Sorry things have been so quiet around here of late, but I've been terribly busy with other things. Life and stuff you know... Hopefully things will calm down in the new year, when I plan on completely re-booting the site to take on a much wider scope to accommodate the many exciting newer bands who have emerged in the last few years.
In the meanwhile, Plunder the Tombs is proud to bring you an in depth interview with Patrik Mata where he talks about Kommunity FK's past, side projects and their forthcoming album "Thee Image and Thee Myth".
JVS: Congratulations on 35 years Patrik! It’s a very long career and must easily make Kommunity FK one of the longest lived Deathrock / Goth bands on the planet. You must be very excited?
PATRIK: I am but also it’s not that I’m excited about still
being here &
now composing & producing music which has become the KFK
signature sound, it’s really just ‘business as usual’. I am not doing ‘it’,
‘it’ is doing me. This has been ongoing ever since I founded KFK back in 1978.
It all began during a very melancholy period ov my life. & as many others
have fallen to the wayside, I’m still here…..We will not fall.
"We Will Not Fall" from The Vision and The Voice (Independent Project Records, 1983) These music files take a few seconds to load, be patient my pretties...
"We Will Not Fall" from The Vision and The Voice (Independent Project Records, 1983) These music files take a few seconds to load, be patient my pretties...
JVS: Of course, the band was originally called Kommunity Fuck, and was a reflection on how the whole live music industry in LA was rigged at the time. The early days of the band with getting gigs and an album deal can’t have been easy?
PATRIK: I named my band “Kommunity Fuck” due to the oppression received for becoming scapegoated for being different in
so many aspects in comparison to what was happening in Hollywood at that time.
“Punk” was still a trend in the clubs & I had other ideas as to how I
wanted my own band to sound & as to how I fashioned myself as well. Bowie
was my main man & I was majorly influenced by his method ov reinvention
& experimentation. I was very inspired by The DaDaists, William S.
Burroughs, Throbbing Gristle, & many other obscure UK bands while a lot ov
the L.A. musicians were stuck into what they considered ‘punk rock’. I was so
bored with that. I knew that what I wanted to create was on point. But by the time I had
formed a three piece experimental band & we were ready to attack the local
clubs, the venue bookers refused to book us. Rumors, lies, & stories they
made up began circulating throughout Hollywood about us & we began to
become slagged off in local fanzines & by local punks & scenesters. So
I became more confrontational in live performances in an aggressive way. The
L.A. Weekly named us “L.A.’s most loved & hated band” in their “Best Of
L.A.” issue. I then realized & knew that KFK had indeed had an effect &
had left an impression on those adversaries trying to stop us from
continuing as a new band. So I named the band The Kommunity Fuck. Their
beautiful dark little scapegoat. We were never looking to score any kind ov
‘record deal’. That happened strictly by accident.
After having become considered a somewhat controversial band, probably due to the fact that we refused to take any shite from anyone whom threw it at us, & for becoming better at our instruments as time progressed, plus being a band with its own identity & unique sound. A person named Bruce Licher came up to us saying that he wanted to release our music on his label, Independent Project Records. We liked his approach coming from an understanding towards our ‘anti-art method’ so we agreed. We pressed our debut lp, “The Vision & The Voice’ in a limited edition ov only 1000 copies on vinyl. What a beautiful packaging job he allowed us, too. I designed the lp cover anti-art with our own usage ov a very original memorable font which I still apply to our official work to this day. When you see our original logo, you see our antiquated font leftover from the OG days ov KFK. Record was released in 1983.
After having become considered a somewhat controversial band, probably due to the fact that we refused to take any shite from anyone whom threw it at us, & for becoming better at our instruments as time progressed, plus being a band with its own identity & unique sound. A person named Bruce Licher came up to us saying that he wanted to release our music on his label, Independent Project Records. We liked his approach coming from an understanding towards our ‘anti-art method’ so we agreed. We pressed our debut lp, “The Vision & The Voice’ in a limited edition ov only 1000 copies on vinyl. What a beautiful packaging job he allowed us, too. I designed the lp cover anti-art with our own usage ov a very original memorable font which I still apply to our official work to this day. When you see our original logo, you see our antiquated font leftover from the OG days ov KFK. Record was released in 1983.
Portrait of the artist as a young man:
Patrik onstage in 1980
JVS: Your debut album Vision and the Voice is of course one of the seminal albums of the LA Deathrock scene. I understand the re-issue through Cleopatra Records was unauthorized. I would think that as an artist, having an unauthorized version of your album in circulation with the track listing changed around and your own cover art removed must be very irritating. What was going on there and how did you feel about that?
PATRIK: I was stunned at first. The label had asked me to
reissue the classic lp on CD which would be for it’s very first time but I did
not expect it to be rearranged in such a fashion. I created the original
anti-art cover for “The Vision & The Voice” as a collage applying my
favorite format; scissors, paper, & glue. I named that piece, “Kommunity Fuck”.
It has never ever been featured in any book about album covers in any manner.
It has never been shared with the rest ov this world in any form. So the only
way that anybody would ever even see it would be if you bought the vinyl lp.
The lp was pressed in a limited edition ov 1000 copies by a label called
Independent Project Records in 1983. When Cleopatra approached me to reissue it
for it’s very first time on CD format, I expected the original cover anti-art
work plus reproductions ov it’s inner sleeve pix, et al but I realized that
they were afraid ov being sued for its risqué prurient beauty or something as
such so they had some hack create that very shite cover. Their idea ov changing
the original tracking order had nothing to do with me.
Before and after: Patrik's original cover art for
"Vision and the Voice" and the Cleopatra reissue.
JVS: After the second
album Close One Sad Eye in 1985, KFK seemed to go very quiet. What happened?
PATRIK: I was becoming very frustrated with everything &
everybody
around me within the KFK kamp which I had created. I had formed
that band & I chose the band members to continue forward with my Destiny,
the continuation ov KFK. By “Close One Sad Eye” I had discovered cocaine as well
as a driving creative force but real pure cocaine & by experimenting with
its attributes towards creating new music & new anti-art I became very
enamoured with its effects. I felt as if I could do anything that I dreamt but
as every fable told about its seduction, I, too, went beyond its wondrous demimonde
therefore became stuck. I never ever smoked it, though, being a vocalist who
prizes his Gift but I finally got sick ov using it as it began using me. I met
The Ugly Spirit, too. After being face-to-face with it, I became disgusted & decided to reflect as to who I really am. So I
left my own band & left everything, everybody behind who still desired to
remain ‘stuck’. I needed to reinvent my Self all over again in order to survive
as an Artiste & as a composer/musician but this would take some time. I had
other dreams within me inspiring me, my Muse became another Being & I
needed to go with it. So I did. I then roamed another part ov Hollywood
searching for unknown musicians to throw my new ideas against. This would be
the only way. I had always found unknowns to begin new projects which brings
fresh ideas especially unknowns whom aren’t infatuated with being ‘trendy
twats’ imitating their favourite rock stars or Goth stars as many still do. So
I did exactly that & formed another more diverse band that I called,
“Sativa Luvbox”.
JVS: Close One Sad Eye
has been out of print for a while now. I notice there’s a CD version on for
sale on Amazon.com today for something silly like $830. Are you planning on
re-releasing it?
PATRIK: NO.
JVS: Then maybe tell us more about Sativa Luvbox?
PATRIK: That band was entirely & completely different than
KFK in every way. I wanted to swerve away from what I had done before, what I
was renowned for, what I was becoming categorized with & what I was becoming
‘stuck inside’ ov. You see, if you don’t remain in a State ov Becoming, you die.
I needed to change. “The present day composer refuses to die”-Edgar Varese
It, too, was a 3 piece as when I founded KFK. I played guitar
& sang lead vocals with a bassist & a very unique drummer/percussonist
added new spices to the new sound. This time there were no synthesizers. I was becoming
influenced by psychedelia, 60s biker films & their soundtracks, & even
the way the movie bikers fashioned themselves. This band went onward into the
early 90s & even accidentally became signed to a shite major label, MCA.
But before that unforeseen occurrence the band produced a DIY lp which I
entitled, “The Bad Sleep Well”. It has never ever been officially released & is a collector’s item to this precise moment. I
like that lp for its originality & I was composing songs from a new
wilderness, a desperate wilderness, searching for a New Way. I disbanded that
band when it became stale & pointless, losing its Magick.
Cover art for "The Bad Sleep Well", once again designed by Patrik
JVS: That brings us to 2010 and Kommunity FK suddenly roars back
to life after years of silence with the spectacular La Santisima Muerte album. What
brought that about after so long?
PATRIK: You must realize that I have never been in a state ov Silence.
I have always created my own music constantly. I just have never had the opportunity
to release any ov this music like many other fortunate lucky bastards. I find
this a sin.
I will share with you something that I experienced which almost
made me take my own Life a few years back. I had just returned from another DIY
West Coast tour in 2006 when I was listening to my messages on my phone machine.
It was from a personage whom many consider a ‘musical icon’ who had his own
record label & he wanted to sign me to it. I was also under his charming
influence thinking that because ov his certain accomplishments that maybe it would be a great opportunity for me to further my
musical career by entrusting in him, & by indeed signing with him. But he
wanted me for 5 years while I only wanted to sign to a one off, a one year deal
to see where we would be at that time then see where we both wanted to go from
there.
But then he insisted on a 7 year contract in order to “be able
to really push you, Patrik”. So, being charmed & under his spell, I went ahead
& signed with him & his label. After the first 3 years ov nothing even
being considered recorded for any type ov official label release, I began to
become agitated & anxious as to what the fk was going on. Would we ever
make records? I was being led on & on being told all sorts ov promises that
I later realized was just him putting me off & after believing lie after
lie, I had become terribly depressed. For the last 7 years he never recorded,
released, nor put me on tour. I had to find an attorney to get me out ov this
horrid terrible lie to continue producing my own music already having lost so
much momentum from touring back in 2006. I lost my band members as three years went
by & we were waiting to actually record, release, & tour together.
Which never happened. It was just recently a few months ago that I was freed
from that shite corrupted contract & now we see ourselves with an
incredible new band line up ready to begin full force producing new music &
to tour the world. If everything had occurred as promised, who knows where KFK would
be at this precise moment?
For the first 3 years, though, without anything being done as
contractually promised, I had to search for an endorsement to produce any ov my
own music & to go back on another DIY tour to survive as an artist keeping
the KFK band name out there. I was finally graciously granted an endorsement from
a company who sent me everything that I would need to record, mix, & produce
as many lps as I so desired. So I built my very own in-house recording studio
that I have named, “Vision & The Voice Studios”, named in tribute to my debut KFK lp ov the same name. That’s where “La
Santisima Muerte” was created. At the time I was ’signed’, I did have a full
band awaiting to record & to tour with me. But after the first 3 years ov Nothingness,
they became fed up & left me. Thank the gods that Sherry Rubber has been by
my side to be my only other band member since 1996 as well as also being
another multi-instrumentalist in her own write, as myself, & we both performed
all ov the instruments & voices while I programmed the drums for that lp.
We made that lp together & both are very proud ov it. That lp had us
headline the WGT Festival in Leipzig, Germany in 2010. We produced our own backing trax as well in full bang on stereo as
we had only ourselves to perform live with & so we did, which was very
brave. I’ll never ever forget the experience. I owe Sherry as well for her
assistance, patience, & professionalism as she is an amazing musician,
composer, & performer.
JVS: For a band heavily
reliant on keyboards, three decades is a long time in terms of technology. How have advances in synthesisers,
sequencers and what have you changed the way Kommunity FK approaches creating music?
Patrik on keyboards, 2014
I have composed a brand new lp entitled, “The Image & The
Myth” which is not released as ov yet & it features a few electronic songs
on it. But maybe not what you would most probably expect as ‘electronic’ music.
But one song is entirely electronic entitled “Dumb FK” & I love this song
to death. When composing, it depends on how I am inspired to create a song in
its naked form. For instance, on the 2010 lp, “La Santisima Muerte” there’s a song
entitled, “Let The Right One In’ inspired after watching that incredible Swedish
vampire film ov the same name. I was so inspired that I went into the studio,
picked up my bass, & composed the bass line in one take. Then the film’s
title began to expand into a more meditative flow ov consciousness inspiration where it starts to be very philosophical advice to
myself. Think about it. I then added drums & guitars then sang over the
basic track. I added the synth line after I had finished the vocal. The chorus
came to me the next day where I overdubbed it in one take. I then asked Sherry
to react without ever hearing the track. Ever. Her guitars are reacting in a
‘question/answer’ sort ov way & I put one ov her guitars through a Leslie
to differentiate it from her first guitar line. I luv what she played so much.
She hates not knowing or not rehearsing her guitar parts before she lays them
down but I coerced her to
try it anyway & it came out amazingly. Magickal.
"Let the Right One in" from La Santisima Muerte (Kommunity PM, 2010)
"Let the Right One in" from La Santisima Muerte (Kommunity PM, 2010)
JVS: Some KFK songs like
“Restrictions” seem to be based in social commentary, while other material like Vision and the Voice is
clearly a reference to Aleister Crowley, and La Santisima Muerte a
reference to a Latino death cult. What is the underlying philosophy to KFK’s
material?
PATRIK: Do what thou wilt shall be the whole ov the Law. Be your
True Self. I read a lot. Therefore a lot ov what I find inspiration from comes
also from a very literary sensibility, one ov my many frames ov references. Sometimes
I read at least 6 books at once. When I become bored with one I pick up another
book then become bored with it & pick up another one. & so on. So these
inspirations seep into my subconscious mind ending up in song lyrics & lp
titles. I adore Crowley’s work which is fathomless. His being so intimidating
to his era’s society & intellectuals ov his time it is no wonder why he was
considered an shocking evil bastard but when you really submerge yourself into
his work there are so many positive ideas & his use ov yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, drug experimentation,
infatuation with the Other World, etc. simply fascinates me. I have so many ov
his books & refer to them periodically on a daily basis. I am also
fascinated with the idea ov death cults, witch cults, religious cults, cults,
cults, cults. Those ov whom like to lead others sometimes have other hidden
agendas. What we do is secret. Fascinating. William S. Burroughs is one ov my
other literary gangster heroes.
JVS: What has been your best, worst, and funniest experiences on
the road?
PATRIK: I recently have had some terrible experiences that had
to deal with a certain personage that I allowed into both ov Sherry & my
bands. Both bands tour together where Texylvania opens for KFK. Since both
bands consist ov the same band members we are blessed to be able to perform
twice every night performing 2 types ov genres ov music which we all luv. Now
think about this; there are four personages within these bands therefore four
million reasons why it should not work. But it does until one person becomes a complete
asshole for no reason. A person who does not appreciate the fact that he has not had to pay for a fking thing as our contractual
demands are met respectively. All he has to do is love what he is doing &
love the experiences & be cool with everybody. Have fun, for fucks sake. We
are living a Dream but this person turns it into a fking nightmare when you
least expect it & sometimes before you have to hit the stage as a
headliner. Backstage is supposed to be one ov the most exciting times ov your
life as you prepare to walk onstage to perform for your awaiting fans who have
paid to see you. But sometimes someone has to be a total cunt which you try to hold back your emotions from dealing with, the emotions which
you have been holding back until the moment the very first song needs from you
when its first notes are struck. Fortunately, now, this has been dealt with
sparingly & now everything is as it should be. I can’t wait to begin
touring again over in Europe in 2015 with this more professional line up.
There
have been many great amazing experiences, though, in my Past. If you go to the
official KFK website (http://www.kommunityfk.com/) there’s a long list ov bands that I have had the honour & blessing to
perform second billing to. Opening for Killing Joke on their very first USA
tour in Hollywood, California at The Whiskey A Go-Go on August 28th, 1981 was
my first ‘big gig’. Apparently, I’ve been told, that KJ never allow any sound
checks for their support bands but during this time we did have our sound check.
They stood upstairs looking down at us & Big Paul Ferguson, their original drummer,
was the first to come up to us & tell us how much he loved the band. After
our 2 sets, as in those days bands had to perform twice on the night, KJ
invited us over to their hotel rooms at the famous Tropicana hotel to hang out
& chat. So, ov course, we did. They had all ov their hotel room doors open
for us so we could saunter in to chat with each ov them. They were all wearing
Freemason pins on their lapels, I remember. I was
impressed. They spoke about Crowley as well. Anyway, Big Paul
handed me a huge 16th ov red Nepalese hashish as a sign ov respect! I’ll never
forget that show. They were outstanding people.
"Dreamz For a Better World" from the forthcoming album Thee Image and Thee Myth
"Dreamz For a Better World" from the forthcoming album Thee Image and Thee Myth
Every Batcave band that came over touring through Los Angeles on their first wave asked for Kommunity FK to second to them. No shite. Fact. This was how we became well known Internationally as well. Word ov mouth. When touring with Sex Gang Children twice, we shared our own back line with them. When we hit San Fransisco I personally took Andi Sexgang on a tour ov North Beach as we were playing together at The Mabuhay Gardens. A band called Faith No More was on bottom support.
We also supported The Jesus & Mary Chain on their very first USA tour. In San Diego at UCSD, we were all shocked to find out that it was a ‘dry campus’ which meant that there was no alcohol whatsoever allowed, even backstage! So all being decent drinkers I had to think ov something so I sent our road crew whom were all dressed as droogys from ‘A Clockwork Orange” out with our tour van to go buy some booze for everyone. I also didn’t know until after the show that they were all on LSD but soon realized this when I witnessed the one driving, who went by the moniker as Big Ed, was driving backwards very fast across the campus lawn area near our building where we had our concert being held. He did return with some Guinnesses which saved the night until I was being led to the sold out concert arena holding a can in one hand & a joint in the other as a campus security guard approached me to possibly arrest me. Thank the gods that my road manager was also with me & took the vices from my hand & told me to run onstage immediately. As I entered the concert hall I saw so many happy crazed fans in front ov me & the night was a total success for all involved. So many experiences to share, so little time!
You should hear the one about when we almost supported Bauhaus on their last tour in 1983 at The Roxy Theatre in Hollywood. But perhaps another time….
JVS: In the meanwhile, I notice yourself and Sherry have started
up a side project in the psychobilly vein called Texylvania. I can’t claim to
have heard any material, but it does sound like fun. What inspired this?
PATRIK: Here’s the condensed version…We both love punk rock, especially bands like The Sex Pistols, Discharge, Cockney
Rejects, besides more darker music. When I first ever set eyes on Sherry Rubber
she was rehearsing at a studio which I managed in Hollywood as she & her
band called RUBBER were headlining The Whiskey A Go-Go. Her band was an all
grrl 3 piece ferocious hardcore punk rock outfit tight as fk from Seattle, Washington.
When I saw them perform I was so blown away that I was a huge fan immediately.
Time passed then I saw her again as she came back to Hollywood just to visit
me. I was soon piggy backed to Seattle to hang out with her. I saw her perform
in her own environment & her gigs were explosive. Later we fell in love
& we have been together now for 20 years. As KFK was a delicate concept we
both desired to play punk rock as well just for fun, just to get our punk rock fix. So we first founded a
band that we named, The Legendary Wrong People. It was a sort ov ‘first stage’
version ov what Texylvania has become to this day. We recorded several demos
with that band but we wanted to take it further. So we decided to add blood
play onstage while living in Seattle as there weren’t any bands doing this sort
ov performance anti-art up there. We found some other sickos whom wanted to dance
onstage with us, very sick crazy looking grrls, & they were The Texettes.
We had to cover our stages with plastic tarps so as not to fk up venue stages
& we kicked total ass. We headlined every gig that we were booked. We began
to create a huge following wherever we performed. But we then had to leave
Seattle due to Microsoft kicking off bringing mass price hikes to property taxes & the like so we reorganized to
Albuquerque, New Mexico, where we find ourselves today. But KFK can’t perform
here as there isn’t any kind ov Deathrock or Goth scene here so Texylvania was
reformed with some local talent as our rhythm section in order to be able to
play live & have some fun. We auditioned almost every fking drummer here
but none can handle our song arrangements as they have many dynamics & some
are at a very fast tempo. So Texylvania has become what we call, “Rocket-fueled
PsychGaragePunkRock Hexxabilly”. The term, ‘Hexxabilly’ pertains to magical
elements placed inside our music to emote & provoke everyone whom
experiences Texylvania live. There’s more to this band’s story in detail but
perhaps you can interview Sherry Rubber sometime to hear more about it.
Texylvania, live in California, 2014
JVS: After a long period
when the Goth/Deathrock scene was dominated by dance music in recent years,
there seems to have been a big resurgence in the Deathrock scene all up the
west coast of America, while in the UK a lot of old Goth bands seem to be
reuniting. Why do you think this is happening now, and what are some of the new
bands you like?
PATRIK: I can only imagine that the reason or many reasons why
many ov the original UK Goth bands have reunited is because most ov today’s
bands & music plainly just sucks hard. A lot ov these bands were brilliant
which is why we are even discussing it right now. We need the originals such as
KFK & the UK OG goth bands as there are so many weak imitations out there
& out here regurgitating what has come before them without any sense ov originality
to their sound or image & without any respect towards bands like us. Some
ov our genre’s music is so fking incredible & as I’ve mentioned, so original
sounding that it is timeless. It is evocative. Beautiful. Passionate.
This is what is missing from a lot ov today’s version. As far as
bands that are releasing music today, I like Frozen Autumn, for their use ov
synthesizers & appropriately so, coldness. But I really don’t have much
time for listening to many ov the new bands in our genre as I am so fking
swamped with the new KFK lp & it’s remix companion lp. I am also in the
midst ov breaking in our new drummer, Christian Izzo, who is having to learn the
entire catalog ov both KFK & Texylvania for upcoming European,
Scandinavian, & Germany tours being scheduled for 2015. I am always in my
studio creating new trax or remixes for both bands. When I hear a new band that almost
stops my Heart, I’ll let you know….
JVS: All of KFK’s releases to date have had very different and
unique flavours. Now that we’re on the cusp of your fourth full length
release what should fans expect and when is it going to happen?
PATRIK: Sherry Rubber & I are still polishing up several new
trax for the upcoming new lp, “Thee Image & Thee Myth”. It will also have
its remix companion, “Derangements Ov…”. There is a remix companion to “La Santisima
Muerte” as well released in its original form at CD Baby just to get it out
there. I am looking for a very good understanding record label to license this
new lp & the previously mentioned lp for 2015 to coincide with our upcoming
tours. When creating new music I can’t help but to move forward searching for
new horizons, new directions, following my Muse into Thee Unknown. I luv it
there. When producing our new music we mix the trax for listening through
headphones for our fans to discover subliminal production techniques, among
other delicacies. Besides, having grown up with the ground breaking producers ov the 60s & 70s, I love
discovering that when listening to a record that such Magick resides insides
the grooves.
"FKing Death Dealerz" from the forthcoming album Thee Image and The Myth
"FKing Death Dealerz" from the forthcoming album Thee Image and The Myth
Sherry Rubber in full flight on stage in Los Angeles, 2014
JVS: What lies in the
future for KFK?
PATRIK: We have signed with a management & booking company
in the UK, something that I’ve never ever had before where I had to do all ov
the booking myself, so they are booking KFK for 2015 where we will be touring throughout
Europe, Scandinavia, Germany, & other lovely regions that KFK have never
had the pleasure to. But I would really like to license our new lps to a very
great professional label in order to release our new music on vinyl. KFK has not released nothing on vinyl since 1983 & 1985! It’s
about time that we joined the new vinyl revival resurgence.
We have also a new drummer, Christian Izzo who we are breaking
in for our upcoming live performances. He is a seasoned drummer with much
touring experience. So far, so good. It feels good to have another professional
on our level ov experienced musicianship joining both bands as he will be performing
double duty. Stay tuned by visiting our official website.
"Dumb FK" from the forthcoming album Thee Image and the Myth
"Dumb FK" from the forthcoming album Thee Image and the Myth
Thank you for your ongoing support. I hope that one day we can
tour throughout
Australia. It would be Magickal.
