DAXX & ROXANE

#interview

DAXX & ROXANE

💿 Hi, it's a pleasure for us to have on Hardrockheavymetal DAXX & ROXANE! Welcome!!

Hi everyone! The pleasure is all ours! Thank you very much for having us!

💿 On May 8thth was out your new self-titled album;we were really impressed about that!! Can you tell us somethin'about its composition process and style?

Thanks! We are very happy to know that you liked our new album! It's the biggest project that we've done so far!

2019 was a very challenging year for all us personally. We had to do lots of changes for the band to move forward and we basically had to figure out how to make an album from scratch with no money.

We've set up a 6 months plan, started a crowdfunding project to raise some funds and to our surprise, managed to reach 150% of our target thanks to all the amazing support from our fans, friends and family!

Most of the composition process was made 2 months prior the recording in our rehearsal studio in London with our producer Colin Parkinson (ex Inglorious).

Our style is classic rock and hasn't changed much from our previous album 'Ticket To Rock'.

But on this new album, we wanted to reflect more our sound, passion and energy that we deliver on stage during our live performances and try to put it on a record. From our point of view, this record is a success as it's the first time we managed to capture this live atmosphere as accurately as possible.

We also wanted to make sure the tracks don't sound like each other, and to have some sort of storyline from start to finish.

This album is what we are all about and what you would expect to hear when you come to see us play live. A rollercoaster of powerful songs with different vibes along the ride.

💿 Can you tell us somethin'about your early days as musicians and about your moniker? Which bands or artists impressed you the most ?

We all have different backgrounds in music: blues, jazz, rock, metal, ska, reggae etc... Music is definitely our passion.

What really made us want to play together was actually thrash metal. We were all massive fans of the early Metallica albums and started playing loads of covers from the big four and even more underground stuff.

Then we started playing some heavy metal with the like of Iron Maiden (specially the 2 first albums), Judas Priest, Diamond Head etc... and we ended up finding our true nature in hard rock and classic rock. Mötley Crüe, Deep Purple, Motörhead, Led Zeppelin, Krokus, AC/DC etc.. are now our main influences.

We couldn't really chose which one is our favourite, because they are all incredible! But Metallica was definitely the one that started the band.

There are loads of bands out there, old and new ones that we absolutely love and that inspire us! Music is just beautiful.

💿 Amazing cover for the new album . Can you tell us somethin'about?

Since this album was some sort of reset button, we wanted to make sure the cover reflects our drive and energy, as well as our sound.

We decided to make a cover using live pictures taken by our photographer 'Kriz-P', mixed with a simple but elaborate artwork around it.

Finally, we wanted something with a 'tattoo' style, a bit old school.

So we looked for an artist, and found a brilliant designer called Aaron Gardner. He did quite a few album / single covers for other artists (including Jack J Hutchinson), and thought he would be the perfect fit to blend everything together.

That cover speaks for itself and just tells you to turn up the volume and start the party!

💿 Now you're based in Uk. Can you tell us something about the current situation of HARD'N'HEAVY scene?

There is a great movement in the UK that started a couple of years ago, now gaining more and more followers. It's called the New Wave Of Classic Rock (NWOCR).

This movement is massively involved with all new upcoming rock bands, helping the scene to stay alive by sharing new music on all social platforms.

What's absolutely awesome about it, is the fact that it's getting bigger and bigger with people from all ages and backgrounds sharing their love for music. It is really comforting to see that the love and passion is still very well alive and we do think that it's only the beginning of a new era. We just want to make sure that we are there for the ride!

💿 How is difficult promote a new work after the lockdown drama? Are you scheduling, as many other bands, gigs for second part of the year, or is it too soon?

It's quite challenging indeed, but in a way we had more time to promote our new album.

As we all know, sharing your work on social platforms is very very important nowadays. It can make a difference for a band to move forward and most importantly, to get in touch with new fans.

There is always an advantage and disadvantage in any situation. In our case, we cannot play live shows right now but on the other hand we have more time to spread the word by doing live stream shows, interviews, putting our music on playlists, fan pages, etc. We are all stuck at home at the moment so it's a great time for everyone to discover new music.

In terms of live performances, it is still hard to say when venues and festivals will re-open again but we are rescheduling our shows for the end of the year and 2021. We want to be prepared and ready to go back on the road as soon as it's safe to do so.

By the way, we hope that you're all doing well on your side. Stay safe, clean and sane.

💿 Here at Hardrockheavymetal we're true defender of physical music; we believe that a CD or a vinyl are able to provide a more complete experience to listeners;What's your opinion about ?

We totally agree with you. We think that one of the issue in music today is that since everything is so accessible online (example: Spotify, YouTube, etc.), you will only listen to the artists' best hits and most listened songs. Then it will just skip to the next favourite tracks.

A lot of listeners don't listen to a full album anymore. That's where a physical copy is stronger. You'll most likely listen to the whole album, and experience it how it was constructed.

A good example: imagine listening to Pink Floyd's best hits from album to album, mixing the tracks with no specific orders.

It's a real shame because you are missing the whole experience of an exceptional album which tells a story from start to finish.

But we do know that there are still lots of music fanatics like us out there, who collect CDs and vinyls and enjoy the whole experience of an album.

💿Thanks for your time..See you soon on Hardrockheavymetal!