An Interview with Yone Dudas of Decoded Feedback

We’ve had the privilege of interviewing Yone Dudas of the band Decoded Feedback. This is what she had to say…

KILTER: It is rare that bands create together for over two decades with the same members. What is it about the duo that makes you wake up each day and show up for Decoded Feedback?

YD: We have a great working relationship and friendship. We also respect each other`s work and feelings. If something isn’t working in a song, then we are honest with each other. How we work on songs changes from time to time. There is no set way that a song begins nor ends. No formula. Sometimes one of us starts the song, and the other one finishes it, and vice versa. Or, we meet in one of our studios and hash out a really good tune together live. It’s really harmonious. We never go into the studio with a vision or idea of what we want. We just play around and let the instruments and creativity guide us.

KILTER: Does social media work for Decoded Feedback as a means for connecting directly to fans or promoting your latest creation?

YD: Yes, it definitely does. It’s great how you can connect directly with fans and really get to know them on a personal level. You get their honest feedback and support. Then when we meet them in person at our shows, it’s wonderful. We have even made real friendships with fans that will be lifelong. Facebook is a great platform in many ways, but I have a lot of reservations about it too. I don’t like the way they operate and the newer changes they have made. I also don’t agree with the data mining they do. I wish there were a better platform for artists to get better exposure without paying, but for now there isn’t.

KILTER: What would you say is your favorite and least favorite aspects of touring? How would you compare your tours in Europe to touring in North America?

YD: Preparing for a tour can be quite grueling, but it’s also exhilarating. So many little details and working parts to each tour. You can never full anticipate all the problems that can happen during a tour…but you try. Once you are on tour, it’s amazing. Everything seems to come together and fall into place, and you can finally reap the fruit of your labour. It’s wonderful. Of course, not all tours go smoothly, but you make it work and it always works out fine in the end. Rarely does it fail. There is always a way to make it work, even if there is a huge upset. I love the feeling of having a tour family. You get so close, and it’s a real bonding experience. The only problem is when the tour ends, you feel this emptiness… You won’t see your tour family as often now, so you try to keep in touch via social media. When you meet up again in person, it’s like no timehas passed at all. We have created lifelong friendships with tourmates. I will treasure these connections for the rest of my life.

Touring in Europe can be quite different than touring in North America. Some of the elements are different, for example, who is responsible for what. It’s a learning curve. We have toured more in Europe than in the US, so it was a bit of an adjustment to realize that things worked differently in the US. But it was ok. We worked it out. The one thing that is definitely better on European tours is the food! Hope the US catches up soon with that aspect. 😉 It’s so important to eat extremely well during a tour in order to not fall ill.

KILTER: Your music has evolved through the years and albums, while still retaining defining characteristics and a distinct personality. Do you have a process that supports this cohesion, or is it something more organic?

YD: It’s definitely organic. We don’t go into the studio with a plan of what to do or make. We tried once to recreate Phoenix, but it didn’t work because we had moved on from that style. We are ever evolving. No album or song is planned to sound like something. In fact, we like to break the mold and do things differently. On our last album, I started a song on a really bad day. I was feeling angry at the fact that we all put on fake smiles when we are breaking apart inside. Instead of the song sounding gloomy, I made it very poppy and upbeat. I was channeling Covenant’s “I’m a Happy Man”. I loved the feeling that song captured. I called it “Behind My Smile.” When I took it to Marco [Biagiotti] for lyrics and vocals, he perfectly wrote and sang what I was trying to convey. However, we were a bit unsure if we should release that song as Decoded Feedback. It sounded so different from our usual stuff… But, we were so proud of that song that we released it on Dark Passenger…and we were pleasantly surprised at all the positive reaction. Everyone loves it! We play it at all our live shows to a cheering audience.
We have 2 fully stocked studios. Marco’s studio is full of a lot of analog gear, desktop modules, and some really rare stuff. He doesn’t use any plugins except for effects. I, on the other hand, have a more streamlined studio comprised of a lot of keyboards (analog and digital), sound modules and softsynths/plugins. Many times we work separately in our own studios to start a song, then meet up in Marco’s studio to flesh it out from there. We have fun playing around with his gear and seeing where it will take us. No plan.

KILTER: It seems that North America is in a bit a of a dark electronic music revival at the moment, with classic sounds getting taken up by new acts. Having been around long enough to see whole genres sprout and wither, is it still exciting to hear new bands taking on the same genres than influenced your entry into creating music?

YD: It’s a very exciting time. We are so happy to see that this genre of music is thriving and evolving too. Not only new acts, but bands from genres just outside this one are creating amazing powerful material. Bands like Soft Moon, TR/ST, Boy Harsher, ACTORS, etc… I think this genre is opening up and growing, which is very good news. I think it’s been a bit closed for a few years. Now it’s spreading and overflowing into other genres, so dark electronic music will survive and attract new audiences. Exciting times for sure! And, this inspires us to experiment with different styles and create new sounds too 🙂

KILTER: What do you listen to while on tour? Is it something you would recommend to your fans, and why?

YD: Funny enough, we don’t really listen to anything while on tour. I think our ears are so exhausted from playing each night that we need a rest. However, I love to listen to classical music when I am not making music. It inspires me to create more dramatic soundscapes.

KILTER: What are Decoded Feedback’s plans for upcoming releases? Anything fans should look forward to soon?

YD: There are a lot of changes happening in Decoded Feedback which will be announced very soon. For now, we are working very hard on new material and already have 6 songs ready to go. The future will be exciting, different and interesting.

The next release will be in early 2019 along with a tour to promote the release. I am also working on a side project and solo project which I will announce very soon. Lots of great things coming up. 🙂

Listen to their music at www.decodedfeedback.com.