LU: You’ve been out of Bermuda for a while, what about the gombeys called to you with this project?
COLLAS: I was playing with and creating these sounds and I felt like the style of the DJs within EDM was a lot of the same. I wanted to create something that was a little different and stood out, but also represented my culture. True story, I was watching the Grammys one night, and Daft Punk had won a bunch of Grammys and it was great. But some press following questioned who Daft Punk really was, who were the men behind the masks. There was a bit of mystique and I found that interesting. A light went off in my head because I was looking for the identity and face of what Noise Cans would be, and the mask really let me pay homage to my culture while also using my imagination and creativity. I thought why not be able to give back to my culture if I mask it. And that’s pretty much how it came out.
LU: Talk about the mask that you had made for yourself.
COLLAS: It’s just my interpretation of what the gombey mask is. I have different versions of them–there’s performance masks that light up and go with the theme of the light show. I have some that cater to my different mood and outfits. We are getting creative with this.
LU: Did you have your own mask and costume growing up?
COLLAS: No, that was never really my thing. I had a few friends and cousins in the gombeys and always admired it. It’s funny: I never expected to tap back into it. That’s the thing about culture—once it’s in you, it’s always there. You never know when it will come out or serve as inspiration, or how it will relate to your life. I never expected to be DJing in a gombey mask. I’m actually now creating with a few gombey friends of mine what I want the next level of outfit or mask to be for Noise Cans.