Craymen Interview

1.For those that have ever heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?

ZMD: OUR LONG TIME FANS WILL BE FAMILIAR WITH THE RITUAL ASPECTS OF OUR MUSIC. CRAYMEN IS STRICTLY ABOUT PROVING OUR DOMINANCE IN ALL GENRES. CRAYMEN IS PROOF NOBODY HAS BEEN MORE DEDICATED TO THE GAME

2.So far you have released a couple of albums, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?

ZMD: THE 3 CRAYMEN ALBUMS THUS FAR ARE RESULTS OF A NEW FORM OF SAMPLE BASED MUSICAL COLLABORATION AND HAS REQUIRED THE USE OF OVER 5 COMPUTERS TO COMPLETE AND SEVERAL OTHER GEARS. THE FIRST TWO ALBUMS ARE OUR INDIVIDUAL VERSIONS OF THE ORIGINAL "CRAYMEN". THE FIRST ALBUM WE WERE HONORED TO FEATURE A REMIX BY TECHNO ACID LEGEND "MAGIC SILVERBOX"  A FEATURE FOR WHICH WE ARE TRULY THANKFUL. THE THIRD ALBUM REPRESENTS A MAJOR DIPLOMATIC EVENT IN THE SPECTRUM OF RITUAL MUSIC.

SB: Ritual seems to be a very appropriate term for the kind of music we're making. We listen to a lot of traditional world music, & 90s Jrpg soundtracks so usually the influences of other genres - like techno & hip-hop, are kinda just thrown into a ritual/ceremonial atmosphere with virtual instruments. Film & Game soundtracks are a big influence especially in terms of song structures.

3.What are some of the themes and images the band brings out with the music?

ZMD: OUR INTENTION IS TO INSPIRE UNITY THROUGH FEAR, CONFUSION & HATRED WITHIN EVERY GENRE WE OCCUPY.

SB: links to Ancient Mythologies, DNA Engineering & Eugenics, demon possession, Psychic pains & brain imaging technology, and of course - the spirit of competition. Rediscovering primal urges in developing technology.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Craymen'?

ZMD: WE HAVE ALREADY ATTAINED VICTORY - THESE ALBUMS ARE PROOF. CRAYMEN IS UNBEATABLE. WE ARE THE ONLY WORTHY SUCCESSORS TO THE THRONE OF CRAYMEN... OUR DEDICATION HAS BEEN QUESTIONED AND THIS IS OUR RESPONSE

5.When looking at the album covers and some of the song titles I can see some hints of the occult, do the band members have any interest in Occultism?

IT IS UNDISPUTABLE THESE ALBUMS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO EXIST IF THE PRESENCE OF E.S.P. (EXTRA SENSORY PERCEPTION) WAS NOT IMMENSELY STRONG WITH THE BAND MEMBERS. WE ARE UNABLE TO DEVIATE FROM THE TRUTH


6.So far this has been a studio project, are there any plans into expanding into a live band?

ZMD: WE ARE PREPARED & READY TO PERFORM A LIVE ACTION AT ANY TIME. IN TIME CRAYMEN WILL BE KNOWN ACROSS ALL CONTINENTS. THESE ALBUMS HAVE BEEN THE RESULT OF METICULOUS STUDIO WORK THUS FAR HOWEVER WHEN SUMMONED WE ARE PREPARED.

7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the project that youare a aprt of that is raising education in Cambodia?

SB: While I was playing shows in South East Asia, I took a bus to Siem Reap, Cambodia & stayed at a guest house run by the CEO & Founder of Savong Organization Cambodia, named Svay Savong. I had contacted him earlier in hopes of working with the organization, so that I could bring together teaching artists in an area deprived of many resources for children and we've been working together for about a year now. I'm attempting to use all of my resources to help raise money for the upkeep & development of free schools provided to disadvantaged youth in the rural areas outside the city center of Siem Reap (where the famous Angkor Wat Temples are located). While in Cambodia, I got to visit the many schools and orphanages operated by the Organizations' wonderful staff. The kids were eager to learn subjects such as computer skills & languages such as English & Korean, in classes occurring before and after the government-mandated school classes are in session. Being in Cambodia for the first time was a major event in my life & I am thankful for the kindness Savong showed me. I'd appreciate any assistance anyone has to offer, and there is plenty more information about the organization at www.savong.org

8.On the side one of the band members also runs a record label, can you tell us a little bit more about it?

SB: I founded Blacc Ski Weekend Industries in 2013 in New York just  for producing works on various platforms. animated films, video games, audiobooks, comic books - and physical releases of select releases on cassette, vinyl, dvd, etc... I'm always eager to collaborate with anyone, or use my company to lend someone a helping hand - especially for artists with disjointed fanbases who are hard to categorize.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your recordings by fans of experimental music?

ZMD: WE HAVE LARGELY BEEN WELCOMED BY FANS OF EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC. CRAYMEN IS STILL VERY NEW AND BOTH MEMBERS ARE EXTREMELY PROLIFIC AS INDIVIDUAL MUSICIANS SO OUR WORK IS NOT ALWAYS FOUND QUICKLY. BUT ACROSS THE WORLD OUR POLARIZING STYLE HAS CREATED BOTH A DEVOUT FANBASE AND A STRONG REACTION AGAINST OUR WORK. WE HAVE BEEN INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AS LEADERS IN THE STUDY OF DEEPNESS.

SB: I'm down with chopping it up with the tight communities that develop around experimental music worldwide. People have been excited to get something so specific-sounding onto their stage, & I encourage these venues to keep putting on the most random shows they can come up with. I get asked tons of questions about my influences, even on nights where we're super out of place on the bill. Those shows can be the best. You can tell these experimental venues are a home for people to really pursue their passion, and now more than ever these communities are connecting over the internet, and its easier for people to travel the world & find great places for experimental music.

10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?

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

SB: We've been investigating into a concerning matter regarding sucker motherfuckers biting our style in some out-of-bounds territories, not being upfront about their influences, saying we're out of commission, and spreading trash about the tradition of our technique in order to keep their low spirits high, yet failing to match the intensity of our discipline. If this is indeed the case, we're going to have to make our upcoming releases faster, harder, darker, & specifically antagonistic and engage on a whole beef-campaign. What has always mattered to me is continuing to strive toward making albums that are up to date with the optimal debilitating, focused & immersive listening experience. We have enough influences to tactfully phase out the sounds of imitators in any genre, on any level and we release albums in waves.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

OUR ENEMIES ARE LOST TRYING TO CATCH UP WITH US. WE ONLY INTEND TO LEAVE THEM FARTHER IN THE DIRT. IMITATORS DO NOT UNDERSTAND OUR STYLE, HOWEVER ALL I CAN SAY IS OUR TRUE FANS KNOW TO EXPECT A CONSTANTLY EVOLVING LEVEL OF TRUE EXCELLENCE IN OUR WORK. WE ARE IN CONTROL OF MOMENTUM. WE GUARENTEE ABSOLUTE DOMINANCE.

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

ZMD: FOR INSPIRATION I HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO: DANCEMANIA BASS, DJ SPANISH FLY, & J-POP MIDI ARRANGEMENTS.
SB: P-model, Geinoh Yamashirgoumi, Koenjihyakkei, Tangerine Dream, E40, Sun Ra, Drexciya, Keii Haino, DJ Fela, Burzum, 4080 Mobbin Thru Da Bay (compilation) & Grindcore bands from Thailand like MASOCHIST

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

ZMD: CYBER CRIME; ASTRAL PROJECTION; OPERATIONS SECURITY; SUB-BASS; ALTERNATING CURRENT; HUSTLE MANNING
SB: Virtual Reality, Martial Arts, Temples, Cryptozoology, chess,

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

ZMD: GREETZ TO HMW FOR THE INTERVIEW; ONLY THOSE WHO OPPOSE US NEED FEAR US. OUR MASTERY OF OUR CRAFT IS UNDISPUTABLE. THANK YOU HMW FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY
SB: Thanks for playing! I'm enjoying a lot of the stuff I found on this blog so we appreciate being featured on here. It may seem totally unrelated, but the death of Prince was a huge motivation for me, personally, in recording this album.