Laika

Interviewed spring 1995 at Het Paard in Den Haag

Experimental, avant rock, art rock, post rock, isolationism, all names of categories in which Laika has been put over the past year. Without a doubt they belong in those kind of categories, together with Disco Inferno, Pram, Moonshake, Seefeel, Main and Bark Psychosis. But saying they belong there will probably scare most readers and inexperienced listeners.

Which is a pity, because while Moonshake (of which members of Laika used be one half) often was too sharp and painful to understand in one go, Laika slips into your ears and brain without a problem the first time you hear it. Musically they have more in common with for instance Luscious Jackson, ambient house or triphop. "Yeah, it's just like triphop, but much much faster," says the smiling face of the group, Margaret Fiedler. "That kind of music is a lot better compared to what the inkies are supporting at the moment, Elastica, Blur, Supergrass and Menswear. I detest the so called 'new' Britpop."

During the interview Margaret slags of almost any band I mention. Even bands Laika has been compared with. Smiling she excuses herself, "I almost never buy records of contemporary music. So I base my opinion on what I've heard on the radio or have seen live. At home I listen to a lot of jazz and dub. So, please don't put any names of the bands I slag off in the article. I know a lot of these people and I know if they read this, they are going to hate us." The frustration against all those popular non innovative music is understandable. But while Laika are being ignored by press and public, they get a lot of praise from fellow musicians. They were asked to support The Young Gods for a major part of their tour. And earlier this year Tricky asked them to work with him on an EP. "He called Too Pure, after he heard the record. A wonderful compliment. But he got very busy after the release of 'maxinquaye'. Our schedules haven't met since. But I think we'll soon get together. A lot goes wrong. We were going to do a remix for the new Mouse on Mars single 'Bib'. But we just hadn't enough time left before the tour. And some time ago I really went out of my mind. An old idol of mine, Colin Newman (ex-Wire frontman) personally asked us to do a remix. But we turned that down."

All through the interview Margaret laughs. Even the most boring questions I ask she answers amused. It looks like she's really enjoying her new band. "Usually I do. Laika is a close working collective, in Moonshake that was never possible. David (Callahan) and I always did what we liked. I have never compromised myself and that's the main reason why I was forced to leave the band. After the American tour David no longer wanted to work with me." In Laika things are a lot different. She has to consider her fellow bandmembers bassist John Frenett and drummer Robert Ellis (who used to drum with PJ Harvey), but especially Guy Fixsen (who engineered most of Moonshake's records) has a major say in Laika. The advantages of having an experienced sound engineer in your band are obvious. "Most of the music we record at his home. He's got an mixing desk, we use his Apple as a sequencer and we make our loops there out of the results from fooling around with instruments and sounds hours on end." One of the instruments is her old cello. "I've had a classical training for years and finally I've had it come over from the States after five years. I've been practicing a bit and I hope to do something with it on future recordings." Since this interview Laika have completed their busy tour schedule. But luckily they'll be back soon doing the Too Pure showcase around Europe. too pure laika