My Friend The Chimpanzee
Two Viennese Chimpanzees found themselves a cave in the 16th district, in Thaliastraße to be more precise. To produce alternative music.
With lots and lots and lots of analog synths. Founded in 2018, My Friend The Chimpanzee is the ongoing collaboration between producers Josef Umschaid (drums and fx) and Lukas Wieser (strings and synths). In 2021, they release their first song, Time Traveller, which is also the first single of their upcoming album.
Time traveller
Für mich immer wieder ein Highlight, wenn wir auf österreichische Künstler treffen bzw. diese entdecken, vor allem wenn die Umgebung eine internationale Plattform darstellt. Konkret geht's in diesem Fall um das Duo "My friend the Chimpanzee" aus Wien, welches mit ihrem Song "Time traveller" ein, wie ich meine, mehr als gelungenes Debüt vorlegt.
"The song is inspired by HG Wells "The Time Machine", lassen sie uns wissen. Die sprunghafte Entwicklung im Gegenüber eines kontinuierlichen "sich dahin bewegen", sowie Hegels Theorie der historischen Finalität als Quelle der Inspiration, ist, um es salopp auszudrücken, eher ungewöhnlich. Das menschliche Bedürfnis nach ständiger Bewegung und Kontrasten werden betrachtet und dabei skizziert.
Dieses Thema verpacken sie musikalisch in den Genres Electro meets Alternative meets Indie und versehen das Ganze mit einer Nuance "Art". Das Arrangement ist neben den Vocals, welche mich hin und wieder an "Bastille meets Camouflage" erinnern, der zweite Protagonist, da es genug Platz für die Stimme lässt, aber auch für Überraschungen sorgt, sowie die Spannung über die gesamte Spielzeit, aufrecht erhält.
Feine kleine Synth-Melodien, als sprunghafte Entwicklung, im Zusammenspiel eines kontinuierlichen "sich dahin bewegen" namens Rhythmus erzeugen die musikalische Umsetzung des lyrischen Themas. "Time traveller" von My Friend The Chimpanzee ein Einstand der mich schon Richtung "Next Release" schielen lässt.
Q&A
My friend the Chimpanzee is/are...?
My Friend The Chimpanzee are 
Josef Umschaid and Lukas Wieser from Vienna. We started producing music together in 2018, mainly in Josef’s home studio in Vienna. “Time Traveller” is our first single of a project that should culminate in an album. The name was inspired by the shape of Lukas’ palms, which look quite apish.
Who inspired you to make music in general?
Josef: All the artists I listened to when I was a child (Wyclef Jean, Beastie Boys, Moby, to name a few). They sparked the curiosity of making music by myself.
Lukas: For me definitely John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. His riffs and solos speak to you in a way that just makes you want to pick up your guitar and come up with melodies of your own.
… and especially to the song "Time traveller"?
There was no specific inspiration to write this song. It started out as a slow guitar piece with a riff that now is played by a barely audible lead synth in the chorus.
The first synth we added was the arpeggio in the verse, which changed the whole feel of the song and made us take it in a more electronic direction.
What is your creative process like?
The song writing always starts with me (Lukas) coming up with synths and guitars at my place. Over the last years I’ve built quite a nice little collection of analogue synths that I play around with until I come up with a sound that inspires me to go from there.
Then Josef takes the raw synth tracks and builds drums around them. We then take it from there and overdub until it feels right.
When do you decide that a song is ready for a release?
When we reach a point after which tweaking doesn’t really improve the song anymore.If you could change anything in the past, what would it be?
Josef: Learning an instrument, when I was a younger.
Lukas: Definitely practice more guitar, so I wouldn’t piss off Josef so much with my sloppiness during recording. J
What's your most useful talent besides music?
Josef: I am good at working with wood and carpentry, building stuff.
Lukas: I am a pretty good cook.What was the first ever Pop/Rock/Electro ... song you listened to?
Not the first song but definitely a very memorable first listen: By the Way by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. When I (Lukas) was ten, I heard it for the first time on my small transistor radio in my room.
What do you prefer, a live gig or a studio session?
Always the studio session. We love to produce music and to come up with new ideas, trying out different gear and just being creative.
What’s next for you?
Over the coming months we are planning to release a few more singles before finally completing the first My Friend The Chimpanzee album.
Photo credits: Antonia Müllegger
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