written by Marko Jakob
Pix666: Hello Toxi. When we last chatted, it was almost exactly three years ago, around the time when the Corona pandemic was spreading around the world. A lot has happened in the meantime. You recently released the first single from the upcoming album. How are you doing and how have the reactions been to the song so far?
Toxi: Hello and thank you very much for this space, it is a pleasure to hear from you again. Everything is going very well, we are working hard and can’t wait to release everything this new path has to offer. I have to say I’m really surprised and happy to see the positive feedback this new sound is bringing. Tons of old and new fans are literally devouring “Generation Lost”. There is a lot of curiosity around this album and this is probably the “key” track to interpret everything that will be part of the concept. We also received a lot of pre-orders for the collectible cd version and we are very grateful for that.
Pix666: The next single ‘Taste Of You’ is already in the starting blocks. When will the album be released and what can fans expect on the new longplayer ‘Generation Lost’?
Toxi: Exactly, also “Taste of you” has just come out. We have chosen this song for its immediacy and for the strong electro component that will characterize the entire work. The full length of “Generation Lost” will be officially released on October 31st but we still have many surprises to reveal before that date.
What to expect? Definitely a musical journey full of content. A non-trivial listening, a story to tell, passion, torment, moments of reflection and others in which you simply let yourself be overwhelmed by the music. In short, it’s something that I first of all would be happy to find in an album.
Pix666: Your band Motel Transylvania is not far away from celebrating its 10th anniversary. How does a Motel Transylvania song come into being nowadays – and have you changed and optimised your approach and working methods over the years?
Toxi: Surely the approach to writing and, obviously, to the production has changed radically. We started out as a completely DIY band and found ourselves, almost naturally, wanting to raise the bar a lot. What we have maintained is the authenticity of the composition, in every track, word or sound choice there is us, our taste and all our influences. Let’s say that if we had kept the approach of the old works we wouldn’t have been satisfied with so many songs by now. So we have decided to discard material in order to select what we really consider the top of 2 years of work.
Pix666: It’s been allowed to play live concerts again for about a year now. Have you already played some cool gigs and which stages will you be rocking in the next few months?
Toxi: There is finally some resemblance of normality. The situation is clearly extremely difficult and unfortunately gigs have been greatly affected by everything that has happened (and is happening) in the world. As you can imagine, being a completely independent band doesn’t make things easier but, fortunately we are finding a good space in the live scene and in many feativals in Italy and abroad. On 23rd April we will be part of the fantastic Dark Malta Festival line up and after 2 weeks we will be in Verona for Isola Rock (the week before we will start working on another little surprise). On June 25th we will participate in another festival in northern Italy and then prepare for a fiery July with Burning Pants in Hude and an exclusive live show on the beach a few kilometers from our hometown.
Pix666: As a relatively small band, how complicated is it to transport all the equipment to the island of Malta, for example? Isn’t that incredibly expensive and who pays for these costs?
Toxi: The costs are undoubtedly high, especially in an historical moment like this. We are used to organize all transfers well in advance and to plan all aspects of the tour in detail. This allows us to save a lot so that we don’t have exorbitant costs to endure. Then there are two very important aspects: some stages and contexts are worth the trip and the costs to reach them. Our fans are very active and support our project a lot through the merch and it is also thanks to this that we can face certain expenses without having anyone behind us.
Pix666: Wow – that sounds pretty good. Who actually designs your beautiful shirts and please tell us the link to the shop, because fans should definitely check it out right after reading the interview.
Toxi: I’m glad that you like them, some graphics were entirely created by us, for others we had come up with a concept which was later realised by professionals. You can find everything here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/moteltransylvania/generation-lost-2
Pix666: Toxi, what have been the best experiences for you with the band so far and which band would you like to go on tour with if you had the choice?
Toxi: Every place we have been to has left us with something important. But if I had to pick just one, it would surely be the Wild & Crazy Subculture Festival in Obertraubling, thanks to the amazing Tiki Beat family. And also our 2019 secret show in Hannover was truly wild, we will never forget that.
I would really love to tour with Eisbrecher because of their artistic importance, but I would also choose Combichrist, one of my favourite bands, the one that introduced me to this kind of music almost 20 years ago.
Pix666: Do you have any other news about Motel Tranylvania that you would like to share with the fans?
Toxi: A lot of news will come in the following months: expect surprises, collaborations and a lot of new music, but we will tell you everything in due time.
Pix666: Thank you very much for the interesting answers – and I guess I’ll meet you at the Dark Malta Festival.
Toxi: Thank you very much for your time and support, see you in Malta to party all together.
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photos © by Motel Transylvania
