Interview: Kristof Mondy (Gagged, RDS220, VVovnds,...)

From the start of this blog I had plans to not only do regular posts about things that interest me but to also do interviews. First up was a short interview with Tom, the man behind Death By Coffee. Next up is Kristof Mondy. A busy bee is the perfect way to describe him. I've known Kristof for almost 20 years now and he has always been busy with bands, zines, artwork,...
You may know Kristof from his latest band Gagged, the black metal project RDS220 (who will be releasing an LP on Consouling Sounds), the now hibernating Vvovnds or his previous bands Hive Destruction, Amenra, Black Haven,... Over the last few months we exchanged various e-mails which lead to the interview you can read here:

Kristof playing with Gagged

• Please introduce yourself and briefly talk about your current bands/projects you have going on.

Well I’m Kristof, I’m one of the old farts in the scene (turning 43 this year), and I’ve been playing in hardcore / punk bands for nearly 25 years. Besides bands I’ve also been involved in art around hardcore and zines. Zines and even more… zines! I’ve been doing Yoda, Bats!, WAR and MiniWAR and A Book About Decay. And I’m actually working on something new, low press run, a fresh (provoking) name, and bands I love…

And besides press you might have heard my name regarding (the now hibernating) VVOVNDS, the new hardcore punk outfit Gagged or the black metal project RDS220.

As said VVOVNDS is hibernating (there’s no goodbye’s): when we feel it we’ll come together again and spit out our blend of frenzy, distorted punk. Gagged is pretty new, we just released a demo that has 7 songs of fast, stomping hardcore. We’re doing as much shows as possible and are working on a second demo as we speak (which is on the streets by now - Promo tape 2019), no sleep for the restless! And as far as RDS goes, we’re always making songs, never performing them. RDS is just Matthias and myself making fast, furious bm. Vocals are delivered by friends on invitation. LP coming in october!

• You said it yourself that you have been playing in bands for quite a while now. One thing I’ve noticed is that your newer bands and projects are very harsh, furious and fast. Amen Ra was (and is off course) a slow beast and quite introspective. I noticed that VVOVNDS was kind of slowing down tempo wise and became more experimental at the end. But your new bands Gagged and RDS 220 are really fast and furious. What’s the reason behind this? Why the harshness and the pissed off rage? Is it some kind of answer to the times we’re living in?

Well, you know me for quit some time now, right? I’ve always been listening to faster stuff as well. When I was playing in Spineless I spinned Dissection after Mouthpiece, switch to Charles Bronson and end it off with Swing Kids. When I drove to an Amenra practice I would listen to combatwoundedveterans, Assück and In/Humanity. And then Black Haven already had that upbeat D-beat vibe…

So I guess I’ve always been a fan of the faster stuff, ever since I first heard SSD the faster shit made me crazy. I remember in our circle of friends that we all wanted to start some fast music, but we just never did it.

As for the current projects/bands… You know that feeling when you have been talking/thinking to start something for ages, but somehow you keep postponing because the time ain’t right? Well that’s what we had with RDS. Newsflashes of ongoing fights in Aleppo, Syria, new terrorist bombings in Paris, Brussels, London… I felt so much anger. And suddenly Matthias and I came together and we just had to do something (together again) and unleash that anger. As for Gagged, ah how I love that generic stomping hardcore. Fast riff, chorus, two step fast again and stop! I just couldn’t sit back and relax, I had to do this. Too much love and a need to hang that jazz bass around my neck and rage.

And yes, that last released VVOVNDS song (on the split 12” w/ SoulGrip) is a slow beast, but we weren’t writing just slow songs. Like on the full (songs 'The Light' and 'Peine Forte') we feel that some slower, repetitive songs fit our spastic outbursts. And ‘On A Noose’ just fit the format of a 12”. But, VVOVNDS is not done, we’ll come back some day, and when we do we’ll have a release with fast songs as well… I think/hope…

• You said you have been active playing hardcore/punk and making zines for nearly 25 years now. What was your turning point? What band/record/show made you a hardcore kid and inspired you to start your own band? Same for zines: what was your inspiration to start your own zine?

Well I wasn't suddenly a hardcore kid out of nothing. We're talking 1990. I was a 14 year old skater listening to a lot of grunge / trash and metal. I got my music from skate video's (Peter And The Test Tube Babies, Pixies,…) national radio (Nirvana, Metallica, …) my metalhead classmate (Death and Enslaved!) and the public library. 

And that last one was surprisingly openminded! I remember one record very clearly. It was early 1990 and was flipping through the 'new arrivals’ section when this one recordcover drew my attention. It had a logo in bold letters (only three) and a picture that said 'i'm holding a mic and i'm pissed off'! It was the DYS - Wolfpack 12". And I remember coming home, running to my room where I had this orange portable turntable (looked like a plastic suitcase and had a buit in amp and speaker) and put on the 12". I was flabbergasted! That sound, that energy, the lyrics. I loved it. Strangely it took me 3 more years to get into the local underground hardcore with bands like Blindfold, Shortsight and Congress, and another year to start my first HC band called Spineless. The biggest influence to start Spineless were the three H8000 bands I mentioned. Damn we saw them perform like 3 times a week… Ah, the glory days!

As for zines I think it were the Machination Records publications (was it ‘words and letters’?). And foremost, it was getting them straight into my hands from Jeroen (the owner of Machination and editor of the zines). That was an epiphany. You made this? You just took some scissors and glue and went to xerox everything? And then I got my hands on 'Simba' made by Vique who used to or still works at Revelation records, and those zines were cut and paste AND really looked good and had interviews with bands I loved and admired. So yeah, I just copied them. Bought some good scissors, a new pot of glue and send out several letters (snail mail!!) to bands. Yoda was born.

Extra note: I feel like i'm not mentioning a lot of zines that inspired me to push my writing and overall zine-making. But hey, you asked for the triggers that got me started, well these are the triggers…

• Was there ever a time when you weren’t in a band or busy with a project? Have you ever been demotivated to play music? If so, what sparks the fire in Kristof Mondy to keep doing this?

Hmm, I don’t think there was a time that I wasn’t ‘busy’… I do remember my end with Black Haven though. It was October/November 2007 and Black Haven was on tour w/ In Remembrance. That was 10 days I think. And my better half was at home, pregnant in her fifth month something. And I remember thinking it was time to retire from bands. So I played my last BH gig in december (w/ Coliseum if I’m not mistaken) and turned from a very active HC kid tot a passive HC dad. And that lasted until summer 2008. I missed making music so my better half really urged me to find some band again and that eventually resulted in Matthias and myself hooking up for the first time in Hive Destruction. A project, no gigs. But I also started missing gigs so that changed as well.

But I’ve never been demotivated. There were gigs where the audience was very lame, and show promoters that ripped you off. Those can really give you a bad feeling. But you forget those really quick when you play for a very respecting audience the day after. Music, and hardcore punk music in general always made me feel at home, even when I was 1000 miles from home. So there you go, HC Punk is my spark that sets the world on fire.

Awesome old flyer from Kristof's Amenra days. This one brings back great memories!

• We know you love playing in bands and you love to write and make zines. Have you ever written lyrics or co-written lyrics for the bands you are or were in? If not, would you ever consider doing this?

I remember, a very long time ago, I tried to be the singer but that didn’t work. As far als lyrics go, I don’t know. I’m never satisfied with what I write. They don’t fit the songs, chorusses are lame, the pun’s don’t get there… Nope sticking to my guns, playing bass and making zines! :-)

• Speaking of lyrics. What are you looking for in band’s lyrics? Do you like anthemic sing along lyrics or more introspective lyrics? Or does it depend on the genre you’re listening to at that moment? What are your favorite lyrics ever?

What am I looking for in a band’s lyrics? Well I guess I can answer that from different angles. As a publicist it’s always a plus to talk with bands that have ‘smart’ political lyrics. Like Catharsis for example. Or metaphorical lyrics. As an attendant of shows who’s looking for a good time it’s cool to have some sing along stuff. Winner on that matter would definitely be Bane with ‘Can We Start Again’. Or any Misfits song from the American Psycho album… Or just any Misfits song. I also like singing along with the ‘Sinister Slaughter’ album from Macabre. When it comes to buying merch then the quotes from Converge work very well (AWLWLB) on cotton.

• Let’s travel back in time a bit. Your first fanzine was Yoda. By the time I really got into punk and hardcore you were up to your 8th issue I believe and you started covering subgenres that weren’t really covered before in Belgian (especially in the H8000 area) zines. I’m talking about emo, power violence, sludge,… This really got me into checking out a lot of new bands, especially in the emo genre (which was off course totally different than what it means today…). How do you look back on that? I mean, it’s obvious you’re still really into the power violence stuff. How about older (and maybe newer) emo bands? Do you still rock out to Braid in your car like we did together a couple of times?

Ha, yes! I remember us rocking out to the Braid ‘Frame & Canvas’ LP, that I had put on tape to play in my old car. Good times! I still put that Braid record on on occasion. Really good stuff.

I actually grabbed all issues of Yoda I could find before answering this one… In fact I grabbed all zines I ever made because of your question. Man, that was confrontational though. Lay-out kind of sucked. Anyway, BATS! brought smiles upon my face. And the big and mini versions of Wolves And Rats did as well! But on topic, yes I talked to the other bands, the outcasts if you will. I talked to The Caskett Lottery and to ISIS in one and the same issue. Good times. I just wrote the bands I was listening to at that time.

As for what I’m currently spinning… Yeah it’s mostly fast stuff. Either HC Punk or Black Metal. I spin some older emo from time to time. New End Original, The Jazz June, old Get Up Kids. As far as new stuff goes… I don’t know, is Iron Chic emo? I do know that Pedro The Lion just released a new record…

• You travelled back in time for the last question. Let’s do the same thing for this one. How about ideals and your worldview. Did that change over time? We all evolve and our ideas and ideals do so too. Do you still have the same values now than you did 20 years ago? How do you look at the world and current events? You already answered this a bit with the question about why you mainly play fast and furious music bit I would really like to go a bit deeper into this subject.

Well I guess that growing older didn’t really change my view on society we live in. But being a dad definitely made the edges less sharp. One’s values don’t change overnight. I still believe in certain ideals. I still believe that we need to live WITH each other instead of AGAINST each other. I still believe in a multiracial society where we all learn from each other. I still believe that my children will grow up in a world that is build upon respect instead of racism. But… When you’re reading the newspapers or watch the news on television you only hear something else. All I hear is how centre-rightwing political parties take over. All I read is that multicultural is turning into multi-radical. And yeah, that pisses me off. 

However, softening the edges… I feel that using my free time to ‘play’ with the children is worth much more to me than picking up my pen, and writing about what pisses me off (like I used to…). Picking up my bass and ramming it for Gagged or RDS has replaced that writing.

But I’m working on a ‘zine’ so, who knows. The pissed off guy might pick up his pen again…

Kristof's latest zine (My Words) My War

• RDS 220 is the second time you collaborate with Matthias. You also started Hive Destruction as a duo studio only project that evolved into a real live band. How did you meet and how did you start playing together? And how did the whole RDS 220 thing started? Who approached who? Was it just bouncing some ideas back and forth like most projects start? Or was there a real ‚plan’ behind it all?

Well Matthias and I got together somewhere in 2008 to start Hive destruction. And we connected. Musically there were no boundaries and on a personal level we saw things in the same way. And I think for the whole period we were a duo things went very smoothly. Once we became a band there were two more people to negotiate with...

So fast forward to 2016. I felt the need to lay down some more black metal riffing, I had some ideas in mind, and just knew I had to get together with Matthias. So I approached him with some full blown project plan and he said yes. Agenda wise we had to cram in rehearsals (w/ VVOVNDS being very active at that time). One week in his attic the other at my kitchen table. Other weeks there was no hangout...

But yeah, The cooperation works, we understand each other and know what we expect from each other. RDS is something cool to work on, there’s no pressure, only black (punk) metal.

• You talked about being a father. I have a young son too and there are a lot of clichés out there about raising children. I say to each his own but I sometimes get annoyed about the old „I don’t want to put children on this bad and evil world. I don’t want to do that to a child”. You understand what I’m getting at? I always turn this statement around. Off course my son was first and foremost born out of love but I always answer that cliché by saying that it is the opposite. I see having a kid as a revolt against all the problems in this world. A child isn’t born as a racist or as a homophobe or whatever. Do you agree with this? You kind of hinted towards this in the previous answer.

The nature versus nurture question. Yes, there’s no doubt that every child is born a blank page, without any prejudice. But to me that is not exactly what the (annoying) statement is about. Or that’s not how I translate it. I added ‘annoying’ because I find that statement quit annoying. And sometimes the annoying is in the fact that it touches you in your weak spot. Cause yes, it worries me that i’m leaving my children or my children’s children or even their children in this world that will probably be worn down in some decades from now. And then I’m talking about nature and the eco system, not humans with different cultural and religious heritage that can’t seem to live together. Our eco system is fucked up, when even the permafrost is heating up then you know there’s something wrong. And then hearing our Belgian government saying it’s not that alarming, and condemning the ‘youth for climate’ protests… That really bothers me, that’s the real evil bad world in your statement. Blind politics.

So yeah, what world am I giving my children?

But then again, from the moment your children are born you are loving them unconditionally. They’re the best gift I ever got… And that will always outweigh the statement of putting children on this evil bad world.

• Some weeks ago you announced the release of the RDS 220 record on Consouling Records. What can we expect? Will the tapes be re-released on vinyl and cd? Any new songs? Either way, I’m siked! Gagged seems to be on a roll too with quite a lot of shows coming up. Any plans for a release soon?

Yes, we were finally able to announce the release of the CD and vinyl version of 'Hell Is Truth Seen Too Late'. It's been quite a ride. We started working on this album 2.5 years ago. Then released the whole concept as 2 double cassette editions. And now we've reached the end of the chapters. But behold, this is not just the cassette versions on CD and LP. We've remixed all the songs to a sound that fits better on CD and vinyl. And we added a song to top it off. But it doesn't end there. The CD will deliver the HITSTL concept as it was meant to be. 9 songs, total running time of 1 hour, mastered by Jack Shirley at Atomic Garden. But 1 hour of music on one lp...? So the lp will actually deliver a slightly different view on HITSTL. Only 8 songs (the ones from the cassettes) and an alternate cut on some songs and a different running order. It truly was a challenge I didn't have before with band releases... But we're almost there, lay-out's are coming along, release date should be fall 2019.

And as for Gagged, yes it's going good. A lot of cool shows, a lot of show opportunities even though we've only been around for like 10 months or so... We are actually recording 5 new songs next week. We'll make that a promo tape for labels. We know we want to send it to some people, we'll see what happens. But this tape will give a taste of what's to come. Plan is to record an LP at the end of this year...

Thank you for this lovely chat!

Go listen to Gagged here and contact them through Facebook here.
Click here to listen to RDS220 and go here to pre-order their record on Consouling Sounds.
Kristof has just released the second issue of his new zine (My Words My War). You can order it through the Gagged bandcamp page.