Interview: Social Chaos
by Rafael Karasu (rafael@karasukiller.com)
originally published in EL ZINE (Japan) "Unfinished Conspiracy" Vol.11
2011/02

Social Chaos

Social Chaos arised in late 2001, formed by members of old brazilian ragers like ROT and F.D.S., and musically inspired by most of the 80's bands such as Anti Cimex, AxeGrinder, Rattus, Concrete Sox, Sepultura. Latest album called "Ciclo da Traição" (Cycle of Betrayed) was released this year by Karasu Killer Records in Japan, is some of the most raw and agressive music to ever come from Brazil since a long time. Imagine HellShock covering Sepultura circa "Beneath the Remains" in a basement infested by rats carring tropical diseases!Eleven songs of pure madness!

1- Tell us a little about the band’s history, the discography, the first shows. And also, what’s the meaning of the band’s name?
The Social Chaos began its work in late 2001 when I left the FDS, a band that I helped to found in 1989 and did the vocals, we have enough material recorded but could cite for me the most important is our first album the split LP with CHC and our latest album "Ciclo da Traição" (Cycle of Betrayed) and the name despite its simplicity reflects all the clutter of a bankrupt company and sold to the capitalist system, not caring about the present, not caring all that taught her a dirty past and so condemning their future, and social chaos.

2- What are the themes in the lyrics? How’s the writing process?
All we skinned alive on a daily basis as the lack of respect for life, animal exploitation, destruction of our planet, gratuitous violence and so on, our songs start with no prediction, and only a moment is a creation, how it works.

3- Do all the band members have a day job, or do you live off your music? What’s the hardest thing about having a band in Brazil?
All band members are always fucked up most of the time unemployed and looking for what to do to keep the band in action, since much money must be used to keep breathing and surviving, not living in the band, that's for sure, but we invest very alert and to keep alive the flame of resistance for freedom, this is the only way to have a band in Brazil.

4- What are your biggest influences?
Our influences as he had said, only by the need for a way of expression, where the music, putting out all this oppression caused by the pressure that we experience every day, we are influenced by the chaos, now musically influenced by all the bands since it has a history of rebellion until the present day.

5-And the current state of Brazilian underground, what’s good and what’s bad? Is there support?
Much happens here, many bands, zines, folks engaged in the cause, but all very changeable, highly influenced and such ...here is a scene that could be much higher if the call was a bit more imperialist absent, if the support the local scene existed on a larger scale, but always ends up being the same, older staff is supporting the scene running with his bands always more active or open spaces for which there may be a sample scene more palpable, less virtual.

6- More and more we talk about corruption, violence and unemployment in Brazil, what do you see for the country’s future?
You do not need much thinking to know that a country that moves between these conditions, future? not agree with anything that happens here, we do our part!

7-Social Chaos can be considered one of the most respected bands in the São Paulo scene. When you guys started this band, did you imagine you could receive this much response in São Paulo as well as everywhere else in the world?
Actually we do not believe we're big, but we believe that with each passing day there is more respect for the hard work we do, always adding one more ally,another person who also becomes a walk beside us, all we have achieved in the time that the band has never been expected because we know what we seek, always remembering that many times to achieve something here in Brazil as a band has to be through good recognition out there, that's sad.

8-How many times has Social Chaos toured Europe already? Which countries have you played in?Tell us a little about the Social Chaos European Tour 2010!
We have done three tours, 2005, 2009, 2010 across Europe, all of them were long. ... I'll try to cite all countries that have already passed. Germany, Denmark, Finland, Holland, Belgium, France, Italy, Austria, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Croatia, Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia, may have forgotten some, laughs! on the tour this year 2010 we decided to be in Europe in the months that happen the big summer festivals, which was not hard to get in by being aware that the organizers of the festivals have for our work throughout Europe, we aim to be established within a few major festivals and from them to be organizing the rest of our tour,this tour was able to be in big festivals like Obscene Extreme Festival [cz] Puntala Rock Festival [Finland], Monte Paradiso Festival [Croatia], Vive le punk [France], Break the Silence [Germany] among others, and be sharing the stage with big bands and considered as Active Minds, Hi polloi, Doom, DRI, Raw Power, citing that only older bands without forgetting all the bands and people who were very present in our tour being able to quote Thrash Punk band from Berlin Katyusha.

9- What does punk/hardcore mean in your lives? Can Social Chaos be considered a punk/hardcore band in sonority as much as in attitude?
Punk represents for us a big gate open for our freedom, we are a punk band but in essence, just updated.

10-What are you guys listening to nowadays?
Hard to mention, easier to imagine, laugh!

11- Besides playing in Social Chaos, you have side projects, how do you manage to dedicate yourselves equally between all of them?
We don't have other bands.

12- Many Brazilian bands want to play in Japan, what’s the possibility of Social Chaos coming here for a tour?
Yes many bands want to play in Japan, but there is a great wall between wanting to be there and the costs are too high but this is our next big step, already being planned in Japan in 2012 for a long tour.

13- What do you know about the Japanese hardcore scene? What bands do you like, and what impresses you about them?
I've always had great admiration for the Japanese scene, since the mid 80's that I hear now as it reminds Gauze, Lip Cream, Systematic Death, SOB, Run, which always impressed me Japanese bands is the speed, sound quality, and the way Japanese as the Brazilian or Finnish has its characteristics and its special way of being.

14- What message do you have for ELZINE's Japanese readers and Social Chaos fans here in Japan?
I am a great admirer of the Japanese scene, we hope to have the opportunity to be in Japan one day and show you all wrath and anger of Social Chaos, cheers and freedoom!

Contact:
socialchaos@uol.com.br
www.myspace.com/socialchaos01