Seven Questions In Heaven With Muj

PHOTO CREDIT: Selin Baykal

Muj is a New York City duo whose kickass video "Got You" was our Song Of The Day earlier this morning. We decided we wanted to know a little bit more about the band, so we spent Seven Questions in Heaven with Allen Hulsey and Emre Atabay.

Describe your music for our readers who may not be familiar with you.
Emre: Muj is a duo with two frontmen. Our music breaks the boundaries of genres and includes everything from electronic to acoustic songs.

Allen: On "Got You" for example, we have included the Saz, a Turkish folk instrument.

Emre: We are a hands-on DIY self-produced band.

Who are your musical influences and idols?
Emre: Queen, Pink Floyd, Radiohead.

Allen: Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, The Rolling Stones.

What was the first album, cassette, or CD you bought with your own money?
Emre: The first cassette I wanted from my mother was Pavarotti at age 3. I then bought Queen, Michael Jackson, and Prodigy.

Allen: The first CDs I bought were Alice In Chains' Unplugged and Pearl Jam's Ten.

What's the story behind the band's name?
Allen: Ask Emre.

Emre: Ask our lawyer.

Tell us about the documentary you're working on.
Emre: It's going to be the dark side of Muj.

Allen: The documentary will focus on what we care about most: music.



I love the video for "Got You." There's so much going on. What does the video signify for you? What does the masked man represent? What is Mujland? With the animation, how long did it take to create?
Emre: Muj is an idea and a philosophy we created together. This environment welcomes people into the land of Muj.

Allen: The "Got You" video was filmed in two days by Selin Baykal. She created the animation and edited the video in two weeks.

Emre: The masked man is the dealer who holds the key to the gates of MujLand. As you can see in the video, we have the last laugh.

What's next for Muj?
Emre: We share an important bond dating back to our introduction. I am Turkish and Allen is an American who grew up in Turkey.

As a New York based band it has alway been exciting to meet our Turkish fans. This summer happens to be the time for us to play in Turkey. We will be filming a music video for our single "Elastic" in Istanbul.

More Muj: Official | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

PHOTO CREDIT: Selin Baykal