GEOCLASHING: moon pilot
GEOCLASHING is a mini interview series focused on getting to know an artist's relationship with the world through the music they consume. Six prompts, six songs, six stories.
moon pilot’s discography is ghostlike; it flows, it haunts, and it lingers long after each song is complete. The groups 13 (and counting) Lynchian tracks are the fruits of cross-continental labour orchestrated by Erica, based in the Netherlands, and Albert, based in the USA. What began with a single Tascam DP-01 8-track has flourished into a fully realized project, existing in the digital plane but performing in Amsterdam, NL.
Erica: Eefje de Visser – Bitterzoet
Albert: Tropical fuck storm – you let my tyres down
Erica: Jo Lemaire – Je suis venue te dire que je m’en vais
Albert: Dungen – Panda
——How did moon pilot come to be?
“Albert was travelling Europe with Numero group. On a Sunday evening, 23 September 2023, Albert and Erica met at the Paradiso Indiestadfestival, at the ‘kleine zaal’ (upstairs, small hall) where a.o. Ditz and Fat Dog were playing. The shows were great and they had a great time and an instant connection. Albert was making music in his basement, Erica played in a post punk cover band. The band fell apart and Erica started making her own songs, first in Garageband with the in app ‘drummer’. Albert decided that that had to change. He bought an old vintage DP-01 and recorded 25 drumtracks for Erica to work with. That is really the start of this transatlantic project.”
Erica: Roberta Flack – Until it’s time for you to go
Albert: Steve Miller – Abracadabra
Erica: Slint – Breadcrumb Trail
Albert: Scott McKenzie – San Francisco
——Is it difficult to run this project across two continents?
“Well, the Tascam was flown over in Albert’s back pack with all the drum tracks the second time he visited Amsterdam, 6 months later. So the recording goes well in Erica’s kitchen in Amsterdam Oost. For the rest, internet helps. The different timezone sucks a bit. Albert wakes up early sometimes to cover that. We would really love to play a live show together sometime in the future… we both have no resources to make this happen at the moment. We have agreed that, maybe maybe, if moon pilot get’s the chance to play in Paradiso in Amsterdam. Albert has to come, no matter what or how, to play the drums!”
Erica: Soft cell – Seedy films
Albert: Nick Cave – Song of the Lake
Erica: Mecano – Links
Albert: A-SET – Haunted Night
——What’s been your favourite memory you’ve made as a band so far?
“Just the fact that moon pilot is happening. We both had no clue if we could make it happen. And it did! A year later and there’s 12 (13) songs streaming. And just now a live band is formed to play in NL/EU.”
