Introduction: Due to time constraints as regular individuals running Witching Buzz and focusing primarily on writing reviews, we are limited to publishing only one (occasionally two) review(s) per day. However, we strongly believe in providing greater exposure to deserving bands and musicians who have put in immense effort. As a result, we have launched a new section called “Witching Riffs: Behind the Sound.” In this section, we have crafted a series of intriguing questions that we pose to every band or musician who wishes to share more about their unique projects. While the questions remain the same for each participant, the diversity among bands ensures that the answers will be fascinating and diverse. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy this captivating journey as we delve into the minds and stories of these talented artists.
MEIFU / Italy
What drew you to the immersive and hypnotic sounds? How do you aim to captivate your listeners with this genre?
Hi Witching Buzz! The search for an immersive sound is common by us, and we all like slow and repetitive movements to capture the listener, creating a vibe that is shared with the musician too. To reach an hypnotic and deep level with our music, we use all the dynamic and emotional possibilities of our instruments, using pedals to create certain tones and atmospheres, as well as different vocal styles to emphasize the changes in the music. We don’t want to follow any genre too literally, but express something personal that use them as a background for our interpretation.
Can you share the story behind your band name? How does it reflect the essence of your music?
“Meifu” is a Japanese term that refers to the damned realm of the souls that await for us afterlife. Is like an oriental representation of Hell, and the meaning sounded quite doomy for us! It deals about a metaphysical dimension, as well as the album title “Haunted Dreams” deals with the subconscious state of slumber. This unearthly attitude is well reflected in our music, as we try to elevate the listener from the “normal” world to a personal space of reflection where he’s surrounded by mantric musical parts. So the lyrical part is a reflection of the musical, and viceversa.
What are some unconventional or unexpected influences that have shaped your unique blend?
Every one of us is involved, as musician or as listener, in musical genres that are pretty unconventional for our style, from black metal to Gaelic and medieval chants, from grind to dub and rave music. In Meifu, we just let all this different roots go with no constriction and create a musical vocabulary that is not directly connected with any of them. On a solid stoner/doom base, you can hear recalls to other genres here and there, and we hope to add different dimensions like this, with our natural common feel.
How do you approach creating expansive and atmospheric soundscapes? What techniques or methods do you employ to achieve that signature vibe?
Usually, everything starts from a theme or a riff that Tommaso or Eugenio brings to the rehearsal room. Slowly, it becomes the skeleton of the new song, where everyone tries to put his best to make the song better and better. We jam on it for a while, adding details and next parts little by little. Then we work separately at home, giving more depths and dynamics to music and working on arrangements. When we return to the room, we show each other our improvements, and build up the song in that way. It’s a method with different parts, but we think that it’s the best to create something deep and commonly blended.
Are there specific themes or emotions you seek to convey through your music? How do alternative music help you express those concepts effectively?
We think at “Haunted Dreams” like a journey itself, a path of transformation that runs through majestic scenarios described by the songs. We try to evocate different mental dimensions, through enchantment, hunger, amazement, contempt, or any other emotion that can help you to dive in the soundscape. Psychedelic and alternative music can help you express this feeling in absolute freedom, with “no radio” length songs, with growling vocals, with odd arrangements and so on. It escapes from the cold policy of mainstream music, and we love it so much.
Share a remarkable moment or incident from your journey as a band that exemplifies the spirit of your music.
If you can call the tons of booze and weed we had together since the beginning as an “incident”.. well..that would be the answer for sure!!
In what ways do you envision your music progressing or evolving in the future? Are there any new elements or experimental approaches you’d like to incorporate?
Actually, we are already working on new stuff, and we’re proceeding well in the composition. Our aim, as always, is not cage our music in too strict genres, and expand our sound with new solutions and experiments. For the moment, we are writing with the same elements of the past, but we talked about adding new instruments like cellos, ancient harp, or digital stuff like synths. Everything that can help us to add thickness to the songs is welcome, and it would be a nice challenge for us to maintain our style with new elements.
Is there a particular song in your discography that perfectly encapsulates the essence of your music? Please elaborate on its creation and significance.
“Turkish Kraken” is the first single extracted from our debut album “Haunted Dreams” and it contains most of the elements that create our sound. It has an obsessive, slow rhythm start that captures the listener, while Mari start to sing her hypnotic vocal part. The track evolves in a semi-improvised section where the guitar of Tommy leads the part with his enchanting melody, until the super heavy finale, where the fuzzy bass of Genia and the dirty backing vocals take the square. Lyrically, it deals with the horror theme of the kraken, as evocated by Alfred Tennyson, and project it in those lands where women are largely oppressed. As a kraken, their anger and fury emerge from the abyss, to break the chain of mental and physical slavery and to reach freedom. In the end, that’s a song of hope, transformation and revolt, starting placidly and ending furiously!
Are there any emerging or lesser-known artists within your music genre realm that you find inspiring or deserving of more recognition? Feel free to share their names and what you appreciate about their work.
We think there are lots of great bands that are not receiving the attention they deserved, or simply they are growing to a bigger fame. Remaining in Italy, we appreciate what a band like Messa is doing in the last years: they are talented musicians and very professional people, and we are glad to have shared the stage with them here in Florence. But also Lento, Zolfo, Sator and Consumer are doing great things in Italy. Besides the great musicianship, each one of these bands has something peculiar, original, that express the infinite sides that stoner/doom/sludge music can assume. We are happy to be part of this scene, and we hope to bring on stage our own personal formula as much as possible in the next months!
What do you hope listeners experience or feel when they immerse themselves in your compositions? Is there a specific mood or sensation you aim to evoke?
As we said, we would like to create a sonic background that brings the listener to another dimension, where he can freely submerge himself in meditation and ecstasy. The human nature is complex and not always bright, and if you try to express it all you can find some more creepy side that is not so pleasant…at first. We try to recall a sort of unreal dimension with the music, and we hope that all the people out there can reach the same dimension with us everytime they put “Haunted Dreams” on.
Turbo Regime:
– Fuzz or distortion? Fuzz
– Analog or digital effects? Digital Effects
– Sabbath or Zeppelin? Sabbath
– Heavy riff or mind-bending solo? Super heavy riff
– Vintage gear or modern equipment? Vintage gear
https://www.facebook.com/Meifu1724
Label: Argonauta Records
PR: Grand Sounds Promotion
