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An interview with FOTOMOTO from the Ukraine....
My friend in California passed on to me a coolly-packaged CDR by a band called Fotomoto that he thought were just the bomb...and from the Ukraine, no less. We put the disc on and were blown away by what we heard: breezy retro indie pop, glistening euphoric sounds with excellent lyrics, recorded so as to capture something musically sepia and high-tech at once. Fotomoto are a testament to the triumph of independent music, proving adamently that nothing at all will keep the good sounds down. Who are these guys, and why doesn't everybody (particularly in indie-rock scenes in the USA and the UK) know about these guys? And labels: get ye out and sign them! Well, here's a short interview, and I urge you to give their disc a listen here on the Tamizdat site or on Fotomoto's cool website. John Peel sure does, if you check his playlists, you'll find Fotomoto right up there....
HM: How did Fotomoto come together and how did you decide on the name?
F: We know each other for many years but earlier we played in different groups: Sergey played on bass-guitar in "Relic Trucks", Anton played on bass-guitar and keyboards in "Zazie dans le Metro", Olya sang in "Shkola Tantsev" and once upon a time Nobody couldn't answer to the question about Fotomoto's creation because it was so spontaneously and we didn't fix that moment (it was in 1999). About our name. When we decided on the name we hoped our band will become the favorite group of photographers and bikers. And it's simply nice name.
HM: Where are you all from and where exactly do you live now?
F: Anton and Sergey were born in Zaporozhye, Ukraine and Olya was born in Kazan, Russia. Now we all live in Zaporozhye.
HM: What do you all do when you are not playing music?
F: Really, music - not unique our employment. Unfortunately, to be engaged in our loved business, we are compelled to be engaged (much greater time) as well in unloved one. Anton and Sergey are engineers, and Olya - the philologist. There are many things we like to do in our free time: Olya likes to dance, to read Joseph Brodsky and her favorite sport is diving; Anton is photographer, he and Sergey also like to play football and basketball.
HM: What do people from Ukraine think of your music: is it strange for them, that you play not only guitar music but retro surf indie rock???!
F: Here in Ukraine our band is unknown for many people but all who has listen to our music were really charmed by the sounds of Fotomoto (it's true).
HM: What is your opinion about downloadable music and what some people call "piracy"?
F: Our attitude to the "piracy" is negative but in Ukraine (and Russia) there's a very difficult economical situation and people can't let themselves buy expensive CDs and cassettes. That's why "piracy" developed here and that's why musical industry is in very bad position.
HM: How have MP3s and downloadable music options affected your music? Positively or negatively?
F: May be, positively.
HM: What is the independent music scene like in the Ukraine?
F: The independent music scene is not developed in Ukraine. Now there is a terrible situation with indie music. There are no Ukranian indie labels, distributors, media, festivals etc. That's why it's very difficult to get any information about indie groups. The rising point of Ukrainian indie music was in last 80s. The most interesting bands of that period Ivanov Down, Kolezhsky Asessor, Rabota Ho, etc. Now the most famous of them is VV (Vopli Vidoplyasova). And there are no stores which sales an interesting legal (not "pirat") music. All information we take from Internet. As we may see, the situation in Russia practically is similar to Ukraine.
HM: Where have you guys toured?
F: Nowhere, but now we're preparing for live gigs.
HM: Do you plan on another record soon, and if yes, on your own label or on another label?
F: Our plans are very great. We have enough music materials for about 5 albums and more else ideas as for the future compositions. About label Š We got used to record and edit our music by ourselves, but we have no enough money for the new equipment to improve a quality of our sound. That's why we don't refuse an opportunity of cooperation with another label.
HM: I know that John Peel has played your record an awful lot. Any chance of Fotomoto doing a Peel Session?!
F: Yes, of course, if we'll visit England, we suppose it's possible.
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