[ SAKATAT ]

Dass man mit lecker Promomaterial aus der Türkei bemustert wird, passiert einem als CFMD-Schreiberling der ersten Stunde nun auch nicht alle Tage. Doch genau so geschah es letzten Herbst. Da schickte Semih mir nämlich die sehr coole "Yolun Sonu!"-CD, die seine Band SAKATAT anlässlich ihrer "Play Fast Like There Are No Fucking Borders"-Osteuropa Tour veröffentlichte. Angekündigte wurde mir die volle Breitseite "raw as fuck old school grindcore" und nach dem Genuss der erwähnten Tonkonserve musste ich feststellen, dass diese Bezeichnung zum Sound der Band passt, wie der Arsch auf den Eimer! Der Kontakt zu Semih war dann auch recht schnell hergestellt und der Mann entpuppte sich als passionierter Grinder, Fanzinemacher und sympathischer Zeitgenosse. Dadurch und nicht zuletzt auch durch die Mucke, die er mit SAKATAT fabriziert, qualifizierte er sich umgehend für ein Frage/Antwort-Spielchen, welches dann im April 2009 zustande kam. (Gerste)

1.: Hi Semih! What's up? I Hope you're in the right mood to get interviewed! At first I'd like to know how you got familiar with our little filthy D.I.Y. underground zine for musical destruction (and more). Some time ago you mailed me that you actually own one of the older issues. Which issue is it and how, when and where did you get it? Do you like our zine? What are your thoughts about old school D.I.Y. printzines compared with all the online zines that came up since the internet became popular?

- Hey hey Gerste! Thanks, everything is cool. I am enjoying the last days of my holiday, drinking tea, listening to some badass records, and eating unhealthy food. How about you? Well, I've heard of your 'zine years ago but I hadn't had the chance to read it until I got your issue #12 from some German distro a couple of years ago. I was amazed by the massive reviews section! Too bad I can't read German. I always try to keep up with the new 'zines, regardless of their language. I always have a zine in my pocket to avoid boredom while going to school on bus or metro. I think zines ought to be printed and most web-zines are pathetic. However I have to confess that there are some good ones like Nihilistic Holocaust, My Last Chapter, Braindead, Noise Attack and a few more.

2.: What's interesting to know about Semih, the man who is answering all my stupid questions here (haha!)? Where are you from and how old are you? How and when did you get involved into the so called "scene" and what was the first record you ever bought and the first gig you ever visited? What are doing besides of your scene activities? Do you work regularly? In other words: please introduce yourself to our readers!

- Well, I am a 22 years old guy living in a doom city called Ankara, studying the rules of capitalism (I mean business administration), doing odd jobs during summer vacation, spending most of my free time supporting the "campaing for musical destruction", drinking tea and talking about some random stuff. Attended to a metal show first time when I was at 6th grade or so, have been more or less involved the in so-called scene since then. Oh, and yeah, I just quit drinking. I think I will start again in a day or two.

3.: Ok, let's finally talk about SAKATAT! It all started back in January 2005, right? What do you think when you remember the early days when you and Onur recorded the first SAKATAT tracks (without even rehearsing - yeah, that's how I like it!) at a basement? What was the main reason for you to found a band? Was it a reaction towards boredom and frustration or did you need something to let out all your anger? What encouraged you to go on with the band after you released your first demo entitled "Kisa ve Cig"? Oh, and before I forget it: what means SAKATAT translated into English anyway? Any special reason why you choose this bandname?

- When we graduated from high-school, Onur and I had nothing to do for almost a year so we were damn bored. Back then I was jamming to NAPALM DEATH and AGATHOCLES on daily basis and I ended up "writing" some mince/grindcore songs. I had just bought a drumkit and Onur had a guitar and an amp that could barely work so we thought we should record those tunes. After we distributed only a few copies of the tape, the offer we got from Marc (Bringer Of Gore) for a split 7" with AGATHOCLES was encouracing enough so it was obvious that we were going to continue playing. Sakatat means offal, we thought it sounded cool and everyone could pronounce it so...

4.: What else is, at least in you opinion, interesting and/or important to know about the bandhistory? What would you say were the highlights of the bandhistory and what about the most memorable letdowns, disappointments/disillusionments and the biggest bullshit that happened from 2005 until now?

- I think we have been quite lucky during last 4 or 5 years. There have been no big disappointments or regrets, not many line-up changes either. We have had the chance to put out a couple of records on honest DIY labels, tour Europe, play Obscene Extreme Fest, meet lotsa cool people (some of which are among our best friends now). I definetely wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life doing the very same things.

5.: Here are the latest bandnews that I've got: new line-up, new split-7" w/ CUT YOUR THROAT out soon and coverversion recorded for the upcoming NASUM-tribute sampler that's gonna come out on Power It Up in 2009. Please comment these news for me and our readers. Any other bandnews besides of that?

- Yeah, that is our first recording with the new drummer, Kaya, who was our friend since we've played a show with his (now dead) great death metal band NETTLETHRONE a couple of years ago in Ankara. I think those are our faster tracks to date. We are not really satisfied with the final mastering, though. CUT YOUR THROAT is one of Greece's best kept secrets! Top-notch grindcore in the vein of ASSUCK and ROT! Also great guys! Our other plans in near future include a split 7" with MESRINE, participation in a tribute to BLOOD CD (on Burning Dogma), a couple of split tapes, a 6-way split CD and yeah, Euro Tour with DT80K in August/September 2009.

6.: Let's talk a little longer about this NASUM-tribute and NASUM in general. You recorded the song "Fullmatad" from the Swedish grindcore masters' debut LP "Inhale/Exhale" for the sampler. In my opinion "Inhale/Exhale" definitely is a grindcore masterpiece and the best NASUM full length ever! Do you agree with me? Would you say that NASUM was and still is an influence for your band?

- I have to admit that NASUM is not our primary influence. We were mainly influenced by bands like NAPALM DEATH, SOB and mincecore pionneers like AGATHOCLES, ROT etc... also not to forget SIEGE, TERRORIZER, ASSUCK, NASUM, EXCRUCIATING TERROR, UNHOLY GRAVE, BRUTAL TRUTH, SORE THROAT, FEAR OF GOD and a lot of others. I dig everything that NASUM has recorded, however I prefer "Inhale/Exhale" and previous recordings to the later ones.

7.: How and when were you invited to be part of the upcoming NASUM-tribute and how does it feel to share such a record with some real heavyweights like AGATHOCLES, BRUTAL TRUTH, CAPITALIST CASUALTIES, MISERY INDEX, ROTTEN SOUND or UNHOLY GRAVE (to name only a few)?

- Well, there are really a lot of well-known bands involved in the project however that is of course not the number one reason for our participation. It was a good oppourtunity to show some respect for the band and spread the name. Besides, we enjoy playing other bands' songs, in fact we always include one cover song in each record.

8.: I know that SAKATAT released some really nice stuff but since I'm only familiar with your "Yolun Sonu!" CD I'd like to ask you if you could list your band's complete discography to date. How many copies of each release were made/pressed and by which label? Please give your personal critique of each release. What is your favorite SAKATAT release until now and why? Any releases you're not satisfied with?

- Let me see... First release was a rehearsal tape with only 2 songs. It was called "Kýsa ve Çið" (Short and Raw). We've distributed only 20 copies. I still like it, it has a really raw rehearsal-ish sound. Then we recorded split 7" with AGATHOCLES which was released by Bringer Of Gore, limited to 333 copies or something. Sound was pretty weak and I could barely play the drums. It was pure mincecore with punk riffs and sincere in-your-face lyrics. I know there are some people who like it despite the shitty sound. Our first release with a complete line-up was split 7" with ARCHAGATHUS (500 copies on To Live A Lie, DFTN and Corrupted Harmony), recorded in late 2007, released in 2008, almost sold out. I think it is one of our best releases, sound is a bit different than our recent sound, though. Then we recorded split 7" with SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS in spring 2008 which was released by Angernoise Records in summer 2008. I think our songs on that 7" has a strong old school fastcore influence and I know most people think that it is our best stuff to date. We also released a split live-tape with ONANIZER, split tape with SMG and a tour CD with an exclusive song.

9: Semih, how important are SAKATAT's lyrics for you personally? Would you say there is a special message that you wanna spread with your lyrics? Are the lyrics as important for you as the music(k) itself?

- I ensure you that lyrics are important indeed. We spend a lot of time recording, writing (huh?) and promoting our music, I mean noise, so if we have a chance to get people's attraction for 7 minutes, we would like to use it so as to tell people how everything looks like from our point of view.

10.: SAKATAT plays raw as fuck old school grindcore influenced by early NAPALM DEATH, old BRUTAL TRUTH, S.O.B., AGATHOCLES, ROT, SIEGE, UNHOLY GRAVE, TERRORIZER, WARSORE and alikes. That brings us straight to our first little brainstorming question. What comes through your mind when you think about the following releases of the before mentioned bands:
a.) NAPALM DEATH - Mentally Murdered - EP
- Could have been yours for 99p 18 years ago.
b.) BRUTAL TRUTH - Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses - Full Length
- Along with EXCRUCIATING TERROR and ASSUCK records, one of the best grindcore records from USA. Also a blue-print for the later generation bands from USA.
c.) S.O.B. - Split-7" w/ NAPALM DEATH
- Probably the best split 7" ever! Great songs from both bands and great art on both sides! I refuse to pay lotsa $$$s for the flexi version, though. By the way, have I told you that we recorded "Humanity Of Stupidity" for the upcoming 7"?
d.) AGATHOCLES - Theatric Symbolisation Of Life - Full Length
- Even though some of their 7"s are simply way too "collectional", when you get a AGx full-lenght, you know it is a masterpiece.
e.) ROT - Split Picture-10" w/ YACÖPSAE
- Great match. Haven't got a copy, though.
f.) SIEGE - Drop Dead - MCD
- I still have got it on tape which a mate has dubbed for me years ago.
g.) UNHOLY GRAVE - Inhumanity - Full Length
- First UG record that I've ever listened to, I guess. Best UG album?
h.) TERRORIZER - World Downfall - Full Length
- I still can't understand how they dared to destory the legacy of such a masterpiece releasing a mediocre album like ... err... what was it called anyway?
i.) WARSORE - Split-10" w/ AUTORITÄR
- Another great match and another missing piece in my lousy collection.

11.: By the way: what are your thoughts on the newer grindcore bands of today? Any bands that you feel are keeping the classic style alive without being boring and generic? I think you prefer the early stuff and the real genre-classics over anything out of today, don't you?

- Yeah, the older the better. I can't stand over-produced albums that are being released every second nowadays. On the otherhand, there are really a lot of great new bands that keep it old school.

12.: The "Yolun Sonu!" CD you were sending me some time ago was a especially released for your "Play Fast Like There Are No Fuckin' Borders" Eastern European tour that took place in 2008. You toured together with ONANIZER from Czech Republic and ANOTHER WAY from Hungary, right? What are your most memorable tour-impressions? What was your best and your worst gig and what was the funniest and most fucked up thing that happened during this tour? Is it true that you wrote a tour diary? Is it already published in a zine or online?

- Yeah, the tour was awesome indeed. It was our first time abroad so we didn't know what to expect but in the end, it turned out be the best three weeks of our lifes! Both ONANIZER and ANOTHER WAY were cool guys, beer in Eastern Europe was awesome and cheaper than we could ever imagine. Everyone we've met on the road was friendly, gigs were very well organised, Obscene Extreme was sick, we wouldn't ask for more. Probably the rubbery in Bratislava is the only bad memory that I can recall at the moment, everything else was awesome! We wrote down a 3-page tour diary which should be printed in the upcoming issue of Los Alamos fanzine, go check it out! Hopefully we will do another 3-week tour across Europe in August/September 2009, so check out our webpage for the dates and come see us if you can!

13.: Besides of your activities with SAKATAT you're doing a fanzine named IMPACT DRILL. "IMPACT DRILL is an English-written underground fanzine dedicated to the most extreme forms of uncommercial music, that is death metal, black metal, goregrind, grindcore, doom metal and even raw punk.", that's how you describe it. Please give us some more infos about the zine. Which bands have you interviewed until now? Is the zine only music-related or does it also deal with other themes and topics?

- It is mainly about all types of underground extreme music, you know, the stuff I like. Last issue had interviews with BLOOD, DEAD INFECTION and some other bands as well as hundreds of reviews and a couple of columns.

14.: How many issues of IMPACT DRILL do you have released until now? Do you already work on a new issue? How has the feedback been that you have received so far? Do you encounter many problems or difficulties due to lack of interest/cooperation from bands/labels/zines?

- I managed to put out three issues so far. First one was a 4-pager and the later two were proper 'zines. Even though a lot of people contact me for reviews and shit, I think it is getting harder and harder to distribute zines so I should feel lucky that I could get rid of 300 copies in a couple of months. I guess I will put out another issue sometime in late 2009 or so.

15.: Still talking about your zine. Would you boycott bands on the basis of their lyrics and imaginary if they deal with sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, right winged attitudes and bullshit like this even if you would probably like their music?

- Even though my 'zine has nothing to do with politics, I would never ever review or interview any racist shit or stuff like that!

16.: What are your thoughts on the Turkish scene? Are there many fans and supporters of so called "extreme music" in your country? Any particular bands, labels, distros and zines you'd recommend? What is in your opinion the most underrated Turkish band and why?

- Turkish scene is HUGE however it is mostly mainstream bands and wanna-be "magazines" with glossy covers and almost no content at all. There are many festivals, local shows and stuff but I totally ignore the mainstream scene. Some underground bands that I can recommend would be DECAYING PURITY, DECIMATION, CENOTAPH, GODSLAYING HELLBLAST, KETUM, MALAZLAR, LIFELOCK, SELF TORTURE and a few others that I can't recall at the moment. Also check out our guitarist's new doom metal band DAWNSIGHT. I think some bands like DEATH ROOM and MY GARDEN from 90's are really underrated while 90 percent of the bands that play at festivals and appear on magazines are crap.

17.: It's brainstorming time again. What rushes through your mind when you think about this:
a.) Turkish government
- is being supported by USA and EU.
b.) Emo kids
- are somehow invisible to me.
c.) Radyo Atom Kule
- is my wanna-be online radio show which is pretty much dead at the moment.
d.) Worldwide economic crisis
- More than 40.000 workers lost their jobs in last 4 months in our hometown, Bursa.
e.) Corrupted Harmony Musick
- is our underground distro with lotsa grindcore, punk and metal tapes, fanzines and some records.
f.) Kebap
- is no good for the vegetarian.
- g.) Semih's and Sakatat's futureplans
- My plans: Make some black tea, go out for a drink and get wasted. Do it again and again until Monday. SAKATAT's plans: Rehearse for the upcoming shows, record the new tunes for the split 7" with MESRINE and get ready for another 3-week long Euro tour/party!

18.: Semih, I think that's it 'cause I'm running out of questions. Thanx a lot for this interview, It was a pleasure for me! Feel free to add a final statement for our readers, this space is yours!

- Thank you a lot, Gerste! It has been a really nice chat! I can't wait to grab a copy of your new issue! Also looking forward to meeting you guys in August! Good luck and take care!

(Semih & SAKATAT, April 2009)

Kontakt: www.sakatat.cjb.net / www.myspace.com/sakatat / cesettur@hotmail.com