KRAAK Fest 25 HIGHLIGHTS: Giulio Erasmus & The Ex-Worm 3000
Something else, distortion. Sometimes, faint. Everything, muffled. Giulio Erasmus doesn’t take the same route every day, but you’ll want to join him for this one. At Meakusma 2024 he played as a quintet with The End Of The Worm and at KRAAK Fest he’ll perform with Ex-Worm 3000 ~ here he tackles some dreaded questions before going back into his sinkhole, read into the sparsity as only a Manchester native would!
Most of the information online focuses on your role in the bands Handle and D.U.D.S. and being the son of Alan Erasmus. Can you tell us a bit more about yourself and your musical trajectory?
I have limited visibility (online, not in real life) so most info tends to be about the things you’ve mentioned. My name is in fact Giulio, I grew up in South Manchester and since 2019 i reside in Brussels living a quiet sedentary life. I like to mumble into mics, tap and pluck instruments when the feeling takes me. At the moment i write mostly starting with rhythm and bass. My trajectory? I seem to be on a sort of steady slope, going up or down i'm not sure, depends where you stand.
Also, we’re curious to know who exactly Ex-Worm 3000 is. When did you meet and how did you get the idea to play together?
Ex-Worm 3000, The End of the Worm, The Worm Parade/Paradigm, The Universe etc. are the group that accompany me, and a fine bunch they are! I originally made the attempt to play this material alone but it felt very tepid...thats where the idea of playing as a group came along. Fortunately those involved were free and interested enough to actually play this tripe !
After spending quite some time in Brussels, how has being here shaped your musical (and whatever other) identity vis à vis your Mancunian background?
Manchester formed me and Brussels deformed me! I suppose there's a bit more exposure to ,for lack of a better word, 'daring' music here.
Your music has a kind of laid-back feel to it. Does this apply to your compositional process too?
Like i said, i usually start composing with percussion and bass.. although there's been times for example where i've sellotaped a microphone to my ankle and walked around a train station...i guess the process can take different forms. I'm getting a bit more into making little sound collages.
Laid-back? I don't know really, i don't really make much abrasive music anymore anyway.
I suppose the problem with bass and rhythm is that it can quickly go down a well trodden path...i have a lot of disused tracks that just sound like limp imitations of the Contortions spliced with Sly and Robbie !
basically giulio
What (projects) do you have coming up in the future? Is there already a third “attempt” in the making?
My third attempt will be called 'HARD SELL’ (some tracks are recorded with the group) and should hopefully be out in the spring, and Handle's long overdue 2nd album should be out this year.
Also me and my friend Dafni P of Bamya (difficult to define trio formerly based in Glasgow) have started a project called POTAMUS…hopefully will record that one day too !
Giulio Erasmus & the worm people are barely online but you can check out the Meakusma live recording on Bandcamp as well as his album Second Attempt. Catch them at KRAAK Festival 2025 Het Bos March 8, get your tickets here before they gone!