9+1 Q&A with Linda Collins

What inspired you to first start making music? And how did you come to be in your current incarnation? Or if you prefer, a brief bio about you.

Linda Collins is a music project that looks well beyond the national borders, with already plenty of previous experience (Caplan, Olla). The band moves amongst many different influences, ranging from post-rock, to trip-hop and mitteleuropean electronic music, but always maintaining the musical form.

New guests have enriched the collective during the production phase: in addition to the emotional depth of Jackeyed (Federico Babbo, indispensable voice and co-producer), Neverwhere (already active with The Wends), we have Benedetta Sotgiu, a debut of surprising maturity in terms of writing and artistic maturity.

The presence of multifaceted Ramon Moro on trumpet is also confirmed, and Emanuela Canale is actually supporting the live shows, with her voice.

Provide us with some info about your latest release…

Three years after the release of Tied (Urtovox 2021), the collective comes back to the scene with an even more complex and balanced full-lenght album, Choices, which has been published just now, in the autumn of 2024. Choices is a brand new chapter of our production, with an ever-evolving arrangements, atmospheric soundscapes on electronic layers, with a sort of nostalgic warm sound around our song-writing approach.

Which ones would you consider your main influences both music-wise & non-music-wise?

Linda Collins remain committed to the vision of creating a unique musical identity, by attempting to connect apparently distant cardinal points.

Musical coordinates that recall the sounds of Sparklehorse and Explosion in the Sky, visions that remind of the dEUS early days, but also Mogwai-like post-rock explosions, as well as echoes of trip-hop productions of the early 21st century, somewhere halfway between Arab Strap and Notwist.

In what way does your sound differ from the rest genre-related artists/bands and why should we listen to your music? In other words, how would you describe your sound?

We just play our music without many references: influences are ranging from post-rock, to trip-hop and mitteleuropean electronic music. Different references are coming from guests and their influences.

Please name your 3 desert islands albums, movies & books…

Albums: Blonde Redhead – Misery is a butterfly / The Notwist – Neon Golden / Bob Marley – Uprising
Movies: La Haine / Lost in Translation / Amarcord

Do you prefer studio or performing live and why?

We spend millions of hours in studio, that’s our favourite job. Performing live makes all this work real.

Is there any funny-unique story you would like to share with us, always in relation to your music ‘career’?

Maybe it’s not funny, but unique: performing live in a wood, by night, during the Drive South Fest, in Teramo, guest of A Minor Place. It was amazing.

Which track of your own would you point out as the most unique and why?

“A second life”, cause it’s essential, loud, impressive, but extremely simple. It combines songwriting and programming in a interesting way.

Would you like to share with our readers your future plans?

Playing live, Playing live, Playing live.

Free question!!! (Ask yourself a question) you wish to answer and haven’t been given the opportunity…

Are you doing the best you can?

Sure.

Photo Credits: Luigi Depalma

Curated by: Christos Doukakis

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