Interviews

Ductape returns in Athens for a live show, along with the all new full-length album, "Echo Drama"!

Ductape is one of these bands that you get the intense feeling that every song sounds familiar and you need to dance upon the unique vocals of Çağla and the beautiful and catchy post-punk, dark melodies of Furkan! 

Ductape birthed in Instabul's underground music scene and was introduced to the dark alternative scene with their debut short "Little Monsters" in 2020. Two amaing albums followed, with the "Labirent" coming out in 2021 and "Ruh" in 2022, both via Swiss Dark Nights. Both albums were critically acclaimed by media and audience an the talented duo started touring around the world, gaining more attention and followers each time. 

2024 brings a new album for Ductape, titled "Echo Drama", which is to be released on February 29th(!) via Swiss Dark Nights. Ductape has already unveiled the first 2 singles out of "Echo Drama", "Red Scar" and "Veil Of Lies", where some new elements and sounds can be found in the music paths they have chosen for this new chapter. (edit: just after this interview the third single, "Anafor", was released along with the announcement of the official release date).

Additionally the duo has announced several shows to promote "Echo Drama" including their beloved Athens and Arch Club - Live Stage! Taking the opportunity for both, the release of the new album and their second visit in Athens, Greece, I had this amazing chat with these dark souls from Turkey!

ES: Hello Ductape! I am really happy to have you in ElektroSpank! I want to ask so many things about your upcoming live show in Greece and the new album. But before, I would like to let you introduce yourselves and Ductape to our readers. Who is Çağla and Furkan?

Ductape: Hello dear ElektroSpank, first of all we would like to say thank you for having us.

This is Furkan, I am the guitarist of Ductape. I also prepare the foundations of the music such as bass and drums. In Çağla's words, I'm the post-punk side of the band.

This is Çağla, the vocalist and synth player of the band Ductape. In addition to providing lead vocals, I also contribute synth solos and assist in the production process by adding subtle touches. I am the darkwave side.

ES: When did you decide to form Ductape and what was your vision about the band at that time?

Furkan: I had the idea of making music together for a long time, and whenever I found the opportunity, I tried to encourage her in this regard. I was aware that Çağla is very talented but I always wondered what she could do with it. Finally, I managed to involve her in music bit by bit and I'm glad we did. I have no regrets. My initial goal was to create something together and be able to sit down and listen to something that belongs to us. The current point, of course, was not something we had thought of or could have predicted.

Çağla: I’m glad he pushed me into this. We have started creating our first songs in 2019. Furkan has been a musician for a long time, but when we started together, we never sat down to plan what kind of music we would make or what we would do; we just let it flow naturally from within us. We can't really define ourselves as a 'project band,' so to speak. Ductape is a perfect mixture of what we both love to listen. The very first song we made was never released but it still echoes in my ears. The rest of them became our first EP “Little Monsters”.

ES: I am going straight to your second visit in Greece. This time supporting one of the greatest names of the modern post-punk scene, Drab Majesty? How do you feel?

Drab Majesty is a unique combination of good sound and visual presentation. It’s not a secret that they are a big influence on the contemporary darkwave/post-punk scene. We are really looking forward to see them live again, not to mention supporting them. It will be fantastic to see as they emanate their mystical interactions live on stage.

ES: Your first visit in Greece was in November 2022. How did you experience those shows? What do you remember the most?

Greece has a powerful audience and a strong scene. Getting recognition there feels dreamy. During our previous visit in 2022, we played in Athens and Thessaloniki with Sixth June, Incirrina, and Grey Gallows. It was truly two special nights for us. Playing in front of an impressive audience alongside the hospitality of the organization and the bands we admired was very enjoyable. We cherish the moment we realized people singing along during our very first show in Greece. Felt like home. Cannot describe how we also enjoyed the beauties of these two marvelous cities.

ES: Apart from the live shows there are more great news about Ductape. "Echo Drama", the new album is coming really soon. When do we expect this new chapter and what is hidden inside "Echo Drama"?

Echo Drama will be fully released on February 29th. It sounds a bit unusual to release it on a date that comes once every four years, and it might seem intriguing, especially if considered with superstitions. This album marks a phase where our sound has settled more, and we've evolved further in our musical world. Essentially, we created the foundation sound with a few new synthesizers added to the instruments we've used in previous albums. We believe these touches have given the album a stronger presence.

“Echo Drama” term typically means a dramatic situation that mirrors a past occurrence, referencing events within a cycle. It represents a concentration of our past releases, it echoes our past.

In this world, you can dance above your feelings, even alone in your bedroom and it has a healing effect.

ES: Listening to the two singles, taken out from the new album, "Red Scar" and "Veil Of Lies", one can listen to new elements added (especially in "Veil Of Lies"), enriching the sound of Ductape and exploring new sonic horizons. Can you tell us something about these new music paths?

Building on our previous tracks without sticking to the same template was a process where we didn't want to follow the same pattern. We went through a phase of contemplating how we can better express our lives and internal transformations, striving for improvement. Red Scar and Veil of Lies, although seemingly contrasting, emerged as the tracks that best reflect this process at their core. Especially, we always thought these two songs were a brief introduction to the transition process of Labirent and Ruh.

ES: Regarding the lyrics, which will be the main concept of "Echo Drama"? Which are the main influences for the new songs, lyric-wise?

Anything we see, hear, experience, or even taste can inspire us for lyrics. In this album, we also associated some emotions with tastes because we believe that taste and smell have a significant impact on emotions. Just like in the other albums, we didn't focus on a single emotion. We progressed through intense feelings for each song.

It's like a flood of emotions; getting stuck in a loop, the filth of humanity, a recurring nightmare, a feeling of being trapped, the opening of insight, confronting your dark side during loneliness, acceptance of everything and feeling all of these all over again, like an emotional loop.

ES: What would you say are the main differences between "Echo Drama" and the previous albums, "Labirent" and "Ruh"?

Labirent and Ruh albums were released in quick succession because the simple reason was that we wanted to produce and share our music immediately. The period before the recording process of the Labirent album was a time when we didn't have the opportunity to perform live, and we had little idea about the energy we could bring to the stage. As our concerts increased and the time spent on stage grew, we became aware of the energy we exuded during performances. This energy significantly contributed to many aspects falling into place. The reactions we received after concerts were generally in line with this.

After contemplating this and incorporating our stage performance into the equation, we decided that we needed to capture this energy in our recordings. We went through a recording process where we practiced a lot, played unreleased songs secretly during some concerts, and practiced extensively to capture the essence of the songs before recording. I believe that this approach might have somehow changed the overall attitude of the album compared to our previous ones.

ES: We have seen that your lyrics are touching various themes even social? Which are your main influences and inspirations as a duo, both, lyric-wise and music-wise?

In terms of music, we are undoubtedly influenced by minor progressions. Besides the melancholy, we also explore themes of stress and tension. Interestingly, in this album, we encountered transitions from minors to majors, creating an unintentional emotional fluctuation within the songs. I believe some traumas during the album process and the neurotic experiences we went through led to this. We can observe this explanation much better when we sit down and listen to the album after it's finished. We laid the foundations of the album in Istanbul, but the recording and mixing process took place in Ankara, the city where Furkan was born and raised. Perhaps the comfort brought by this environment is subtly felt throughout the album.

We express what we want to say in short sentences. Although these short sentences may not directly convey their meaning, we believe we're not beating around the bush too much. We don't hesitate to pour our pains into words. Therefore, we mostly proceed based on our own feelings. The geography we live in has a great impact on this. We accept all the traces left on us.

ES: Prior to the two new singles, you released a cover version of a gothic rock classic, The Sisters Of Mercy's "Marian". How did you end up doing this cover? Can we expect any more covers like these in the future?

Marian was, of course, a song we really loved, and when we realized how much we loved singing along, we quickly said, "Let's go!" and took our places with the instruments. Happened very spontaneously. We have no plans for another cover song in the near future.

ES: After the pandemic and your first album, "Labirent", you travelled to many places for live shows. What do you remember the most of these experiences? Is there a highlight you would like to share with us?

The things that happen to many bands happened to us very early on. When we went to Argentina for a concert in 2022, we waited for our luggage at the airport, and although the bag with our clothes arrived, the one with the instruments did not. We thought it was stolen and we only had a couple of hours before the show. We explained the situation to the beloved promoter, and with the admirable calmness, he managed to find all the instruments we needed. Just as we were about to breathe a sigh of relief, during the late-night soundcheck, Furkan's guitar string broke, and he had to play with only 5 strings because the spare set of strings was also in the baggage that got lost. After our concert, we went to a club where only Depeche Mode songs were playing, and we experienced a moment of happiness mixed with sadness together. There, we had a beautiful telepathic moment where we believed everything would turn out fine.

PS:Our instruments arrived 10 days later. We will never forget all the wonderful people in Buenos Aires.

ES: Finishing this chat, I would like to go back to your upcoming live show in Athens. What can we expect from Ductape in this new show in Athens?

We've added songs from the new album to our setlist, and really excited to play them in Athens for the first time!

ES: Thank you so much for this interview. Looking forward to seeing you on stage again and listening to your new songs!

Ductape live in Athens, supporting Drab Majesty!

Info:

https://ductape.info/

https://www.facebook.com/ductapeofficial/

https://instagram.com/ductape_official?igshid=1othoyfgfe2th

https://www.youtube.com/@Ductape