Well, it was a chilly night when Greg Quin spoke to Matt Hart of the Russian Futurists, and their conversation was equally chilled. They spoke very little about anything Russian or futuristic. Their time was spent discussing Italian culture jammers, primates of different varieties and the valor of being a good ol' hoser. Pour yourself a glass of vodka and enjoy.

SO, MATT, WHEN I FIRST CONTACTED YOU FOR THIS INTERVIEW, YOU SAID YOU WERE OUT OF THE COUNTRY. WHERE WERE YA?

Touring Europe

GOOD STUFF. HOW WAS THE RESPONSE OVER THERE?

It was really great. Especially in Spain.

YOU SEEM TO INCORPORATE A LARGE VARIETY OF GENRES INTO YOUR MUSIC, SUCH AS SYNTH-POP, FOLK AND NEW ROMANIC. WHO, OR WHAT DO YOU LISTEN TO?

I listen to just about every genre. I listened to so much hip-hop when I was younger that I kind of just closed my mind to tons of other music, so now I feel like I've been really deprived. Now I'm listening to just about everything, anything that is remotely interesting, I'll give it a shot.

SO, MUSIC THAT MAKES YA SWEAT?

Yeah, I like a lot of that stuff for sure; I've always liked bands like The Magnetic Fields and Cocteau Twins. I always enjoyed their feel, but I always thought their drums were so pussy. I always wished they were a bit rougher. I always liked noisier sampled drums, so that's why I started doing it like that. I thought, 'œWell, if these bands aren't, then maybe I'll start doing it.'?

ARTISTS THAT TAKE A VERY D.I.Y. APPROACH WITH THEIR MUSIC SEEM TO BE FAIRLY POPULAR TODAY. FELLAS SUCH AS ARIEL PINK, ANIMAL COLLECTIVE AND STEPHIN MERRITT ALL SEEM TO SHARE SOME SIMILARITIES IN THEIR PRODUCTION APPROACH. WHY DO YOU THINK THESE GUYS ARE SO POPULAR TODAY?

Well, I think their production style is a little different from the mainstream thing, and I know, for me, that production aesthetic is appealing because it makes the music seem more accessible. You don't have to go to a studio to make music, or have these really lush and elaborate production values. You can just grab whatever shit you have lying around, and say, 'œOkay, I can make a song now.'?

THAT'S JUST IT, AND I GUESS PEOPLE CAN CONNECT TO THAT SORT OF THING.

Yeah, it just doesn't seem so precious. When I started doing my own recordings at home, I was listening to guys like The Olivia Tremor Control and Holland, a lot of groups that were doing four-track stuff, and it made me think, 'œWell, shit! Why can't I just try this?'? That's what got me started, bands with that spirit.

HAVE YOU EVER RECEIVED ANY CRITICISM OVER YOUR USE OF STALINIST IMAGERY, TEXT AND COLOURS ONSTAGE?

Yeah (laughs). Tons, actually. When we went to Italy on tour last year, I guess a large population of Italy vote communist every election. So, we show up with our hammers and sickles and shit like that, and it kind of divided some of our audiences. The funny thing is, they booked us to play all of these communist venues, and we're seriously the most apolitical band ever. The imagery goes with the name, it's just a stage image and it has nothing to do with our personal politics. We would get into these raging debates with Italian hippies and it's like, fucking lighten up man. One 'œcommunist'? who was arguing with us has a fucking Nike hat on, so I don't know if they were full-on communists, or if they were, like, 'œScrew you, Dad! I'm a communist!'? Like I said before, I just tell people to lighten up. When people meet us, they realize we're just a couple of hoser dudes that don't have some sort of an agenda, that we're not trying to change the world with a banner onstage.

THE USE OF ELECTRONICS ONSTAGE HAS BECOME MORE POPULAR OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, YET PEOPLE IN GENERAL STILL SEEM VERY SUSPICIOUS OF IT. DO YOU FEEL PEOPLE STILL GENERALLY REGARD IT AS A FAD OR NOVELTY?

Yeah, well, it varies in different parts of the world. In some places, people have a hard time accepting a band that goes up on stage with no drummer, but are still able to get the place going, yet in other parts of the world it's totally normal. I think it's a territorial thing.

IF YOU WERE TO HAND AN ORANGUTAN A HAMMER AND A CHIMPANZEE A SICKLE, AND THEN PLACE THEM INTO A RING, WHICH PRIMATE WOULD COME OUT VICTORIOUS?

Oooh, I'm going to have to go with the chimp on this one. I don't want to discriminate, but the orangutans are definitely more ugly.

SO YOU THINK THE ORANGUTAN MAY BE INTIMIDATED BY THE CHIMP'S BEAUTIFUL BODY?
I just find chimps are more attractive, that's all I can say.

IF YOU WERE TO HAND BOTH STEPHEN HARPER AND PAUL MARTIN THE SAME INSTRUMENTS, WHO DO YOU THINK WOULD KICK ACE?

Sadly, Stephen Harper would win. He's more of a cold-hearted bastard. He's definitely got the killer instinct. He plays that conservative role, but you know he's biting ears and scratching eyes.

SHOULD WE LOOK FORWARD TO A BRAVE AND BRIGHT FUTURE, LED BY OUR FRIENDS AND DANCE HEROES, THE RUSSIAN FUTURISTS?

Yes you should. Things are just getting started for us, I'd say. We've got a lot of things coming up in the new year, a lot of big news we're gonna be dropping.

SO I'VE GOT ONE MORE QUESTION HERE. CHRISTMAS TIME IS UPON US, MY COMRADE. ANY CHRISTMAS FUN IN STORE FOR THIS FUTURIST?

Probably a lot of heavy drinking and hockey -- both watching it and playing it -- and heading to Peterborough to stay with my family. That's about it. Oh, and of course the Wavelength show.