Black Market Karma - EP - Black Market Karma

For me psychedelia aint retro, it's a valid and viable genre in today's fickle marketplace and there's absolutely no reason why Black Market Karma shouldn't do very well with it. Ok, it's gotta be good and it's gotta be very appealing but I feel Black Market Karma match the criteria, and some! This is a really damn fine EP; only three tracks maybe but very tempting they are and show that this is indeed a workable form for now and the future.

Reminding me a little of Kula Shaker (hey, that's cool for me!) in the way they build just enough Eastern promise into the hefty folds of soaring, searing rock riffs and maintain their 'heady' but particularly likeable rock undertones. Lazy sounding vocals add even more mysticism to the formula as soft but metronomic percussion and gentle but somehow cutting pulsing bass lines add an element of intrigue and sensitivity to the already transcendental melee.  Black Market Karma rock as they soothe; this EP can be played low and quiet to generate a nicely relaxed state but it also stands up well at much higher dbs to quicken the mood with its powerful earthy 'flavour' - good work this!!

Black Market Karma should be congratulated for taking this slightly less popular rock route; their psychedelic ramblings are much motivating than most of the more obvious indie rock releases out there but their sense of adventure and electrifying mysticism is mega-captivating in its relative uniqueness and much more compelling than much of the indie blandness of their contemporaries. Black Market Karma score big points with me for their chosen musical 'route'; I love this EP and look forward to perhaps hearing Black Market Karma on a bigger work in the form of a full-blown album.  Most enjoyable, moody yet inspiring!

Peter J Brown aka toxic pete

Q&A with Black Market Karma

Recently, Black Market Karma guitarist and vocalist, and all-around great guy, Stan, was kind enough to answer some questions for me. I owe him a million thanks for taking the time to do this insightful interview!

How old are you and how long have you been making music?

We're all 18/19 and we've been making music together for around 2 years now. All of us have been musically connected in someway since our early school days but only reasonably recently have we started to find our sound and our place together as an outfit. I personally have been playing the guitar and trying my hand at my own music since I was thirteen. Since then we've all been flitting in and out of different "bands" together but it's a really cool thing to finally be in a solid group and to feel right with where it's going musically.

How did you meet and form a band?

We all met in our school days. Our year seemed to unusually musical with a lot of young kids who could really play already and because of this there were always a big amount of bands forming. Members kept changing, starting "rivalries" and through that we ended up with a band all of our own. Dami didn't join us until college years and this is when we (edit: WE is Stan, Mike, Dami, Josh) started to really settle together and everyone was finally on the same plane muscially.

I would say the goal of independent artists like yourself is to use music, recorded & live, as your creative outlet, expressing how you feel about yourself, others, and the world in general through songs. What are your thoughts on that subject: your goal as an artist?

I just wanna get the music out there and heard as much as I can. If people connect with the songs and what they're saying and it makes them wanna come see us live then that's great! We just wan't people to enjoy it. If one of our songs can give a person goosebumps then that's enough for me. I think that's the point when you know you love a song. Ultimately we wanna be able to make our music without restrictions, within reason. To have control over how we sound and not have to do something we aren't comfortable with! We want to make our music with integrity and respect but make enough money to keep it going!

What cities in what countries would you like to build a fan following so you can go play there?

If I'm honest, anywhere that we can! I love the idea of travelling around the world and bringing your music with you. I would like to be able to play in New York and have enough of a following there to do that. Japan has always intrigued me too, I think that would be a very cool place to go and play.

From what I know about you, you obviously make music because you are passionate about it. That seems to be the independent spirit. Do you encounter other musicians of the same mindset? Do you feel there is a surge as this decade progresses, in the number of musicians who get into the business to do it for themselves, and keep control of the creative aspects of their music?

Definitely. I've met a lot of people who say that it's more important to them that they keep creative control and feel happy with their music rather then bend to some suit's whims because of something they signed! I've noticed that more and more bands are making it on their own, without a record label. A good example of that is Elbow. They do it all themselves and don't have to answer to anyone. They have freedom in their music and enough success to keep it going. The thought of having to change what you're doing to fit guidelines is a bad one. I do think that the fear of "selling out" can also be taken too far the other way, to the point where you make desicions that will uphold your integrity but ultimately ones that are killing the music. Everyone needs to pay the bills!


Regarding the last question, do you like the idea of having a smaller fan following, but having those fans understand you and appreciate your music more because it is special and meaningful?

I think bands in that position, more often than not, are actually happier. I always enjoy gigs where the crowd is smaller and you can actually feel the vibes coming off stage, rather than gigs with an endless sea of people. It can lose its personal touch otherwise and all the "magic" seems to be sucked out of it. As an artist you want to get your music heard by as many people as possible, but I think it's quite a sad thing when it all gets bloated. I think this is why people seem to gravitate to a band more when they love the music but they aren't massively succsesful or famous. It's good to be able to actually SEE the band when you go to a show. When you find music you really connect with and it's being made by people in that position it gives you the feeling that you've found something real special. Like you can almost claim it. I like that idea.

Do you feel your music comes from your heart and soul? How does it make you feel when you write and play music?

Completely. When I'm writing a song a piece of me goes into it almost. It's like if you're experiencing a bad time and you put it into words and music it feels like closure, kind of. I feel lucky that I'm able to do that. It's a really good feeling. It can be kind of surreal when you start playing and a whole song just comes out real quick. It's almost like it wasn't you doing it. Being on stage and playing live is the one time where I feel right and you forget everything else. I think a lot of people would say that they feel the same way.

What kind of guitars and amps do you use, or would you like to use?

Well, I use a an old 70's Gibson es 345 guitar and a Vox AC30 amp. Mike plays an Epiphone Casino through a fender tube amp and Josh plays an old 60's Epiphone Rivoli bass through a distorted Laney. I like to mess around with effects like Rotary sounds and wah pedal and I always use reverb with my guitar. I love the roomy, atmopsheric textures you can create with it. If I had the money I'd probably buy a Fender Twin Reverb amp and a Vox Ultrasonic guitar. They were only made for a year though so that may prove difficult. In Josh's dream world I think he'd like his bass in red.

Lastly, where do you see yourselves 5 years from now? 10 years from now? How many albums would you like to record?

I'd like us to have enough of a following that we can travel the world and play most places to a decent crowd and to make enough money that we can keep touring and making albums. We wanna write and record as much music as we can but not to the point where we're rushing just so that we can say we have another album out! Our aim is to keep the music consistent and fresh and make it with integrity and respect for what's already been.

London-based band, Black Market Karma, have released their first EP. The 3-song disc is titled Psychedelic Circus, an introduction, and it is the band’s lovely and alluring way of getting a bit of their music into your psyche. Take What You Get is a beautiful, almost melancholic, ballad that proves this band has feeling, and can compose a song that evokes musings on one’s special place in life and being aware of the good things surrounding us. This song gives voice and music to the feeling of loss, and missing someone. It’s Gone is a slow-burner in the psychedelic fashion: rolling drums lure you in, swirl-y guitars wrap you up, and moody vocals guide you through the journey of the song. At times, a guitar on It’s Gone sounds like raindrops, on top of the tin-roof-drums, on top of the watery undercurrent of guitar. The closer of this debut EP, The Fall, picks up the pace to a Black Rebel Motorcycle Club-Baby 81-style frenzy of growling, dirty guitars and fierce drums, with vocals that are equally fierce and just angry enough to get the lead out. Fierce and frenzied, loud and rocking, The Fall ends abruptly and I am left wanting more, more, more....

Music connects the artist to the rest of the world, bringing its creators into our hearts and minds, and sometimes our soul. When the motives of the musicians are true, their talent shines through their compositions, and the listener gets the intended effect. Black Market Karma shine on this debut EP, and this is only a hint of great things to come.

Bristol!

Aite people, how was your Christmas? Have a good new year? Etc etc …

You may know, you may not know and you might not give a shit, but we played Bristol last night. It was well worth the trip and we had a right ol’ kness up We were invited by Chris Dunn of Psychedelic Reaction Magazine to play Mr Wolf’s. We were on the road for about 3 hours to be greeted by the most chilled out people you could meet. It was free beers all around, groovey tunes and a PROPER soundcheck. Which was nice. We did have to put up with a pair of clowns giving it large though. They’d obviously just stumbled in after a few drinks at the local “Grimey Beats” club thinking they were where it’s at. They had matching outfits and matching intelligence, which was low. We took the piss out of them through song, they didn’t even catch on and then they got kicked out. Jokes. It’s all a good laugh though eh?

After soundcheck we decided to bowl off around Bristol and take in the scenery, followed by the usual supplement of cheap nuts and copius amounts of energy drink. Once we were all on a sugar high we wen’t back and played the gig. It was a cool feeling playing to like minded Psych fans and we went down like free grub at a party. We chilled out, sold a few E.P.s met some cool cats and then made a move home. Overall it was a fucking top trip! Thanks to Chris and everyone else involved for all the proceedings.

My only complaint were the extortionate prices at service stations! Outrage man. 2 quid for a bowl of frosties with some dried up, stale milk, £2.50 for a bottle of coke! And nearly 3 quid for crisps with the texture of brick. Discovering the microwave was probably the hight point. Peace

Stan

B.M.K.