GGGOLDDD
gggolddd.bandcamp.com
Introduce yourself briefly, what kind of music do you make and what you do in the band?
I’m Milena, singer and composer in GGGOLDDD. Our music is the soundtrack to binge-watching the world collapse. It can be loud, it can be intimate, it’s honest and dark with a hint of hope.
If GGGOLDDD was an animal, which would it be and why?
I think GGGOLDDD would be an earthworm. They burrow and consume soil, extracting nutrients from decomposing organic matter like leaves and roots. Earthworms are vital to soil health because they transport nutrients and minerals from below to the surface via their waste, and their tunnels aerate the ground. We decompose every little piece of art that we come across into our own creative output. We never use anything literally. It’s more like a feeling we get when we see a movie or something and we try to deconstruct that and recreate that same feeling into our own music. Besides that they’re neither female nor male and when they mate they fertilize each other. Which is pure magic to me. Besides that a worm can eat up to one third of its body weight in a day.
How and when did the band originally come together?
We started out in 2012. Thomas had just quit playing in The Devil's Blood and started something new straight away. I remember him asking me who he would ask as a singer for the project and I was a bit annoyed he didn’t think of me haha. I had been in a few bands, but always doing backing vocals or playing cello. So I asked him to give me a shot.
The band is from the Netherlands. How have the surroundings shaped the sound of the band?
I’m not sure. I’m very focused on the whole world when it comes to music, not necessarily on the Netherlands.
How would you describe the local scene in your hometown?
The Rotterdam scene is very versatile. I don’t think a lot of people would consider it a scene, but I do. I love that it’s all over the place. Rotterdam was famous for its gabber music. Electronic music in general is pretty big out here. And there are loads of bands and cross pollinations. Close to us there are bands like Neighbours Burning Neighbours, The Sweet Release Of Death, Kamiel Thomas, Alicia Breton Ferrer & Euroboy. All worth checking out :)
What drives you to make the art that you do?
I think we’re pretty restless. Focusing on music is a way to cope with that and it’s the best way to forget about all your worries for a second.
How do you balance between the recording process and live performing? Does either play a bigger part for the band?
It probably comes down to 50% touring and 50% writing/recording. Writing new music and recording demos is what I love most. It can be the most frustrating thing in the world, but creating can be very satisfying and magical as well. Recording usually doesn’t take long, but the whole process behind releasing an album just takes a lot of time. Like making artwork, videos, promoting the album etc. We love to tour as well. It’s adventurous. We get to meet really amazing people and discover all these nice places.
If you could play in three countries of your choice which would they be and why?
There are so many countries we haven’t been to yet!! It's really hard to choose, but here we go: Mongolia, Brazil, Indonesia.
What is going on in the GGGOLDDD camp at the moment / do you have some future plans?
We just released our new album ‘This Shame Should Not Be Mine’ so we’re doing shows and playing that new album in full. It’s been heartwarming so far.
What would you name as the biggest highlights or hardships in the band's history?
I don’t think we ever experienced any hardships with GGGOLDDD. We’ve been growing pretty steadily from the moment we started. Never got hyped. Which I think is in our advantage. There are no crazy expectations, except our own.
At the end of 2020 we were asked to write a piece of music for Roadburn Festival. That was already a highlight in itself. To get the recognition and appreciation from this festival we love so much. April 2021 we performed that piece of music in a live stream (because of lockdown there was no audience). The response on that show was so amazing. A true highlight as well and so we decided to record it as an album. And then we got asked to perform it live at Roadburn Festival 2022, but this time with an audience. I have never experienced anything like it.
How do the visual aspects of the band come together and what kind of a role does it have in GGGOLDDD?
It’s really an extension of the music we make. There’s this extra layer to tell the story we want to tell. Thomas and I have a very distinct idea of what our style and visuals should be. We do a lot ourselves but we love to work with other artists as well. For the cover of ‘This Shame Should Not Be Mine’ we worked with Szilveszter Makó. He’s a photographer and creative director. Every picture he made for the artwork is a piece of art on its own. Worth checking out!
If you could collaborate with any past or present artist/band which would it be?
I’d love working with Amnesia Scanner, Arca, Backwash, Björk. And that’s just the beginning of the alphabet haha. And I’d love to write songs for other artists. Creating songs to me is the best thing there is.
Recommend three artists everyone should know? (bands or anything you wish to mention)
Lucy Liyou, Lotic and Liturgy.
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GGGOLDDD
gggolddd.bandcamp.com
Introduce yourself briefly, what kind of music do you make and what you do in the band?
I’m Milena, singer and composer in GGGOLDDD. Our music is the soundtrack to binge-watching the world collapse. It can be loud, it can be intimate, it’s honest and dark with a hint of hope.
If GGGOLDDD was an animal, which would it be and why?
I think GGGOLDDD would be an earthworm. They burrow and consume soil, extracting nutrients from decomposing organic matter like leaves and roots. Earthworms are vital to soil health because they transport nutrients and minerals from below to the surface via their waste, and their tunnels aerate the ground. We decompose every little piece of art that we come across into our own creative output. We never use anything literally. It’s more like a feeling we get when we see a movie or something and we try to deconstruct that and recreate that same feeling into our own music. Besides that they’re neither female nor male and when they mate they fertilize each other. Which is pure magic to me. Besides that a worm can eat up to one third of its body weight in a day.
How and when did the band originally come together?
We started out in 2012. Thomas had just quit playing in The Devil's Blood and started something new straight away. I remember him asking me who he would ask as a singer for the project and I was a bit annoyed he didn’t think of me haha. I had been in a few bands, but always doing backing vocals or playing cello. So I asked him to give me a shot.
The band is from the Netherlands. How have the surroundings shaped the sound of the band?
I’m not sure. I’m very focused on the whole world when it comes to music, not necessarily on the Netherlands.
How would you describe the local scene in your hometown?
The Rotterdam scene is very versatile. I don’t think a lot of people would consider it a scene, but I do. I love that it’s all over the place. Rotterdam was famous for its gabber music. Electronic music in general is pretty big out here. And there are loads of bands and cross pollinations. Close to us there are bands like Neighbours Burning Neighbours, The Sweet Release Of Death, Kamiel Thomas, Alicia Breton Ferrer & Euroboy. All worth checking out :)
What drives you to make the art that you do?
I think we’re pretty restless. Focusing on music is a way to cope with that and it’s the best way to forget about all your worries for a second.
How do you balance between the recording process and live performing? Does either play a bigger part for the band?
It probably comes down to 50% touring and 50% writing/recording. Writing new music and recording demos is what I love most. It can be the most frustrating thing in the world, but creating can be very satisfying and magical as well. Recording usually doesn’t take long, but the whole process behind releasing an album just takes a lot of time. Like making artwork, videos, promoting the album etc. We love to tour as well. It’s adventurous. We get to meet really amazing people and discover all these nice places.
If you could play in three countries of your choice which would they be and why?
There are so many countries we haven’t been to yet!! It's really hard to choose, but here we go: Mongolia, Brazil, Indonesia.
What is going on in the GGGOLDDD camp at the moment / do you have some future plans?
We just released our new album ‘This Shame Should Not Be Mine’ so we’re doing shows and playing that new album in full. It’s been heartwarming so far.
What would you name as the biggest highlights or hardships in the band's history?
I don’t think we ever experienced any hardships with GGGOLDDD. We’ve been growing pretty steadily from the moment we started. Never got hyped. Which I think is in our advantage. There are no crazy expectations, except our own.
At the end of 2020 we were asked to write a piece of music for Roadburn Festival. That was already a highlight in itself. To get the recognition and appreciation from this festival we love so much. April 2021 we performed that piece of music in a live stream (because of lockdown there was no audience). The response on that show was so amazing. A true highlight as well and so we decided to record it as an album. And then we got asked to perform it live at Roadburn Festival 2022, but this time with an audience. I have never experienced anything like it.
How do the visual aspects of the band come together and what kind of a role does it have in GGGOLDDD?
It’s really an extension of the music we make. There’s this extra layer to tell the story we want to tell. Thomas and I have a very distinct idea of what our style and visuals should be. We do a lot ourselves but we love to work with other artists as well. For the cover of ‘This Shame Should Not Be Mine’ we worked with Szilveszter Makó. He’s a photographer and creative director. Every picture he made for the artwork is a piece of art on its own. Worth checking out!
If you could collaborate with any past or present artist/band which would it be?
I’d love working with Amnesia Scanner, Arca, Backwash, Björk. And that’s just the beginning of the alphabet haha. And I’d love to write songs for other artists. Creating songs to me is the best thing there is.
Recommend three artists everyone should know? (bands or anything you wish to mention)
Lucy Liyou, Lotic and Liturgy.
↑