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Tenochtitlan - Senmuth

08/11/07 || Global Domination

Tenochlatarantula
This interview was done by ex-staffer/cocksmoker Banesupper.

Russian experimental outfit Tenochtitlan really impressed me with their new album. In a strange kind of coincidence I ended up talking to guitarist/vocalist, composer/producer, all-kinds-of-things guy, Senmuth, one day when stealing music from him. He seemed like a nice guy, broken English and all, but nothing more came of it. Until about two weeks later I decided to contact him and ask him to do an interview for GD. Said contact was not exactly easy to establish, with his website being all in Russian, but I got it right in the end and he agreed to do the ‘terview. I’d like to hand some respect to Senmuth for not only doing this quickly, but also for putting some effort into getting the English right (as his English is certainly better than my Russian, I’m not really in a position to judge). His grammar is not exactly masterful, but still, he actually used the word “multifarious”. Fuck.

Global Domination: Thank you for doing this interview, we appreciate it. Most of the good people here at Global Domination might not know who you are or what you do, so if you could please introduce yourself?

Senmuth: Thanks a lot for your attention to our work. My name is Valery, but in the music world I’m better known as Senmuth

Tenochtitlan is quite an ambitious project. How did it start?

The idea of the embodiment of Mesoamerica’s history in music was born about 20 years ago after I read “Montezuma’s Daughter” by H. Rider Haggard. But only recently I bumped into some artistic works of my colleagues and decided to create this project.

As far as I understand it the members of Tenochtitlan live quite a distance from each other. How is the process of writing and recording for the band?

We live in different cities, have families and children, we work. These things haven’t prevented to create a virtual band. I get vocal and music tracks by e-mail.

I must say, your new album “Tezcatl” rather blew me away. High-quality stuff to say the least. Are you pleased with it?

I like the last album most of all too because my plans were realized as much as possible. It is very multifarious. The only critique I get is that the album is way too long.

Not from me, I don’t mind the length. What are some of the bands that inspire you?

I’m inspired by great amount of music (from metalcore to meditative music). I’ll note the most important (significant) for the last time: Shiva in Exile & projects of Stefan Hertrich, Oliver Shanti, Phil Thornton, Clint Mancell, C.Pruess and many others.

You obviously have a great interest in the Aztec, Incan and Mayan civilizations. When did you first find this interest?

I like history, philosophy, esoteric. When I was a child I liked to read adventure novels (my favorite writers are H. Rider Haggard, Rafael Sabbatini, Lui Jackolio etc). I’m interested in any information which leads to the world cognition.

Just curious, were the drums on “Icxiohtli” programmed differently from the rest? They sound remarkably different.

Surprisingly, but the track (only music) has been written down and was planned enter music one of the first the first album.

Tenochlollipop I’m not sure I understood that, but we’ll ignore it. I, like many others I imagine, was only exposed to Tenochtitlan due to the Doom-art.ru Compilation. By virtue of your talent, you deserve some attention. Are you ever frustrated from not getting noticed, or are you fine being “underground”?

It is nice to be underground, but even so I want to share my music with larger audience, and to do so you need all kinds of publicity and recognition.

That’s what I’m trying to do here. Now, Russia is the largest country in the world. It has a population of more than a hundred million. And yet we don’t see a lot of Russian metal bands in the “West”. Question is, are they there, just not making an impact abroad?

Here in Russia music business is only developed in pop. Most metal bands are simply copying foreign bands without bringing something new or personal.

In that case, Russia is like any other country. While I haven’t had the time to check out your solo material, you seem extremely productive. How do you find the time and inspiration to produce such a massive amount of material?

I have work, family and daughter. It’s strange that I have time for music. I haven’t enough time for rest. I got to the level when I don’t have to work on a song for a very long time. In my experience the best stuff happens on the first try, from the go.

Work, wife and a daughter? Okay, now I’m seriously impressed. I figured you were some kind of troll living in a basement doing nothing but music. Anyway, Russian is a fantastic language for growling. Can you teach me? Who do the really deep growls in Tenochtitlan? Those sound freakin’ awesome.

In our project, LeftHander is the manager of growling. He growls very well. I didn’t like growling before, now I do. He’ll teach you, he’s an expert at this.

Ace. I know we’ve already talked about this (briefly), but for the benefit of Global Domination’s readers, could you explain about the languages used in Tenochtitlan?

In our work we use ancient languages such as Maya (Maya-Queche), Azteque (Nahuatl), Incas (Quechua) and Russian. To express respect to ancient cultures in a more colorful way.

Yeah, expressing respect to the ancient Russian culture is great, hur hur. Another question of irrelevant curiosity, I was listening to “Tezcatl” the other day and I noticed some very low voices at the beginning of “Lament of Ol’antay”. Just interested, are those intentional?

Voices – the true speech in language Quechua (samples).

Intentional then. Good. You have a female singer, Johny Ratsen, in Tenochtitlan. She has a really great voice. What is your opinion on female singers in metal, in general?

Johny Ratsen is a great singer and I hope that we’ll hear her voice on the new album. She is very busy. I like female singers in different music styles especially in metal. Tori Amos, Sharon Den Adel, Loreena McKennitt, Tarja Turunen, Sigrid Hausen, Urmila Devi Goenka, Natacha Atlas, Madonna and others.

Fancy. Now, you already partly answered this, but what do you think of female-fronted bands, such as Nightwish?

Nightwish is a good band, but after Tarja left, Nightwish is not the same. In any case their music is always on the level and I’ve been watching their work since the first album.

We’ve also already talked about The Project Hate MCMXCIX, but what is your opinion on their female singer, Jo Enckell?

The Project Hate. The female vocal is good, but there is lack of melodic and variety.

Tecnholittlepenis stuff! Hah! Take that K! (Note by The Lord: If this guy was a doctor, I wouldn’t exactly let him perform surgery on me.) What do you see in the future of Tenochtitlan?

Tenochtitlan. We think about new album, but haven’t started it yet. We want our band to be on Sun Pyramid in Teotiukan on 21 December, 2012.

Okaaay… Can I come? What do you see in your own future, also as a solo artist?

I continue to compose, but I have to admit that my music is drifting away from heavy metal. I am more and more interested in ethnic-industrial-electronic music.

Thanks a bunch for answering these questions. As far as I’m concerned, if I can help get you some well-deserved attention, this interview is a success. Anything you’d like to add? Anything you’d like to ask me?

I wish everybody to discover themself and the world around in all its magnificence. Question: Which track from the “Tezcatl” album do you like most of all?

That’s a hard one, actually. I love “Teokalli”, “Tonatiu Lament” and ”Chanin Tiqsimuyu” the most, I think.

And that’s the end of it. Short, I know, but I kept the questions simple as to not challenge his English unnecessarily. Those interested can listen to some Tenochtitlan at their MySpace, or pay a visit to their website, which happens to be in Russian.

Interviews