURST in which he used to play drums.
After a few concerts with that line up and a demo CD-R, we decided to fire our bassist, due to a lack of motivation. Then we recruited Vian, a good friend of ours. Since that line up change, we recorded and play lot gigs mostly in France, but also in Germany.
We recorded the following stuff :

- Split CD-R with GASTRICK BURST : "Dance, you stupid" on Traumatized Records
- Split CD-R with DOSA/LOSTEROR/GRUUTHAAGY : "Experiment in terror" (Roots Active Productions) (2006)
- Split CD with CAKEWET (Dead Cirkus Records) (2007)
- Split EP with GRUNT GRUNT (Dead Cirkus) (2008)
- Split EP with THE FANTASTIKOL HOLE (many great labels) (2009)
- Split CD with JACK (Kasamata Records) (2010)
- Split EP with TREPAN DEAD (many great labels) (2011)

We played lot of gigs with many bands such as YACOPSAE, TOTAL FUCKING DESTRUCTION, JESUS CROST, LOOKING FOR AN ANSWER, SUPPOSITORY, MAGRUDERGRIND, etc...
Tired of working in the underground, Daniel unfortunetly left the band in end of 2010. We are now working as a 4 pieces. But we are motivated as never before. We are currently working on the new release which will be our first album and will also includes all the songs from our previous discography.

Introduce each band member in several words...

William : guitars. The real soul of the band. A fucking rollercoaster on stage. A real freak on stage.
Vian : bass. The bassist, who has the attitude we wanted. Pretty shy, but not on stage and motivated as fuck to do everything.
Thomas : drums. A big part of the personality of the music with the William’s riffs. A great drummer, who plays faster and faster. I never stop repeating, that his blastbeats are with one foot only, old school style!
Gautier : vocalist. I’m the charismatic leader of that wild bunch.
We are all great friends in daylife.

As I know, you don’t have full-length yet. When situation will be changed?

Now we are working on that first album. That won’t be a real full-length. If you know ASSUCK, you know what an album represents for that band : 15 songs for 15mn. That will be more or less the case for us too, ha ha !!!
To be honest, we don’t really like too long grinding albums. There are lot of exceptions of course, but most of the albums are hard to listen in one time. Sometimes too repetitive, etc…
It’s really hard to please me as a fan with an album and most of us think the same in tha band.
We prefer shoter stuff and a listener that ask for more than a too long release people never listen.
We also want to put the entiere discography, not for the pleasure to fill that release. We’ve been asked many time of the song we released on split EP will ever be released on CD. Many people don’t have vynil player and can’t listen to a big part of our stuff. With that release, they will have the new stuff, and the older ones they couldn’t listen to. That release will also include unreleased tracks (8) we recorded for the split with KRUPSKAYA that has never seen the light of the day.
As we still work with underground labels that, like us, want to propose the bast stuff at very fair prices, that release will be a almost 70 tracks one with new stuff, unreleased stuff, hard to find stuff and maybe a surprise. But can’t talk about it yet, I have to work on it a bit more.
That release will be named : Fast music is Love. Because this is our real way of thinking about grindcore. A pleasure to be a part of a whole independent system, a real pride to be a part of the DIY way and always a blast meeting new people all over the planet.

You have very original band name. What is the meaning of “Yattaї” word?

Yattai has different meanings in Japanese. It means as “super” as “small food shop” ha ha !!! We wanted a name that sounds easy to remember, short and more original than the usual names in the scene.
The true reason we are called Yattai is quite stupid to be honest. If anybody knows Yatta, the Japanese band (a boys band quite ridiculous)… The name came from that band. We were drunk and we saied : let’s call us Yattai, as a tribute to Yatta ! I think that was my idea. I was drunk you know… ha ha !!!!

Tell about Yattaї concerts. How often do you play live shows, what countries did you visit and what ones you’d like to visit?

We all have works that didn’t allow us to tour as often as we would like to. But I don’t know how many concert we did, but more than hundred for sure.
As now we’re working as a 4 pieces and as most of us changed they professional situation, it seems to be easier now. That is why we can do 2 mini tour in 2 months.
We love to play live. We are born to do that and I think, without pretention, that we are quite effective on stage. By now, we only visited Germany, but soon also Italy and Switzerland.
There’s no place in the world we wouldn’t like to play at. No place.
There are years we’re talking about playing far east in Europe, but no one wants us in these places… ha ha !!!! After Germany, nobody answers our mail and no one invites us ha ha !!! Serge, please, invites us in your country !!!! ha ha !!!

How do you “tune up” yourself before live show? What is your own formula of good live set?

First, we avoid drinking before a show. We are less violent if we do, so really few drinks before the set.
On my side, as I feel obliged to move as much as possible (we’re doing a show isn’t it, so let’s blast all over the place ha ha), I prepare myself physically. Not doing real exercises or things like that but stretching on all parts that will be solicited. Thomas does a lot the same for his arms.
Our real formula for gig is : 2 people of 200, that is the same. If people came for us, no matter how many, we have to grind the shit out for them !!!! Give all you can and make sure these people will be happy with that !
We play every concert as if that is the last one. No matter anything else. And people seem to feel it and to like it.

What short statement can you say as Yattaї band slogan and why?

As for the release name : Fast Music means Love. As I told before, we are guys that are much into meeting people, that are proud of being a part of a really independent system, and who love to share ideas, stuff and everything else.

Do you have experience of playing in other bands and other musical styles?

My register as a vocalist is quite limited. So no, I always evolved into brutal stuff.
William played a lot of style, mostly when he was more on drums. He did HC stuff but also some African tunes, etc…
Thomas, used to play in a neo metal band. He was really young, ha ha !!!!
Vian tired lot of things but as a part of a band, only brutal stuff in my memories.

Tell about your making as a grind musician. When did you hear hard music for the first time? What tape it was? And what has inspired you for playing your own grindcore?

I grow up in towns with very few people at a time without internet. So my first introduction to violent music was with top 10 ha ha !!!! I am a big fan of Guns and Roses, and I think that I was 10 when I decided to become a rock star ha ha !!!!
That’s the truth, I think I wouldn’t have done anything if I didn’t listen to GnR. After that, I has been really fast. I wanted for some more stuff always harder, always heavier.
I tried IRON MAIDEN, but it was not strong stuff enough for me. And then PANTERA. It has been a huge step in my musical evolution. Phil Anselmo… If I do grind today this is mostly because (or thanks, it depends) to him. And then SEPULTURA, MORBID ANGEL and… NAPALM DEATH. Since NAPALM DEATH, I just want to do blasting stuff. As I was getting older, I wasn’t that much into death metal stuff as I used to be. Grind and crust stuff are the real thing for me and still are (talking about brutal stuff only of course, I also listen to lot of other things).
To end up that state of mind, I’m more into grinding stuff nowadays because I feel like this means being true to yourself, no fashion nor special look to have to be a part of. Stay as you are and just show us what you have in the guts. That is something I didn’t find anymore in the modern metal stuff.

If we try to compare underground scene in 2000 and nowadays, what main differences you see since 10 years? What features underground has lost and what – has got while this decade?

Lot of things change. Everything change. For the worst and the better. I think, Internet has been helping a lot spreading the word about your band, finding contacts, etc… New tools for recordings also helps a lot of band recording stuff in good conditions, at least better than before. The counterpart is that now, it is quite difficult to exist as a band due to the incredible number of bands that have been created since the last 10 years.
But staying on the statement as “it was better before” is ridiculous. The way things go allow you to do lot more things (how many new and great festivals have been created since the last decade?) and the real thing now is having the real guts to be yourself in that universe.
This is still DIY but with new tools. Up to you to use them or not and up to you develop a personality.
I think if we have been able to release all the stuff we recorded is thanks to the new micro structures that work as cooperative ones. Every last releases are cooperation between almost 10 labels. I’m proud of it. And the next album will be the same.
We won’t wait for a Relapse of 325 Thrash signature. We will put the shit out with all the help that really nice and involved people can give to us. Modern DIY maybe ?

What is attitude to grindcore in France, country of great chansonniers?

The French scene is getting bigger and bigger. More and more people are involved and information goes faster. There are more gigs than previous years. It’s always some kind of difficult because that is not really a bankable scene, but some people are now in place for years, develop street teams or sort of, and does the job very well. Many bands are real good and work very hard, even if they all don’t tour.
For the Ukrainian readers here are a short list of bands that deservers to be supported : TREPAN DEAD, CHIENS, ATARA, BLOCKHEADS, SHAID, NOLENTIA, SYLVESTER STALLINE, FATAL NUNCHAKU, ZUBROWSKA, STUNTMAN, ESCARRES, DESECRATOR, INHUMATE, NOLENTIA, PETRIFIE, UNSU, XAROS, DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION, GRINDOMATIC, WHORESNATION, FAXE, FANTASTIKOL HOLE, ELYSIUM, RATBOMB, and don’t hesitate to write to me for a lot of more !!!!
Also a short list a small labels and organizations I really love and support : ESATERN BLASTING CREW, DOUCHEBAG Records, UNDISLESS Records, REWOLUJCA Records, JUNKY MONKEY Records, GEORGES ABIDBOL Records, UNDERGROUND POLLUTION Records, SHOW ME YOUR TITS Records, SOUND CARNAGE Organization, BOITE NOIRE Records, NHDIYST Records, and many more !!!!

By the way, do you know that in countries of former USSR exists such musical genre as “chanson” – rogue songs about prison, thiefs etc. It’s a pity, but it is very popular genre among outcasts… Do you have similar shit in France? Maybe among immigrants.

Ha ha, no, we don’t have that kind of stuff here. But send me some links, I’ll have to listen to that. One time at least!

France is also well-known by its wine industry. What wine do you prefer? Did you taste rare wines? And what’s about other alcohol drinks (vodka, beer) in France, are they popular or not?

Yes wine is a really important industry here. I have to admit I’m a red wine lover. I’m not that much into white one. And yes I had the opportunity to taste really good ones.
Not really rare ones, I don’t have money for that (even in France, this is expensive) but really prestigious ones.
One of my favorite, even if that is not a rare or prestigious one is the Mouton Cadet. It tastes very good and this is one of the red wine I can drink all night long (which isn’t the case of most of them, it’s quite hard for me to drink too much red wine).
We have a long tradition of drinking alcohol here. Even for foreigner ones such as vodka. For having been in Czeck Rep, Poland and other countries, be sure the ones we have here don’t taste really good compared to the ones you have in eastern Europe.
We also have a great tradition in beers, but French beers, for the best seller ones, aren’t very good. I have to admit I only drink Belgium beers. These are my favorites.
We also have cognac and pineau done in only an area in France (near Angouleme where most of us live), Calva in the north, and many many more.
If we can play in Ukraine, be sure Serge we’ll bring some Cognac to you !!!!

In what life moments do you say “Yeah! It’s fucking great!” and when – “Oh! It’s fucking shit!”

It’s fucking great: seeing middle east countries getting on strike to ask for democracy. You can’t imagine how strong I feel that is. To me the real first important move of the 2010’s… Hope the result won’t be worst than the previous model.
It’s fucking shit: having the actual French government who imitates the US model on many points including health care and many more. I don’t want to make some narrow minded appreciation here so I won’t develop any longer. But I feel like we’ve lost a lot during the last 5 years.

What TV-channels do you watch – politic, sport, recreational? And what is your attitude to mass-media?

I’m a movie lover. I’m also working in movie making. So I watch mostly movies at the theaters and on TV. Every kind of movie or almost (I don’t enjoy watching musical movies).
I also watch a lot of serial such as Breaking Bad, Rome (I really love that one), The Shield, etc…
And when sometimes when I look at TV this is only in order to have a bunch of shit to vomit on for fun. I enjoy ridiculous police stuff !!!
I don’t enjoy watching sport and most of political stuff are just propaganda with mostly reporters that are not impartial so…

As I know Angoulême you live in is very old city. Do you interested in history of native land? I think, ancient architecture is good inspiration for black metal  Do you have black metal bands in Angoulême?

As for many towns in France, Angouleme has a great past. And I enjoy getting into history and stuff like that. In Angoulême, we have a cathedral which is very particular in his structure and is a model of analysis for art and architecture students.
We used to have one Black Metal band in Angouleme, called Helmut, but I think it doesn’t not exist anymore, ha ha !!!

How do you think, when we’ll drink beer with aliens from far planets?:) Do you believe in UFO and other civilisations? Are Egypt piramides the result of their work?

Universe is so big, that would be ridiculous to believe we are the only ones. I first study sciences and i have to admit that until we have a real proof of their existence, this is only a potentiality for me. I don’t believe they are already on earth of thing like that. But to me, this is clear there is someone else. And hope we will drink UFO beers in a short future ha ha !!!!

What do you know about Ukraine and our bands?

I have to be honest and admit i don’t know that much bands and else in your country. The few I know are : +/-, Meterlink, X-Box Murder, Face of Violence (i think they are Ukranian), Mutilated Immunity, 7 pages of Silence, Rise of the Cadia, Forever Wasted, Affinity Hypothesis, Hedonistic Exility, Mastemah, Birth of Ignorance, Knights of the Bayss, Nu Fuel…
In fact no band i know from your country does crust/grind or stuff like that. If you know any, feel free to send me mails dudes !!!

Thanks for your answers, Gautier! Say something in final...

Thanks again for that interview, Serge. Hope i will give to your countrymate to know Yattai a bit more. Stay tuned, our next release will be out later that year. Feel free to contact us for anything (insults, etc…) at the following :
myspace
facebook
gautiertubbs@hotmail.fr
Take care and hope finally to come over Ukraine to blast the shit out !!!!