The Accent’s On The Offbeat (Rmx by Alec Empire) by siluh

FINALLY ! It’s here… Austrian Indie band Landscape Izuma compiled a great remix mini album last year and released it in digital format. Since then key DJs started to spin it and it gained real credits amongst collectors.

NOW they are putting out a limited edition which comes in amazing packaging!

ALEC EMPIRE:” We have given a limited number of the real CD masters to key DJs end of last year. I always thought that the mp3 version didn’t get enough that heavy bassline across in clubs. So many people have since requested the tracks to be released as a ‘real’ record. I am so glad they have made this! The track has been a highlight in my DJ sets since months…Get your hands on this fast as it is very limited!”

Released by: siluh

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http://www.rcrdlbl.com/artists/Alec_Empire/track/1000_Eyes_

Short message from Alec:” The tour is awesome so far….a lot of sweat, a lot of intensity! This is why we do it! ”

Full Tourdates

ALEC EMPIRE
The Past – The Present – The Future Tour 2009

15.10.2009 F-la Tronche, La Faiencerie
16.10.2009 B-Antwerp, Petrol
17.10.2009 Hannover, Indiego Glocksee
20.10.2009 Essen, Grend
21.10.2009 K?ln, Underground
22.10.2009 Hamburg, Logo
23.10.2009 Berlin, K17
24.10.2009 Cottbus, Gladhouse
25.10.2009 PL-Gdynia, Ucho
27.10.2009 CZ-Prague, Lucerna Music Bar
28.10.2009 A-Linz, Stadtwerkstatt
29.10.2009 A-Wien, Szene
30.10.2009 Ingolstadt, Paradox
31.10.2009 Leipzig, Lagerhof
06.11.2009 NL-Den Haag, Bazart
07.11.2009 NL-Utrecht, DBs
18.11.2009 GB-Newport, TJs
19.11.2009 GB-London, O2 Academy Islington
20.11.2009 GB-Birmingham, Eddie?s
21.11.2009 GB-Manchester, Club Academy
22.11.2009 GB-Edinburgh (GB), GRV
25.11.2009 CH-Z?rich, Stall 6
26.11.2009 F-Perpignan, CrockMore
27.11.2009 CH-Vevey, Rocking Chair
28.11.2009 I-Florence (I), Siddharta
07.12.2009 I-Roma, Atlantico
31.07.2010 PL-Bolkow, Castle Party

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watch exclusive trailer here!

Sonic terrorist, Alec Empire, returns for another blistering series of live dates here in the UK that looks set to blow the roof off every venue it invades across the country.

?1000 Eyes? is the new download only single taken off the animated short film, ?The Golden Foretaste of Heaven?. After the critical acclaim of his mini album, ?Shivers?, earlier this year, Alec channelled his dark energy into creating a brooding, mesmerising soundtrack to the hotly tipped film by Austrian rising star, Richard Wilhelmer.

Fresh off supporting Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails on their European leg of the tour, Alec will bring his awesome live setup to the UK showcasing material from a career spanning almost two decades. Always a knack for spotting new talent, Alec has collaborated with Robbie Furze from The Big Pink on the track, ?If You Live or Die? off his last album and has produced and written Patrick Wolf?s lead single, ?Vultures?.

Wolf also appeared on stage with Empire during his sold out London date at The Underworld earlier this year and looks certain to join up with his partner in crime for the Islington Academy show in London on November 19.

Having recently remixed IAMX, ex Sneaker Pimp, Chris Corner?s new single ?Terrified?, the hardest working Berliner in music?s next project is a team up with Major Lazer and Saul Williams for some new tracks and a remix special with Dillinger Escape Plan later this year.

As a special treat for UK fans, Alec has roped in up & coming alt techno-core outfit, Motor, who are currently on tour with D?p?che Mode as support for his UK dates.

Alec has once again reinvented himself and you can witness the Empire effect first hand this autumn as Nic Endo and him take to a stage near you.

1000 Eyes (Single Version) / Alec Empire by alec_empire
ALEC EMPIRE
The Past – The Present – The Future Tour 2009

15.10.2009 F-la Tronche, La Faiencerie
16.10.2009 B-Antwerp, Petrol
17.10.2009 Hannover, Indiego Glocksee
20.10.2009 Essen, Grend
21.10.2009 K?ln, Underground
22.10.2009 Hamburg, Logo
23.10.2009 Berlin, K17
24.10.2009 Cottbus, Gladhouse
25.10.2009 PL-Gdynia, Ucho
27.10.2009 CZ-Prague, Lucerna Music Bar
28.10.2009 A-Linz, Stadtwerkstatt
29.10.2009 A-Wien, Szene
30.10.2009 Ingolstadt, Paradox
31.10.2009 Leipzig, Lagerhof
06.11.2009 NL-Den Haag, Bazart
07.11.2009 NL-Utrecht, DBs
18.11.2009 GB-Newport, TJs
19.11.2009 GB-London, O2 Academy Islington
20.11.2009 GB-Birmingham, Eddie?s
21.11.2009 GB-Manchester, Club Academy
22.11.2009 GB-Edinburgh (GB), GRV
25.11.2009 CH-Z?rich, Stall 6
26.11.2009 F-Perpignan, CrockMore? NEW!!!
27.11.2009 CH-Vevey, Rocking Chair
28.11.2009 I-Florence (I), Siddharta
07.12.2009 I-Roma, Atlantico
31.07.2010 PL-Bolkow, Castle Party
If You Live Or Die live by alec_empire

for more information visit Alec Empire’s website
remember to SUBSCRIBE TO EYHO Blog – It’s free!

+++Breaking News:
ALEC EMPIRE joins NINE INCH NAILS on European dates!+++

+++Legendary band FAUST asks Alec to come out and rock the electronics at KLANGBAD FESTIVAL! (August 8th, alongside Dalek, Unit M?bius, Cluster, Harmonia and more!)+++

+++In case you have missed it:

Check out link for Alec Empire’s remix for Patrick Wolf single “Hard Times”
click here!

Alec Empire and Nic Endo did an exclusive performance at Artrocker Festival:
click here to listen to audio +++

After the exciting start in May “Past – Present -Future Tour 2009!” we announce new dates!

(Did you miss any of the May shows? Read review of London show here, Patrick Wolf came on stage during the set and Nic Alec went to play “Vultures” and ATR’s “Revolution Action” )

23 Jun 2009 Nine Inch Nails/ Alec Empire @ Malta // Poznan (PL)
24 Jun 2009 Nine Inch Nails/ Alec Empire @ O2 // Prague (CZ)
26 Jun 2009 Alec Empire @ Fusion Festival! // L?rz (D)
20 Jul 2009 Nine Inch Nails/ Alec Empire @ Vrahon Theatre // Athens (GR)
24 Jul 2009 Nine Inch Nails/ Alec Empire @ Syma Sport and Event Centr // Budapest (HUN)
28 Jul 2009 Nine Inch Nails/ Alec Empire @ Nimes Festival France // Nimes (F)
30 Jul 2009 Nine Inch Nails/ Alec Empire @ La Riviera // Madrid (ES)
31 Jul 2009 Alec Empire live @ BT 59 // Bordeaux (F)
08 Aug 2009 Special ALEC EMPIRE DJ performance @ Faust?s “Klangbad Festival”! // Scheer (D)
27 Aug 2009 Alec Empire DJ @ IKRA // Moscow (RUS)
10 Sep 2009 Alec Empire solo live @ GOGBOT and ATOMPUNK Festival // Enschede (NL)
26 Sep 2009 Alec Empire live @ Ososphere Festival // Strasbourg (F)
02 Oct 2009 Alec Empire solo live @ De:sonanz Festival // Skopje (EJRM)
15 Oct 2009 Alec Empire live @ La Faiencerie // la Tronche (F)
16 Oct 2009 Alec Empire live @ Petrol // Antwerp (B)
17 Oct 2009 Alec Empire live @ Indiego Glocksee // Hannover (D)
20 Oct 2009 Alec Empire live @ Grend // Essen (D)
21 Oct 2009 Alec Empire live @ Underground // Cologne (D) Tickets available at TICKET 69
22 Oct 2009 Alec Empire live @ Logo // Hamburg (D) Tickets available at TICKET 69
23 Oct 2009 Alec Empire live @ K17 // Berlin (D)
24 Oct 2009 Alec Empire live @ Gladhouse // Cottbus (D) Tickets availbale at EVENTIM
27 Oct 2009 Alec Empire live @ Lucerna Music Bar // Prague (CZ)
28 Oct 2009 Alec Empire live @ Stadtwerkstatt // Linz (A)
29 Oct 2009 Alec Empire live @ Szene // Vienna (A)
30 Oct 2009 Alec Empire live @ Paradox // Ingolstadt Tickets available at TICKET 69
31 Oct 2009 Alec Empire live @ Lagerhof // Leipzig Tickets available at TICKET 69

+++After getting really exciting reviews Alec Empire’s “Shivers” is out since a few weeks. (there are too many out there to link, but check NME, click here )

note: digital version on iTunes includes bonus concert release “Live At ?bel Gef?hrlich Club 2007, feat. Robbie Furze/The Big Pink on guitars”
Beatport version has all instrumentals for all DJs.

+++Click here for Hellish Vortex link to purchase limited edition physical copy :

+++Check out lead track “Control Drug” on Big Stereo

+++The Hellish Vortex in the studio right now:

Massive collaboration Nic Endo / Alec Empire and CX KIDTRONIK (DJ of Saul Williams and Kanye West!!!) http://www.myspace.com/cxkidtronik

+++Alec Empire collaborates with MOTOR!

http://www.myspace.com/motor66!

+++more news soon!+++

Visit EYHO all over the net for updates, audio files, pictures and videos:

EAT YOUR HEART OUT BLOG
FOLLOW ALEC EMPIRE ON TWITTER
ALEC EMPIRE
EAT YOUR HEART OUT website
NIC ENDO
MYSPACE
YOUTUBE
LAST.FM
DAILYMOTION
ATARI TEENAGE RIOT

make sure you subscribe to EYHO Blog! it’s free!

CLICK HERE FOR EXCLUSIVE PERFORMANCE!!!!!!

VAGABONDO 2009

Over 4 virtual stages will run a program on the magazine’s website www.artrocker.tv from May 25.

Artrocker magazine invited a selection of bands to a studio to create original recordings for the festival.

The sessions can be streamed or downloaded for one week. Ambient, Spoken Word, Noise and Experimental pieces are performed by participants like

New York’s Suicide, Alec Empire & Nic Endo, The Aliens , Art Brut, The Dandy Warhols, Everything Everything, Violet Violet, Televised Crimewave and others.

Artrocker Magazine is really pushing boundaries with this projects, forcing the artists to leave their comfort zones and express themselves in ways they’d normally not do!

MAKE SURE YOU TUNE IN!

www.eyho-blog.com

http://www.gigwise.com/reviews/live/50750/Friday-010509-Alec-Empire-Patrick-Wolf-@-The-Underworld-Camden

we are partying in Amsterdam tonight. having a great time. not these dumb drink yourself stupid so you forget times, it’s more like we met so many supporters again, people who really care…and after months of recording for films this just feels great!

on the way to here I read this German article about how “young people” don’t care about politics anymore and that whole blah. Well, I have seen the exact difference …and not only at our shows, the G20 rallys, Mayday…Heard “Chaostage” Berlin Premiere was sold out in minutes.

To the fifty year olds who try to analyze what’s happening: the new codes are different, they are more complex. A t-shirt doesn’t mean much if you don’t know the person who wears it. We are in disguise.

Will post more soon.

Never give up the fight,

Alec

www.eyho-blog.com

“THE WHOLE WORLD SEEMS TO BE ON A BAD DRUG”

Alec Empire , taken from Control Drug of SHIVERS

Hey!

It’s spring 2009! flowers start to grow…slowly but surely!

The Golden Foretaste of Heaven Film by Richard Wilhelmer went down like a storm at Los Angeles David Lynch screening “Engine Collision Fest” and Austria’s “Diagonale” Film Festival.
watch the trailer here

While Alec’s DJ Mix album “Rauschgold” for Staubgold Records gets great reviews (a small selection of online reviews which you might not come across that easily)
digitalisindustries.com
digitalmcd.com
thesilentballet.com
hairentertainment.com

ALEC AND NIC HAVE PRODUCED NEW RECORD CALLED “SHIVERS”, a 7 track mini album (estimated playing time over 30min though). Release Date May 8th.

tracklist

Control Drug

Shivers

Baby Skull

Vampire State

t.o.t.

If You Live Or Die (2009 version feat. Robbie Furze/Big Pink on guitars)

1000 Eyes (The Golden Foretaste of Heaven Film version 2009)

Note: iTunes will have a full concert as a bonus available. (more infos soon)

Watch first part of making of series. in these videos Alec is recording weird synths which will then later make it into the songs. He also gives a quick run down on what’s happening (the films etc.).

Click here to watch

Click here to watch interview

With “Shivers” and the 2009 tour “Past -Present- Future” the Hellish Vortex launches completely redesigned Alec Empire website.
www.alec-empire.com

Make sure you click through the history section. We think the website has been long overdue. It was about time that a site explains Empire’s spider web of productions and projects…. venom

Follow Alec on twitter http://twitter.com/ALEC_EMPIRE
Join Alec on facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alec-Empire/10224966919
Alec’s myspace http://www.myspace.com/alecempire

DATES!!!!!

18th of April Bass Terror official release via iTunes, Beatport and over 60 other online music stores.

20th of April Patrick Wolf/Alec Empire collaboration hits stores. “Vultures” will be available as 7 inch vinyl and digital. Patrick Wolf – Vulture

Click here to watch

ALEC EMPIRE & NIC ENDO

THE PAST – THE PRESENT – THE FUTURE TOUR 2009

Presented by Sonic Seducer Magazine

30.04.2009 Vorselaar (B) – Edma

01.05.2009 London (GB) – The Underworld / get tickets here or here
02.05.2009 Manchester (GB) – Satan?s Hollow / get tickets here or here
03.05.2009 Glasgow (GB) – Ivory Blacks / get tickets here or here Or here
05.05.2009 Norwich (GB) – The Waterfront
06.05.2009 Amsterdam (NL) – Paradiso
07.05.2009 Hengelo (NL) – Metropool
08.05.2009 Reutlingen – franz.K
09.05.2009 Jena – Kassablanca
23.10.2009 Berlin – K17
24.10.2009 Cottbus – Gladhouse / get tickets here
28.10.2009 Linz (A) – Stadtwerkstatt
29.10.2009 Wien (A) – Szene
30.10.2009 Ingolstadt – Paradox / get tickets here
31.10.2009 Leipzig – Lagerhof / get tickets here
more dates added soon.

What else is hot right now?
Alec Empire remixing next Patrick Wolf single “Hard Times”.
Nic Endo officially writing music for David Mack’s Kabuki. (more news soon!)

Film Chaostage (with Alec’s music) starts in German cinemas this month.
click here for full list of showtimes and locations!

DIGITAL HARDCORE UK OPENS FULL ON WEBSTORE!

You requested Flac? You got it!

Make sure you check out completely new digital store at Digital Hardcore Recordings UK
http://digitalhardcore.greedbag.com/
It’s ALL up there.

Support independent artists you like, don’t support hypocrites like Pirate Bay who make millions of advertising and who are financed by right wing business men (to then point the finger at their own users in court, claiming that they do the crime. not cool! Liars!).

Click here to watch

We hope to see you at the shows or parties! Keep thinking about news ways to think! Stay awake!

Best wishes from Berlin,

EYHO Team

www.eyho-blog.com

Visit The Hellish Vortex store : many rare items up for sale this month

watch trailer here

www.eyho-blog.com
www.alec-empire.com

HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR!

While music journalists in Germany are wondering what happened to pop music (yes, we said it years ago. In a globalized economy national pop music is becoming less relevant every year. Music , after all, is not that different to the rest of the economy.) , we continue our path into the future.

Just got back from Portugal, crazy New Years Eve rave with 2000+ kids going mental (we know this term is totally British and a taboo term in modern Indie music, that’s why it has to be used again from now on. Creds to Garagem to make it happen!). Hardcore, hardcore hardcore. Drug music, dangerous and without any context to what we used to call western pop music.

People are angry, that’s why.

Gone is the decade of whiny upper class kids who pay their way into the music scene (because nobody else can afford it any longer). People feel and know that middle and working class have been pushed down by the super rich over the past decade, and now the dream of the rising working class rock’n'roll band has been lost…maybe forever.

(Remember, mostly, these images were marketing campaigns to sell a “product” to us. “These guys are like you, now go buy it.” We were never into buying music that reminds us of our neighbors…why? Because we hate them as much as they hate us.)

Now is the time for a new underground to emerge. NOW!

We want music which is exciting, thrilling, passionate, dangerous and unpredictable. The minds of the new generation are open and ready for change. It won’t happen in one day, but the door is open and it will stay open… for a while.

Those who sit back, those who are passive and expect corporations to deliver everything to them, will be left behind.

The new listener is active, is searching the internet for new music, the new listener is questioning any written information about music (yes, you, you journalists who have become the little finger of the corporates. You lost your integrity, once lost, no way to get it back…that’s part of the game.), the new listener is making up his/her own mind, creating his/her own taste. The new listener is thinking, because knowledge and ideas are gold in this era.

The old way of capitalism has failed. Even many conservatives are waking up now. In Paris we have seen more burning cars on New Years Eve than ever before.

We don’t need guns, our weapon is the mind…and we are ready to riot at any time.

I don’t need to say that our solidarity is with those who supported, lost and loved Alexandros Grigoropoulos.
(I didn’t want to say anything right away, because too many bands try to sell something on the back of those tragedies. And I hate that. But we received so many emails asking where we stand, I wanted to get it out. This is where we stand!)

The super rich are not paying taxes, why does the police protect them? They should protect the people. Us.

In 2008 we started and finished many new things : New music, films scores and more.

Thank you all for your ongoing loyalty and support!

In 2009 many of the projects we were working on are being released and premiered.

In a minute I’ll give you an update on shows and live events that we’ll do over the coming months, but 3 concerts need to be mentioned now:
Alec Empire is playing 3 exclusive shows in Great Britain. London , Manchester and Glasgow.

Alec and his band (yes, including Nic Endo) will play material from following albums: Generation Star Wars, The Destroyer, Miss Black America, Intelligence & Sacrifice, Futurist, Atari Teenage Riot (plus special guests!), The Golden Foretaste of Heaven and present new songs from the upcoming album to be released later this year.

As you might know, the shows are happening around Alec’s birthday (2nd of May) and the anniversary of ATR’s legendary show on May 1st 1999

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ab7Dksqfnw

This will be a huge party and ticket sales are super limited.

01.05.2009 London (GB) – The Underworld (doors 7pm) tickets available through www.flagpromotions.com & www.ticketweb.co.uk
02.05.2009 Manchester (GB) – Satan?s Hollow (doors 6pm) tickets available through www.flagpromotions.com & www.ticketweb.co.uk
03.05.2009 Glasgow (GB) – Ivory Blacks (doors 7pm) tickets available through www.tickets-scotland.com / www.seetickets.com / www.ticketweb.co.uk

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!the_future!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jan 10th Alec Empire & T Raumschmiere & Aux Raus! in Paris at SCANDALE!

Jan 15th Alec Empire & The Hellish Vortex in Budapest!

Jan 31st Alec Empire spinning at Chaostage Screening Saarbr?cken Film Festival

Feb 12th Alec Empire, Tresor & Think Sync present huge Berlinale Party in Berlin:

Line Up includes Andrew Weatherall, David Holmes (soundtracks for Ocean 11-13), Zan Lyons, Alec Empire, T Raumschmiere, DJ Reznik and more!
You will have the chance to see films involving Alec Empire’s music for the first time in public. (a sci-fi animation film directed by Richard Wilhelmer “The Golden Foretaste of Heaven” staring Robert Stadlober! Then Miron Zownir’s masterpiece “Phantomanie” staring Natalia Avelon, Bruno S, and more! Alec has written the score for this Berlin noir thriller. And the “Chaostage” gang will show exclusive material from the soon to be released film …but there will be lots more. We will post details over the coming weeks.)

Feb 21st Alec Empire & The Hellish Vortex live Barcelona/ Spain

THE GLOVES ARE OFF! THE BUBBLE HAS BURST!

Bass Terror 2xCD is available as CD only release next week (January 5th).
please note: only 3 copies of limited edition package left. (thanks for all your emails asking to repress, but we feel that the idea of a limited collectors release is that it stays limited, even if there is more demand. It would be unfair for those who supported the release so far.)

for those who know

subscribe to www.eyho-blog.com – this is where it happens.
click here to rss blog
click here to register – it’s free – access free DJ mixes – get infos before the others

“What a great E.P. clickclickclick, it sounds like stuff by Notwist but not made on a farm in Bavaria , more like in a back building studio in Barcelona . Can’t decide which mix i like more , they’re all great !!”

IAN POOLEY

http://www.ianpooley.com/

(the photo above shows the man himself and his 2 dogs….yes, the EP has frequencies running which are higher than high….if Ian’s dogs react like they do…well… just saying….)

Hey!

As of today, we are offering various releases as high quality MP3 DOWNLOADS (some of them include full digital booklet artwork) in the THV online shop. …Starting with the following releases:

Eat Your Heart Out mix Vol.1 – DJ Alec Empire
We Punk Einheit – Nintendo Teenage Robots
Alec Empire vs. Elvis Presley – Alec Empire
Satellite Of Fear mix – DJ Alec Empire
The Golden Foretaste Of Heaven – Alec Empire
The Curse Of The Golden Vampire – Alec Empire + Techno Animal
The Destroyer – Alec Empire
GEIST mix – DJ Alec Empire
Japanese Noise mix- DJ Alec Empire
Kolorit Remix EP – Landscape Izuma
Black Ark – Carl Crack
At The Apple Store Shibuya – DJ Alec Empire
Needle Injection mix – DJ Alec Empire

Keep checking for up-dates on new mp3 downloads in the store, as we will be gradually put up more download releases in the next couple of weeks!

(Please note, that customers paying by bank transfer (money order) can access the downloads in their shop account after receipt of payment. They will get notified in a separate email.)
________________________________________________________________

What’s more: we do now have following GEIST & DHR CD releases back in stock again:

Low On Ice – Alec Empire
Generation Starwars – Alec Empire
Les Etoiles Des Filles Mortes – Alec Empire
Hypermodern Jazz – Alec Empire
Death Favors The Enemy DVD – Alec Empire
Futurist – Alec Empire
Intelligence & Sacrifice – Alec Empire
Riot Zone – Various artists
______________________________________________________________________

Look forward to Alec Empire’s “BASS TERROR EDITION” and a new range of Atari Teenage Riot T-Shirts to be released in 2-3 weeks from now!

http://www.shop.the-hellish-vortex.com/

Alec Empire’s Label Eat Your Heart Out pr?sentiert eine exklusive Remix EP der Indie Band Landscape Izuma, dessen Tran Lap Vinh Georg aus Wien f?r Aufsehen sorgt!

Sein Debut Album “Kolorit” (ver?ffentlicht auf Robert Stadlober’s Label Siluh) wird als spannender Take auf die “Slowcore” Indie Bewegung gesehen.

Die Remixer nehmen die eher intimen Stimmungen des Albums auf und transportieren sie direkt in die Clubs! Indie und Electro gehen immer besser zusammen.

Perfekt f?r DJs UND Musikfans, da es sich nicht nur um DJ Tools handelt, sondern auch ausserhalb der Tanzfl?chen Spass macht.

The remix EP takes the intimate soundscapes of the album out onto the dance floors.

Siluh and Eat Your Heart Out collaborated and brought together well-respected remix producers from varied areas of electronic music.The result is an overwhelming mix of cutting-edge DJ tracks.

“My thinking is way more radical than it used to be but I’m afraid that the next steps would involve getting weapons.”

Denying that he’s in any way mellowed with age, erstwhile Atari Teenage Riot (ATR) chief and Digital Hardcore guru Alec Empire admits he’s somewhat ambivalent about today’s world and the prospects for its future.

“I feel frightened when mainstream politicians use the same language as the Nazis did; I feel frightened when people worry about the colours of their trainers and the next Justice record, while there is a war going on in the world,” says Alec.

“But Skinheads will finally die out; nationalism has no future. Which is a good side effect in a globalized world. But like every dying animal, they might hurt many people on their way out,” he predicts.

The conversations turned to skinheads in relation to an Indymedia article describing neo-nazis regularly attacking ATR gigs, when the band preached anti-fascism in the 90s, a period he looks back on with equally mixed memories.

“I was harmed many times but I fought back, haha, so I got some of those assholes pretty bad but I always hated being in those situations; such a bad vibe,” says Alec.

“But it’s still a reality in many parts of Germany. And this is what the cynics should realise. While we can do our parties and shut down our minds as much as we want, the neo-nazis keep fighting their battle. They will keep pushing further. This is why apolitical music helps the neo-nazis.”

That Alec’s music has rarely been apolitical goes without saying though recently he’s undergone a radical transformation, as the press release to new album ‘The Golden Foretaste of Heaven’ explicitly states.

“Out goes Digital Hardcore and all the Atari baggage, in comes (new label) Eat Your Heart Out and a smart new sound and style,” it says.

“The image may have changed but the aggression and political savvy are still there; they’re just presented in a different way. Think AND dance.”

Alec Empire – Robot L.O.V.E. (radio edit)

Chatting to Skrufff via email, Alec’s as open as he’s articulate, reflecting his well-deserved reputation as one of today’s smartest-and freshest underground artists.

Skrufff (Jonty Skrufff): Starting with the music: on the biog you say ‘I bought a Russian synthesiser and Nic Endo and I devised a new direction which we’re now moving in’: “I wanted to reorient myself completely’; what prompted the desire for a radical change?

Alec Empire: “When I started recording the new album I wrote the song 1000 Eyes. We were listening to the track with some friends of mine and everybody was really blown away by that song somehow. This hit me by surprise a bit as I never ‘construct’ songs really, I just express how I feel. so it made me think about my new sound and why I feel different right now than I used to.

There was also that feeling that I didn’t see the need to say the same political things over and over again. People are listening to my older records; many are actually discovering them now. And my lyrics still reach people because they are more about a certain kind of world view rather than something that stops meaning anything a few weeks after its release.

I also love dance music. I was involved in the early techno scene and to me DJing is an essential part of my work. Since house and trance died with the beginning of this decade, electronic music has become a lot more interesting again. When I was against it, it was more because of the compromises that the scene made in order to sell more records.

They stepped towards the mainstream, and I didn’t like that at all. I think a few years later we can all agree that most people from the nineties scene fucked up their options by making their own sound so safe that there was no reason to listen to it anymore. Now there are a lot more experiments possible. That’s why it’s so much fun again.”

Skrufff: How did Berlin provide that re-orientation (what are the key practical differences between being based in Berlin and London- with Easyjet does it actually make much difference?)

Alec Empire: “London is so about the past and the UK’s music history; everything is being put in that context. Every week you see new bands talking about the Beatles or similar British bands.

I think England is hit the hardest by the current crisis of the music industry. It is a small country after all, and their business model, which produced a lot of exciting music in the last century has become outdated. In a globalized world, pop music has no place anymore because pop music is defined by borders.

We don’t have people running out to the stores on that Monday after Top of The Pops to choose the single which will then define the nation’s music taste.
In England it used to work quite well, because pop music was able to integrate newer ideas much faster than in any other country. The US or Germany were always way too slow for that kind of thing. Berlin is completely free of that. Berlin’s music scene almost doesn’t exist, that’s the reason it felt so liberating for me to return.”

Skrufff: What do you make of the musical landscape of Berlin: why do you think minimal took hold so much here?

Alec Empire: “I have seen that happen quite a few times before in other scenes. There is always that moment when people become sick of melodies. To focus on one sound which is so pure can be very refreshing. I can love that too, but when this state of mind is going on for too long it simply gets boring. I want dynamics and I want adrenaline right now.”

Skrufff: Indymedia said in 2006 that Atari Teenage Riot (ATR) was ‘a deliberate attempt to politicise and organise within a subcultural milieu’: how much do you still have this agenda today (or have you in any sense mellowed with experience?)

Alec Empire: “My thinking is way more radical than it used to be but I’m afraid that the next steps would involve getting weapons. MP3 has killed off any possibility for artists to make things grow independently. Ok, you can now probably put a political song online but there won’t be any promotion to make this song heard. By downloading music people have shifted the power over to the corporations even more.

No musician would ever question it anymore if a song gets used in an advert because everybody knows it is the only way for musicians to survive. You know it’s that Walmart effect. People think they save money when they shop there, but what really happens is that the money they spend is going into the wrong direction, so that at the end of the day people have less and less, and the profit is going to corporations which would never invest back into the same country (as they used to maybe 20 or 30 years ago).

There is a war going on in our society right now. Steal from the people, keep their bodies fit but weaken their minds. Every time we watch a silly TV show we lose that battle a little bit more.”

Skrufff: What are your principle goals with the new album: beyond making a living from music what else drives you?

Alec Empire: “haha; making a living is a good one in the music industry; BUT the great thing is that I have made enough fucking money by now from my music. I just release the music with not much other intention than the music itself. When I play , I do it for the adrenaline rush, same when I DJ. This is what drives me. My sound opens up this little cocaine box in my brain.:

Skrufff: The album’s called the Golden Foretaste of Heaven: : do you belief in life after death (or have you had any near death experiences= chemical or otherwise?)

Alec Empire: “I had near death experiences. I was once in a plane which almost crashed…it had to do an emergency landing…i remember the promotion person who flew with me from Korea to Los Angeles was shocked because I was smiling the whole time while everyone else was screaming. I don’t know…I was not scared, I thought ?well OK ,that’s it, fucking great life so far…” I was on the edge of suicide many times in my life. It’s weird, because by now I know that after real dark times I feel this extreme euphoria which seems to always follow it…maybe this is why this album sounds like it does.”

Skrufff: Do you believe in good and real evil?

Alec Empire: “No I don’t. But I believe that these terms came up for a good reason. Humans live in a social network, and those who only think for themselves (which is like the definition of the ‘Satanist’) end up in a situation which could be compared to something like hell. I believe that religion was spawned from the laws which simply exist in nature.”

Skrufff: your press release says ‘1000 Eyes’ ? concerns my return to Berlin, sex, love, passionate separation, destructive relationships?Anyone who wishes to know who I am need simply listen to the lyrics”: how comfortable are you with fame and the public eye: how much control you have over people’s perceptions of you?

Alec Empire: “I have sides that nobody in public will ever see. To me fame is something I can control. I simply follow the rule that music is the most important thing to worry about. This is because I love the underground, the culture, the music. I am not scared of being a part of it. I saw the best concerts when almost nobody was in the crowd. I own records that sold 100 copies or less, I grew up with punk rock, so I don’t care what other people think of me.

People can think what they want of me, or better they take the parts they want out of me…if anyone would be able to control that 100% then this would be dangerous and we would all give into Mc Donalds and Walt Disney.”

Skrufff: How much has becoming a global artist/ celebrity helped you find love? (how much are you motivated by love?)

Alec Empire: “To some it might sound strange but love has always been the main motivation for what I do. In a fascist society love is not possible, that’s why we formed ATR back then. But if you say this loud people think you’re Marvin Gaye or something. Our anger was a reaction to the messed up politics and not because we were bored. I have that sense of euphoria ? people who know me and witness that, for example after a great show, it’s like I love everybody; and forgive.”

Skrufff: On your Msypace your top comment says ‘”Can our love survive in the absence of drugs?”: seems very specific, personal AND revealing: what’s it about; why did you choose to put it there in full public view?

Alec Empire: “This was a line I once said to a girl and to me this is a metaphor of what is going on between me and my audience. Is there more than just the party? You know.”

Skrufff: Your ATR bandmate Carl Crack tragically died of a drug overdose: what impact did that have on you (how did it affect your attitudes towards drugs? And people who use them?)

Alec Empire: “After Carl died it took me years to get over it. I’m not sure if I ever will get over it. He was a very talented guy with too much energy, very sensitive. It’s no secret that I am criticizing the industry which is selling the drugs.
Anyone who is consuming drugs is responsible for the way these workers are exploited in the third world or whereever the drugs are manufactured. It is basically slavery. And it is purely profit driven. I am not against drugs, but drugs in a capitalist society are control drugs.”

Skrufff: Why do you think so many musicians dabble with extreme drugs?

Alec Empire: “I think that it is a myth that musicians need drugs to create great art. If somebody is talented, everything can have an impact on a great song he or she writes. The food, the weather, what books one reads and so on. Drugs are drugs…I have a problem with people who constantly try to look at them as if they were a mysterious stone of Egypt which can perform miracles….

The argument doesn’t count that the best records were made on drugs…because I could say that also the worst records were made on drugs….haha…Miles Davis was clean when he recorded In A Silent Way…what else can I say….

Skrufff: How much do you believe emotions experienced on drugs are as valid of those not on drugs?

Alec Empire: “I think it’s more important what your brain makes of them after…this is really important. I’ve seen people running around like blind sheep…I doubt it was the drugs…it was probably their brains…this goes for any experience one can have in my opinion.
The way the Americans interpreted 911 and the conclusions they drew from that, it was so different from how I saw it….

Skrufff: 911 conspiracy theories: there are some quite persuasive ones that the twin towers were demolished: how much credence do you give these theories?

Alec Empire: “I was not interested when I heard of them. All the information is so twisted, it doesn’t make sense to worry about things like that. I think what was more important was what followed the 911 attacks and the consequences that the Bush administration drew from that.

The American public in all their simple minded rage allowed those politicians to rob them naked. This is the price every single person can pay when they don’t care about politics.”

Skrufff: Your label’s called ‘Eat Your Heart Out’: have been following the Armin Meiwes cannibal case much?
Alec Empire: “no man, that shit is way too hardcore for me.”

Alec Empire: The Golden Foretaste Of Heaven is out now on Eat Your Heart Out (and is available on the link below):

www.shop.the-hellish-vortex.com

www.myspace.com/alecempire6666

Article by Jonty Skrufff (Skrufff.com)

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Alec Empire was recently interviewed by American website Plug In music…

he talks about the past (Release of 2x DVD “Atari Teenage Riot/ Alec Empire”), the present (his band The Hellish Vortex) and the future!

www.indiestreber.de review (german)