"elephant" by elephant planet
elephant planet’s debut album, "elephant", which was released some time ago, transcends the boundaries of time with its captivating sound. The Austrian band blends progressive rock-jazz with hard rock influences, creating a unique and diverse musical expression. The album, which has been available in digital format since last summer and more recently in physical form, showcases the band’s meticulous craftsmanship, their dynamic contrast between aggression and gentleness, and their intricate arrangements. The band also deserves commendation for handling the entire production process by themselves and only delegating the mastering to an external party.
We first encountered the band through the song “you and i”. Our personal favourites are: “sand”, “rain” and “the end of time”. The rock-jazz fusionists skillfully incorporate hard rock elements, especially on the drums, as well as poppy touches that they energetically stir up, constantly astonishing the listener. elephant planet are magnificent musicians who excel as a cohesive unit.
How did you form your band, elephant planet, and what sparked your interest in music?
Well, everything sparks our interest in music – it’s one of the most beautiful activities there are! We formed the band some years ago in 2018, but started taking it seriously in 2019. Originally we wanted to form a band to play at a contest, the “Planet Festival Tour,” which happens to be the biggest band contest in the country, so that’s what we did.
We ended up winning the contest, with its three rounds being our first three concerts as a band! After that, elephant planet grew into something much bigger, we recorded our first album, and now we are planning for even bigger things in the future.
Your song “you and i” is a stunning fusion of different musical styles. What motivated you to create this song, and what message does it convey?
Thanks! Our first album consisted mainly of long, adventurous songs taking the listener through various exciting journeys. Almost as an afterthought, we wanted to include a short song which sounded more “radio-friendly” but without sacrificing the uniqueness and experimental nature of elephant planet. It ended up being one of our favorite songs!
Your album “elephant” features this song and other tracks. How would you characterize the overall sound and theme of the album for our audience?
Think of a heavy, modern rock band. Now imagine everything is pink. That’s elephant planet. As musicians, we take influences from radically different sources. We all grew up listening to rock music and went to jazz school, and we love listening to pop; this is what happens.
How do you collaborate as a band when you make music?
We like to keep things short and follow our intuitions. We like to meet and explore new ideas and immediately record them without thinking too much or preparing. We don’t do demos and only rehearse one or two days before a concert instead of regularly.
Do you have specific roles or do you improvise together?
There’s a bit of everything. Everyone has busy lives so we don’t frequently find the time to be all in the same place, except when we have shows. I think this adds to the spontaneity and liveliness of the music, and makes live shows have a very different energy than the crafted sounds of the studio recording.
Are you planning to showcase your music live anytime soon?
We love live shows! In fact (and you are among the first to know this) we had a very cool show recently which we’ve recorded and will release as a live album on Spotify and (with video) on YouTube. It sounds great and has a very different energy from the studio recordings. The first song will be out end of February and the full album in early April.
What is your perspective on the indie music scene in Austria, particularly for your genre of music?
It’s very lively and energetic. Unfortunately it is not as large as it is in other places, but it’s all about quality over quantity! Many people are very supportive and encouraging and we love that.
What are your upcoming projects or goals as a band?
As I mentioned above, we are finishing postproduction for our live album to be released in early April. It will have the same songs from our studio album, with a very different energy and with some twists which I don’t want to spoil! It sounds really cool so be sure to follow us on Spotify and subscribe on YouTube in order not to miss it!
elephant planet
J. P. Aguilera: singer, guitar, keyboards, producer
Alex Haustein: guitars
Danylo Dmyterko: drums
Victor Gabriel: bass
Agnes Bischof: flute, bansuri, saxophone
NENESBUTLER PRESENTS MUSIC - SUBMIT YOUR MUSIC NOW!
