artist interview / moloq
Used to commute. Still do, but I used to, too. Moloq is Jake Aaron and Paul Stevens
I think the first time I saw you both perform as Moloq was in Mammal Gallery, but Jake lived up north?
Yep, upstairs at the Old Mammal Gallery. RIP. Jake grew up in New Jersey and left his heart there. He came to ATL in 2013 and discovered a young Paul Stevens huddled over a computer in the corner of a warehouse at the Goat Farm.
Where did the name Moloq come from?
It was from this scene in Fritz Lang's silent classic "Metropolis", but everyone kept pronouncing it in a more guttural way than Jake liked, so he changed the spelling from "Moloch" to "Moloq".
Loved your recent album. Do you miss playing in small spaces or do you prefer the recording studio?
We miss the energy of the crowd for sure. Streaming shows are often pretty underwhelming, but our time at home recording during COVID has been fruitful and a nice reminder of how communal music can be.
eyedrum did some crazy new music shows, I remember running into Paul at this one with two Japanese guys, one on a drone and the other playing like cymbals and metal lids?
Tatsuya Nakatani and the guitar player from Acid Mothers Temple. That was a wild ride. The Nakatani Gong Orchestra is an incredible live music experience.
What makes an Atlanta artist unique from New York or LA or any other city really?
We drive everywhere and our rent is significantly cheaper. We both have the space in our homes for studios.
Dude, y'all got interviewed by Terry Gross. Was that a thing or were you too busy with other gigs to get nervous?
Nope, fake news. We were, however, interviewed by Lois Reitzes (Atlanta's Terry Gross) about a music video we made to honor TG.
What are y'all reading these days?
Paul: I just read "Three Cups of Tea" and some Hemingway short stories about Paris. Both transported me.
Jake: "Orientalism" by Edward Said
When you start a new song, what comes first?
Anxiety. And then usually a melody, chord progression, or groove. A snapshot of an arrangement that we reverse-engineer.
empire
Your Nosferatu show at the Plaza was incredibly well-received, who are your influences for that kind of electronic music?
All sorts. Super Nintendo music, Aphex Twin, Enya, Popol Vuh, Brian Eno, Kate Bush, Air.
You make it look easy, did you work really hard to put the Nosferatu music together, or have you worked together long enough to sleep through most of the process?
We worked hard on the project- likely saw the movie 25+ times in total in addition to a lot of individual scene study. Each performance was a little different, but we weren't freely improvising. We made a point to make something that could be repeated but allowed room for flexibility at transitions.
Got anything in the works right now?
We surely do. Finishing up a couple of songs and videos. Aiming to release two tunes every few months.
MOLOQ WEBSITE // www.moloqmusic.com
ABOUT THE INTERVIEWER // Tracy K. Woodard is a violinist, composer, and director of the Atlanta Contemporary Ensemble. She is also a homeless advocate, acting as President of Mad Housers and team lead at Intown Collaborative Ministries. Woodward has served the board of directors of eyedrum since 2017.
