This interview was performed just before the concert at Rock Store (Montpellier, France) during the Yann Armellino, Patrick Rondat and Freak Kitchen tour. The following interview has been done with Mattias "IA" Eklundh, guitarist from Freak Kitchen.

Reaktiv Zone: Hello Mattias, in a few words could you introduce yourself and Freak Kitchen ?
Mattias: Well, I am a swedish boy from Gothenburg on the west coast and Freak Kitchen consists of three swedish boys. We like to play freaky music and it's good to be in France. Is that a good introduction ?

Reaktiv Zone: What's the story of Freak Kitchen ?
Mattias: In 92, I had been living in Copenhagen for many years...three years. I played with a danish band and I felt that I wanted to do my own shit...so to speak. So, I moved back and I wrote many songs and did some demos. A friend of mine who was living in Los Angeles at the time, came back home to Gothenburg and started to play the drums. We found a bass player and that was it. We did some pluck jobs and got our shit together and we started to work on our first record in 1993...millions years ago ! That's pretty much it and we decided to call ourselves Freak Kitchen for no reason at all.

Reaktiv Zone: After 4 albums, which got a very good critics, what do you think of FK’s evolution and progress ?
Mattias: I think most of them got good reviews and everything...the funny thing with Freak Kitchen is there is no really peak, if you understand what I mean. There is no album there is really...[wouawou]...this is a hit album because everybody is always selling all the time. There is no hyped just for one album. Of course, a new one will sell more because it's new but then the other catches up so it's selling all the time...that's very good, it's a strengh.
I think, evolution wise, we're just doing what we feel is right for the time and now we're working on "organic". It feels very good. We just have our (...) down and do what the hell we think is good for ourselves. We don't look over our shoulders...and you know...find out what is hype and what is not. We just do our own thing. I think that people can feel that and same thing on the stage. We are just us and we do what we like. You're welcomed to join us and if you don't like it...well, go somewhere else.

Reaktiv Zone: Your fifth album “Organic” is planned for February 2005 ; can you tell us a few words about it ?
Mattias: We like it a lot...we really do. Yeah...Björn nails the drums in a...one day, and 11 tracks. It has a nice fat (...) sound...it's got lots of good melodies I think...by far the best melodies for many albums. I think it's got plenty...it's more of everything...fat riffs...good drums...good playing...we're just happy with it, it's a kick ass album !
Björn: It's a nice freedom also to not being put in a specific style with the band because we have a lot of freedom...just play how you sound like today. I mean "Move" (NB last album in 2002) is like a picture how you sounded two years ago...three years ago and now "Organic" was sound like this...we're not going to follow any specific directions. This is our music now. It was nice ?
Mattias: Yeah !

Reaktiv Zone: In a few hours you will be on stage, how do you feel ?
Mattias: Good ! I need to shit, shower and shave [ha ha] that's good !

Reaktiv Zone: It's nice to be back ?
Mattias: Yeah, Montpellier is good

Reaktiv Zone: What do think about the french audience ?
Mattias: We love it...we love them, we really do. We think you treat us very nice from the beginning where we got our albums released here...it's a love affair. It really is...we love you guys !

Reaktiv Zone: Everybody says you are a great guitarist, what does it mean to you ?
Mattias: It doesn't mean super much, I just play the way I do. I have no choice. I don't think of myself as a...yes I'm a guitar voucher...I just have my own style. But I think Freak Kitchen is very much...it's a band and we do the band thing. It just happens to have some crazy guitar style...but then again we have a crazy drummer too. We have a drum heroe, we have a completly insane bass player...it's...it's freaky music. We just do it. I don't think it's necessarly guitar music because there is...the main focus is on the vocals and the melodies...and the good groove for everyone.

Reaktiv Zone: How did you start playing guitar and what are your influences ?
Mattias: My influences...it's starting up with Ace Frehley in Kiss and I discovered Frank Zappa and nothing was really the same after that. Then, I started to listen to John McLaughlin...kind of Jazz oriented...D'Jango Reinhardt...swinging music. I also had my share of the Steve Vai, Satriani...you know all the big ones, like everybody else. And out of all these influences, I tried to make my own style. And...what was the question again ? [ha ha]

Reaktiv Zone: Well...how did you start playing guitar ?
Mattias: Oh ! to write songs basically. I was not interested in solo playing. I started to play drums and I found out it was very hard to write songs on drums...so, I had to pick up a guitar and one of my first local...very local hit...there were hits in my classrooms...there were called "Go to Hell" and "Homework rots my mind". And...they were basically three chords so I was pretty much a punk guitar player. [Mattias imitating punk guitar riffs] (...) I liked the sound of the guitar.

Reaktiv Zone: How old were you when you got your first guitar ?
Mattias: I borrowed my sister's Dook (?) guitar when I was really young. So I guess, I started to fool around...just basic punk chords when I was 7 or 8. But I bought a Flying B (?)...that really flies me in...I was maybe 12 or 13 and then I really started to focus on the guitar.

Reaktiv Zone: What does inspire you when you compose ?
Mattias: Everything ! This guy (...) for example...Montpellier life and things that happen to me...things I read about, things that are concerning in some way, so everything...everything is inspiring or doesn't inspire me...it doesn't matter.

Reaktiv Zone: Can you also tell a few words about your solo album “Freak Guitar – The road less travelled” ?
Mattias: Yes...it's a solo album. It's freaky and I'm really happy to do solo albums. (...) It's just a little side step from the Freak Kitchen thing. It's almost like it's a Freak Kitchen album...but...you know...it's a...freaky album. Solo album sounds so egocentric but it's a...freaky album

Reaktiv Zone: How do you handle your two different projects ?
Mattias: (...)I think it's the best of both worlds because there is no better thing than having the band thing, go on the road and kick ass together. I don't think that being alone is something you wanna do for a long time...you know...I would hate to go on the road alone.(...) But in the meantime, I can record my freaky music and..that's cool. For me, it's basically the same stuff. I puke out some music and this is Freaky Music or this is Freak kitchen music. And some stuffs from Freak Guitar are Freak Kitchen's leftovers that we didn't use for a reason or another.

Reaktiv Zone: What are your present and future projects ?
Mattias: Future projects ? It's basically to finish "Organic", go back on the road and go back on the road and go back on the road and... [ah ah] kick ass ! (...)we're gonna make a live dvd as well if you get some cool shows to shoot and we'll see. There are many things to do...2005 will be a really hectic year for Freak Kitchen. It's cool !

Reaktiv Zone: What does live stage mean for you ?
Mattias: It's great to be on the stage. You mean...playing on the stage to play live ? (...) It's great we love it. It's the really right environment for us. We are very much a live band. We improvise and do whatever springs to mind. We love it, it's great to communicate...feel the vibe whereever you're going. I think we are a live band..the cds are an excuse to do concerts almost.

Reaktiv Zone: More generally, what do you think about musical industry ?
Mattias: I think the music industry in general sucks. We are doing as much as we can to not become soaked up about it, not to drown in it. We are really to not have...a regular record label that's telling us what to do. We don't do that. We do our cds and our music our own way. And then we have partners which we work with to release it, distribute it or licence it. We are very much a free band...we are very free. So, nobody is telling us what to do. We try to stay away from the music business as much as possible and we do our own thing. (...) if you're a new group and you want to live from your music and have a good time and explore your song writings...stuffs like that, the worst thing that could happen to you is actually a record contract. That doesn't mean you shouldn't make records...you can do that but you don't have to sign whatever regular record contact and sign your life away. So, we keep it under control.

Reaktiv Zone: In the same way, what do you think about music downloading on internet ?
Mattias: I don't have super-duper problems with it. Of course, there is a share that will do the cdr thing and of course we loose some money to it, but, being in Freak kitchen and the Freak Guitar stuff and the freak community...it's such a hardcore following. They really like our stuffs. Either you like it or you really don't like it. And if you like it you become a really kitchen freak...really freak. So, I get tons of email from people saying..."yeah I've got some mp3s of your stuffs, I really love it...I've downloaded all your albums, but I'm gonna buy them !" Yeah, yeah...sure ! [ah ah] And them, three months later..."hey I got them all now, I bought them". They know a band like Freak Kitchen will need money back to put in future projects and videos and stuffs like that. So, usually, I'm not super afraid of it. It'd be much worse if we were a band like Metallica or Madonna. Of course, you have some stuffs you'll never get your money back but it's like walking in a record store and listen to what you're gonna buy...sneak previews...for some you know. You have anything to say about that ? Downloading ?
Björn: I think for us it's kind of a good commercial...you know...to let people find out what it is. And they usually want to have the cds anyway, so it's not a big problem.

Reaktiv Zone: If you had to advise a new starting band who wishes to make a name, what would you say ?
Mattias: Yeah, well, you have it again. Stay true to yourself. Do your own thing, no regardless of what...I mean...get influences, listen to people who give you advice but don't follow any trends because then you'll be very very far off when you finally get to release something. Do your own thing and be sure what you put your name on. Make sure what a piece of paper would say.
Björn: We try to create a good integrity within the band. It's important, it's "we", it's us and if you start hiring people it's gonna be harder for you to become powerful. Build integrity also and everybody's cool with each other.

Reaktiv Zone: Before we stop, Mattias do you wish to add something else ?
Mattias: Well, we're happy to be in France and we hope to be back, soon after "Organic" (...) stay freaky...stay french !

Reaktiv Zone: Do you already have some dates in France ?
Mattias: I think the earliest would be April maybe May or something like that. We might need some time. We're going to do gigs in England, Sweden, Spain, Iceland and Japan. We'll probably play in Barcelona...big cities...6-7 gigs

Reaktiv Zone: You did a big tour in Spain last year...
Mattias: Yeah, guitar fest 2003.

Reaktiv Zone: So, you were pretty much in every town last year...
Björn: Yeah, we went everywhere in Spain and we'll be back. We're going to focus on the new cd now so it's gonna be interesting to see how it develops and we try to get it out as fast as possible so we can play again !


Interview by Stef

A big thank to Freak Kitchen and the entire crew...freak on !

25/11/04