Numbers Are Futile
1) Who are you, who is in the band, who does what in the studio and on stage?
We are ▲ ☼ ❍ (synths, samples and main vocals) and ▲ Π ▲ (drums and percussion). We are originally from Lisbon and Athens but we have been living in Edinburgh for some years.
2) How long have you been writing and performing in this way?
Since late 2012.
3) How exactly do you work / write / record?
Practising together is usually a good way to start songs. We throw around samples we gather from different sources and start tweaking synth sounds to make our own, creating melodies and harmonies on top of voodoo-like drums patterns. Then we usually record these sessions in a small audio recorder and go back to listen at home and choose the best ones. As for recording, we like to do everything ourselves: we go to a dark basement, set up our mobile studio and instruments, borrow some microphones and press record. We then mix it ourselves and ask other people for mastering.
4) How do you feel your studio/recording style informs the way you perform your music live?
We feel it’s the opposite: our live performance informs the way we record. We like to do everything ourselves, as it happens live: no laptops, no pre-programmed sh*t. Just two human beings performing in a celebration ritual of machines and drums. Of course we like the perks of a studio recording, and being able to add layers and sounds to the song, but the live feeling is in the heart of the recording.
5) What’s been happening lately and what’s new with you?
So far, 2014 means working on our debut album, the follow up to our first EP released in late March last year. You can download our first EP here for free and load it into to your ipod, iphone or record it to a cassette for your walkman – numbersarefutile.bandcamp.com
6) When was the last time you played Edinburgh (and where)? What do you remember about that experience?
Last December, in the first Decagram monthly night. It was great and there’s a video to prove it. After the gig we found a dummy’s hand and kept it with us.
7) If you’ve played Limbo before, what did you like/rate about the experience? If you’ve not played Limbo before, what have you heard about it?
Never played before and heard many good things. Since it’s Burns night, we hope someone stabs a Haggis in the heart.
8) What’s next, coming up after this gig, for you and what are you generally looking forward to right now…?
We will play the upcoming Hidden Door Festival in April and we’ll take the next two months to work on the album.
9) How do you feel about Scottish independence and the whole ‘Yes’ campaign? Have you decided which way you’re voting yet (and, if so, what’s your decision)?
Whatever our vote is, we feel there is a lot of misinformation going around at the moment, and we think people need to be clear about what’s on the table for Scotland’s future. There’s nothing worse than wanting to start a new independent state based on lies and media deception. As foreigners living here, we feel this is a very delicate issue for Scots and their future so it’s a tricky one for us, although we feel part of the country as well. So, not sure what to vote so far.
10) Is there anything else you feel strongly about that you’d like to tell us about right now?
We fear for the future of the internet after the end of Net Neutrality. We got permission to use a sample from a Greek artist we like, so we’ll be making a new song with it. And that’s it for now.
