No one is immune to change. Even the most ferocious of rockers must deal with the current music landscape, finding fresh inspiration in a more kaleidoscopic sound reference. Take Albuquerque talent Babelshack Theater. Boasting a past in various hard-rock endeavours, he is now trying his hands at something new, offering listeners an undiscovered slice of his artistry.
‘Babelshack Theater: Vol 1’ is the project’s latest effort, a deep dive into electronic realms, broken beats and bass synthesisers. In it, Babelshack Theater layers intense and mesmerising vocals on top of timeless instrumentals, borrowing from past and present influences towards a peculiar and greater musical concoction.
You won’t find the album on traditional streaming services, but on Dweezil Zappa’s Reward Music, facilitate a more personal connection to the project’s fanbase.
Intrigued by the project, we caught up with the human behind the project, Barnaby Hazen, to find out more about the release and future goals… Interview below!
Hey Barnaby, how is it going? some of our readers might not be familiar with your project, how would you describe yourself, in a few words?
I’m a lifelong artist/musician; I take my work seriously but also have a sense of humour about myself. Anyone who has been on the road or in the studio with me knows this.
Your current work is the result of a long journey; What first drew you to making music?
I was mesmerized by it from a young age (reference to your site unintentional). Pink Floyd’s Wall album in particular at about the 6th grade. I played some horn (clarinet) as a boy but then got into bass in my teens. Bass is a central instrument to this Volume 1 album; with all the other electronic stuff going on I think you’ll find that’s true throughout the album.
If you had the opportunity to pick any artists in the world for a collaboration, who would be your first choice? (and second choice, perhaps?)
You know life makes it challenging to collaborate with anyone right now which is maybe why I’ve been working on this (mostly) solo project. Strangely enough, it might be said that people I’ve worked with already would be at the top of my list. I want to collaborate with my band, Babelshack again, and it looks likely with my move to Albuquerque. I’d also like to produce a really talented rapper, also more likely to be found here in Albuquerque. So artists like me–people you may not have heard of but you should have by now.
You are preparing the release of an eclectic electronic album. What were your primary influences in writing it?
I have a span of influences from psychedelic to 80s pop to electronic on this. I mentioned Pink Floyd and stuff of that period but then the electronic albums that got my attention for the genre date back away as well, like Hooverphonic, Sneaker Pimps, Supreme Beings of Leisure, Ruby.
You boast a past as a hard rocker. How did you cope with the switch to computer-based music? Do you miss rocking out with a guitar?
Well, I sure did track guitar on this album, but you touch on the challenge of doing this stuff live which I haven’t worked out yet, I’ve been so caught up in just getting it done. I really did enjoy the process, but of course, it remains that playing live is an immutable craving. I’ll work it out. It might mean compromising some of the sounds and rocking it out a bit as you mentioned, or using as much recorded stuff as what is played live.
We have noticed you are a member of Reward Music, Dweezil Zappa’s innovative music platform. How does that work, and should fans follow you on there?
I’m just getting to know it myself, but it stands as an independent platform where musicians and music lovers can interact. It seems to cover a lot of ground that way. It’s the only way to buy my album right now, so of course, I’d be in favour of as much membership as possible, but I do believe it’s the right thing to do in that it can create independence from some of the soul-sucking other options I won’t name. Do it. It doesn’t cost a thing to sign up and as I like to say, I’m not going to be sending you an email every time I take a piss–I’m respectful of your time and will wait until I have news I think is worthy of it to correspond.
Are there any interesting artists from your local area we should check out?
Check out Matron Records, out of Santa Fe, NM. I share players with that label and they’re putting out great stuff–like Future Scars, and Dylan Blanchard’s band. Can’t wait to do shows with them if the chance comes up.
What are the next steps for your project? Anything exciting on the horizon?
I’m finishing a video for the tune “Edible Product” right now. Again, it’ll first appear on the Reward Music site, all the more reason to sign up now. I’m plotting an EP with Babelshack before I start thinking about Volume 2 here. Thinking of a comparatively stripped-down sound for that compared with the many layers of Volume 1. We’ll see what happens.
RECOMMENDED!
