"Muddlehead" Kärtsi Hatakka of Finland's most progressive Band, WALTARI, has told me something about the new Album and the Future of Mankind...
Kaertsi, my first question does not have a musical background...Why these beards?
Kärtsi Hatakka: This is a kind of statement..against the commercialism ( a way too big
one!) in the rock music scene today, and FOR the cleanness and purity of mental, as well as, musical life style,which,we think (after all this
travelling..) still seems to be the most rocky and progressive way of being..as a right kind of brutality :), as a purest rock credibility. To trust into your senses in making music, like the old classic rock bands did (and what people even still worship the most!), will lead also businesswise into the far better result..at least in a long term. One has to be able to create an innovative music year after year to keep people interested, to make music which many generations could like and share and respect. We wanna try
to be like the apes of 3000 :):)..that´s the reason for beards. If one calculates to much, one just kills something in the end. If you don´t believe, check the cd sells..doesn´t look very promising. Piratism..we think that´s just a bad excuse. People just don´t find the products nowadays interesting
enough to buy. Another, more down-to-earth reason for the beards is, that we just, simply, have enjoyed a lot of prog rock music lately :) :)
I know your band and I've been listening to your music for almost ten years now... what is it, that makes the band members interesting for each other every time again... Sami is playing with KREATOR, Kaertsi, you created the music for the computer game "Max Payne"...where lies the attraction with WALTARI?
Kärtsi Hatakka: We still think that we have something to say to people (f.e.referring
to the last answer:))..and of course, we still love to play around in our music laboratory, as good friends of course..we all know that we couldn´t create this kind of exciting music style anywhere else than together in this particular group.
I remember your album "Yeah Yeah- Die Die". Do you still have contact with Riku and his orchestra? On "Space Avenue" he is still playing together with APOCALYPTICA, but that’ s it. What has become of this congenial alliance?
Kärtsi Hatakka: Heee, in fact i´ll have a meeting with Riku next week...you read my mind:)......
A lot of your songs are either very compact or very energetic. How do you usually write your songs, how would you describe the process of songwriting?
Kärtsi Hatakka: You know, it´s very normal..there´s not any secrets behind..we just have learned, for more or less accidentally, to play in this way. Each of us will show in rehearsals ones idea to the others, or then we just jam. Of course, the past creations thru the years sure have some strong part in a way we tend to play together nowadays. But really, we make music like any other rock band.
Something I found very interesting is your statement:"...Animalism, which means living on one’ s instincts, it’s the most pure and most developed form of live in this universe. We are the Monkey’ s of 3000 - combining the human and bestial parts." Now I think, it’ s always been like that, we live according to our instincts and experience. I eat/take what I like and I throw away
what I don’t like. So I think, we do not need to wait till 3000.
Kärtsi Hatakka: I agree..as you have realized!!!! Let´s live for openmindness, freedom
of prejudice, honesty, versatility, in music, in everything. These kinds of things will always bring everything towards much more further goal. To think narrow, drown yourself to the trends and styles..that is just a mental trap which, in the end, just kills..."The rules are..there are no rules!"
That´s a message of WALTARI.
Danke und viele Grüße aus Köln...
Kärtsi Hatakka: Greeets from still wintery Helllllsinki
Kärtsy
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