Start Listening To: Index For Working Musik
Get to know Index For Working Musik.
Index For Working Musik was born in late 2019, when Max Oscarnold and Nathalia Bruno discovered a collection of photocopies in a urine-alley in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona. Among the documents was an essay on early Christian hermits, titled Men Possessed by God, and a selection of both sacred and profane imagery. This event inspired Max and Nathalia to pursue a new venture, and once they had returned to London and set up an 8-track studio in a basement in E8, their project gained momentum. Soon, they were joined by drummer Bobby Voltaire, double bass player E. Smith and guitarist J. Loftus, forming an unexpected collective.
The Plague Years provided an opportunity for Index For Working Musik to hone their craft. With limited light and no outside presence, the group was able to stretch the recording process to boundaryless days in architectural isolation. This allowed them to adopt a ‘first thought, best thought’ approach when it came to making free guitar music. Together, the members of Index For Working Musik created a unique style that is both creative and evocative.
How did you come up with the concept of 'Dragging the Needlework for the Kids at Uphole'?
While making this record, a lot of writing went on, mostly of the automatic kind. It was an attempt to unwire the mind in order to find new ideas. Most of it was utter rubbish, but amongst the rubble that phrase came up. It definitely was a mysterious one, but with time it began to acquire a meaning beyond its surrealism, and it became a suggestion, a little twisted question about the relationship of the west and the middle east.
What was the most challenging aspect of recording your debut album?
When we set out we weren’t thinking of making a record, so probably the challenge manifested itself the moment when playing in a fun way gave way to the realisation that we suddenly were doing an album, and the technical responsabilities that come with that, as we’re amateurs and didn’t know much about what we were doing.
Cracking codes and sometimes having to give time to a certain song or part of a song to wait and see where and how it would evolve.
How did the creative process of your album evolve over time?
It didn’t really evolve, and if there was a process it would have been definitely one of de-evolution, as we weren’t thinking too much about it and there wasn’t a production ethos apart from un-producing an idea, mostly by keeping the first take and moving on to the next.
What kind of themes and feelings are you hoping to convey through your music?
Maybe the subtle euphoria of a new experience we don’t fully understand, the first second or two.
We wanted to feel excited and alive by what we were doing and I think we achieved that. The songs sound as fresh as in the first time…
What was the most memorable moment during the recording process?
the element of freshness that all the parts had. As they were curated on the spot, as a collective, which meant that they all came from the thought that they had to complement the existing sound. Almost like the rhythm and groove had to be established before the rest of the song could be written around it. It felt primal.
Also Some feedback guitar that appeared in a voice memo, that fitted perfectly onto the end of a song called habanita, it wrapped the end of that track and the record perfectly.
How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect your creative process?
The album was recorded when the lockdown was lifted and we were able to be in the same room as each other again. As a result, one can hear that excitement and freedom throughout various tracks and it allowed for an atmosphere without barriers due to the fact that we had all been cooped up for so long and now were free to collaborate. It allowed some of us to dedicate all the time one needed to one thing, a rare gift in a very unfocused world. So Lockdown was in a way a beautiful thing for us, no outside distractions, no obligations. we would spend day and night in our basement flat studio determined to make the record work, experimenting, discovering together what it was we felt needed to be done.
What have been some of the biggest lessons you have learned while working as a collective?
That sometimes it can be a good thing to tie that little horrible manipulative part of one and leave it in the cupboard, away from everyone…
What advice would you give to other musicians looking to start their own collective?
Get the rope first…
How has your music evolved since you first started out?
It veered more towards noise since we started playing shows last summer. But that doesn’t mean that it’ll stay that way, and hopefully it will change again.
What was the overall message you wish to communicate through 'Dragging the Needlework for the Kids at Uphole'?
Maybe the message becomes one when received, meaning that there will be as many messages as listeners.
What do you think sets you apart from other artists in the music scene?
It’s hard to tell, as there are so many, but we’d like to be part of a group of like-minded people.
In terms of sound, what we can say is that most groups that deal with guitars are being lazy in the way that they overpackage their instruments, and cling film and the flow of air don’t get on very well.
What is the most rewarding aspect of being a part of Index For Working Musik?
It truly feels like a family and the respect everyone has for one another is great. We’ve known each other for a long time but something has clicked on this project and we’re creating music that everyone silently seems to agree on. Bands can be political but this one isn’t….at all, which is a rare beauty. So Being part of basically…
