Kali Ma - Sacandaga EP

Jallu:

Only three songs?!

Kali Ma:

Well 2 and a jam between…

Jallu:

So basically 2 ½ songs?! (laughter)

Kali Ma:

Haha yes. That's how I write, that's how I've always written.

Jallu:

The last EP had 6 or actually 5 then.

Kali Ma:

Yeah, SIDDHARTHA EP. That was actually the longest piece of coherent music I've ever written for a single release. Don't ever expect anything longer than that. (laughter)

Jallu:

What's the reason for making a shorter EP this time?

Kali Ma:

Back in high school when I was first getting serious about being in a band and playing music, I usually wrote most of the songs. But I could never write more than 3 or 4 songs with a cohesive sound before getting frustrated and playing the same intervals and chords in a different order.  So I would stop writing for a few months, play out a bit, and not write anything for a while. But then, at some point, I get smacked in the face with an idea and I MUST write.

Jallu:

So no full albums, I’m assuming?

Kali Ma:

Not in my past or in the foreseeable future. I used to get frustrated that I couldn't write a "whole album". But what the fuck is an "album"? Why does something have to have 10-14 3-4 minute songs to count as complete? There's no objective reason why an artist should have to stick to this formula. That's just not how my creative process works.  So it's been really great for me to release these EPs.

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Sacandaga EP is West Chester- based Kali Ma aka Cody Miller’s fifth EP released during his 20 month period of using synth music as a transmitter for his thoughts and feelings. While every EP shows growth in one or two areas of Miller’s music, with Sacandaga EP, let’s say Miller has reached puberty. Unlike in the previous EPs, he had found what he was looking for: “After I worked with Christina Klaproth of the Philadelphia band, Tutlie, on our track "Sun Stars Moon and Rain", it became clear that vocals were that missing element.” It came as a surprise to me that Miller’s own vocals are used on the tracks. He explains: “I've never been much of a vocalist myself, but it was really important to me that every aspect of the "Sacandaga sound" came pouring out of my experience. So it was really exciting to work with the vocoder effect in order to get the sound that I wanted. It allowed me to retain exclusive creative control, while focusing on the production end of things to make it sound great. You don't want to hear me sing live.”

Adding vocals are not the only part of Miller’s growth, as he paid attention to equalizing every sound to perfection. “When I compared my tracks to the tracks of some of my favorite artists... It wasn't even a comparison. There was no pop, no high end, badly EQed low end. Just a bunch of synths taking up the same mid-range Hz. This is the first time that I took a good long time to EQ every sound before finalizing the mix.”

When understanding the story behind the EP’s concept I realize not only does it take a huge step forward, but also backward. Sacandaga EP is a nostalgic ode to which Miller calls his favorite place in the world. It’s become a tradition for him to spend a week or two every summer at his friend’s lake house by Sacandaga Lake since he turned 15. The lake and the surroundings reminds of life’s glorious beauty, as well as Miller’s first time to buy beer under-aged. “I did my absolute best to take all the connotation and nuance and raw emotion of this place, and translate it into sound. And though I know now that this goal is unattainable, the result is still something special to me, as every time I listen, every time I reflect, these songs work their way into that idilic form that my mind conceives whenever I hear the word, "Sacandaga".”

The first time I heard the EP, I was dragged into the middle of the Amazon. When the in between jam started I was witnessing some sort of a ritual while hiding behind some giant leaves. I couldn't say if the tribe in front of me were people to run away from as quick as possible, but the music was too hypnotizing that I just stood still quiet. By the final track I’ve been noticed, though luckily, I’m not the one being sacrificed and they turn out to be a friendly tribe. And all of this is through the eyes of Sid the Sloth from Ice Age.

Anyways, when ending the interview with Miller he’s quick to reveal his future plans and hopes: “Slightly heavier, bassier, more minimal. It will still be Kali Ma, but I've been digging the deeper South London sound, and even some of the street bass that is coming out of Philly. So I hope to work some of those influences into Kali Ma, and see what happens.”

Until then here’s Sacandaga.