Introduction
Today we interview the 4 piece rock band CADÛ who hail from Vienna, Austria! The band aim to break both social and musical norms in order to inspire listeners to do the same. From personal experience they succeed! With two full length albums out, the latest being “Psychotic Parade” there is plenty of music to enjoy! Check out the interview now and don’t forget to give them some love on social media!
Interview
First of all, could you let us know where the name of the band came from? Also, how is it pronounced?
Clemens: It is pronounced as Tschaduu. I was originally looking for a name that combined voodoo and witchery-related concepts from Celtic and Kurdish origins. It was a cool concept, but it would have never worked as a band name. So we ended up going with the shorter Kurdish word Cadu, meaning “Black Voodoo” or magic.
I think a good place to start would be your debut album Steelstreet, which was released in 2019. I’d love to know what made you have “Mirror I” and “Mirror II”? I ask because it doesn’t seem like you’re afraid of longer songs elsewhere on the record.
Clemens: Thanks for that question—few people dive so deep into the musical narrative of our songs. If you take a look at our other songs like Dead End, Steelstreet Blues, or Create a Haze, they are all circular stories. There are always lyrical and especially musical motifs being repeated or resolved at the end of the song, so these tunes have a narrative that is completed by their conclusion.
Mirror II, however, is a completely different motif than Mirror I—one that was built upon an outro chord that we couldn’t just leave as an outro. Therefore, we decided to use these songs as chapters of a three-part trilogy since they’re more unique as tracks.
Of course, there are songs that do neither, like Lucid Dreaming or Metro, but in those cases, the final part has too little variation to justify being its own tune—it works more as a climax.
Sticking with the same album, the closing track “Hyenas” is a really interesting and fast-paced track. I’d love to know—what was it about hyenas specifically that made you write a song called that?
Scharmien: My first band as a teenager was called “Bank Warschau” and we were working on a song where the animals in the jungle go from one wild party to the next. For us, the hyenas represented the police, always trying to crash every gathering. I shared the memory in the rehearsal room, Clemens thought the idea was hilarious — and just like that, when we were writing the lyrics, it was clear: “Hyenas are running, hyenas are coming” — fuck, the cops are here. Rule of thumb: go to the cops, they’re on your side. They come to you — not so much. We all know stories like that. The Cadû Version can also be understood as a critique of military culture.
You’re from Vienna! Would you be able to let us know a few local bands we should check out?
Clemens: There’s an abundance of great bands in this city. We all have other projects like Triptonus, Tales of Water, The Last Cell, Amour Fou or Liveness. Moreover, you should definitely checkout: Ryte, Lurch, Kubodai, Hypnotic Floor, Speck, Lowbau.
Scharmien: Oh yeah! And also: Slicky Nerves, Lazer, Intra, Wish to Wonder, Opium Masala, Small Souki & the Big Trouble Band, Toxic Violin, Moon Woman, – phu, too many damn good bands around here. Honestly, check out the Austrian label Stonefree Records (we’re on it too). It’s a great starting point for anyone curious about what the Austrian underground scene has to offer — especially in heavy rock shakalaka.
When creating your music, what is the most important thing to your entire process?
Clemens: For me personally, there is a certain edge a song can develop if you mix elements the right way. This edge can be momentary (in terms of sound and stylistic blending) but also within the story (arrangement, development of parts). These are also usually the two stages we assess an idea with: Is the base riff or vocal line intriguing, and where can we take it from there?
Scharmien: Well said!
This might be a tricky one, but what exactly does music mean to you?
Clemens: For me, it’s a bit tricky to label or define music, because as soon as you grasp it, it eludes you again—that’s the magic within it. I’d say it’s the bridge between the physical (frequencies, soundwaves) and the spiritual (associations, feelings). It opens up the mind and body like nothing else. It’s a bridge between the imaginary and the real. For me, music means opening up the soul to what is, what could be, and ultimately—to each other. It’s like a bridge and a rocket.
Scharmien: Rocket-Bridge, I like this! I fully agree and I’d like to add something — especially when it comes to the voice: The voice carries a lot of imagination! Are you telling a story, painting a picture, or using your voice as an instrument? That’s where I also return to the idea of a physical-spiritual connection. Sometimes, a single tone or vowel can say more than an entire story.
Your most recent album Psychotic Parade was released back in 2023. “Lucid Dreaming,” the opening track, was a bit of a hit for you guys! Would you mind breaking down what the song is about and the inspiration behind it?
Scharmien: Mama, we have a hit 😛
One time I woke up from a dream where the ugliness in people kept coming out more and more, breaking down every bit of tenderness. Taking drugs had become more normal than going to therapy. Using weapons was more common than sitting down at a table.
And war seemed more natural than peace. So I woke up from this crazy dream and started writing the lyrics — basically a dream diary song, just using the first string of my guitar. Later I tuned it to open E and added some chords. Then I came to rehearsal and showed the boys the idea. And after a bit of Cadû magic, Lucid Dreaming was a bit of a hit — haha.
Clemens: Personally, I enjoyed the challenge of bringing Scharmien’s story to life through the arrangement—mixing different harmonic places, light and shade, to complement the lyrical narrative.
If you had to select an underappreciated song from the 2023 album, what would you say it is? Also, I’d love to know why you think it deserves more love!
Clemens: I’d say Giant Head. It was a jam with a different guitar tuning and no preparation whatsoever, making it the rawest piece on the entire album. I don’t really care how much love people give it—there’s a chance many like it—but we as a band might give it more love by taking it on stage in the future, perhaps. 😉
If I was to hang out with you in Vienna, what are a few things you would want to show me?
Clemens: Depends on what you like, but a typical Cadû day could be a long walk through the surrounding forests leading down into the city, finishing at an open-air show at Arena. The song Pegel on Steelstreet Blues displays a day like that—if you pay attention to the samples and lyrics in Steelstreet Blues.
Scharmien: Hahaha, true! I’d also go to Zypresse — a small kurdish restaurant on Westbahnstraße in the 7th district. Garip, the owner, cooks everything himself, fresh! It might take a little time, but after all the fast pace of life, you can really enjoy just being together. After that, I’d hope it’s the first Thursday of the month so we can take you to the Donnerjam at Café Carina.
What exactly does a Psychotic Parade look like?
Clemens: Well, it can be a fun place, and it can be a pretty rough spot—without going too much into detail. As for the event series called Psychotic Parade, I think it’s best Scharmien describes it.
Scharmien: I once wrote: “So, we know that the world is fucked up and doomed…. just like us. But we’re sick of the „age of anxiety“! We are more driven to party! We want to celebrate sound, beautiful creatures, art, crises, improvisations, energy and ourselves. You too? Then come with us to the PSYCHOTIC PARADE!”
You know, in times of change – and oh yeah, we’re definitely living through some wild shifts right now – people are often full of hate and anger. But if you manage to find that one little thing that still gives you a sense of fulfillment… a whole wave of other fun emotions starts to follow – and those emotions – that’s what the parade is made of: plurality, the expression of diversity, celebrating sound beyond genres. And you can totally hear that on the album, right?
Following up that idea, we wanted to create a live experience in which performance art and music flow together. A Parade! So we invited some friends: multiple bands and dancers, a shaman, a DJ. And boom, there it was: the fulfillment, the joyful chaos, the “fuck, I’m coming” moment – the recipe for our personal Psychotic Parade!
If you had to write an advertising slogan for Cadu, what would you use?
Clemens: Cadu – Chameleons aspiring drunk utility.
Scharmien: Cadû – Can anyone Dance ûhlala
Finally, why Prog Rock? What is it about the genre that just felt right for you?
Clemens: Honestly, I don’t really like the term prog rock, as it implies complexity for complexity’s sake—which, with all due respect to the prog giants, is not the aim of our songs.
We just take the freedom to express ourselves in whatever way we want, and to go places with our music that are raw, honest, and surprising. We write stories that take the listener on a journey beyond the usual format.
We are definitely inspired by many progressive bands, but for us, the story is the key element. Complexity is just a tool we use—a byproduct of the narrative reflecting our lives and experiences.Sometimes it’s an epos (Dead End), sometimes it’s a Watschn (Psychotic Parade), and sometimes it’s Monty Python on mushrooms (Pegel). We pick the sounds that suit the story.
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