One of our top new years resolutions was to push the boat out when it came to our listening habits: and one band making sure we are fed with enough material is the Dutch/Mexican act Moon Cabaret. Releasing their latest album Mr. Moon back in October last year, the tracks have given us a taste of beach side antics in Mexico — without all the travelling. Combining quirky songs with latin rhythm, the tracklist is akin to avant-garde cumbia, and is hip-swayingly infectious throughout.

Talking of the Mr. Moon release, the fronting opera diva Laurien Schreuder said, “We are so excited for this release. With Mr. Moon we combine haunting folk music tunes with a backing band of contemporary avant-garde circus brass… hope you love it as much as we do!”

With featuring tracks such as “Á La Nuit Tombée” offering a sample of the cinematic triumph of their uniquely cultivated sound, we are already excited to see the steps the band will go on to take. In lieu of this, we sat with Moon Cabaret to discuss the album further, and how their fascination with the moon came into being.

To watch the music video and to read the full interview, scroll below…

Hi guys, how are you? Where are we speaking to you from right now?
Amsterdam, we are making dinner together, after a week of rehearsals. Working on brand new songs for our festival Jardin Rouge, that we are organising in the centre of Amsterdam in March. The theme is Intergalactic, so we are integrating a lot of space sounds.

First of all, can we start by discussing your name? What is the story behind it?
We are called Moon Cabaret and the album is called Mr. Moon. You can see the ongoing theme. We find the moon fascinating, still figuring out the true power of the moon. We are intrigued by its dark side, and the people of the night it gathers.

You also claim that your sound is a mix of Latin rhythms, Mexican flavours and philosophical messaging! How did you end up mixing all of these different things together? Is there anything or anyone that inspires you?
Our story is human: that of a company built on the road, brought together through unexpected meetings, personal tragedy. Our destiny brought us to Mexico where we met inspiring souls who taught us Latin rhythm. They never left the band. Same story happened in Paris, the poetry remained. Our inspiration? We are as much inspired by musicians such as Alabaster Deplume, Tiger Lillies, Lana Del Rey as by movie makers such as Maya Deren and David Lynch. Besides our heroes, our inspiration comes from unexpected encounters such as Mujeres del Viento Florido in the mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico….

Congratulations on the release of your album, Mr. Moon. Can you talk us through the production process behind the album?
We made things very easy for ourselves, working on three continents at the same time. Writing stories in France, recording brass band in California, and playing claude violon, a self-invented string instrument, in Greece.

What has it been like collaborating with the likes of Snowapple, Michiel Hollanders and Gregg Moore on this project, who joined you as songwriters, producers and arrangers for the project?
It has been an absolute powerhouse. Snowapple wrote the songs, Gregg made the brass arrangements and Michiel glued it all together.

Is there a particular theme or message at the heart of the album?
We travel from city to city telling our stories, asking questions, giving answers. When we travel, it’s not through choice, it’s just our truth. Our stories are often unwanted – in each city we’ve encountered our share of hostility. We are jesters, preachers, liars and poets who have seen too much.

Do you guys have a favourite track on the album?
We are all going in a fight about this question. Yes, but we are not gonna say it.

Now that the album is released, what are you looking forward to next? Is there a tour in the works?
Everything has been postponed, but this year we are lucky. We don’t need to travel in our heads anymore, we are going to Russia, Mexico, Space, many other places and Edinburgh Fringe with our theatre show, see you there!