A Chat with Porneia Voodoo (19.08.2020)
Taking a hard look at the way we live, Porneia Voodoo hits you with some crazy arrangements. Using direct language and electronic beats, CarloT, the man behind the sound, demonises scapegoating and blame in ‘VoodooPop’. We sat down with Porneia Voodoo to talk about the single, his music and much more!
OSR: Was there a moment where you thought: ‘I want to make music for the rest of my life.’?
Porneia Voodoo: In 1987, I was in my room and I dreamed to be like Frank Zappa. I had my father’s vinyl, at that moment I realized to scream my disappointment and all my anger. Unfortunately, my mother walked into the room screaming and hitting me violently. That day I decided.
OSR: What is an average day like for you?
Porneia Voodoo: I spend a lot of time in my studio trying to play a personal sound. Actually, in Italy, most people have no musical culture. Do you wanna be a musician? Well, people think you‘re a slacker. If you play original music you can’t plan live shows because the clubs prefer to fill up on cover bands or karaoke.
In the morning I go to work, in the evening I play hoping to compose my own sounds. I am very lucky to have a wonderful partner and her wonderful son. They are my family and understand me and accept my passion.
OSR: What was the inspiration for ‘VoodooPop’?
Porneia Voodoo: I wrote ‘VoodooPop’ in 2006, I tried to play some dance electronics. It was thanks to a Roland JP 8000 and Yamaha CS1X, but the track remained unfinished until the COVID-19 pandemic. Last spring I decided to start my recordings and I chose it as the first single. I remember in this song I sang a ‘Märtini Brös’ lyrics.
OSR: What was the creative process for this single?
Porneia Voodoo: Psychotropic stuff and some synths.
OSR: If you could have people remember one thing about you, what would it be?
Porneia Voodoo: Anyone who loves me will remember my feelings. I wish everyone would remember my dedication to my sound, writing real music, with blood, shit, tears and disappointments.
OSR: What is the most trouble you have ever been in?
Porneia Voodoo: When I tried to have a life without music, with a normal job, dreaming to have a neat house, “blablabla”, then I realized, oh my God it’s a nightmare! My recording studio will be my grave.
OSR: If you could give your younger self any advice, what would it be?
Porneia Voodoo: Take your time and live your fucking life.
OSR: Does your music fit into your local music scene? If so, how do you stand out and if not, how do you overcome this?
Porneia Voodoo: I live in a small town near Rome and since the 90s an important festival called ‘Nel Nome del Rock’ takes place here. Every year bands such as Queens of the Stone Age, Therapy, Chumbawamba, Godflesh and many others trampled the stage. I still remember when Morphine’s Mark Sandman died during the show, I was there and it was terrible. My music doesn’t fit the local music scene, but the music flows through my veins.
OSR: What is the biggest musical challenge you have overcome?
Porneia Voodoo: Releasing my independent music. For many years I‘ve been looking for a record label, I sent hundreds of demos, no replies. One day I said to myself: “Fuck the record companies, my future is “Do it yourself”. You spend a lot of time alone, recording in the studio, mixing, mastering, and then you need to money to promote your music. I love all of this.
OSR: Do you have any further released planned for this year?
Porneia Voodoo: Yes, until November I‘ll release 4 more singles. I‘ve just completed the planning to promote them, so I will start with the new set up for a new sound.
Thanks to Porneia Voodoo for chatting with us! You can find more about him on his Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
