Textures are all set to make their third visit to India and this time they’ll be performing in two cities: Pune and Kolkata, at Bacardi NH7 Weekender fests. We caught up with Stef Broks, the band’s drummer in a nice and long chat about the Indian tour, the band’s ongoings and Stef’s life outside of Textures. Read on!
Eight Octaves: Hey Stef! How’re you doing?
Stef Broks: I’m fine! I’m having lunch! Pasta, salmon and spinach!
EO: Wow! That sounds good!
SB: Yeah! I have to be strong, get more muscles. Like Popeye!
EO: Haha, alright! So what’s your schedule for the day?
SB: Well, after lunch there’s some work, then some scheduling, bookkeeping, making invoices. Actually Thursday is my day off; so I can do my own business. So yeah, that’s kind of a relaxing day for me!
EO: Okay! Talking about the tour, this will be your third time in India in four years. So, I can just go ahead and assume that you people are in love with the country!
SB: (Laughs) Yeah we do! It’s always special. It was really special to just go there at first, but now even after the two gigs, I guess it will continue to be special to go there for us. So yeah, we love the country!
EO: That’s good to hear! So, how was your experience the last two times in Bangalore and Delhi?
SB: Well! It was really really really good; the crowd was really enthusiastic and it seemed like it was all really new to them. I thought we were playing like maybe in the first underground metal festival there in India. The thing is that I thought only Iron Maiden and all those big bands went over there and not much of underground bands, like us. So the crowd was really enthusiastic when we took the stage and so were we! We never had even thought of going there. It was so funny that this one guy had put this fake flyer on the internet with us on top and so many responded to it that in the end that we got invited to a real metal festival and we ended up being on the real flyer.
EO: That’s awesome!
SB: Yeah! So the Bangalore and Delhi trip was kinda amazing! Especially the experience! I mean going to the other side of the world, seeing people that are so enthusiastic and you can make people happy with your music; you can go the very core of what music is all about, you know! You can go into what rock ‘n roll is all about! It’s good to see how people can gain inspiration in whatever form out of your music; well all that was really happening I guess!
EO: Well, then you’ll be a bit happy to know that the scene has actually improved in these three years. And Pune is one of the heaviest cities of India and Kolkata is known for its rich music and arts culture. So you’ll be going to the most welcoming venues in the country!
SB: Yeah! That’s great! I’m really curious that how the Indian people feel like the scene has actually improved, but has it actually improved?
EO: Well yes! The fanbase has expanded, more number of people now visit the concerts, more number of concerts happen. So yeah, that’s how it has got better in a way!
SB: Well that’s great! I can imagine that here in Europe, we have that sort of infrastructure for metal. We have the venues, we have the magazines, we have television, we have good webzines and we have a shit load of bands; we even have education for metal for students and stuff! So, we even started a study here in Holland especially for metal musicians. So we have that infrastructure here in Europe. But in India, you guys have to start from scratch it seems, you know. You need to have specialized venues, special programs. But I guess it’s all exploding now, right?
EO: Yes, I hope we develop a similar scene here in the next five or six years.
SB: Yeah, that’s great! But it’s a lot of work! (Chuckles)
EO: Well, of course! So what’s your setlist going to be like for the shows? Would you perform more songs from ‘Dualism’ or would it a mixture of old and new songs?
SF: It’s going to be a mixture of everything; but not very focussed on ‘Dualism’. It’ll be a mixture of ‘Silhouettes’, ‘Drawing Circles’, a bit of ‘Polars’ and a bunch of ‘Dualism’ of course. Yeah, it’s not very special in that way but we try to play the heaviest songs that are most cool for live performances.
EO: Indians are in for a lot technicality and heaviness in the music, so I guess you’ll know what to play…
SB: Definitely! Textures’ music has always been eclectic, you know; eclectic sound, eclectic style! We always try to mix the best of thrash metal, death metal and math metal; you know it’s all sorta combined in Textures, even in the softer part. So if people wanna go for a nice, well… (Chuckles) well nice concert with a lady, then they can go to a Textures show, and if they want to go to a show with real fat moshpit, then they can also go to a Textures show, you know it’s all there.
EO: Haha! Well that’s true! So… The departure of Jochem came as a bit of shock to the fans around the world. He was the founding member of the band, along with you and Bart! How close were you with him?
SB: We were very close! We’ve been in the band together since 2000 and even before that I knew him, since he was 16 years old. So we were sort of friends, not very good friends, but you know… but especially when we started Textures, we became really really close. We spent 10 years really close to each other doing shit loads of stuff like building studios and making songs and all that things that happen in a band. But we also share the interests; we were very much interested in the World War II, history and all the different cultures and stuff. So we were close to each other, we all over, but since Bart, Jochem and I are there from the beginning, we have this special touch!
EO: Well, it must have been pretty shocking when you must have heard the news from him.
SB: No, not really shocking! We saw it coming and Jochem was very open about it. He was like, “Guys, we have doing this for 10 years now. My interests are going that way (points in one direction) and you guys wanna go that way (points in other direction).” Yeah, at some point he just had to cut it and that’s what he did it, in last December; almost been one year now. But yes, for the band, it’s a big loss.
EO: Well of course! But I read somewhere that he’ll be involved in the production side of the next album.
SB: Yeah! But with a different role I guess because he’s not in the band anymore and we also have another producer in the band because Bart has been running a studio now for a few years now and he has become quite experienced in it. So I guess he’ll probably share the job with Jochem, with him doing the recording mainly and Jochem giving the final touch. But it’s a really long way to go. We first have to write the songs by the way! (Laughs)
EO: Ohh! You haven’t started that yet?
SB: No! It’s kinda going very slow, especially with the new guitar player (Joe) and the other two members, Daniel and Uri, who really couldn’t contribute a hundred percent of what they can do to the last album. So we want to be sure that it isn’t that way this time.
EO: How’s the new guy, Joe, doing in the band?
SB: He’s doing fine! He’s a really quiet guy though. Sometimes we would play some old songs and then in the middle of the song, he’s doing some different kind of solo and we’re all like “Ohh yeah! Let’s put it in.” but he’s a very modest and he says like “No, the old stuff is good”. So… But yes, he can play really good and that’s nice for the band. He will surely have a lot of input to the next album. We’re actually really curious about the whole process of writing songs and being in the studio with him. It’s all new for him and for us too but the characters match so that’s the best you can get.
EO: Yes, of course! So in the new album, would there be any notable differences in the sound?
SB: I don’t know! Right after Polars we evolved into a band which produced music which was more song-based. Every song had a specific tempo and specific kinda vibe, you know but maybe for the next record, we’ll have more in-your-face kinda songs, maybe not so much mid-tempo, but more diverse in tempo and I guess that’s a good thing.
EO: Well the fans will love it surely! So Stef, you’ve worked with Exivious on their debut album; how was your experience in working with them?
SB: Well, it was great! You know, for a lot of musicians, it’s kinda hard getting one band together and finding the right musicians and when Tymon (guitarist) asked me to come and form this band, I found myself in two really nice befriended bands. It was just amazing!
(Pause)
But there was this problem I had, I was in two really great bands that I wanted to continue in but then it was just not possible to do it anymore because Exivious wanted to tour in Europe constantly and Textures was also happening. It wasn’t really working out. So, in the end I wanted the guys to have a band that really can push forward and can do whatever they want. I was like “I’m holding you back and you need a new drummer, so just do it because if we keep on doing this, it would be just making it complicated for two really nice bands.”
So, now they found a drummer, Yuma (ex-Pestilence). He’s great and I’m really happy that a very cool guy can do it. The guys at Exivious are really satisfied with him, so we’re all happy.
EO: Do you have any other side projects currently?
SB: Well yes, I have this weird side project, which is not actually really weird! (Laughs) In Holland we have this tribute band for Iron Maiden called Maiden uniteD. It was founded by Joey Bruers; he’s from the south of Holland. They play with a lot of different kinds of musicians, which come from various scenes. So we play with various famous musicians that come from all over Holland and one of them is Ruud Jolie from Within Temptation. But that band is just for fun; I’m totally not into Iron Maiden, I have to admit, I’m sorry! (Chuckles) I’m totally not into Iron Maiden, I mean give me some Sepultura or Morbid Angel, I dig that! But it’s fun hanging around with these guys and doing cool shows.
And besides that I have Cube X, but that’s more like free jazz improvisation and we just play in small cafes. It’s all improvisation and it’s totally weird, I can say! (Laughs) You know, we have a saxophone, a guitar player and sometimes a bass player and drums and we just start the gig like, “Ok guys, what are we going to do!?” “Well I don’t know” and then I start playing something like this (makes drums noises)! Then the guitar player plays something and then we just start jamming there! Well that’s really fun but that’s not really like a band with a record label; it’s just a freak show (chuckles)!
EO: I see you’re into jazz?
SB: No, not really! I like more fusion kinda bands or progressive rock bands. I was raised with a bit of jazz and Pink Floyd and after that came Meshuggah and Tool and that kinda stuff. I like jazz but it’s not really the kinda stuff I play. I like music to be more hyped up with way more energy than jazz. Well some jazz artists have that, of course, like Buddy Rich! That’s kinda like hyped up, you know, high speed is what I like. So that’s what we also do with Cube X most of the times; and also with Exivious and Textures. So you know what I’m all about – energy!
EO: Have you heard of any Indian artists lately?
SB: Haha! Yeah a lot! Actually we get so many emails from Indian bands that we have to stop it! (Laughs) But yeah I had a guy from Inner Sanctum; he’s a friend of mine. I got in touch with him since India and I know that band. They’re nice! But for the rest of the bands, I really had to stop it! (Laughs) Right now, I have 5000 friends on Facebook; I guess that’s the maximum. 3000 of them are Indian people and they’re always like “Hey Stef! You have to hear this!” Every day there are like five to ten people and it goes totally over a top. I mean it’s crazy but it’s nice! It’s nice that something is going on there and it feels like you have to go there to experience it! There’s a lot of work here and I cannot do it; I cannot get back to each one of them. But I appreciate it and I really try my best to give a reply.
EO: So, what plans have you got when you come here to India? Maybe some sightseeing?
SB: Well, last time I came here, I went to the Himalayas and before that we went to Goa. I don’t know what we’re going to do this time because we still have to read about stuff that we can do in Pune or in Kolkata. I don’t what’s happening there, your country is so big and for every city or part of a country needs a different guide. So if you have got some tips for us, like “You have to go there or you should visit that place”, bring it on!
EO: Well I could just start but that would take me a long time and this interview would turn into the great Indian tour guide, so maybe we can discuss it after wrapping this thing up!
SB: Haha, well yeah it’s a large country! It becomes a little hard for us to decide where to go. There are so many places that we can visit. So somebody has to help us; it can be a good job for you, you know!? (Laughs)
EO: Haha! Well of course! So let’s wrap this up first? Do you have any message to give to the young fans and musicians in India?
SF: Well yeah, I would just like to say that the Indian people/bands really have to be aware of the fact that they are in the booming phase. We have seen that phase here in Europe, with The Beatles maybe or with the punk revolution but there would still be many people who are not aware of the scene or some who will be like “No, the bands in Europe are more cool!”, but you have to be proud of what you are and what you have because this is the time when everything is settling and this is the most pure and cool time you experience because in 20 years, it will all be different! Be happy with it and be proud of all the bands that are so happy and proud to play in each festival and each gig. It’s a really great enthusiasm which comes from Indian people. In Europe, it’s almost dead. People are not that excited to go to gigs, whether bands like U2 or Iron Maiden are coming or any underground band like Cannibal Corpse, you know, there’s a lack of enthusiasm. But for Indian people, it’s still very fresh, so make the most of it!
