NAVES INSTINKTS (1994-1998, Riga)
The band NAVES INSTINKTS (english: "Instinct of Death", please go to the S. Freud page...) was founded in 1994 by MADARS when he moved to Latvia's capital city, Riga for studies. Before NAVES INSTINKTS he was the drummer in what was probably his hometown's (Ventspils) first DIY/underground band:NACIJAS URINS (english: "Nation's Urine"). NACIJAS URINS played really dirty and noisy punk and hardcore. Their (N.U.'s) leader was ANDRIS GRANDBERGS, who later started the influential and powerful hard core band SMOGS.
Soon after forming, NAVES INSTINKTS started to play a lot of underground live shows. In autumn 1994 at Tornis Studio they recorded their first demo called "Ko tu raudi?" (english: "what are you crying about?").
Musically NAVES INSTINKTS always was one of the most difficult bands to describe. When they started they were influenced by both mtv-grunge and the Latvian underground scene. In their second recording session (for the album "Infantila aura" (1995 Tornis, cassette)) the band's line up includes a girl playing saxaphone, and on the album as a whole you can feel a little touch of experimental stuff too. Their third album "Sentimenta epidemija" (1996 Tornis, cassette) was a massive, but weird, interpretation of hardcore (recorded by Andris Garndbers, SMOGS, ISMS). The fourth and last album, "Ir un nav" (1997 Tornis, cassette), paid homage to, like, the mighty temple of hard rock.
After releasing the last cassette and some small line-up changes, NAVES INSTINKTS renamed itself M.E.L.O. TESTS.
In addition to the band, MADARS also does some solo stuff. It's mostly acoustic/halfacoustic songs, under the name CIESS. He also was the organizer of last years biggest underground concerts - "Pagrimusais Laikmets" and"Atdod Galus." This mild mannered Rock Hero spends his days working hard for the Latvian government's Culture Ministry!
discography:1. "Ko tu raudi?" (1994 Tornis, cass.)2. "Infantila aura" (1995 Tornis, cass.)3. "Sentimenta epidemija" (1996 Tornis, cass.)4. "Ir un nav" (1997 Tornis, cass.)
