Bedouin Soundclash's Jay Malinowski Talks 'Mariachi-Inspired' Armistice

Posted on May 25th 2011 2:00PM by Anne T Donahue
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Bedouin Soundclash's Jay Malinowski and Béatrice Martin enlisted the Bronx (otherwise known as Mariachi El Bronx) to give their Armistice project a unique mariachi fusion feel. So perhaps it's unsurprising then that the Toronto/Montreal duo have been showered with reviews that highlight the "un-Canadian" vibe to their music.

"I've had that problem my entire life," Malinowski tells Spinner. "My favourite bands have always been the ones that have done a record that is sort of outside of [their spectrum]. That tension point is what makes it interesting, [and] if that's not something Canadians particularly like in the media, that's fair. But that's what I find interesting."

"I remember when we first started off doing this project, we could've played it safe," Martin adds. "We could've done exactly what we knew how to do and do whatever everybody else is doing in Canada -- which is a certain style of music. But then we decided to do something completely ballsy and call in the Bronx to do a mariachi-inspired record and see how people [liked it] when we're just two kids from Canada that don't know anything about that kind of music."

Having released their self-titled debut EP this winter, Martin and Malinowski maintain their venture was simply about experimentation, and despite the bonus of positive critical reception, they refuse to get "too wrapped up in what people think."

Watch Armistice's Video for 'Mission Bells'
"[Armistice reflects] that we can actually do something else, and that we actually get out of the box," Martin asserts. "It's about trying new things. I'll never think about what people might expect anyways, because if you start thinking about that, you're stuck doing one thing forever and you'll never evolve in any way. [This] will surprise people."

"You learn so much from working with different people and doing something different," Malinowski adds. "And that's what makes making music exciting, that communication between the differences with how Beatrice writes and how I would, and working in the studio. It keeps everything fresh."

"It's even good if I'm going to go back and do something with Bedouin," he adds, "there's new things to bring to the table."

Malinowski may have just rejoined his Bedouin brothers for a European tour in support of the band's latest record, 'Light the Horizon,' but he admits he wouldn't mind a bit of a breather after the whirlwind year -- a luxury both he and Martin are aware many musicians don't have.

"When Jay first started Bedouin, he was touring forever before, and I never had that," says Martin. "I had to work a little bit, and I had to tour a little bit, but I never had to eat the breadcrumbs and sleep on the ground of clubs before playing shows and stuff. Since we had the means to do it and the time to do it, we had the luxury to do this for the love of music. That's not something that's given to a lot of people."

As for the future of Armistice? The two remain positive about their collaborative futures.

"If there's a reason to make another one, we definitely will," promises Malinowski.

"If we can keep our stuff together, to release something else would be awesome," agrees Martin. "It was really interesting and I learned a lot, and I definitely will change my work ethics now."