I was first introduced
to Zoom Unit when invited to participate on the “Hope – Various Artists”
compilation curated by Vanguardista Records in April 16, 2021. ZU’s track “Moon and Mars” had a feel good
catchy groove, with a sequenced beat, cool guitar riffs and string synth backdrop,
not to mention the smooth vocals. I was
hooked!
NEW APOSTLES
VAVA: Hello and a warm welcome to Vavaland! It's nice to see you here Andy Pidluznyj. We're here to talk about your new album, ZU3 released digitally and on CD on Bandcamp, March 4th, 2022. But first, I would like to rewind for a moment if I may and glean a little history on how you came to be the New apostles and evolve into Zoom Unit.
ANDY: To cut a long story short, as New Apostles we first produced music in the 1980s and with one or two interludes, up until 1887, when we put the band on hold. That hold lasted longer than anyone might have anticipated, in fact until 2015, when the core of New Apostles, the three constant members, my brother Phil, Duke and I got back together to perform what was going to be a one-off show for an inner city children's literacy project Phil was running. Well, all of a sudden, rather than regurgitating our old songs, we found we had written enough for an album and that led on to the run of New Apostles albums, which I am very pleased to hear you enjoyed. After the last New Apostles album, Phil took a break so Duke and I formed Zoom Unit as a vehicle for our music. And you know the rest....
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ANDY: I must have been 15. I got a Spanish guitar, a classical guitar, I think it was a birthday present from my mum and dad. I remember going to evening classes at the Mansfield College of Arts with a couple of schoolfriends. But it wasn't what I was interested in playing so I gave up at the time and only started playing when the idea of New Apostles first emerged. Phil totally taught himself from a book of guitar chords. Duke started with a homemade guitar with pickups made from speaker magnets and even uses 2 self-built guitars at the moment, one based on a Fender Telecaster and the other a Jazzmaster.
VAVA: How did the two Andy's cross paths in the 80s and form New Apostles?
ANDY: We went to the same school, Queen Elizabeth's Boys' School in our hometown, Mansfield, near Nottingham. Robin Hood Country!!! We were in different years but after graduating from school, everyone used to meet in the evenings at a pub, the Midland, and we got to know each other there. Duke had been in a band, Flexible Toys, a punk band, with Gunter who became our first drummer. In fact, all the original line up of New Apostles went to Queen Elizabeth's, it was obviously a hotbed of musical creativity! As an aside, I think in the dim and distant past, one of Ten Years After, who played at Woodstock, also attended the school, though I can't be sure of that. They were certainly from Mansfield and Nottingham.
VAVA: What was each member's musical role and who wrote the lyrics and sang lead for the NAs? Did you gig a lot during the 80s and 90s and can you tell us about a memorable show you did?
ANDY: New Apostles was a fusion of two-thirds of what the Flexible Toys, Duke and Gunter, and me, my brother Phil and his friend Dave. The three of us had started playing music. Phil had some songs that sounded really promising, and Duke and Gunter were the musicians with experience of performing and recording. So we decided to give it a go and it seemed to come together. We all had distinct roles at this time. Duke on lead guitar, Gunter on drums, Phil on rhythm guitar, Dave on vocals and me on bass.
Our first gig was memorable, at a student hall of residence at the University of Sheffield, where Dave was by now studying. There were a couple of hundred people there and the atmosphere was boisterous, fueled by lots of alcohol. I think we played a spirited set although I can't remember too much about that night! This initial line up lasted a few months before Dave left and then a while after, Gunter moved on to other things. We then had various permutations, drummers, even a new vocalist at one point, until we settled on the core band - Phil on vocals, guitar and string synth, Duke on guitar and me on bass. We played fairly regularly in the local area, at one point there was a bit of a scene at a venue, The Red Lion in Mansfield, which attracted up and coming bands from out of town, and we played a few times, they were good nights.
Another gig I remember well was at a venue where the manager wasn't keen on putting on bands. He was obliged to by the owners, and when we turned up he wanted to know if we were loud, told us there was a volume limit and he really wanted to put on unplugged acts. Needless to say, this didn't go down well and Phil, after the first song, said "It seems a bit quiet, let's turn up the volume". Which we did. There's a tape of that show and we were on blistering form spurred on by the music hating manager!
Another gig from that period that was memorable was when Earth Motherfucker played with us in Nottingham. I had got to know Bruce from EMF through a work project I was involved in over in the east of England and his band were wild. They had released some stuff on Lee Ranaldo from Sonic Youth's label. It was a great night, in that the après-gig action went on till dawn...
VAVA: I recently spent some time going through NA's extensive body of work. Ten releases in three years is an impressive track record, literally! There are lots of heavy rock influences spanning from the 60s to the 80s in your music and the band's attention to detail is remarkable especially in your performance, production, singing/songwriting acumen departments. I like how you've crafted each song's singular musical texture and message. When it comes to the vocals, it's apparent that a lot of thought went into your lush lyrics, (some a big cheeky!), so much so that each song has its own visual life. I Like that approach!
ANDY: Thank you! When we got back together in 2015, we were determined not to compromise on our sound, to play what we wanted. We had a clear shared vision of the music we wanted to make. And that applied equally to Phil's lyrics, which were unique and not a regurgitation of lazy clichés but something bold and original.
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VAVA: NA’s music is very visual, on the one hand escapist and therapeutic but at the same time down to earth urging you to see hope not despair. There’s an abundant choice of messages and tongue in cheek lyrics woven into your work; love stories gone awry, visions of no future, everything’s still the same nothing changes, the perils of hanging around lowlifes, and the best one of all is a peek into the headspace of a narcissist purring “I’m in love with myself, until the end”. The guitar solo at 2:20 is breathtaking! You don’t hold back when it comes to speaking your mind or expressing a point of view in your lyrics. This is what really caught my attention!
ANDY: It goes back to what I was saying. We were determined to make a statement, to stand out from the crowd.
VAVA: How do you write a song? Does it start with a riff, an image, a word, a dream, a nightmare, a personal experience? Were the NA albums produced in your DIY studio or elsewhere?
ANDY: The songs almost wrote themselves in New Apostles, usually with a riff or an outline of a tune. Then we intuitively knew what to play. It just flowed. Some of the songs were pretty much fully formed within a couple of rehearsal sessions. As for recording, the albums with the exception of Collateral Damage were produced in a great little studio, Psyrex Sound, with Mark Parkins at the controls. In true punk rock spirit, we recorded everything live, only the vocals and a few other parts were added afterwards. All the albums were recorded and mixed within a couple of days. We didn't mess around when it came to being in the studio!
VAVA: You spoke earlier of producing music in the 1980s to 1997. Did you record during those years and if so, did you release any tracks back then or have they remained unreleased?
ANDY: In the first phase of the band, we released a cassette EP, Songs of Praise. It was our first recording session in a cellar with a low ceiling which meant you had to stoop... It got a nice reaction from the few people who heard it! We were interviewed by a Dutch fanzine, Explosie, which was great. One of the songs in their words, gave them chicken skin, which we liked! And then we also contributed some songs to an Italian label, Compact Cassette Echo, run by an outfit called the Great Complotto, which featured on compilations alongside bands from all over Europe. One of the compilations was for sale a while back on a record collector's website. It's a rarity and the asking price was ridiculous, otherwise I might have bought it!
VAVA: I got a real kick out of the opening track of the album Apparatchiks. The spaghetti western bass into at the beginning of the song and when the semi-tone solo kicks in is brilliant! The cover art photo of the Old Party Line is perfect. What gave you the idea to venture into Mother Russia's Kremlin for a song? Who sang on this?
ANDY: Phil is on vocals. This is a favorite of mine. The version on Collateral Damage is I think the best representation of the New Apostles live sound. I guess we have an interest in the politics of the old Soviet Union and Russia, as our father (me and Phil's father) was Ukrainian and knew first hand about what it was like there. I don't think we anticipated those days would return....
VAVA: From the album Collateral Damage what’s the story behind Crawl Back Under Your Stone and those unforgiving lyrics? “When hate comes calling, I’ll open the door, Watch its cancer spread now, Crawl back under your stone”. Ouch!
ANDY: Crawl Back is a Phil lyric. I believe it's aimed at someone in particular though its message has seemed appropriate for a number of prominent political and public figures over the last few years! I'm sure you don't need me to name names!
VAVA: From Apparatchiks, on You're My Drug of Choice, there's a very intense emotional journey going on here with a wall of guitars that drops out and rests in the background to resurface when the chips are down. What's the message here?
ANDY: Drug of Choice was written really quickly. It was a late entry for the Apparatchiks album. I think it can be read on different levels, as an intimate expression, or as something about addictive personalities. Always a pleasure to play this one live!
VAVA: From Recurring Dream, the minimal Ouija
Girl is a stunning track that gave me the goosebumps! The effect she has on
you while you’re being hypnotized and drawn to her by her raven hair and glowing
eyes captures the pure essence of the occult and paganism. There are lots of subtle effects on Ouija
Girl, a lone flute floating over the organ and guitar riffs bringing images of
the Roma to mind. Very effective!
ANDY: We had the tune for Ouija Girl and it was very atmospheric. Phil came up with a lyric that fitted perfectly. We were pleased how it came together. It has a really ethereal vibe.
VAVA: Another one from Recurring Dream is 22:22! I loved the beautiful synth intro. Would that be 22:22 p.m. when the recurring dream happens, or are you referring to Acts of the Apostles 22:22 from the Bible?
ANDY: 22:22 was a blistering instrumental we had come up with. Phil reckons the lyrics came to him because he kept waking at the hour from a recurring dream. It could be related to the passage from the Bible though!
VAVA: And lastly, one last song from Recurring Dream is Pink Tangerine. How was this born?
ANDY: It was a drone that we developed based on the plaintive synth line. The studio version is great and there is arguably an even better recording of it from a rehearsal session that's on the New Apostles' YouTube Channel!
VAVA: From the Single IC1011, this song takes us to a Utopian civilization in a new world protected by our love. Nothing to divide us, just one queen and one race. Do you believe there is hope for such a place on another planet, galaxy, universe in another life?
ANDY: I don't know if there's hope for such a place elsewhere in the universe. I wouldn't discount the possibility because despite all of our incredible scientific and astronomical discoveries, we know so little in the overall scheme of things. But I love the atmosphere we created on this song!
ZOOM UNIT
"Perilously uncertain times call for purposely uncompromising sounds. So, it's just as well that New Apostles' Andy Whitehurst and Andy Pidluznyj, the creative duo behind Zoom Unit, have exerted all their energies into crafting a soundtrack befitting of the times." - Mansfield, in Nottingham.
VAVA: ZU3 is a slick album of eclectic sounds, musical styles, personal influences, techno, rock and much more. You won't find over compressed or overproduced music from these artists, just a clean, organic sound from their instruments, using little or no effects. The tracklist of this excellent album takes off with Southwell Deviant and winds down 12 tracks later with 'Rider on the Wind.' Each track tells a story and we're not talking 'mediocre' here! ZU's lyrics are imaginative, original, well thought out, poetic and relatable to all listeners.
VAVA: Mars Express gets us up on our feet moving to a cool techno beat with spacy blips, rock guitar and lyrics about dancing right in the sky. Here we go!
ANDY: We had a bouncy tune and then I saw a photo of an old fairground ride, the Trip to Mars. Who can resist a trip into space? And from that, the Mars Express was launched!
VAVA: The dissonant intro and rock steady beat of Primitive Totems and its repetitive two-word lyric 'primitive totems' leaves the listener wondering which prehistoric primitive cultures and taboos might Andy be referring to in this song. Let's ask him!
ANDY: This came about from a discussion with a friend who got on to Freud and then in particular his work "Totem And Taboo". The phrase Primitive Totems leapt out as a song title and fitted with the tense nature of the music. As for specific references to primitive cultures and taboos, I'll leave that to the psychologists out there!
VAVA: End of the Road is one of my ZU favorites. It has all the makings of a blues rock song with tight guitar, bass and beats with touches of ride cymbal and cool organ riffs. It's about a guy who wakes up in the middle of the night questioning his life. He contemplates whether or not to continue pulling his heavy load and asks himself if he's headed for the end of the road.
VAVA: Rider on the Wind is a beautiful song about a mysterious wild child, a rider on the wind. The guitar and bass are great and shivers of string synth add a ghostly effect throughout this song. Who is this Rider on the Wind and is she real or a dream?
ANDY: Another Duke tune with a great atmosphere, the subject of the song is entirely fictional, a dream. Maybe a hint of Jim Morrison to this one!
VAVA: When ZU transitioned from NA, did it occur naturally or did you adopt a different approach to your arrangements, sound & songwriting?
ANDY: I think there's been a natural evolution from the earliest days of New apostles onwards, though the rate of evolution has varied and certainly that's the case with ZU. The first ZU album, Head West, was instrumental. We recorded it live in the studio in one day, the same way as New Apostles. We then found we were writing actual songs so that meant we needed to step up to the plate with some vocals! We invested in some new equipment which added new dimensions to our sound, and took it in different directions. This was a rapid stage in the evolution of our music, opening up new horizons. But ironically, lockdown was the biggest catalyst for change.
VAVA: How long were you in lockdown and began working remotely on ZU3? Did you face any technical challenges while working this way?
ANDY: Well, the UK went into lockdown in March 2020 and our old way of working, developing songs in the rehearsal studio, had to be put on hold. We had just about completed a studio album but more about that later. To continue making music, we had to work differently, record at home and share files, build up songs, add layers. An unexpected addition to our resources was the Korg Kaossilator. I downloaded the app for free at the start of lockdown without any great expectations, but found very quickly that it was a powerful tool for writing rhythm tracks and more, and it's contributed significantly to all the albums we've subsequently recorded - ZU, ZU2 and the latest, ZU3.
VAVA: Do you and Duke share the vocals on this album or is it you doing all the singing?
ANDY: We share vocal duties. It's usually but not always who writes the lyrics gets to sing.
VAVA: You sent me a photo of your 'weapons of choice' guitars. This may be a tough question for the both of you, but if you had to choose, which one would it be? What's the make of your cool bass?
ANDY: Duke' favorite guitar is probably his hippy blue Fender tie dye Strat because of its versatility and tone... As for my bass, it's a Danelectro Longhorn. I love the sound and the retro look, and it's incredibly light, which makes playing very comfortable.
VAVA: You've been getting some decent ZU radio play lately, Fresh on the Net, Radio Lantau, etc. I admire your marketing smarts not only with radio but how you sell your music on Bandcamp. Very clever!
ANDY: We're lucky that some radio presenters have picked up on our music and championed it - we're grateful for their support. And Bandcamp is of course a great resource for independent music makers.
VAVA: Your latest video release is the terrific single Seeing Is Believing b/w the very catchy Black Madonna, two of my ZU faves. What software did you use for the images?
ANDY: Duke uses the XBox 360 media player which provides an image which changes according to the tempo of the song, and he records the resulting video. We love the random nature of the process!
VAVA: What tracks are on the forthcoming EP, Radio Songs?
ANDY: We had lots of tracks that could have gone onto ZU3 but that would have made it double album length in old money. So we deliberately held back four songs that we thought would make a great EP - Goldfinch, Radio Song, Destination Soleil and Anytime. Hopefully the EP will be available in the next few weeks.
VAVA: Is Abandoned Engineering all new material? Will it be released digitally anytime soon?
ANDY: Abandoned Engineering is the album we had just about completed when lockdown was introduced in 2020. It's the missing link between Head West and the ZU trilogy of albums, a studio album but song driven. We only had a chance to finish it late last year, hence the tongue in cheek title. It's available now with the CD version of ZU3 and there's a few tracks on our Soundcloud but it will be available digitally later this year.
VAVA: Are you planning on releasing any new ZU3 videos in the near future?
ANDY: Duke is working on it at the moment, so stand by for any news...
VAVA: Is A Sunshine Beheaded Production ZU's company?
ANDY: It's a name we took from the lyrics of an early New Apostles song. Phil wrote the lyrics based on a poem by the French symbolist poet, Apollinaire. It seemed a good idea to create an identity by branding our releases in this way.
VAVA: Any summer gigs lined up?
ANDY: Nothing lined up but we're looking at recording a live session at Unit 5, our rehearsal studio, and may well video that and share it online.
VAVA: I was browsing through your YouTube channel and discovered the video Pripyat, about a city in Northern Ukraine where the Chernobyl disaster occurred. Is this where your family's from?
ANDY: Duke came up with Pripyat based on the Chernobyl Netflix series. The Pidluznyjs are actually from the far west of Ukraine, a little village in rolling woodland, Buniw, about 30 miles from Lviv and less than ten miles from the Polish border.
VAVA: And finally, would you like to share 5 unknown facts about ZU?
ANDY: There's one shared unknown fact and two from each of us...
1. We're both avid and long suffering fans of the local football team, Mansfield Town. Come on, you Stags!
2. I once broke the bank at Monte Carlo, Okay, slight exaggeration...I won a small amount on the slot machines in the entrance to the casino, the bit where common people are allowed.
3. My all time favorite TV programme is Twin Peaks and my first visit to the USA was partly to sample the damn fine coffee and explore the filming locations in Washington State.
4. Duke is a keen home-brewer and has even grown and used his own hops in his beer.
5. Two of the guitars that Duke plays were built by himself, the green Telecaster and the natural Jazzmaster, and feature on a number of recordings.
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