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Charismatic and outgoing, G.I. Joe is an acrobatic duo that combines funk and noise: hormonal, dynamic, and engaging music. They've been playing drums and bass together for ten years now under this name;
"Tropico" is their latest album and was released in April by "Holiday Records".
- Introduce yourselves, who are you, what and where do you play? What are you currently involved in?
ADZ: I am Alessandro De Zan and I play bass in G.I. Joe.
I also play with In Zaire (a trio with Riky, and Claudio Rocchetti), where we make more psychedelic stuff, but also tribal-krauta.
And then I play in an ethnic-acoustic duo called Orfando, where we do more mellow stuff, and I play with Riccardo Mazza, guitarist of the hardcore group A Flower Kollapsed.
Currently, I work in the Cinema Archive of the Cineteca del Friuli.
R.B.: I am Riccardo, I play percussion. With G.I. Joe, In Zaire, and solo as Cobra Sound System. I also have a small label with a friend that makes limited edition vinyl, XHOL.
- Do you both live in Treviso?
ADZ: Actually, we are both originally from Conegliano Veneto, but neither of us currently lives there. I work in Gemona del Friuli and currently live between Gemona and Conegliano.
R.B.: Right now, I've moved to Berlin where life is calmer, less expensive, and there's more space for music.
- When did you start playing and why?
ADZ: I started playing at the age of 14. Why?? Because it was just what I felt like doing, it was quite a natural thing. I've always been surrounded by music (my father and sister played, and we always sang a lot in the family). Specifically, there was a song I really liked during that hormone-crazed period which I desperately wanted to learn to play on acoustic guitar. The piece was "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd, so I had my father teach me, and from there I went on.
R.B.: Initially because, growing up in the void of a provincial town, it was one of the most fun things to do, the alternative was drugs; then it developed naturally, you start playing, making records, meeting other bands, traveling, organizing concerts. A world has opened up that is still my daily life.
- What do you think of the Italian independent scene? Is it tangible or just a conceptual label for insiders?
ADZ: Of a hypothetical or real independent scene, I wouldn't know what to say. More than a scene or homogeneous movement, I can say there are various people who do very interesting things and work hard to realize them, driven by deep passion. I'm talking both about bands (which vary greatly in terms of genres) and about people who have been organizing concerts for years, around whom very interesting "scenes" have formed.
R.B.: I agree with Ale, rather than a scene, what comes to mind is a list of wonderful people who work hard (Hundebiss, Holidays, Dauntaun, Kroen, Codalunga, Soulville and Xm24, Veronika Club, Nofi Recordings, Weltraum, Above The Tree, Here I Stay, Guilty Party, Movie Star Junkies, Troglosound, Dead Beat).
- How far have you gone, geographically speaking, to promote your music?
ADZ: Well, in 10 years we've covered almost all of Italy. Sadly, we never made it further south than Taranto. Unfortunately, we've never been to Sicily and Calabria. We've toured Europe quite a bit: France, Germany, England, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
- Is it possible to make a living from playing, or do you have a second job?
ADZ: We both have a second job, or rather... a job. I don't see music as a job, quite the opposite!!!
R.B.: It's possible, some do it. I've never had the courage to try, under the strict grip of a strong work ethic from the northeast. Now something is changing...
- Groups you are inspired by?
ADZ: I can't say I'm "inspired" by any particular group. Let's just say we've definitely had various influences. We both listen to a lot of music and many different genres: I personally always have a soft spot for black music, like funk, soul, hip hop. But I also listen to metal, I used to listen to a lot of post-rock in my youth and more recently math-rock. Then, particularly, I adore the '60s and '70s music in general, and I always enjoy rediscovering old things I don't know.
R.B.: The music we listen to and see is a constant source of inspiration. And throughout the history of G.I. Joe, there has been plenty of that. My passion is collecting records, but one above all, Miles Davis!
- How and in what situation, and based on what needs, did you found G.I. Joe?
ADZ: Riki and I started playing together as kids, and we learned to do it by influencing each other. It started as a game or just for fun and still is actually. We have always been moved and always will be moved by pure and simple fun. Besides enjoying playing, we enjoy doing it together. We have great chemistry.
R.B.: If Ale had boobs, I would marry him, but since he has a penis, I just play with him.
- Why this name? It's hard to find info about you because you always find sites dedicated to dolls. And there are really a lot of them.
ADZ: Ha ha ha, yes, I know. The name has nothing political if you were thinking that. It comes from an affectionate issue. The fact is, we met in secondary school while talking about G.I. Joe toys, which we were both passionate about. That's how our friendship began. We had other names before but were looking for a new one. We wanted to name ourselves after one of the toy characters, but we couldn't find anything cool. So we cut to the chase by deciding on G.I. Joe.
- How did your relationship with Holiday Records come about?
R.B.: Stefano "Blits" Holidays is amazing, he started slowly and now has a wonderful label. One of the most interesting in Italy. He's someone who looks beyond borders, with professionalism but not for work, and with so, so much passion. He's a friend, and working with him was almost natural. We had already recorded the split "Inzaire/Skull Defekts" with him.
- Tell us about "Tropico," your latest album.
RB: The best G.I. Joe album. I'm really happy with it, in just under half an hour it sums up the journey of the past two years. G.I. Joe goes straight to the point. It's a mix of psychedelia, afrobeat, math-funk, and improvisation that takes your breath away.
We recorded it at Outsideinside Studio with Nene from "Movie Star Juknies" and Matt from "Mojomatics" who managed to capture an old sound, made of analog mixers and tapes that give the album a further lysergic atmosphere.
The artwork was curated by Troglosound and silk-screened on transparent vinyl by Serimal. It's a blast!
ADZ: What can I say, it's the album that contains the most recent and "mature," let's say, works of G.I. Joe. It's an album I feel very connected to, also because we've been playing the pieces in it for a long time and have had the chance to tweak and refine them properly. Then we overdubbed various things like percussion, maracas, flutes, and other ethnic instruments, and we had a lot of fun doing it. This album has a strong tribal-ethnic vibe.
- Tell us about "Clito's Angels".
RB: The first studio album by gijoe. It's raw but full of love and energy. Ale sang a lot on those songs, and we played them all over Europe. Thinking about that album brings to mind what was happening 8 years ago. It's romantic.
ADZ: It holds enormous sentimental value for me. It's our first real album, released by Tizio (Fulltribe/Bob Corn), and it's the album that allowed us to gain a bit more recognition.
- Tell us how the idea of tape3 was born and if any others have been published.
RB: Do you mean COBRA? The tape was requested by Tony nofi for a series of tapes. We recorded it with Maurizio Abate in the barn where we used to rehearse in the province of Treviso. Twenty minutes of acid and electrifying pieces. It was later reissued on a one-sided vinyl by Troglosound. With tributes to Lightning Bolt and Erkin Koray...
- Bands you would recommend.
RB: In Italy? Orfanado, A Flower Kollapsed, WW, Weltraum, Milkane, Moviestarjunkies, Squadra Omega, Claudio Rocchetti, and Stefano Pilia.
- When talking about you, the name Lightning Bolt often comes up, but I find that comparison limiting. What do you think of this band and what are your differences compared to them?
ADZ: The Lightning Bolt are an amazing band and offer one of the most engaging and impressive live shows I've ever witnessed. They definitely influenced us back in the day, but it's a stretch to compare us to them.
In the simplest terms, I can say that they are whites and we G.I. Joe are black inside.
- Where will you be playing?
ADZ: August in Sardinia at the Here I Stay festival with Oneida. Then it's still to be seen. We hope to perform as far away from home as possible. Surely we will tour a bit with In Zaire between September and beyond.
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