Interview: All Seeing Hand

You'd be hard pressed to find a group anywhere in the world which creates music that comes close to the incredible sound emanating from All Seeing Hand. The Wellington trio mashes together a mind-melting combination of turntablism, drumming and throat-singing to create a sonic force that is better off being heard than described. On top of this extraordinary approach to music making the three-piece have been bringing their A-game to live gigs, by all squeezing into a giant pink latex suit, called The Blob, from which they burst forth to perform. Understandably the group has caught the attention of many and now they are hitting the road to play an extensive run of gigs around the country. We caught up with the group to ask Seven Quick Questions before they kick off the tour tomorrow in Blenheim...

Hi All Seeing Hand! Can you please tell us a little bit about yourselves??

We are Alphabethead, Ben Knight and Jonny Marks.
We are turntables, drums and throat.
We are the sum of parts of parts from the sun(s).
As are you.
We know you.
We sing (y)our song.

We don’t see a lot of throat-singing acts around these days, in New Zealand at least, where did you learn that?

Jonny traveled to Inner-Mongolia (a province of China), and spent a year teaching English to get by, while hanging out at Mongolian bars and concerts in search of teachers. After meeting a few duds (head sniffing alcoholics and frauds) he found a teacher at a Mongolian performing arts school who could teach. The time was well spent and the basics were learnt; now comes the long journey of refinement of technique until magic is found.

Jonny is not refined.

The combination of throat-singing, turntables, and drums creates quite a unique sound, how did the three of you get together? And how did you know it would work so well?

Ben and David (A...Z Head) met at various parties and gigs and had several impromptu performances that worked well enough for them to pursue their sound further. Jonny returned from overseas and heard them play. He had known David for years so knew that he could fit right in and let his feelings of excitement for the band known.

David and Ben accepted Jonny into the fold. We did not know that it would work so well; we work hard to make sure it does.

What would you say is the general ethos of All Seeing Hand?

Sharing the perpetual pursuit of uncompromising, quality, mind altering sound experiences.

Aside from your instrumental talents, what do each of you bring to All Seeing Hand as a collective?

David makes an excellent cup of tea.
Jonny brings the gingernuts.
Ben makes the avocado and chippie sandwiches.

We’ve been hearing quite a bit about the Return of the Blob shows, where did the idea to for the three of you to play from inside pink latex suit come from?

It was an idea that grew like a cyst. It was an idea with teeth and hair. It was an idea that applied such pressure to our internal organs that we had to let it out. It was an idea we should never have unleashed; it has escaped us and is no longer our idea but a rogue entity of its own.

It seems the spores have travelled. They have found an hospitable habitat in the morbid mosses of Port Chalmers, and are growing at an alarming rate; a full blown birthing is inevitable. We just hope that someone manages to finally destroy it before any spores leave the Port on some witless sailor's boot.

There have been no other reports.

Once this tour is complete, what's on the cards for the future of All Seeing Hand?

We are hoping to tour Australia, record some more, and start researching touring parts of South East Asia and China, with the hope we may be able to pull it off some time in the next twelve months.