Getting to Know… Golem Dance Cult | Interview

In the 468^th Q&A in our Getting to Know… series, we get the inside scoop from the industrial dance rock music project Golem Dance Cult. 

“Iguess that there are not that many duos with one member in Australia and the other one in France!” Um, no, Golem Dance Cult, that is rare to say the least! When describing Golem Dance Cult, Charles Why, one-half of the duo, who are both French, states the philosophical view of the collective: “…Our new album is like a two-year snapshot… so it is kind of witnessing our world spinning out of control and how we deal with this as musicians, through humor, spirituality, escapism, and the will to scare ourselves with twisted and demented stories.” Deep stuff right there. Charles Why and Laur, who informed us of the extensive distance between both members, give us the inside scoop on the industrial dance rock music project’s genesis, goals, musical influences, and current and future musical endeavors. So, without further ado, let’s jump right into Getting to Know… Golem Dance Cult: Interview No. 468!

For those who may not be familiar with you, what would you say makes Golem Dance Cult distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?

Charles Why: When we started this band, our main approach was: “hey, let’s do something like an old Hammer movie directed by Dali and recolored by Andy Warhol.” Songs are always snapshots of the life of an artist. As such, our new album is like a two-year snapshot… so it is kind of witnessing our world spinning out of control and how we deal with this as musicians, through humor, spirituality, escapism, and the will to scare ourselves with twisted and demented stories.

Laur: I guess that there are not that many duos with one member in Australia and the other one in France!

Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did Golem Dance Cult form, and what were some of your goals or visions early?

Charles Why: Laur and I are both from a small French town. We met as teenagers and started our first band together. Then life separated us musically, but we kept in touch as friends. Fast forward to 2021, during the lockdown, I was in the UK and Laur in France, I sent him some ideas I had for a new musical project, the ball started rolling, and Golem Dance Cult was born.

Let’s talk more about goals.  Have your goals or your perspectives changed since first starting? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

Charles Why: Creating music that we enjoy is our main priority. So, our aspirations did not change that much since the inception of the band. When it resonates with others, it is quite cool and satisfying, but our main goal is still to please ourselves.

Laur: There’s been some evolution in the way we perceive our own music, and we’ve gotten better with recording and producing it.

Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Who would you consider some of your biggest musical influences, and how are they influential?

Charles Why: Laur and I have a lot in common in terms of musical influences. As kids, we were always making mixtapes for each other. We met as we were the only Motley Crue fans in our small French town, Belfort. Our first band together was a by-product of this, a glam rock type thing. Afterward, we broadened our horizons with bands such as Faith No More and the whole Noise and Punk Rock scene. For Golem Dance Cult, we try not to let anything interfere with our creative process. However, as we don’t live in a vacuum, there are still influences, of course, bands like Bauhaus, Killing Joke, The Cult, Black Sabbath (with a touch of hip-hop and electro).

Laur: It’s always interesting when some people say things like “Oh this song made me think about that band!” and you realize it’s a band you’re a fan of. On the contrary, sometimes you find out about bands and artists when people and reviewers find similarities with your sound or aesthetic. Glam, punk, and old-school hard rock were my first influences. The first band that fascinated me was KISS when I was eight. They opened the door for me…

Ah, the fun stuff.  What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance?  Feel free to be creative.

Charles Why: A cool memory is a gig I performed in a club in Prague. The vibe was great, and everyone was kind of caught in the energy. At one point, I checked the back of the room, and the waitresses were all dancing over the tables, such cool mayhem and total chaos!

Laur: When I was on tour with Ricky Rat, we played in a club in Italy, and some people got into the club riding their motorbikes while I was struggling with a pollen allergy. That was a normal thing in that club! On the same tour in another club, the promoters told us that the PA would be set up late. There was still no sign of PA 30 minutes before the gig, and the guys were like, “Don’t worry, everything will be alright!”… And they were right. The PA was quickly set up 15 minutes before the gig, and it all went very well!

Touring with Kevin K was also always full of surprises, there was no setlist, just the few first songs so he sometimes enjoyed to add songs I never played before RAMONES style “This song is called…/ 1, 2, 3, 4!”…  Once, at Wild At Heart in Berlin, we were supposed to play two songs with Texas Terri as a guest, but they kept on adding covers of bands I love like the New York Dolls, but it was the first time I was playing these songs!

To this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?

Charles Why: Very difficult question, the songs are like our children, so it is almost impossible to have a favorite one. What is really cool is that while Golem Dance Cult is mainly a duo, for our new album, Shamanic Faultlines, we invited several of our musicians friends to collaborate: Dick Dens from The Irradiates played guitar on two tracks, Loki Lockwood (from Velatine, and founder of Spooky Records) played synth on one, Boris Boublil (Mu and Emilie Loizeau) Moog and organ, Jean-Philippe Feiss played cello, Inga Liljestrom lent us her amazing voice on a few songs, Peter Miller played Theremin, Blair Manie Oud, Alex Zillon on vocals…. Super talented folks, each bringing their own sensibility to the song they collaborate on.

Laur: Wow! That would be very difficult to answer. I guess I would have a different answer every day!

Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left-of-center we should know about Golem Dance Cult? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

Charles Why: When I was a teenager, I won a competition as an Angus Young (AC/DC) “look-alike.” I was invited to meet the band and went on stage with them in Paris for their intro song. When I walked onstage, with a cardboard cut-out guitar, there was a massive roar from the audience (who did not realize yet that I was I was not the real thing  and that lifted me up like nothing else! I was hooked on this adrenaline rush. I attribute this event, and the fact that I had just seen Metallica on their Master of Puppets tour in a small theatre the week before, to my love for live performance.

Laur: I was a race BMX champion when I was a teenager! I was on national TV and did a few international competitions!

Thank you so much for sharing and taking the time to answer these questions, and best of luck moving forward.