URATSAKIDOGI – Interview with Gogenator (vocalist)

Metal music fans can be broadly divided into those orthodox and those broad-minded. These firstones would be happy to put these secondones on a pyre, or immolate them for certain godhead, or at least gently to disembowel them. On the other hand, those secondones do not care about public opinion of the firstones and they courageously realize their innermost and craziest ideas proving that Metal music is not like a snake which eating itself. Although the snake started everything… Probably perceived recently as very controversial, Russian URATSAKIDOGI creates music for the secondones… So here is the black master of the black ceremony, boldly snarling and declaring – Gogenator!!!

Priviet! How is living in Moscow?

Hi. It’s generally OK. I’ll answer your questions, because my colleagues are not too sociable.

But we have to talk about your band… The name of the band was inspired by UROTSUKIDŌJI – a series of Japanese manga in the climate of erotic horrors. Do you really like these perversions? 😊

When we assembled the band in May 1997 and were searching for a propername, we came across a videotape with the first three episodes ofUROTSUKIDŌJI. This anime impressed us enormously. We were mind-blownby the easiness, absurdity, and irony with which blood, guts,tentacles, and other clichés of the genre were presented, ratherthan by this mental stuff as it is. Back then we were experimentingwith grind core and decided to name the band after this masterpiece.During the opening credits, the tape was quite badly damaged, sowriting down the name from the screen, we made several mistakes.That’s how Uratsakidogi was born.

You are not the young band. You’ve been in existence since 1997 and I just recently heard about you (in Poland). How much music materials do you have on your account?

We have ten full-size albums, one live, one EP, one compilation, two singles, and DVD.

I admit that the result is quite good… And basically almost each of albums is different… From the beginning you’ve had a big metamorphosis – from Death Metal through Grindcore, Industrial, Punk, Jazz, Folk and Avant-garde Metal and now ending with a bit of rapping Black Metal… You’re constantly evolving. What are the reasons for such stylistic changes?

For us, music is not about genres and styles. For us, it’s primarily emotional information transmitted through acoustic wave vibrations.

We’re interested in feelings music awakens in people: something immaterial makes people feel real emotions and, as a consequence, creates an action, i.e. materializes.

That’s very interesting. Moreover, it’s much fun to mix musical genres in different proportions. It makes us happy.

And do you already know what will be your next step in terms of musical style?

At the moment, personally I’m interested in continuing studying the Black-Hop phenomenon.

However, we also have some ideas in different areas – we want to materialize them as well.

I think, this year we’ll release some material that we accumulated in the process of working on the Black Hop album and that was not included into it. It’s hard to tell for sure what it’ll be like.

In principle, any of your material may have other fans. How is in the case of the latest album “Black Hop”? What is the response of fans and media in Russia and abroad? For me, your music from “Black Hop” was recommended by a respected psychiatrist. Of course, not as a part of psychotherapy 😊 We simply played “Black Hop II” for relaxation at our work…

Black Hop is quite popular. Mostly, the album was taken very positively. BH turned out to be something new, non-standard, and, at the same time, something that quite many people understood.

Combination of Metal with Rap has already appeared in the past. For example, ANTHRAX and cooperation with PUBLIC ENEMY or BODY COUNT and ICE-T, not to mention Nu Metal. However, your concept is different. This is no Rap Metal, or rather Black Metal with influences of hip-hop aesthetics… Such raping of DIMMU BORGIR or CRADLE OF FILTH Ale … But what I’m aiming for… While hip-hop fans may not take an interesting of your music (or they could like your lyrics if they are about life) but orthodox fans of Black Metal can already feel something like affront of “religious feelings”. You know that in the 90s of the last century, not only threats were made, but also murders between “true” Black Metal fans and musicians…

Among the huge amount of positive comments, we receive quite much hate posts.

We do not take it too seriously. For us, it’s more like a reason to have a laugh.

If it comes to a real fight, well, we’re strong guys. I believe we’ll be able to take care of ourselves. 😊

What is the matter of the texts on “Black Hop”? Are you closer to the stylistics of Black Metal or Hip-Hop? Have you chosen Satan or the real world with its problems?

BH lyrics exist at the border between gangsta-rap with deeply Russian specifics and Black Metal clichés.

Generally speaking, if you consider Black Hop as a cultural phenomenon, then it can be characterized as post-modernism. We utilize certain already existing images and patterns. Their synthesis and out peculiar way of presentation turns them into something new.

The Russian language limits the listener…

That’s true. Unfortunately, my English is not fluent enough to write as cool songs as in Russian.

However, perhaps, I should consider it a kind of a challenge, like the next step I have to climb.

What is your attitude for the current Russian-Ukrainian conflict?

Personally, I stand against this conflict. Can there be another attitude? I want it to end as soon as possible.

Orthodox Black Metal fans on the one hand, and on the other hand, the Russian Orthodox Church or The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB)… In Poland, some Catholic religious organizations impede life for some metal musicians. And how is it in Russia?

As for the reactionism of religious zealots, my opinion is as follows: unfortunately, it’s real. Sometimes, metal, rap, and rock bands are forced to cancel their concerts. Of course, it pisses off. Such things affect the society in a worse way than the performances of even the most odious artists who focus on a certain group of fans.

You recorded some cool music videos… There you combine both Hip-Hop and Black Metal stylistics… A group of dangerous gangsters with corpse-painting… Take, for example, a clip to the song “Black Hop II (Black Hop на районе)”. The first thing that I saw (except of corpse-painting) is your clothes 🙂 The dress of Adidas! And this barrel with three lines is great! Do you have any sponsorship agreement with Adidas?

So far, we have not signed any contract like this, though it would be cool to do it.

Frankly speaking, we should try to collaborate with Adidas. For example, we could release a limited-edition line of sport suits or something like that. That would be awesome! 😊

You’re going through this forest during of whole song. I did not notice any changes to the camera shots. It seems that putting the camera on a tripod in the back of the car, you had to record the whole with one shot. How many dubls were there?

To be honest, there some changes in the shots, to be more precise, there is one. There was a total of four doubles. Now I don’t remember for sure, but I think the clip was made of the first part of the third and the second part of the second double. As for the rest, you’re right, the camera was installed on a tripod in the back of the pickup truck, and there was only one shot for the whole tracks.

A black and white music video plus the music gave a dark atmosphere. But on the other hand, it must have been funny to look like you’re running in the daytime with a nice make-up on your face 😊

Yeah, every time, we get very excited and exhilarated by the shooting process. That’s why do it.

I think that the darkness of here is quite comical. It’s a border condition between fun and horror. It’s such conditions that create the drive. They have energy in them and they move you.

And this poster with Arnold Schwarzenegger from Conan in “Black Hop V (КМС-ы Одина)”? You care about details. Everything has its meaning…

Of course, we try to pay as much attention to details as we can.
It’s like cooking: spices make a dish special and tasty. 😊

In connection with the latest album, in March you’re moving to the Black Hop Beat Tour 2019. You’ll visit several countries of Eastern Europe and Germany. Have you had such foreign routes in the past?

No. It’ll be our first European tour.

Do you know the supports bands that will play with you?

So far, we don’t. We’ll have to find this out.

Well, I assure you that this is an important matter… And this is where we will end our interview. Thanks! Traditionally, I leave the last sentence for my conversationalist…

As usual, I wish your readers happiness. It’s hard to achieve, but it’s the main purpose of any human being. Only you, dear people, can make yourself happy!

Thank you for your questions.