I had the opportunity to sit down with Axel Vindenes, the vocalist of Kakkmaddafakka, to chat about their music, journey, and influences. Here’s the full conversation:
How do you all meet or start the band?
A: Oh, a long time ago, yeah. We were kids, basically. Stian and Pish, the bass player and the guitar player, went to the same kindergarten and same school and everything. So we’ve known each other very well, me, Stian and Pish. Then when I was around 17, me and Stian were playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater, and this name, Kakkmaddafakka, came up on the screen. I said, “Wow, that’s a good band name!” So then we gathered our friends, and we started Kakkmaddafakka. And that’s history.
Was there a particular moment that helped you shape your musical identity as a band?
A: I guess when we met Erlend Øye from Kings of Convenience. Also, our former manager, David Holmes, really helped us get into the indie music and indie approach to music. Before that, it was a little bit all over the place. It’s still all over the place, but they helped us focus a little bit on the indie side.
What artist and genres have most influenced your music?
A: We are influenced by so much music, and yeah, all sorts of inspirations. Everything from classical music to black metal and hip hop. And these days, we listen to a lot of Mexican cumbia. We love cumbia. It always reminds us of Mexico. We try to put a little bit of that into our music. We just love our music, and we get inspired by the pieces we hear.
For you, what’s music?
A: Oh, everything is music. Music is the most important. I think it’s the highest of the arts. I’m a painter, but I think even music is a little bit more spectacular because it’s invisible. And it can move a lot of people. It’s magical, you see.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from your bandmates while being together?
A: To keep focus on the joy. That’s the lesson. If you focus on the joy, everything can work.
Many of your followers and artists starting in the business or those who want to create music often ask if you have any specific songwriting process.
A: It’s different for every song. You just gotta love it a lot. I love writing songs and recording songs. If you love it a lot, the focus could be good. But not always, yeah. You also have to be lucky.
What’s your favorite lyric you’ve ever written?
A: Hard question! I’ve done a lot of lyrics. Maybe Home alone eating sushi for two.
How do you ensure that your music remains authentic?
A: I’ve given up not being authentic. It’s impossible for me. We always do a lot of cover songs, and we try to sound like the song, but it always ends up sounding like us—even if we don’t want it to. It’s impossible for me to not be authentic.
What’s your most memorable experience while touring?
A: So many experiences. It’s impossible to pick just one. But I love the variation. I love coming back to places like Mexico after not being there for a while. I love coming back to Germany after not being there in a long time. It’s a wonderful situation being a musician and traveling around the world. The first time I was in Mexico was ten years ago, and I get to see how the countries change and develop. I really appreciate this part.
What’s your favorite song to perform?
A: It changes. These days, I like performing all the songs. It always changes, but I like all of them.
What’s the best advice you can give to someone who wants to start doing music?
A: My best advice is to study it a lot. Know what you’re gonna learn and what you want to do, and learn everything. The more you know, the better. I know a lot about amplifiers, for example. I’m not even an expert, but I know more than most people. I recommend getting into all sorts of things, like lyrics, equipment—everything. The more you know, the better.
If you could collaborate with any artist, dead or alive, who would it be?
A: That’s a good question. Maybe Bad Bunny. That would be an amazing collaboration.
Do you have any hobbies or activities outside of music that help inspire you?
A: Yeah. I do painting. It helps me a lot!
Cosmic Soul Music 