ZAN LYONS PLAYS AT TRANSDUCERS PT.2 TONIGHT AT TRESOR – A GOOD REASON FOR US TO REPUBLISH ALEC EMPIRE’S INTERVIEW WITH HIM!

IT WAS TRUE PUNKROCK!

Alec Empire interviews London filmmaker and musician Zan Lyons

Alec: “I think most of our readers might only be aware of your music, but you
have been almost more active in making films in the last years. Could you
please give them a brief introduction to your work…”

Zan:

“When I started making music the thing that excited me most was that I could do it all at home with just a sampler and computer. It was true punk rock. I’d have an idea turn on my machines and Jam.
I wanted to bring the same energy to films and then combine it with my sound!
All my films are shot, lit and edited by my me on my laptop. I also do all of the visual effects and post production. This means I can take my camera, shoot something and start trying ideas immediately.
It’s a powerful and liberating experience!”

Alec:” Many people say that video games will replace film one day. Do you agree?
Can video games ever achieve the same effect that films can?
Does it even make sense to put both in relation to each other?”

Zan:

“From an industry standpoint video games have already replaced film. Even in our current economic climate video game sales keep growing while film sales are shrinking. I think the reason is a simple one. Value.
Even though games are significantly more expensive than films the experience is much more involved. What happens on the screen is happening to you, not a character you passively empathize with. Film distributors need to start giving audiences more with their DVDs. The same lack of value destroyed music – even though the industry blames downloads. When you buy a game you are buying something that will absorb you for days – even months.
From a personal perspective, nothing will ever replace the magic of cinema and although Games offer a truly interactive form of entertainment, they are not yet able to compete with film in terms of story. Games like Metal Gear Solid and the Final Fantasy series have scratched the surface. I think we’ll start to see the two worlds collaborating in the near future. Brilliant storytelling not better graphics will really take gaming to the next level.”

Alec: “How influential is Asian film right now? It seems that Hollywood steals
more ideas from there than from anywhere else…”

Zan:

“Asia is without a doubt leading the world of cinema. Films like ‘The Ring’ and ‘Oldboy’ have completely changed films and have left Hollywood playing catchup. South East Asia always gets mentioned but India is also producing thought-provoking dramas as well as the colorful entertainment of Bollywood. Also a lot of people don’t realize that Bollywood is the biggest film industry in the world with Hollywood coming second place.
People working in Asia really know their craft and as a result, they make better films for much, much less money than Hollywood. Australian cinematographer Christopher Doyle has worked most of his life in South East Asia. He’s easily the greatest cinematographer working today but I doubt he would have reached this point if been swallowed up by Hollywood or even Europe.
Asian cinema keeps getting better and better and I think it will play a much greater role in years to come.”

Alec: “How important is authenticity or realism for you as a director ? Do they
both even matter?”

Zan:
“My films have lot’s of small details so realism is very important. I always use lighting to create a film’s atmosphere because it’s means the image comes to life in front of me and I can react to it. All of my effects are very simple and usually involve more camera work than computer effects. I want people to believe what’s on the screen.”

Alec: “Can you recommend 3 films to our readers? And explain why they should
watch them?”

Zan:

“The first is ‘In the Mood for Love‘. The way color and music are used to create atmosphere is amazing. It manages to feel like a classic 1960’s film and a modern one at the same time.

The second is ‘THX1138‘. I think this is one of the greatest science fiction films ever made. It has a sense of claustrophobia that I don’t think I’ve experienced since. There’s an impending doom from start to finish and it’s themes of government control feel more relevant today than ever before.

The final film is ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit‘. It’s a perfect example brilliant family cinema. Children will love the cute charater animation and adults will enjoy all of the film noir references. Most importantly though, it’s 90 minutes of pure mind-bending fun!”

Alec: “Has technology left human imagination behind? Anything can be created
with the help of computers these days, but still most films out there lack
ideas? Why do you think that is?”

Zan:

“Technology can be great when used well but too many people seem to use it to make short cuts and cover over weak ideas. Films like Star Wars and 2001 were at the cutting edge when they were released but the initial ideas were good in the first place so the effects were just enhancements. I think we need to return to this way of thinking and use new technology as a creative tool.”

Alec: “Or is the problem rooted in our society, in which everything , even art
itself, has to serve only one goal: profit making?”

Zan:

“When Hollywood gets it right the results can be amazing. but unfortunately money often gets in the way. There are too many people who see film making purely in financial terms and they are usually the reason for bad films.
I think this will change though. Audiences aren’t stupid, if a film isn’t good people can just download it!”

Alec: “Are you thinking of doing a full length film one day?”

Zan:

“My new album will be a collection of 9 songs with a short film for each one. It will flow together running at about 45 minutes so it’s actually a full-length film.
You’ll be able to either watch it as a complete film or select individual chapters – or just listen to the music. Each viewer will experience it differently.
The music is all instrumental and the films have no dialogue. The sounds and images are heavily synchronized – I wanted to create a world that people get can lost in.

I also have two story-based feature films that I plan on making at some point. I can’t say too much at the moment but they’ll be made in a similar way to my shorts.”

Alec: “You did visual remixes of some scenes of Blade Runner. How did the
audience react to that? This film is often seen as the masterpiece that
nobody is allowed to touch…”

Zan:

“There was a strong reaction to it here in the UK for that exact reason. Audiences loved it though! When it began they thought it was just a live soundtrack but quickly discovered I’d re-edited the film as well. I used heavy synchronization between my own music and various scenes. I remember BBC Radio interviewing me asking if I was trying to make Blade Runner better! I was never trying to improve the film – that would be impossible. It was more like my own version. I had some clips on youtube but was asked to take them down by Warner Brothers:)”

Alec: “Do you think that most film scores push the audience far enough?“

Zan:

“Not at all. The last good film score I heard was ‘There Will be Blood’ It created an almost unbearable tension throughout the whole film.
Otherwise Most film scores sound either made-to-order or like a cynical way to promote a bands music.
Film scores are in real need of a a change!”

Alec: “Where do you think films will be at in 10 years? The same stories told with
different/younger actors?”

Zan:

“I think a revolution is coming! There will, of course be the same old money-making films but I think Digital Technology has put film making in the hands of everyone so I hope we’ll start to see new visions and different methods of storytelling.
There will definitely be less money to make films so people will have rely on ideas instead of funding to make good work. We’re already seeing this with people like Warp Films and Philip Virus.
I think we’ll also start seeing more films that take advantage of the internet rather than treating it as an enemy. Maybe interactive films where the viewer has a say in what happens next.
Like I said, tools that used to be exclusive to Hollywood are now in the hands of everybody. In ten years we’re going to see more films made faster, cheaper and for the RIGHT reasons!”

check out Zan’s films and infos here:

http://www.zanlyons.com
http://www.youtube.com/thisisourpunkrock
http://www.myspace.com/zanlyons

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WIDESCREEN POP ? The Sound of Arrows

By Neale Lytollis

The rise of ?real?, some-might-say-intellectual electronic music in recent years (see Justice, Hot Chip and Digitalism) and bands moving away from traditional indie rock and venturing into more experimental territory (Telepathe, Crystal Stilts, Health being perhaps three of the main contendors), has all contributed to the word ?pop? being more or less on par with ?cunt? or ?fuck? in terms its offensiveness. Pop is shallow and disposable; pop doesn?t topple empires or cause revolutions; it?s cheap and irrelevant and only for dumb kids. This viewpoint is frankly bollocks. Pop as we know it as more than outlasted the latest New Genre of the Season and has been around since the year dot. Not bad for a genre which is allegedly about as useful as a hat made out of custard. Sweden has something of a rep for producing brilliant pop music (I wanted to avoid mentioning ABBA but find that I simply cannot overlook their massive achievements in this field and fuck you if you think I?m square for admitting it) and they?re pretty much done it again. This time in the form of Bright Young Things, Sound of Arrows. The band is currently made up of Stefan Storm and Oskar Gullstrand, two chums from Stockholm who beef up the line-up with an assortment of flashy technology. The band recently de-camped to London to schmooze with the business suits there (they?re doing very well at it) and work on their debut LP, hopefully soon to be released on as-yet-unknown label. Eat Your Heart Out recently caught up with Stefan Storm in a chilly, autumnal Regent?s Park in London.

So, Stefan, how are you doing these days? Busy?

Yes, I would say that I am. But it’s all just because of myself. I’m in the process of finishing our debut album and one could say that I’ve gone slightly mental in the process. I’m spending all of my waking hours working or thinking about the album. I’d hate for me to think back on this period one year from now wishing I’d put in more of an effort.

And how?s life in London? It must be a bit different to Stockholm?

It sure is. London is scary, filthy, messy, confusing and wonderful. Stockholm is small, pretty, clean, orderly and boring. 50/50 would be the ideal.

Why did you choose to work in London? Do you find it more inspirational than Stockholm or were there other more practical reasons to re-locate there?

Out of two reasons. One being that I was excited to see whom we could collaborate with here in London. We’ve met a lot of wonderfully talanted musicians and producers. The second being that I felt I needed to get away from home to be able to fully focus on the creation of this album. It’s much easier keeping professionally busy in a town where you don’t have as many friends.

So apart from going slowly insane and having no friends, how is the work going on the LP?

It’s going quite well. But like every creative process, there are ups and downs. I want for it to be PERFECT, something I’m starting to realize will never happen. Not because the album isn’t turning out good, more because I’ll never be 110% happy. Yesterday I finished what is to become the end credits-like end to the album. It’s very Vangelis / Moroder / Enya.

That?s quite a mix! Magic and Into the Clouds have given us a taster about what Sound of Arrows is all about. Is the album going to include any surprises that we don?t expect?

I guess it’ll be a suprise to some that parts of it will be pretty dark. Or darker at least. But that’s how all good albums are. A journey. Also, I guess to some it’ll come as a suprise just how much we do love our synthscapes. Be prepared for at least three instrumentals.

Sound of Arrows is very striking visually and the video for Into the Clouds has a very specific style. It reminds me of Neverending Story although I guess I am not the first person to think that! Do you think it?s important to bring a fantasy element back to pop music?

I don’t think it’s necessarily important to bring a fantasy element to music. But I do think that the music I like the best inhabits some kind of universe. Some elements that are larger than life. Since neither of us has a larger than life personality, we have to get some help from the visual department.

The video looks like it was made for $1 million dollars. Did you really splash out that much money on it or do you have a very clever graphics guy who made all the fantasy backdrops?

Business secrets.

Is this mystical, other world we see in your videos something you try to transfer to your live shows too?

Definitely, that is mainly why we are looking to sign with a major label. To be able to get some help with realizing our BIG vision for the upcoming live shows. It’ll be an audio-visual experience.

Speaking of which, we don?t see you out and about live so much? Are you guys more of a studio band or are there plans to tour?

Originally, I’m happiest sitting in a studio tweaking a new synth. But we do love a bit of performing now and again. Also, I think we are pretty good at it.

It seems that ?pop? has become a bit of a dirty word recently although I think it?s great and a necessary part of music. Do you dislike the pop tag? Would you describe yourselves differently?

I’ve always loved pop music, so to me that word doesn’t have a negative ring. Some people associate pop with soulless music. Not me, I think the best music is achieved when accesability and creativity meet.

Pop or not, NME and Dazed seem to like what you do and you seem to have generated a buzz in London in a short space of time. Are you signed with anyone at the moment? Are you going with an indie label or a major? Do you subscribe to this rather silly theory that all indies are great and all majors are evil?

Nope, not at all. We all understand when there is big money involved, there will need to be some sort of compromise. But we’d never let anyone tell us not to use certain songs we love. Then I’d rather release it myself.

So tell me, what DO arrows sound like?

Widescreen pop.

Do you both tuck into a big, greasy English breakfast every day before you go into the studio?

Hahaha. Absolutely not. I’ve been a vegetarian for ten years and just recently tried going further and becoming a vegan. What is then left in the english breakfast? Baked beans?! I don’t eat canned food.

And finally, do you like it when journalists flirt with you during interviews?

Hahaha. It’s always nice to be flirted with. Journalist or not.

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ALEC EMPIRE TAKES A BREAK FROM HIS TOUR WITH NINE INCH NAILS AND TALKS WITH YIP YIP TALK ABOUT , SESAME STREET, MUSIC AND NOISE, INDUSTRY AND MORE…

click here to watch original TV Yip Yips

Alec Empire:

” Many of our readers might not know you guys yet…the two creatures from Sesame Street are quite famous out here. I remember driving my parents crazy by adapting the Yip Yip talking style for days, when I was a kid…they did almost turn me into that kid from The Shining…is that a dumb question that you get asked all the time? Or what’s the story behind the name?”

Brian:

“It’s not a dumb question, because it would seem like we definitely got the name from that. In fact, even I thought Jason got the name from Sesame Street for the first few years of doing Yip-Yip with him, until we had one of our first real interviews and they asked if we got it from that. I said “Yes”, and Jason said “No, I didn’t”. I wish we did get it from that, because it would make the question a lot easier to answer. Even I don’t believe Jason’s answer.”

Jason:

“It’s just a stupid name i thought of. It doesn’t mean anything. We had an even worse name before this one and we knew we had to change it, but we couldn’t come up with anything good. Most band names that mean something end up sounding dumb after a while, so we just wanted a name that didn’t mean anything. Something totally nonsensical.”

Brian: “Calm down, Jason.”

click here for more

Alec Empire:

” I got introduced by Gabe from The Locust years ago, have been
listening to your music ever since. Are you part of a scene in the US?
Let us know where you are coming from…”

Brian:

“When we first started, we were really into that awesome wave of weird music from the late 90’s early 2000’s of The Locust, Lightning Bolt, Melt Banana, Arab On Radar, Crom-Tech, Neon Hunk, etc. I think we were really hoping to become part of that scene, and in a way, surprising to us, we kind of did. We were lucky to meet the people and bands that we did, and we are happy to have made it into a scene at all.”

Jason:

“We seem to not quite fit into any particular scene. I think we’re a little bit too happy or silly for the heavy experimental scene, but we seem to have some sort of foothold there anyways. Maybe we would fit better in the electronic/dance scene, but we see ourselves as more like a band and some of that stuff is more like deejays.”

Brian:

“Yeah, like we feel like we don’t fit in as well with the electronic scene, even though we actually probably fit in better there. But really it’s mostly who we’ve met, and who have met us, played with us, and liked us enough to be our friends and take us out on tour.”

Alec Empire:

” Why we love your stuff is because it sounds great, I mean the sound of the music is serious (as opposed to most of these rather stupid digital joke 8bit 2 piece bands in Europe). I find it very interesting
that there seems to be more cool analogue & weird shit coming from the US. Tell us about why you sound the way you do and if there is a philosophy behind it…you know…”

Brian:

“That’s awesome that you see that our music is serious. Not that we are a very serious band, or we want to be taken very seriously, but yeah, I think a lot of people kind of think of us as more of a joke, and we are lumped with that kind of stuff so much, and we never understand why. We are seriously trying to make really interesting and fun music, and we are seriously trying to be a great band, even though we are hardly know what we are doing. It’s been kind of hard, and it’s taken us a long time to get our stuff to what we are doing now. It’s very rewarding when we finish and we know that we have figured out this music that seems to be pretty original and might possibly break some new ground musically, especially when it feels like almost everything has already been done.”

Jason:

“There’s a fine line between fun music and funny joke music. We are trying to walk a few fine lines. We want to make music that is fun, but not a joke. Music that is challenging, but not not too heady. Noisy music that is more than just noise. I don’t know why there is more weird shit coming from the US. I think a lot of people from the US think it’s the other way around.”

http://soundcloud.com/yip-yip/yip-yip-gender-changers

Alec Empire:

” It looks from the outside like you’re doing everything by yourself…since years. You’re even documenting via Twitter when you are about to post new 7inches… and still you have your music up for
free download. Is that impression true, and what do you think about your way of doing things? Does it work as an example for other bands?
Tell us your view on the “business” side of your music…(mainstream bands get praised as revolutionary innovators while they just copy the ideas from bands in the “underground” who have been doing it since
years)”

Jason:

“Giving away free digital downloads is, I think, absolutely necessary in this day and age.
I don’t really want to have anything to do with the ‘business’ side of music but dealing with the business side is unfortunately a necessary part of it for a band at our level. We can’t afford to pay people to do that stuff for us. Lucky for me, Brian takes care of all of that stuff.”

Brian:

“We haven’t been very good with the “business” side of our band so far, and that’s probably why we’ve hardly made any money, and why we have to work at photo labs and deliver food to pay our bills. My view on the business side of music is I think the more people who hear of your music and hear of your live shows, the more money you make when you tour, and maybe you might even make some money off of albums you put out. So the most important thing to me, at least while we are still mostly unknown, is to get us heard.

Putting a price on every song you put out is not a great way of doing that, so we have put a lot of our stuff up online for people to check out and decide if they want to support us by buying our albums or t-shirts, or by coming to our shows. Maybe that kind of carefree idea of putting up one too many songs to download for free is why we are currently label less and wondering if anyone is going to actually put out this album we’ve been working on.”

Jason:

“As cheesey as it sounds, the more you think about the business side, the less you think about the music side. I’d like to say that it’s all about the music, but I’d also like to think that at some point in our lives this music could support us financially. We are nowhere close to that point right now and I don’t know if we ever will be.”

Alec Empire:

” What are your shows like? In what type of clubs do you guys play? And how is your crowd? (this might sound boring but I think more and more bands are just about pleasing the crowd while you don’t seem that kind of band)”

Jason:

“Since we don’t quite fit into a musical niche, we get to play with all sorts of bands in front of all sorts of audiences at all sorts of venues. Our ideal shows are in well-run, all ages, d.i.y. venues with good sound. Those places are few and far between, so we will play wherever we can. Mostly we just want it to be loud. If it’s loud and we can hear our music the way it should be heard, it is a good show for us. If the audience is having fun it’s definetly a bonus.”

Brian:

“The crowds are different depending on where we are playing, and who we are playing with. We we toured with The Locust, the crowds and shows were all awesome. People at the shows usually seemed to know who we were, and were excited to see us. The sound systems were almost always great and really loud, which also helps a lot. Some shows can be weird, like when the crowd isn’t familiar with us, so they just kid of stand there and stare. We will end our set and go backstage and think that we sucked, but then end up talking to a bunch of people who say they loved the show and buy our crap.”

Alec Empire:

” What is your favorite gear when you create new music? You are recording right now as I understand. A new record? Is this going to be different? How do you approach that process?”

Brian:

“Yes, we just finished writing our new album, “Bone Up”. We are going to start recording it very soon. The biggest thing that’s going to be different than our other albums is that this album is going to have us both doing vocals. This album is way more elaborate than anything we’ve ever done.”

Jason:

“In the beginning, we had more of that digital sound because all of those types of sounds were so accessible. We could get toy keyboards at thrift stores and digitally manipulate them with Sound Forge or some other software. But that got kind of boring and digital stuff always sounded sort of hokey to me. It was probably a year before I got my first serious synthesizer and since then I’ve liked analog over digital. Analog synths a lot more fun to play, there’s no programming and everything happens immediately.

And no matter how well you know your synths, there’s always a certain level of sonic unpredictability and slight variation. There are always graduations in digital knobs so you can hear the steps when you turn them. Analog knobs are just a clean sweep. Analog synths are more visually appealing, too. Lately, I’ve become more open to digital stuff. You can get so many sounds out of way smaller devices with digital.

We’ve been using this thing Simmons made called a Multi-Mallet a lot on the songs we’re writing now. It’s like a 90’s yamaha fm synthesis keyboard but with a xylophone-like controller. It has some interesting sounds, and looks cool. We use it on almost all of our new songs.”

Brian:

“Yeah, we like to think that we are using the best of both worlds. Jason uses all older analog synths, I use a mix of old and new analog and digital sounds from all sorts of different things we find, and I use them for the drums and backing sounds. I also use samplers to run everything live, and without that new stuff, we wouldn’t be able to perform this stuff we’re writing live.

Oh, and my favorite gear right now is my Moogerfooger trio (Freqbox, Ring Mod, & MURF), the Simmons Multimallet Jason already mentioned, my Casio CZ-101, and the Alesis D4 drum module.”

Alec Empire:

” What are 5 favorite records? And why?”

Brian:

“Devo – Oh No, It’s Devo – This was the first Devo record that I got, so I think that’s the best way I can pick a favorite Devo album. Devo is the band that got me into synthesizers. If I never got this record and got so into Devo, I probably would have never been so interested electronic music, or started this kind of band with Jason. Devo rules!

watch Devo here

Cardiacs – On Land And In The Sea – This is probably my favorite Cardiacs album because I love every song on the album. It basically has everything that I would ever look for in music in one album. Organs, synthesizers, horns, weird rhythms and rhythm/tempo changes, lots of percussion, a great vocalist, and amazing song writing.

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band – Doc At The Radar Station – The drumming on this album is insane. A lot of the time when I listen to it I try to only listen to the drums, and I try to think of how I could do anything at all like that with our rhythms. I also love how heavy it sounds without having anything really that heavy going on. The two guitarists are sick on this album. The horn, mellotron, marimba, and gong seal the deal for me. What a perfect combination of sounds. I wish there were more bands like this!

click here for BBC documentary on Beefheart

Nirvana – In Utero – I used to love Nirvana when I was a kid, and then I got back into it even more in the past few years. We started listening to it a lot on one of our tours and decided to try to do our first cover song when we got home. We wanted to do the song “Very Ape” because we thought it sounded strangely like some of the stuff we were writing. Doing that cover first as an instrumental made me appreciate the songwriting so much and helped me understand some better ways of approaching how we wrote our songs. Then a year later when we re-recorded the cover with vocals, that being my first real attempt at vocals in Yip-Yip, it made me see how great his vocals and lyrics are. But yeah, the whole rest of In Utero is awesome too, and has been a huge recent influence on us.

The Beatles – Abbey Road – Believe it or not, I never really listened to this whole album until this year. With almost any Beatles album, you’ve basically heard every song somewhere before, but I never listened to the whole albums before. There are so many different kinds of songs on the album, and a lot of them are short and to the point. Every songs has this “thing” that happens that just totally makes the song. There’s a lot of great sounds and effects, and the recording is kind of perfect. The vocals are also really great, and with us trying to do vocals now, it’s interesting to listen to stuff with such great vocals and great vocal effects and harmonies, and try to some how apply it to the weird stuff we are doing.”

click here for Beatles – Abbey Road (all DHR records from 1994-2000 were mastered there by the way)

Jason:

“Emerson, Lake, and Palmer – Tarkus – The first side of this record kills. There’s a lot of crazy synth sounds and prog shredding.
Sergio Mendes and Brasil ‘66 – Equinox – Mostly I like this record because i bought it at a thrift store without hearing it. I bought it because it has an attractive cover with attractive people on it. The record is great and I wasn’t expecting that. I like the girls’ voices and the music is pretty. Accidently finding a great record is one of the best things in life.

click here for Sergio Mendes and Brasil ‘66

Roger Miller – Dang Me – Simple, silly music. Most of the songs on this album are less than 2 minutes and none are longer than 2:30. They are all funny, silly, and/or endearing.
Devo – Duty Now for the Future – Devo is one of the best bands on the planet. I think this is my favorite album of theirs. I can’t say why, but i like it more than Q: Are We Not Men? A: We are Devo.? Like Brian, the first Devo album i purchased was Oh No, It’s Devo and that one will always be special to me because that’s how i got into them. But Duty Now has more interesting time signatures and real drums. They sound more like a punk rock band.
Todd Rundgren – A Wizard, a True Star – Great songwriting, great sounds. Todd Rundgren is a wizard.”

click here for Todd

Alec Empire:

” How do you see the future of music? I mean musically, not the “industry” -no one seems to think about the music anymore, everybody is just about how and why the industry is in a crisis. But what about the music itself though?”

Brian:

“I think there will be less and less full bands as people figure out neat ways of using electronics, samplers, or computers with what they are doing live as a band with just a couple of people. Not that a full band who is great is a ever bad thing, but it will be easier for kids to start bands and keep them going because they won’t have to work with so many people.

I don’t know how some of the full bands we know do it, everything would be so much harder if there were more people in our band. Musically, I think right now it seems like there is a huge merging of all music in popular music and a lot of indie music too. It’s all kind of coming together, which can be neat sometimes, but sometimes just bad.”

Jason:

“I think it’s about time for a musical revolution. With the physical and sonic limitations shrinking to almost nothing, it’s going to be more about songwriting and how people use the crazy sounds that can now be created so easily. Once people start to figure out how easy it is to start a band, there’s going to be a glut of mediocre bands. The next few years are going to be interesting. I think it’s starting already.”

Brian: “Calm down, Jason.”

Alec Empire:

” Who is responsible for your artwork, design?…everything also looks really cool. Is that an important part for you? When I talk to graphic designers or artists, they miss that challenge to make
something visual which represents the music.”

Jason:

“Brian does all of the illustrations, I do all of the digitizing and digital work on them. We design everything together. We come up with ideas for how things should look and I make them look that way.
Brian: Yeah, the art side has always been a big part of what we are doing. Before we started the band, I wanted to be an artist, but after we started the band, I realized that doing it with the band would be a better way to get my art out there anyways. We like bands who do their own artwork, it’s like an added bonus. Sometimes, like this past year, the art part calms down while we try to push the music stuff to a new level, but we always get back to it eventually, like when we finish recording. I’m sure we will start messing with art for the album, new music videos and maybe a zine/single thing. We are already working on new costumes for our next live shows.”

Alec Empire:

” What have you got coming up in the future? Tours? Different plans?”

Brian:

” We are about to start recording this album we’ve been working on, it will probably take us a couple months to finish that, and hopefully by then we will find a label to put it out. By the time we are done recording, we will be ready to start playing live again because we will have learned all the parts from recording it. We were hoping to do a tour in the fall. Maybe we will get to go back overseas like we did last year. I think a lot of this stuff will start coming up once we get this new stuff out there a little bit. We can’t wait to go on tour again!”

Jason:

” I’m ready to start playing shows again soon. I’m excited about bringing this new stuff out on the road. We still have a lot of writing, tweaking, practicing to do before we’re ready for a tour. We’ve been working on this set of songs for over a year now and it is leaps and bounds beyond anything we’ve written before. I want it to get out there as soon as possible, but i want it to be perfect when it does. We really need to bone up if we want to finish it this year.”

Brian:

“Nice call back.”

click here for cool underground live clip

check out YIP YIP on myspace for links, music, tourdates and more

but more important: the YIP YIP website !

subscribe to EYHO Blog – it’s free!

Alec: “Let’s not beat around the bush…you are our favorite “new” band. Every time we mention it to the German audience, they respond that they only know Ed Banger and Justice. Which is depressing. We feel that your are changing the perception of French music. How do you feel about music in France? Do you even associate yourself to what the media calls the “French music scene”?”

Caroline:” Thank you.

I don’t know what is French music scene, and sure they don’t know we exist too.
we don’t feel to be a part of a family or something…we just try to be and stay bastards in the middle of nowhere.

we dont run after a stamp.”

click here to watch

Alec: “ For those who cannot understand your lyrics. What are your songs about and why do you choose to express yourself this way?”

Caroline:” if you cant understand me, its cause of my strong French accent.
its not a way or a concept…but one thing is sure, I don’t wanna sing like a pop singer.
i prefer my voice was mixed in the music, cause the music is more important, I’m just another instrument in it.

On the new album i gonna put my lyrics for the first time.
All our songs speak about so many different things, my lyrics comes when we create a song,

each tracks give me different feelings, they are like weird poems,for example i speak about: Animals, Ghosts, stupid things, Blond Roses, Acid eyes, Mess in the ruins, Dead lazers, love, unpaid bills, regrets, Blue Screen…”

Alec: “ Your live performance seems to be a very important part of your concept. Do you feel you are able to capture this energy in your recordings? Can you quickly describe how you work on your music? How do you develop your songs?”

Caroline:” no concept.
in live, i just give the human warm side of Kap Bambino, I am the same in the life and Orion too, no theater, hate artschool concept,
i come from the street.
We recording music at home,with the same spontaneous energy of the stage…we do music everyday? (when we aren’t on tour)
we are both sick hyperactive,i hope you can feel this on our records.”

Alec: “ Tell us about your new single! Tell us about your new album! The single sounds a lot more powerful than your previous recordings! When was it recorded, where? What were your influences? It sounds like nothing else!”

Caroline:”? ACID EYES / RED SIGN single , be recording (like usual) at home in our bedroom between July 2008 until December 2008,
in the middle of plastic dinosaurs, pics of cats, real fat cat, dead beers, full ashtray, videos K7, guitars and zombies posters.
in this second album call “BLACKLIST”, we have try to push the limits of our quality sound, but we haven’t buy new stuff,the only thing we have do for the first time is a real mastering.
its a new inspiration, its a new evolution, its a very exciting time for us.
we were influenced by all things we have live in 2008, travels, friends, dead rats, crackers.
For the voice we have decide to stop to use crap effects,we have do this on 2 lp and one EP, and now just need new things for ourself.”

Alec: “ What is the future of electronic rock’n'roll if there is such a thing?”

Caroline:” Born and die.”

click here to watch
Alec: “ Our blog features a lot about films. Do you watch films? and if so, can you name your 5 favorite films? And tell us in one sentence for each one why you made the choice?”

Caroline:” Carnival of Souls – Herk Harvey’s

Aguirre der zone Gotter – Werner Herzog

Dupont La Joie – Yves Boisset

Mondo Cane – Gualtiero Jacopetti

Escape From New York – John Carpenter

and no comment.”

Alec: “ What is your opinion on drugs? Do you think they should be legal? Do you even care about that?”

Caroline:” We don’t do drugs.
its so easy.
we prefer keep open eyes on all.”

Alec: “ How do you define “underground”? Do you think it is important to be “underground”, to be a part of an underground scene? In our opinion underground music must be a threat to society, to the accepted norm. Underground always includes change and innovation? Please discuss!”

Caroline:” When we have created WWilko, or own label in 2001, the “underground” way was just the only road, cause at this period nobody care about our music and artists….and just independent distributors was up for deal our releases.
I’m not sure we have innovated something,
we have just try to release our shit, but for sure we aren’t in the “norm” ahahah
with Kap Bambino in 2003 we haven’t other choices to be underground, especially in France,at the start and maybe again now,they think we are fucking aliens…
we have put blood, arms, sweat, heart, smiles, energy, nerves, joy
go to the post office everyday…all that dedicate to this scene before 8 years,
just for do beautiful vinyls limited edition and promoting artists we like,
and take care to distribute in tiny best records shops in the world..
and you know what?
after all, i think now for me underground mean nothing special…sometimes i ask myself if this scene really exist?or if its a dream?
the most important thing for us, is people get into our music,and artist we promoted.
just try to exist in a simple way and stay wild.
we are in 2009 and its the future !
don’t wanna be a part of a tiny ghetto, underground or not, i don’t care about codes,
with this style of music, for sure we don’t take the risk to be one day in the mainstream industry.
or own revolution its in the music, is our? message,she need to travel with no limits.
i mean a lots of kids,and people around the world need to be involved by underground music artists scene,
and they dont have the money or possibility to buy vinyls,or found stuff in the middle of nowhere in Mexico or in South Africa for example…
just i wanna say,
thanks to the internet, they give us the most beautiful gift ever, the big chance to have a window open on the world.
Before Kap Bambino, Orion and me, never have the opportunity to travel…
we hope flying cars arrive soon,and we wanna go on the moon too.”

click here

Alec: “ Have you seen your music change people? Your audience? Your fans? What feedback do you usually get from them?”

Caroline:” euh i don t know….but sometimes They look very happy.”

Alec: “ I mean you know who we are so it’s probably no surprise to you that I see similarities to visionary German band Ec8or from back in the 90ties? Is that correct or am I completely wrong? In our opinion too many people did miss this band in the past. Do you think they should tour again?”

Caroline:” yes we know you,and have lots of respect for all your stuff
We really love EC8OR, Patric Catani and Gina D Orio are genius, and they are good friends of us too.
they are one of the first duet electronic in the 90′
i have missed them when i was teen,and discovered very late.
Patric Catani is a really really brilliant artist he have so many good side projects, Candy Hank, V.I.P,I’ll till,A*Class…
and Gina have an amazing voice, she’s beautiful.
Of course the world need to know better who they are..they are a lots of fans everywhere in the world.
for sure good people with good taste know already them.

we dont come from hardcore digital scene,
they are nothing sounds like this style in our Bambino music, i mean the drums or synths.
maybe just the energy can be compared ?
we come from Noise, pop, and rock, and put a lots of melody in our sound.
the set up with the laptop on stage,was just a good solution for travel easy.
we recording all tracks with real instruments, broken synths, guitar, drums, and digital keyboards.

you know the problem when your are a duet like us ( girl singer and a boy at the laptop ) journalist or people try to put you in family music….or do comparison with others duet every time.
I’m really happy and proud you compare us with EC8OR, ( but i cant see the link anyway) cause rest of time is really shitty bands.

Orion have start alone Kap Bambino in 2002, and actually dickheads think we are a copycat of Crystal Castle, ahhahah WTF!?
its the joy to be underground,
when your music start to come to the light,people think you are born yesterday…whatever!”

Alec: “ It looks like you release most of your songs on vinyl? Do you think it’s worth keeping vinyl as a format? Is there more to it than just get the songs out? ( I know simple question but so many people don’t get it)”

Caroline:” honestly its just cause we think vinyls are the best format ever !we heart this format for all reasons you know not sure actually is the best way for put the songs out…”

Alec: “ Apart from touring and touring and touring, what are your next plans? Where do you see yourself in the next decade (from 2010 onwards) ?”

Caroline:” Next plans are:
try to survive,
dont forget to kill the beast,
continued to do music every days,
work on a new record,
smoke cigarettes
and wait the death.”

click here to watch

Kap Bambino on myspace
check out the label website of wwilko

by RZ22

The Obama Deception is creating heated debates right now, even in Berlin. Mike passed it on to Alec, Alec passed it on to me.

What do YOU think?

It’s Mid March and it looks as the euphoria of the Obama win has disappeared. Most people have turned away from politics (or should we call it mass media election entertainment?), thinking that it’s all safe and taken care of.

Every time Alex Jones appears (and he is a Foo Fighters fan, which makes us question his true intentions – yes, when you are a mid 30ties woman who thinks the drummer is “cute”, you are maybe forgiven…But Alex Jones and Foo Fighters? get outta here) it is time to look at ourselves…do we get all emotional when this guy screaming at us? Is he right?

Is this a conspiracy theory? What do you think?

Has our generation fallen for a president because our “taste” has been exploited?….our taste for hip hop culture and US MTV? Jay Z? If a “black” president is elected, can you criticize him in the same way as all the others? Fact is it is hard to raise awareness in times when people are scared to lose their jobs and love the charisma of a leader.

It almost feels a bit like right after 911, but in a positive way. Every time when one can’t say something, then it’s time to be on high alert!

Another sign is when the music scene is dead quiet. This should be more exciting than 1977’s punk movement in the UK! Wait, Peaches is releasing a new record…we are already asleep. Digitalism sucking corporate cock working for Nokia.

Did you see the news about the German industry writing to the government that students coming out of university are now too “aligned”, too “adapted”, too “conform” for the challenges that the industry faces right now. Well, you bred those consumers carefully, and now it doesn’t make sense anymore?…haha

Watch KRS-1 answer some questions in here. This is always worth it! (What happened to Hip Hop by the way? How did we let this slip? f$$$$ing hell…)

THINK! And let us know what you think!

There is nothing to discuss about music anymore as it is a dead horse. What a shit time for music journalists right now. All the free flights, all the little steps towards corruption, faking opinions, ads, well…music in 2009…this is what you created Mr Music Journalist. You gave away your only weapon, your voice …for a little bit of cocaine and CDs that you sold on ebay.

If we agree or not, The Obama Deception is everything a modern pop song should be:

mind challenging, emotional and passionate plus a good rap of KRS! Well, Beyonce …you got to train your mind instead of your legs to compete with that!

The Obama Deception Pt.1

Pt.2

Pt.3

Pt.4

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Pt.12

www.eyho-blog.com

Lowline gives hope in these situations…while it is shocking what stuff major labels send us these days…it just doesn’t reflect on what’s going on. Manchester, Detroit and Berlin have more in common than most people realize…

Check out the free mp3…..Below this amazing cover art from their previous single.

Which we just had to post again. We are telling you…There is great stuff in the UK, you just have to wait for the right emails to arrive!

Robbie Rush took some time to answer a few questions:

LOWLINE

lowline-guninmysidejoeandwillask-remixmastered16bit320

watch video – click here

EYHO Blog: “Describe your band in 3 sentences please!”

Robbie Rush:”Our band make big sounding anthemic songs and draw our influences from a range of different genres including heavy droney rock, dance, and past Manchester bands like The Chameleons. There, I did it in one.”

EYHO Blog: “What do you think about the Manchester music scene? We understand that the city has a great history when it comes to music and new ideas?”

Robbie Rush:”The Manchester music scene is a little bit dead at the moment, everything seems to be following a certain trend and is very “Now”, there are a couple of good bands about though, but you’d have to dig pretty deep to find them! Yea it does have a great history but i thnk that people get a bit too hung up on that so you get a lot of bands trying to rehash something someone did 10-15 years ago. We take our influences and try to make something new rather than just recreating a certain sound.”

EYHO Blog: “Manchester or London? ”

Robbie Rush:”I know what your expecting me to say here, but thats actually a pretty hard question to answer at the moment, both cities have their merits. For people i’d definitely say Manchester, us northerners are just more friendly. Just re-populate London with Mancunians. Beautiful.”

EYHO Blog: “Do you plan to come over to Germany to play shows? “

Robbie Rush:”Yea we’ve always felt that the German music scene might be one we’d slot into nicely, we’re actually playing at The Magnet Club in Berlin on April 3rd and have some other shows in Hamburg and Munich in the pipeline.”

check out Lowline on myspace

New single “Monitors” will be available digitally on iTunes next Monday (17th!)

www.eyho-blog.com

click here to watch

Alec:”Please quickly describe for us…what is it that you do? Exactly? ”

Graham:” Well, we’re producers and audiovisual artists, a music act but we work with film too if that makes sense – I guess kind of ?think DJs but with added pictures?, though that?s a terrible description -

it’s actually much much more than that, but it gives you an idea. We produce all our own material based on audio/video sampling and remixing of films, concert footage etc. To us, the whole visuals thing is really a natural extention to our music and a logical progression of remix culture.”

Tolly:” We perform a fully audiovisual set of totally synced and integrated music and images, where everything you see, you also hear, and vice versa. Actually, a good example, is we?ve just created a drum ?n? bass track by sampling a classical Orchestra.

The idea came from the BBC series Maestro here in the UK, where famous people had to conduct an orchestra and Goldie took part and came second. I mean the BBC took Goldie out of his comfort zone of drum ‘n’ bass, by making him conduct classical music – so we thought we’d put him back in the world of drum n’ bass but with violins and cellos. So we remixed the orchestra, sampling everything from violins to kettle drums, and created a mad drum ‘n’ bass track made from those samples, with Goldie conducting.”

Graham:” And unbelievably, we found a perfect drum ‘n’ bass drum loop played on a kettle drum from the 1812 Overture! It’s amazing to see something like that just fit, I mean finding a bit of drumming written a couple of centuries ago that works as a loop for drum ?n? bass kind of shows that music at it’s very roots always follows the same rules.”

click here to watch

Alec: “Which is more powerful to you? the image or the sound?”

Tolly: “Both ? that?s the whole point with what we do! They work completely in unison ? if you see a film at the cinema, what?s more powerful? The images or the accompanying music? The answer is both, as they are working together, if you took either away, neither of them are as powerful on their own.”

Graham:” Yeah, our AV has to still work as music and follow most of the rules of musical composition, but at the same time following some of the energies and ideas of film-making. Say, when there?s a breakdown in the music which, say, then slowly builds back up into a heart-thumping dramatic crescendo; we might build that musical composition underneath a very specific dramatic sequence within a film remix, making full use of the dramatic power of the images that you?re seeing, into ?an AV experience? – for want of a better phrase – that in a club, music simply can?t do by itself.”

click here to watch more!

Alec: “When one thinks of remix culture, copyright theft and exploitation of other artists are mentioned often at the same time…where do you draw the line? How should our society handle these issues?”

Graham: “It?s a complicated issue, and maybe I would argue for some kind of a system that made it all simpler and clearer; something along the lines of an extended Creative Commons type approach, which allowed unrestricted artistic use of sampled content, but had the additional mechanisms in place to allow for commercial use, where percentages of profit could go back to the rights holder.

Those are complicated to put in place and collect of course, but not beyond the collective power of the creative industries to solve. If rights holders saw a monetary upside from allowing certain kinds of video sampling, then more people would allow it and the idea would spread. If it can work with sampling in music, it can be made to work with films and other mediums.”

Tolly:” More of a problem is the idea that certain artists or rights holders do not want their work messed with, and irrespective of money, would always say ?I created it that way for a reason, I don?t want it altered? and that?s more complicated to argue against. Everyone just has to come to terms with the fact that with modern technology artists will sample and use other?s work, but we just need a workable framework to do it in. But sadly life isn?t that simple?!”

it just does not stop….click here and watch this!

Alec:”How do you prepare your work?”

Tolly: “Generally we sit in the studio, look through the video, whether it?s a movie or a music video, and then sample it, and like any DJ or producer looking for great audio samples, what we look for has to sound good but also has to look good too. But with film remixing, there’s the added complication of finding shots that’s also help explain the narrative and essence of the story and characters! Thinking in two mediums at once can get complicated!”

Graham:” It’s not easy to describe our working process, and it’s something we’ve had to work out how to do from first principles to achieve just what we want. It’s a kind of cross between film-post production and music producing, the difference with us though is that we don’t separate out the processes for audio and video – we treat them as part of just one production process, creating them both at the same time, and we think that shows in the end results.”

Alec:”In this clip we can see you perform in a live environment. Can you react to the audience? Or do you plan out the crowd reaction beforehand?”

Graham:” Both – just like any band or DJ, we usually work out roughly what our set will be, knowing what works at times during a set, but can always change and adapt it, drop tracks we were thinking of playing and swap them for one?s we weren?t going to play and so on. We?re not fixed, it?s audio/visual but it?s not a movie.”

Alec:”I keep having the same conversations with film directors who feel that a film will never be able to compete with a live show of musicians, because a show creates a different atmosphere, an interaction with the crowd. While I find it very fascinating when directors manage to set up a scene which has such an emotional impact on the audience when it’s being screened at a later point in time.

Many directors sweat quite a bit when they are present at their own film premiere, because there is no chance anymore for maneuvering. What is your view on that and how do you deal with this? Will VJs be able to build the bridge and will they perhaps influence directors and musicians, inspire them to approach their work in new ways?”

Graham: “Film-making is a very different discipline to what we do. Film directors engineer their scenes to create an emotional response or sometimes it?s just narrative thrust, or hopefully it?s both at the same time and the composers film score illustrates or informs the mood, or sometimes it?s even the driving force. What we do is give a pr?cis of the narrative, in quite an abstract but musical way, and of course it?s the music that drives us because the music and visuals are in essence the same thing in our work.

We?re not constrained by the same rules and conventions as film directors and composers at all, and we can find new ways to tell a story in a more abstracted musical way; like I said, when we play live we react to an audience more like a DJ or band. And yes, it would be great for VJs and AV artists to influence cinema, I think there?s definitely a new kind of cinematic syntax being developed now by AV artists and I?d love to see this working its way back into mainstream film-making.”

Tolly:” But after making remixed trailers ourselves I?ve definitely now seen some TV ads and broadcast trailers in the last couple of years that have used a style which appears to be influenced by what we?re doing! But there?s been little hints of audiovisualness in films for a long time though, probably as long as films have been made. The old movie ?Bedknobs and Broomsticks? springs to mind, as does ?Mary Poppins?, and of course Disney?s ?Fantasia?, where sequences were inspired by the work of Oskar Fischinger who also worked for Disney on that film. I think sometimes modern VJs tend to like to think they?re cutting new ground but mostly they?re finding new ways to use old tricks!”

Alec:”When you watch films do you always stay alert to scenes that you might want to use later? (My brain always sends me messages, when something might be a good loop or something haha)”

Graham:” Yes, absolutely – it?s kind of hard these days now to watch films without thinking ?that?d make a great sample?!”

click here, just do it….

Alec:”Tell us about your remix for Slumdog Millionaire…how did that come about? I guess everybody is asking the question right now This will haunt you for the rest of your lives? what do you think?”

Tolly:” not sure it will haunt us – it was a great remix to be asked to do, but yes – everyone in interviews is now asking us about it! It?s phenomenal what?s happened to the film since we were asked to be involved, an absolute sleeper hit as they say.”

Graham:” I know, 8 Oscars, a bunch of BAFTAs, Golden Globes and dozens more awards. Crazy to think when we were remixing Slumdog Millionaire and told people about it, no one knew what we were talking about! It was something we are asked to do by the film?s distributors, and we’d only really done film remixes for the US studios up to that point with films like Iron Man, Take the Lead etc so it was great to work on a British independent film. British films have a whole different vibe to the Hollywood movies and Slumdog in particular is really fresh and brilliantly captures India and the slums in particular.

The film?s director Danny Boyle saw our work and wanted us to do it, and it was a fantastic film to work with, really vibrant, colourful, and full of energy. It?s one of those films that you would think would be really easy to remix but it was actually quite hard, it took us a couple of goes to get it right, to match the film?s energy and pace. Looking back now, it?s been a great ride and we?re really pleased to have been able to remix an Oscar-winning movie, particularly as it also means that the idea of film remixing has just become a bit less underground than it was before.”

Tolly: “Well even Iron Man was nominated for an Oscar for its special effects, so to have remixed that too for Paramount shows film remixing certainly isn?t underground any longer. As it happens, last year we were also asked to remix the Gus Van Sant film Milk as well, which Sean Penn won the Oscar for. Sadly it didn?t happen in the end, but again shows the people behind such high profile movies are thinking of getting their films remixed.”

Alec:”Please name 6 of your favourite films EVER!”

Graham:” Definately both ?Brazil? and ?Time Bandits? by Terry Gilliam! ?Brazil? might be a bit of clich?d answer I know, but it?s a visionary piece of film-making and still stands up to this day. In fact, in many ways it has more in common with what?s happening in the World now with terrorism than it did at the time in the 1980s. I?ve also always liked Michael Powell?s ?A Matter of Life and Death? amazing film and of course the original ?Star Wars? which really inspired me as a kid.”

Tolly:” I?d put ?City of God? in my list and ?The Lord of the Rings? – but that?s a trilogy, does that count?”

Alec:”What do you have in mind for the future? In times when storage and hard drives have no limits anymore, will you give us a 3h remix version of…let’s say all Kubrick films? Or what do you guys have planned for the coming decade?”

Tolly: “Not sure creating a 3 hour remix of anything is a good idea – we might send our audience to sleep! But in the coming decade, yes I can see something like this working. The more audio/visual sampling and remixing becomes established, I think it?s quite clear that live AV shows based on, say trilogies like ?The Lord of the Rings? or movies by one director, will happen. I guess someone just has to try it and see if there?s an appetite from audiences; if you could get it right then I think it?s a great idea. Yeah, maybe we should do a feature length remix of ?Mamma Mia? and make our fortunes!”

Graham: “Er, maybe not! It would be nice though to think that all our remixes in 10 years would be in 3D, with surround sound, a fully immersive experience. In reality who knows what will happen, I think things will develop in unusual and unexpected directions, that?s part of the adventure, there?s currently few rules and the way technology evolves tends to mean eventually the imagination becomes the limiting factor.

Time and money in practice always interfere, but in theory pretty much anything will be possible. Maybe we?ll all stay at home and send our avatars out on virtual tours of Second Life. That would limit our carbon footprint, but would be infinitely more boring.”

before we forget : click here!

check out these LINKS and suscribe (and get rid of our cable TV…NOW!):

www.myspace.com/addictivetv
www.youtube.com/AddictiveTV
www.addictive.tv

www.eyho-blog.com

click to read Patrick Wolf’s interview on new album

photo by Stefano Masselli

Alec Empire:

“Please describe the Italian music scene for us. Very rarely we hear anything about it. Are you part of a certain scene?”

Tying Tiffany:

“People often think that Italian music is just that melodic stuff, obviously the Italian music culture comes from this type of sound but there is an underground culture very rooted and indeed interesting, also in rock and electronic area…lots of good new intriguing and emerging artists and bands…about my music I’m not a part of a specific Italian scene. I think the globalization and new ways of communication are the keys to see the music without barriers and boundaries..I hate to be boxed in as simply Italian.”

Alec Empire:

“How do you see your role in electro music? Every female is put into context of others working in music…that’s why I ask the question. Many people out there hardly think about that and they expect girls to fulfill a certain role…”

Tying Tiffany:

“I see myself changing and evolve in electronic music, to experiment new way of sound. Sincerely I’m not interested to know how people consider my role, I know what I do.. Often the musical biz is very sexist where women have just image and no content , I known many guys with a lot of image and poor content….”

Alec Empire:

“Please name 6 of your favorite artists and explain why they influenced you (if they did).”

Tying Tiffany:

“I usually name ATR but it’s pretty weird to say it now ’cause It’s you to ask me that:-))
It’s difficult for me to name few artists ’cause I’m really open minded. I’m not inspired by particularly artists ’cause my tastes often change from my state of mind, I can listen to: Pete Namlook, Angelo Badalamenti, Bauhaus, King Black Acid, Alien Sex Fiend, World In Motion, Lydia Lunch”

photo by Bob Moz

Alec Empire:

“Are you working on a new record? Will it sound different?”

Tying Tiffany:

“Yeah I’m working to my new album…I’m so excite about it.. It will sound so different of course….I’ve changed something in my sound…it’s pretty darker…It’ll be a surprise…”

Alec Empire:

“When you work on music, how do you do it? Do you write the songs and then produce them with your band? Please describe…”

Tying Tiffany:

“I write all my songs on my own ,my laptop, my bass few synth, just in the final phase the sound engineer help me to materializing and finalizing my music. I’m always looking forward , input, music, movies, books, magazines, people.. and the unknown, I try and take from within myself. There’s always something that grabs me and I love surprising myself, this comes across in my new work.“

Alec Empire:

“The way you present yourself on stage is very sexual. I always saw your performance as a statement against the conservative and religious mind set of mainstream Italy. What do you think? How do you feel in Italy? Our image of the country is very stereotype influenced…the Vatican, the Mafia, corrupt politics…how true is that?”

Tying Tiffany:

“About the Italian stereotype you’re totally right, Italy is very conservative…and has gone backwards in the “middle-age”… TV and political show biz have controlled our ideology and the popular culture. The last declarations of the Vatican, about euthanasia, abort and homosexuality, it’s soo distant from the natural human rights and it has influenced politic thought also. I have always tried to express myself with no limits I always believe in freedom and art”

Alec Empire:

“Can you tell us about the history of electro music in Italy? Is there one? Did you listen to Italian music when you grew up?”

Tying Tiffany:

“There are many good Italians musician in electro scene like: Giorgio Moroder, Alexaner Robotnik, Goblin, Gaznevada, Noia, Pankow, Kirlian Camera, many people think that Bob Moog invented synths…an Italian artist called Luigi Russolo …was indeed the first electronic musician pioneer. My sound is son of what I’ve been listening and the first steps around electronic music was EBM, Industrial and wave..maybe this sound is still rooted in my life. I listened also Italian music like Ennio Morricone, he’s a genius for me.”

Alec Empire:

“Which city in Italy throws the best parties?”

Tying Tiffany:

“Milan, Bologna, Roma, Tourin”

Alec Empire:

“2009! How will you spend it?”

Tying Tiffany:

“I take my time for my art…paint ,short ,movie and my new album, and work with my new live band, I would like to have a new European tour.“

Check out Tying Tiffany’s music on:

http://www.myspace.com/tyingtiffanyy

http://www.eyho-blog.com

ENTERTAINMENT AND PAIN. an interview with Miron Zownir regarding his film ?Phantomanie?.

Preview Screening during “Transducers! Festival” in Berlin at Tresor on 12th of February 2009 was a success. We posted a German interview a few days ago. This is the translation by M.A.Littler.

After several attempts you have now made your first feature films. Why has it taken so long?

Zownir: “I had already written screenplays in the 80?s in New York and L.A. that anticipated several things that Tarantino then realized in the 90?s.
But my then producer Chosei Funahara insisted on doing a flic in the Philippines first because he hoped to be able to raise a larger budget for our film that way.

Unfortunately that film turned out to be a flop as I had expected and Funahara never recovered.
We had been preparing my film ?The Contender? for three years. We had a great cast lined up ? Peter Fonda, David Terriffick and Richard Edson (Stranger than Paradise).

When I got word that the Philipino film killed our project, I threw my videorecorder and television set out of the closed window and was arrested, tied up and almost killed by a fascist LAPD deathsquad.
After that my screenplay ?The Loser? was rejected by ?Das kleine Fernsehspiel?, claiming that the German audience could not be confronted with such violence and obscenities.
Even the support of internationally acclaimed actors couldn?t eleviate the fear of the financiers that my films would pass the boundaries of the tolerable.

What is ?Phantomanie? about?

Zownir: “I believe that today?s materialistic hegemony, the blind faith in progress and the uncontrollable globalisation of power and economy paired with the idolatry of fame and an anachronistic monotheism triggers our primal fears.

Who am I? How or based on who can orientate myself. Who can I still trust? How can I survive without becoming part of the inhuman machinery? How can I protect my emotions and individuality when everything can be duplicated and replaced.

Perhaps those are not the fears of the majority but much rather the fears of those who refuse to conform. But that?s probably the target audience I want to connect with and that I identify with.”

Natalia Avelon plays a prostitute in Phantomanie.

That doesn?t sound like entertainment.

Zownir: “My films are an amalgamation of entertainment and pain. You can laugh and cry about the helplessness, confusion and anger that my characters experience. But the mere fact that they fight back and have to find a way through the chaos of their psychotic dreams and illusions makes them rebels of sorts. Even if they fail, they have more in common with one of Crumb?s comic heroes than a good looking Hollywood loser.

They?re overdriven, distorted and far from the norms of mass production, designed on the drawing boards, that everyone wants to supposedly see. None the less they are realer than the common media puppets that the German televison networks force upon their audience.“

There is a particular passage in your collection of short stories ?Parasites of Helplessness?, in wich a journalist tells a director: ?you make films for lunatics, sadists and pilgrims on their way to hell. In how far does that apply to you?

Zownir: (laughs) “Everyone should see my films. I have no reservations or fear of contact.”

Bruno S. performed in his first feature film in thirty years. How did you convince him?

Zownir: “I had already made a documentary about him and he trusts me. He plays a mixture of a moronic bum and an all knowing philosopher, a character that mediates between dreams and reality ? he does the same for himself in real life.”

Bruno is known as an icon of amateur acting, who no one wanted to touch after he made films with Herzog.

Zownir: “I freed him from that Herzog corsette, which is really limited to the poor, ridiculed outsider.
The scene in which Bruno becomes the werewolf-like strangler will most likely not please most of his fans. But Bruno is more than merely part of the Herzog mythology and I gave him the opportunity to prove that.”

What was your collaboration with Alec Empire like? He is known to be eccentric not unlike yourself.

Zownir: “When working with me every genius eccentric has a jester?s license?let?s say within the boundaries of what I am trying to say. With Alec I had to make no compromises because he understood the film better than I did (laughs). Our collaboration could not have been better.”

Your photographs, novels, stories and films are hard to digest for most people. Could one refer to you as an iconoclast?

Zownir: “I believe on your way to self-realization, you must first tear down all barriers before you know where it is that you want to go. As soon as I encounter taboos, I feel provoked, I get uncomfortable and try to question them. Looking at it from this angle, I haven?t learned all that much within the past thirty years (laughs). Call it what you will, but I believe what distinguishes me is the courage of the uncensored word or image.
The moral imperative of post-war Germany is hard to digest or to accept because their moral ambassadors, as we well known are the biggest opportunists and cowards.”

One of your lead actors Frederic Geay died during the post production of Phantomanie due to an asthmatic attack. In his part he continuously talks about death. Do you see a connection?

Zownir: “Freddy was a good friend of mine and I knew he was asthmatic. In a way he played himself and he addressed fears that tortured him his entire life. Yet at the same time he was optimistic, enjoyed life and defied it all with humor and charme. Freddy?s death was a shock to us all. Everyone that worked with him liked and respected him. I would have made many more films with him.”

http://www.mironzownir.com/
http://www.myspace.com/zownirradicalman

ENTERTAINMENT UND SCHMERZ. Ein Interview mit Regisseur Miron Zownir ?ber seinen Film “Phantomanie”

Preview Screening beim “Transducers! Festival” in Berlin im Tresor am 12.Februar 2009 – Start 19 Uhr

Du hast nach mehreren Anl?ufen endlich deinen 1. Spielfilm gedreht. Warum hat das solange gedauert?

Zownir: “Ich habe bereits in den 80?er Jahren in New York und LA mehrere Drehb?cher geschrieben, die einiges von dem vorweg genommen h?tten, was Tarantino in den 90?er Jahren realisiert hat.
Aber mein damaliger Produzent Chosei Funahara wollte unbedingt vor meinem ersten Film noch einen Streifen in den Philippinen drehen, weil er sich davon ein gr??eres Budget f?r unser Projekt erhoffte.

Leider wurde der Film, wie ich vorausgesehen hatte, ein Flop und Funahara hat sich nie wieder davon erholt. Wir hatten uns drei Jahre lang auf meinen Film ?The Contender? vorbereitet, der mit Peter Fonda, David Terrifick und Richard Edson (Stranger than Paradise) gl?nzend besetzt war. Als ich die Nachricht erhielt, dass der Philippinofilm unser Projekt gekillt hatte, habe ich meinen Fernseher und Taperecorder durch das geschlossene Fenster geworfen und bin von einem Sturmtrupp faschistischer LA-Bullen, an H?nden und F??en gefesselt, beinahe totgeschlagen worden.
Sp?ter wurde mein Drehbuch ?Der Versager? von kleinen Fernsehspiel mit der Begr?ndung abgelehnt, dass man dem deutschen Fernsehpublikum, meine Gewaltszenen und Obsz?nit?ten nicht zumuten k?nnte. Selbst die Unterst?tzung namhafter, internationaler Schauspieler konnte den verantwortlichen Geldgebern nicht die Angst davor nehmen, dass meine Filme ?ber die Toleranzgrenze, der Tolerierbaren hinausgehen w?rden.”

Um was geht es in Phantomanie?

Zownir: “Ich glaube, dass die heutige Zeit der materiellen Hegemonie, des blinden Vertrauens an den Fortschritt und der un?berschaubaren Globalisierung der Macht und der Wirtschaft, gepaart mit einem g?tzen?hnlichen Starkult und anachronistischen Monotheismus, unsere Ur?ngste triggert.

Wer bin ich? An wen oder was kann ich mich orientieren? Wem kann man noch trauen? Wie kann ich mich behaupten, ohne ein Teil der menschenverachtenden Maschinerie zu werden? Wie kann ich meine Emotionen, Gef?hle und Individualit?t retten, wenn alles duplizierbar und austauschbar ist?
Vielleicht sind das nicht die ?ngste, die die Mehrheit empfindet, sondern eher derer, die sich nicht anpassen wollen. Aber das ist wahrscheinlich die Zielgruppe mit der ich mich identifiziere und die ich ansprechen will.”

Klingt nicht gerade nach Entertainment.

Zownir: “Meine Filme sind eine Mischung aus Entertainment und Schmerz. Man kann ?ber die Hilflosigkeit, Verwirrung und Wut meiner Charaktere ebenso lachen wie heulen. Aber allein die Tatsache, dass sie sich wehren und sich im Chaos ihrer psychotischen Tr?ume und Illusionen zurechtfinden m?ssen, macht sie zu einer Art von Rebellen. Selbst wenn sie scheitern haben sie mehr von einem Komikhelden von Crumb als von einem gutaussehenden Hollywoodloser.

?bersteuert, verzerrt und weit von der Normierung, der am Rei?brett konzipierten Massenware, die angeblich alle sehen wollen, sind sie dennoch reeller als die ?blichen Medienmarionetten, die von dem deutschen Fernsehanstalten ihrem Publikum aufgedr?ngt werden.”

In einer Passage aus deiner Shortstorysammlung ?Parasiten der Ohnmacht?, sagt ein Journalist zu einem Regisseur, ?Sie machen Filme f?r Geisteskranke, Sadisten und Pilger auf dem Weg in die H?lle.? Inwieweit trifft das auf dich zu?

Zownir: (lacht) “Meine Filme sollen alle sehen. Ich habe keine Ber?hrungs?ngste.”

Bruno S. hat seit 30 Jahren seinen ersten Spielfilm gedreht. Wie hast du ihn dazu ?berredet?

Zownir: “Ich habe bereits eine Doku ?ber ihn gedreht und er hat mir vertraut. Er spielt eine Mischung aus debilem Penner und allwissenden Philosophen, eine Figur, die zwischen Traum und Wirklichkeit vermittelt, wie er das im wirklichen Leben mit sich selber tut.”

Bruno gilt als Ikone der Leiendarsteller, den nach Herzog keiner mehr anfassen wollte.

Zownir: “Ich habe ihn aus dem Herzogkorsett befreit, dass im Grunde genommen auf den armen, verspotteten Au?enseiter reduziert ist. Mit der Szene wo Bruno zum werwolf?hnlichen W?rger wird, werden sich die meisten seiner Fans nicht anfreunden k?nnen. Aber Bruno ist mehr als ein Teil der Herzogmythologie und ich habe ihm die Chance gegeben, dass zu beweisen.”

Wie war deine Zusammenarbeit mit Alec Empire? Er gilt ?hnlich wie du, als schwierig.

Zownir: “Bei mir hat jeder geniale Exzentriker Narrenfreiheit, d. h. im Rahmen dessen, was ich verwirklichen will. Aber bei Alec musste ich keinerlei Einschr?nkungen machen, weil er den Film besser verstanden hat als ich. (lacht) Unsere Zusammenarbeit h?tte nicht besser sein k?nnen.”

Deine Fotos, Romane, Storys und Filme sind f?r viele schwer zu verdauen. K?nnte man dich als einen Ikonoklasten bezeichnen?

Zownir: “Ich glaube, dass man in seinem Drang zur Selbstverwirklichung immer zuerst alle Schranken niederrei?en muss, bevor man sich dar?ber klar werden kann, wohin man will. Sobald ich auf Tabus treffe, f?hle ich mich provoziert, werde unangenehm und versuche sie zu hinterfragen. In dieser Hinsicht habe ich in den letzten 30 Jahren nicht viel dazu gelernt (lacht). Man kann das nennen wie man will, aber ich glaube, dass was mich auszeichnet ist der Mut zum unzensierten Wort oder Bild.

Der moralische Imperativ der Nachkriegsdeutschen ist deshalb so schwer zu verdauen oder zu akzeptieren, weil ihre sch?rfsten Vertreter aus moralischen Instanzen besteht, von denen man einfach wei?, dass sie die gr??ten Opportunisten und Feiglinge sind.”

Einer deiner Hauptdarsteller, Frederic Geay ist w?hrend der Postproduktion von Phantomanie an einem asthmatischen Anfall erstickt. In seiner Rolle spricht er ununterbrochen vom Tod. Siehst du darin einen Zusammenhang?

Zownir: “Ich war gut mit Freddy befreundet und wusste, dass er seit seiner Kindheit Asthmatiker war. Im Grunde genommen hat er sich selbst gespielt und von ?ngsten geredet, die ihn ein Leben lang qu?lten. Aber gleichzeitig war er optimistisch, lebensfroh und hatte sich mit Humor und Charme dar?ber hinweggesetzt. Freddys Tod hat uns alle ersch?ttert. Jeder der mit ihm zusammenarbeitete, hat ihn gesch?tzt und gemocht. Ich h?tte noch viele Filme mit ihm gemacht.”

http://www.mironzownir.com/
http://www.myspace.com/zownirradicalman

IT WAS TRUE PUNKROCK!

Alec Empire interviews London filmmaker and musician Zan Lyons

Alec: “I think most of our readers might only be aware of your music, but you
have been almost more active in making films in the last years. Could you
please give them a brief introduction to your work…”

Zan:

“When I started making music the thing that excited me most was that I could do it all at home with just a sampler and computer. It was true punk rock. I’d have an idea turn on my machines and Jam.
I wanted to bring the same energy to films and then combine it with my sound!
All my films are shot, lit and edited by my me on my laptop. I also do all of the visual effects and post production. This means I can take my camera, shoot something and start trying ideas immediately.
It’s a powerful and liberating experience!”

Alec:” Many people say that video games will replace film one day. Do you agree?
Can video games ever achieve the same effect that films can?
Does it even make sense to put both in relation to each other?”

Zan:

“From an industry standpoint video games have already replaced film. Even in our current economic climate video game sales keep growing while film sales are shrinking. I think the reason is a simple one. Value.
Even though games are significantly more expensive than films the experience is much more involved. What happens on the screen is happening to you, not a character you passively empathize with. Film distributors need to start giving audiences more with their DVDs. The same lack of value destroyed music – even though the industry blames downloads. When you buy a game you are buying something that will absorb you for days – even months.
From a personal perspective, nothing will ever replace the magic of cinema and although Games offer a truly interactive form of entertainment, they are not yet able to compete with film in terms of story. Games like Metal Gear Solid and the Final Fantasy series have scratched the surface. I think we’ll start to see the two worlds collaborating in the near future. Brilliant storytelling not better graphics will really take gaming to the next level.”

Alec: “How influential is Asian film right now? It seems that Hollywood steals
more ideas from there than from anywhere else…”

Zan:

“Asia is without a doubt leading the world of cinema. Films like ‘The Ring’ and ‘Oldboy’ have completely changed films and have left Hollywood playing catchup. South East Asia always gets mentioned but India is also producing thought-provoking dramas as well as the colorful entertainment of Bollywood. Also a lot of people don’t realize that Bollywood is the biggest film industry in the world with Hollywood coming second place.
People working in Asia really know their craft and as a result, they make better films for much, much less money than Hollywood. Australian cinematographer Christopher Doyle has worked most of his life in South East Asia. He’s easily the greatest cinematographer working today but I doubt he would have reached this point if been swallowed up by Hollywood or even Europe.
Asian cinema keeps getting better and better and I think it will play a much greater role in years to come.”

Alec: “How important is authenticity or realism for you as a director ? Do they
both even matter?”

Zan:
“My films have lot’s of small details so realism is very important. I always use lighting to create a film’s atmosphere because it’s means the image comes to life in front of me and I can react to it. All of my effects are very simple and usually involve more camera work than computer effects. I want people to believe what’s on the screen.”

Alec: “Can you recommend 3 films to our readers? And explain why they should
watch them?”

Zan:

“The first is ‘In the Mood for Love‘. The way color and music are used to create atmosphere is amazing. It manages to feel like a classic 1960’s film and a modern one at the same time.

The second is ‘THX1138‘. I think this is one of the greatest science fiction films ever made. It has a sense of claustrophobia that I don’t think I’ve experienced since. There’s an impending doom from start to finish and it’s themes of government control feel more relevant today than ever before.

The final film is ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit‘. It’s a perfect example brilliant family cinema. Children will love the cute charater animation and adults will enjoy all of the film noir references. Most importantly though, it’s 90 minutes of pure mind-bending fun!”

Alec: “Has technology left human imagination behind? Anything can be created
with the help of computers these days, but still most films out there lack
ideas? Why do you think that is?”

Zan:

“Technology can be great when used well but too many people seem to use it to make short cuts and cover over weak ideas. Films like Star Wars and 2001 were at the cutting edge when they were released but the initial ideas were good in the first place so the effects were just enhancements. I think we need to return to this way of thinking and use new technology as a creative tool.”

Alec: “Or is the problem rooted in our society, in which everything , even art
itself, has to serve only one goal: profit making?”

Zan:

“When Hollywood gets it right the results can be amazing. but unfortunately money often gets in the way. There are too many people who see film making purely in financial terms and they are usually the reason for bad films.
I think this will change though. Audiences aren’t stupid, if a film isn’t good people can just download it!”

Alec: “Are you thinking of doing a full length film one day?”

Zan:

“My new album will be a collection of 9 songs with a short film for each one. It will flow together running at about 45 minutes so it’s actually a full-length film.
You’ll be able to either watch it as a complete film or select individual chapters – or just listen to the music. Each viewer will experience it differently.
The music is all instrumental and the films have no dialogue. The sounds and images are heavily synchronized – I wanted to create a world that people get can lost in.

I also have two story-based feature films that I plan on making at some point. I can’t say too much at the moment but they’ll be made in a similar way to my shorts.”

Alec: “You did visual remixes of some scenes of Blade Runner. How did the
audience react to that? This film is often seen as the masterpiece that
nobody is allowed to touch…”

Zan:

“There was a strong reaction to it here in the UK for that exact reason. Audiences loved it though! When it began they thought it was just a live soundtrack but quickly discovered I’d re-edited the film as well. I used heavy synchronization between my own music and various scenes. I remember BBC Radio interviewing me asking if I was trying to make Blade Runner better! I was never trying to improve the film – that would be impossible. It was more like my own version. I had some clips on youtube but was asked to take them down by Warner Brothers:)”

Alec: “Do you think that most film scores push the audience far enough?“

Zan:

“Not at all. The last good film score I heard was ‘There Will be Blood’ It created an almost unbearable tension throughout the whole film.
Otherwise Most film scores sound either made-to-order or like a cynical way to promote a bands music.
Film scores are in real need of a a change!”

Alec: “Where do you think films will be at in 10 years? The same stories told with
different/younger actors?”

Zan:

“I think a revolution is coming! There will, of course be the same old money-making films but I think Digital Technology has put film making in the hands of everyone so I hope we’ll start to see new visions and different methods of storytelling.
There will definitely be less money to make films so people will have rely on ideas instead of funding to make good work. We’re already seeing this with people like Warp Films and Philip Virus.
I think we’ll also start seeing more films that take advantage of the internet rather than treating it as an enemy. Maybe interactive films where the viewer has a say in what happens next.
Like I said, tools that used to be exclusive to Hollywood are now in the hands of everybody. In ten years we’re going to see more films made faster, cheaper and for the RIGHT reasons!”

check out Zan’s films and infos here:

http://www.zanlyons.com
http://www.youtube.com/thisisourpunkrock
http://www.myspace.com/zanlyons

A CONVERSATION IN BERLIN BETWEEN MARK STEWART AND ALEC EMPIRE

Alec: “Hey Mark…..I kind of feel that there is so much that should be said in lyrics these days, and I keep wondering why nobody really says anything.

Sometimes when I drink my orange juice in the morning I can get deeply depressed about the current state of the music scene. Which is silly I know but it keeps happening. This theory keeps popping up in my head that if there was a concentration camp in Oranienburg (city next to Berlin), the music scene would be exactly the same as it is now. It’s not even like majority of music is expressing anything deep which words can’t say… How do you feel about that? Your lyrics stood the test of time. A lot of stuff you said 20 years ago, still seems to make so much sense. What is worse…people not listening or artists not saying anything?”

Mark: “For me berlin is a hungry ghost of the city in the 20s a time of political upheaval/economic meltdown i havent seen so much decadence since the fall of rome!”

Alec: “Decadent? I feel like waiting for a train when I am in Berlin…waiting with a bunch of people who can’t get a job. Which part of Berlin you see as decadent? Can you give me an example? I was born here so I wear my pink Nu Rave shades….”

Mark: “Taste is a form of personal censorship?”

Alec: “It depends. I see it more as a filter. But I guess you are right that for many people taste is something they copy from others to belong to a larger group. The question is if that is still ?taste?. I am shocked about the fact that most people don’t even feel the need to develop something that could be described as taste. In the elections , is it about ?taste? at the end? Do people consume the politicians, like they do with ?entertainers??”

Mark: ” VOTESCAM lizard leaders kissing babies selling fake sincerity who stole your identity? nations of couch potatos chained to YOUR tv screens it doesnt look much like living to me CITIZEN ZOMBIE”

Alec Empire: “Please tell us about your new album. What made you come up with the concept? I think it is outstanding that a musician would think himself into such a imaginary world and drags the listener into it.”

Christoph de Babalon:

“My new album “Scylla & Charybdis” deals with the destiny of two greek mythological figures, who once used to be beautiful nymphs and then became monsters because of witchery. I wanted to work with the story, because i find it very touching. I didn’t only want to emphasize the fact that both are monsters and kill lots of seafarers but rather concentrate on the tragic elements of their lives. The pain of suddenly being a monster, they had no choice and no way out of it. I also like the fact that their fate can be seen as a symbol for the Tragic in everybodys life nowadays, as a very real thing and not just a mythological one. Reality of life is not a polished, beautiful or fun thing. It’s tragic and utmost brutal. Bless those who have not seen it, yet. Most of us will end up as tragic monsters or as their victims. Resistance is futile!”

Alec Empire: “Your tracks take time to build up the intensity. This is one strength of your music. It wouldn’t work as a 3min song. Do you think we will see more music which is longer, now that radio is becoming less important in the age of the internet? My secret hope is that the traditional song structure will be forgotten at some point in our culture. Have you ever felt you should write a “song”? or did you ever write some?”

Christoph de Babalon:

“To reach an intense experience, a piece of music has to be dense and compact, rather than just be long. I also feel it is not so much a matter of “song” or not “song”. There has to be a reason why something is three minutes or thirty minutes or three hours long. If it is both long and intense and keeps the suspense, it’s perfect. I like music that spreads out to eternity as well as having a lot of atmospherical information. Music that really creates a world around you and in you.
In these superficial and fast times it seems like the craziest thing to make tracks that are longer than 5 minutes. It seems to be some kind of taboo, because people lose attention so quickly.”

Alec Empire: “Do you think spending time of writing music is important to reach a certain level of intensity? I think it’s an interesting question to ask in these times, when everything happens faster and faster. It sometimes feels that people don’t make the effort to explore music as deeply as they could. You seem to be very careful about how and when you release your music to the public. I think that’s great…. Too many seem to load up their music on the internet right away without thinking. How do you feel about this?”

Christoph de Babalon:

“Of course, Music is a mirror of society, things are going faster and faster. So how do i feel about this? Generally i think, a great work could be done in very short time. It really depends on what the idea is. Also how it is done. I prefer spending a longer period of time on making records, because i discovered for myself that i can go deeper into the feelings and sounds. I try to create different worlds, that takes more concentration and time. For me and the listener. The first idea and selection of instruments usually goes quick, but i take a lot of time sculpturing, taking breaks and listening back. “Scylla & Charybdis”, for example, is the most complex work i have ever done, i worked on it for more than three years! Most music that’s done quickly cannot go really deep or last long. I think its not just a problem of uploading fast, also downloading today is very easy. I Like to play with different formats, as i did with the “Premium Edition”, to make people more aware of what they are listening to. i would like people to do things that are more defined and pay more attention to their lives. I have never followed any trend with my music so I guess it’s OK, I have got the time!”

Alec Empire: “Radio legend John Peel used to love your records? How did that feel to be recognized by such an important DJ ? I really miss him, I feel that we would need a person like him so much right now. Someone who discovers new music and communicates that in an interesting way to people.”

Christoph de Babalon:

“It made me very happy that he supported me. It felt like an accolade. I have always looked up to him and his way of “half of what i know people will like and half of what i think people should like”. There is noone to take his place as far as i can see.”

Alec Empire: “In my opinion you redefined “dark” in this genre. Before your releases, Jungle and Drum’n'Bass had never reached this kind of intensity. When they used “dark” string samples it always felt like a 12 year old acting as Darth Vader or something. What made you go deeper at that point in time? What kind of music did you listen to back then?”

Christoph de Babalon:

“When I started making music I had no intention of making D&B/Jungle, of course i was influenced a lot by Jungle Techno rhythms but the atmospheres i wanted to work with come from deep within me.
Some sort of melancholical longing. A sea of tears, a universe of sadness, a romatic apocalypse. I always took more atmospherical inspiration from classical music and from books and paintings. I have always seen my music more as an artistic medium to express what I feel about this world than to worship some form of lifestyle/DJ- and Clubculture. I make music for people who look beyond the shallowness of this world.”

Alec Empire: “What do you think about sampling? To me it seems that despite the advanced technology that we have today , most “artists” imitate electronic music from the 90ties. Do you feel the same way? Have you spotted any new talents which actually use technology to move music forward instead of just speeding up the process of making it?”

Christoph de Babalon:

“Sampling is great but i don’t think about it so often. I use technology not to imitate something that has been done before. I use the voodoo of sampling, I feel, I sample atmospheres rather than music. Like sampling a large room with someone crying in the corner on the other end while it’s raining outside. Someone coughing while the orchestra plays a pianissimo. Some poor soul singing in the subway and being barked at by dogs. Because we have this complex technology we must use all the new possibitlities, but incorporate and learn about the past as well. Otherwise we just repeat history, and thats not my idea. The human composer must have dominance over his machines and create something that evokes new worlds.”

Alec Empire: “I thought about the whole history of breakcore and I want to talk a bit about that first….do you remember exactly when we first met? It was this “illegal” free rave near Cologne , in some forrest…if you compare 1994 to where we are now, what do you think has changed and how do you feel about it?”

Christoph de Babalon:

“That rave was crazy. It was very foggy and superdark. Back then it all was very exciting, it was something that just started. This kind of music just hadn’t been there before. We didn’t even call it breakcore. Also there was some kind of youth culture thrill. I haven’t got much relation to a breakcore scene anymore, we are talking about 3rd generation now, and sadly, most “artists” couldn’t add anything to that style. Breakcore now is just boring repetition of formulas and to be honest the whole thing is really DEAD for me.”

Alec Empire: “Please tell us about Cross Fade Enter Tainment. It is one of the few labels which is still going. Has anything changed since you started?”

Christoph de Babalon:

“CFET is not a traditional record company, it’s a label but more like an art project. So at least we won’t go financially bankrupt, perhaps morally. We have taken a break since 2003, because we had done all we wanted at that point and we didnt want to repeat ourselves. We have received some interesting demos, some new concepts are coming up.
A new era has begun for Cross Fade Enter Tainment. We have started working on the next releases already. Stay tuned!”

Alec Empire: “You moved from Hamburg to Berlin a while back. Was there a reason ? What do you think of Berlin ? Some people look at it as the darkest city in Europe, others feel it’s changing so fast, that it is quite superficial. What do you think?”

Christoph de Babalon:

“I live in eastern Berlin in the former Stalin Allee since 10 years. A lot of the GDR-military parades were held here. A lot of history surrounds the place. That’s what I like about Berlin, this crazy history. Not so much a lifestyle thing. Berlin is very complicated and fucked up.”

Alec Empire: “What are your favorite 10 electronic albums?”

Christoph de Babalon:

“No order, only valid now:

Wicked Messenger – Black Tourmaline
Iannis Xenakis – Persepolis
Toecutter – Wetopia
Atari Teenage Riot – The Future Of War
Drumcorps ? Grist
Revolting Cocks – Beers, Steers & Queers
Underground Resistance – Revolution for Change
Cabaret Voltaire – Red Mecca
Atomsmasher – Atomsmasher
Bourbonese Qualk – On Uncertainty”

you can order this crazy packaged album here: http://cfet.com/stores

“Anne Clark is playing here tonight – and you’re not Anne Clark”!

Being refused entry to a show you?re actually headlining must be an embarrassing experience and one of the many music biz divas would no doubt throw a massive J Lo-style strop yet Anne Clark takes this kind of non-recognition in her stride. If you were to pass her in the street you?d be forgiven for not recognising her as one of electronic music?s long-term contributors; she?s rather small with mussed up hair and a quiet, unassuming personality.

Clark herself would agree that she doesn?t exactly fit into the traditional female ?pop star? image. ?Having grown up being ?Not The Most Beautiful Girl In School? it was truly magnificent when punk rock arrived and it was what you did that mattered, not what you looked like. Things soon reverted back to how they had been before and women had to be ?babes? or ?whores? to make it. I know I can never be one and hopefully am not the other, so I am very proud to say that I guess it’s my work that matters to people!?

Clark was born in Croydon, London and worked as a nurse in a psychiatric hospital before taking a post in the Bonaparte Records store. She immersed herself in the burgeoning punk/new wave scene when she began booking artists such as Paul Weller, Linton Kwesi Johnson and The Durutti Column to perform at the Warehouse Theatre. Seizing the opportunity to be part of a wave of music where attitude rather than looks mattered most, it?s no surprise that Clark turned to writing and performing and her debut LP, The Sitting Room, hit stores in 1982. Since then, her musical output has been somewhat sporadic with long gaps between releases; she?s an artist who only brings out an album when she feels she has something to say as opposed to churning out nonsense to fulfill contractual obligations. Her new LP, The Smallest Acts of Kindness, is her first in twelve years so why the long wait? ?In 1996 my father died and this had a huge impact on me,? explains Clark, ?I basically lost all interest in writing.

What could I say? What was the purpose of writing really? I felt I no longer had anything to say. By the late 90s I had also grown very tired of the whole music scene. It seemed so stale and sterile. Everything seemed to be about “product” and nothing to do with “quality”. Everything sounded like a derivative of something else.? But while one family tragedy put a complete block on her writing, another opened the doors to her creativity: ?In 2006 my mother died and I had a completely opposite reaction to the one I’d had after my father’s death. Suddenly everything seemed urgent and vital. Life is so short and unpredictable. We have to give it everything we can. I had to write again. This is basically how the new album came about.?

As the first new Clark material to be released in more than a decade this album can surely be filed under ?Eagerly Awaited? and is likely to be a hit with die-hard fans as well as bringing in a few newbies along the way. It?s scarcely a deviation from the typical formula yet can hardly be classed as a mere regurgitation of what she?s done befor. After all, her spoken word critiques and rants are what she does best and this time the impassioned sloganeering is set to sombre acoustic guitars and banging techno beats in equal measure. ?I wanted to be certain that I did something that had value to my audience and to myself. I want to give the best I can. I also want to give something that the audience recognizes but that also challenges them. The most important thing for me was keeping a clear perspective and maintaining my vision of what the album should be.?

Clark?s music has often been described as bordering on Weltschmerz but she is keen to point out that far from being a 24/7 misery she simply uses music as a means to understand and cope with difficult issues: ?I always find it curious that people feel my music is lacking emotion. I fill it to bursting with emotion! Energy and communication are the primary elements to my work. It has certainly never been my intention to release material that makes people depressed or gloomy. I don’t deny that there is an element of melancholy and introspection in what I do but for me the purpose of music, poetry, books is to help us deal with parts of life that aren’t so easy. I think you’ll find the themes of most of the greatest works aren’t always the jolliest!?

With a flair for memorable electronics and certain degree of formality and distance in her music it?s perhaps no surprise that Clark is especially popular in Germany and she herself is very positive about her German fanbase: ?I adore my German audience! They have been so loyal through so many different and difficult periods,? she enthuses, ?For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated by Germany and German culture. Despite all the clich?s, I find German art and culture passionate and full of fire.

There is a romanticism and honesty, a directness that I love in its poetry, music, painting. It touches me very deeply.? In October Clark will set off on a European tour which will see her busy until mid-February. Yet despite the intensity of the schedule, it?s an experience she adores, ?I love touring. For me it is the ultimate part of this whole thing. Everything comes together – the music, the musicians, the audience, the energy shared. This is going to be a very long and no doubt very tiring tour but what a privilege to again be doing something I love so much.?

With a new album about to hit the stores and lengthy tour in her diary, Anne is back on the radar doing what she loves and as an artist with more experience under her belt than most she has seen myriad developments within the industry yet is confident that changes happening now can only work in the artist?s favour: ?I have to say what enormous pleasure it gives me to see the greedy grasping hands of the industry losing their grip on artists at last. The arrival of technology has been like a renaissance for so many musicians. There will of course always be the “pop music industry” and that is fine but for so long “Artists” have lost out to “Products”. Now, through the Internet, downloading sites etc. there is a whole other world for people to discover real music in and for the people that create it to have a platform. It should be wonderful.?

It should indeed. Clark remembers an incident that would have most artists foaming at the mouth: ?I asked one of my record companies for a tiny budget for a re-mix. They gave me half of virtually nothing. That same week a model who had been fucking one of the executives got an advance of ?250,000 to make an album that nobody ever bought!? Her response? ?C’est la vie, eh??

Writer Nathan Meunier interviewed Alec Empire about his Gameboy album which originally was released in 1998. Since then game boy music has really developed into a genre of its own. We had some request from subscribers to re-publish the interview as it is hard to find on the internet.

ALEC EMPIRE ON “WE PUNK EINHEIT”

-How did you come to use the game boy as a tool for creating music?

ALEC: It was very obvious to me. When I started Atari Teenage Riot, I loved the idea of using a tool which is supposed to be a videogame only.

Of course the Atari back then was a proper little computer, like the Amiga. When Nintendo released the music programm I just had to get it. Since I started DJing in the early 90ties I was always playing video game music in my sets. Not the usual novelty joke stuff, serious game music which I find amazing as music to listen to.

-What game boy program did you use specifically to compose “We Punk Einheit”? What other game boy programs, if any, have you used to create music and what are your impressions of those programs. (The main programs I’m aware of are the game boy camera, Little Sound DJ, and Nanoloop).

ALEC: I did We Punk Einheit with the game boy camera. But then started to use Nanoloop live in all of my solo electronic shows. The programs are limited but it that?s the challenge of it. The feedback that I got from people was ?how on earth did you come up with that on this little machine??
I think it?s a mind set, many people look at an instrument like this and see it as a gimmick. I respect it in the same way I respect a piano or a guitar.
When I used the game boy live , and I use different ones, the first one, the second one and so on, because they all have different frequency ranges, I mean a different sound, I realized how powerful the machine really is when heard over a big P.A.

-How long did it take to create “We Punk Einheit”? Tell me about the composing and recording process used to create the record.

ALEC: I can?t really tell how long it took, because I did the record in between recording sessions for an album I have done called ?Miss Black America?. I would guess I did one song a day. I remember making the music felt like when you reach a high level in a video game, old school video game, you reach a difficult level, everything goes fast and you react quick…it?s exciting, thrilling…your body releases adrenaline or something…that?s how it felt…very similar how I record music in general.
A lot of super quick decision making. When a pilot flys in a fighter jet, he or she can?t step back and think, because then it?s too late. You have to trust your instinct in that moment.

ntr_03_snippet-1

ntr_16_snippet-1

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-Musically or thematically what did you set out to do in creating this
particular record?

ALEC: There is a link to the old game Space Invaders or Astroids, also in the artwork. To me these were quite nihilistic games, because you could only lose.
The aliens would always take over. I loved that when I was a kid. The music and sounds that came with it. Very cold , like an unstoppable machine which destroys you, the player. You can be sure about that when you start the game.
We did game boy parties in 1998, they were called the ?Out? parties, DJs were called ?bodysnatchers? and not DJs. We played video game music, no wave and weird Japanese art records there. It was a strange atmosphere there in Berlin. With the double album I wanted to capture that vibe. We Punk Einheit ist he document of that time.
I was so bored with the British music press praising the Beatles on and on. At those parties we wanted to draw a line once and for all and reject the old tradition of music making which is (still) stopping or slowing down the evolution of music….if you know what I mean. I grew up in Berlin. The artists in Germany made a fresh start after the Hitler regime. They thought that if a society that evil came out from the art created before it, then we must invent a new way of thinking and creating. Sometimes you have to let go of the past, and this is what we did back then.

-What was your favorite and least favorite part of working with a gameboy to produce the record.

ALEC: I had a great time the whole time…because once I got in there, it was like composing in a little articifical world on its own…if you know what I mean. It felt like being in the world of 80ties space invaders or house of terror. When I was a kid, I dreamed about being in these worlds.

-Have you incorporated game boy sounds into any other records you’ve put out?

ALEC: Yes, I have on various ones….CD2 from ?Intelligence and Sacrifice? or ?The Live Sessions in London 2002?. And more… I always have it ready to go, it?s sitting next to all my other instruments in the studio.

-Have you used a game boy in live performances and if so how was it utilized? Have you used other video game hardware to create music?

ALEC: I used the game boy many times live. I was even once attacked by another musician at a show in Helsinki at a festival. He was angry at me because he said it?s not ?music?. Using the game boy can provoke many people in an audience.
It is looked at like the ?anti-instrument?. Which is not right of course, because it is a mini computer with a synth. I have never used other video game hardware live. Mainly because the game boy really sounds good.

-what are your thoughts on some of the music out there that has been created using game boy hardware?

ALEC: I think people should stop treating it as a ?fun? tool and get serious with it.
To me that?s the part where the humour comes in. To go ?haha this is a game boy , it makes ping pong sounds? is a joke told too often already. It really reflects on the person using it.

- Thank you very much for your time.

NTR’s album will be available again next week at The Hellish Vortex
click here

check out Nanoloops website here
official NTR myspace

?Neither of us is typical in our approach to the world.?

Untypical is definitely one adjective that can be used to describe autoKratz.

Even David?s first encounter with bandmate Russell was far from conventional: ?Some pissed up wanker puked on my shoes outside a club. I was about to kick his head in but felt sorry for him as he had also puked on his really nice Devo T-Shirt. That wanker was called Russell. It was the start of a turbulent friendship that can only end in murder!?

Despite those less than glamorous beginnings a solid friendship and incredibly productive working relationship quickly blossomed. ?We locked ourselves in a grotty studio in the East End and started trying out some ideas,? explains Russell, ?Influences came from loads of places but have never dominated things as making something original is essential to what we do.?

While the autoKratz sound was still in development an early demo found its way into the hands of Gildas Loaec, head of slick Parisian label Kitsun?, who was so taken with the embryonic autoKratz sound that he immediately added the band to his roster. It?s a creative partnership which the guys are immensely happy with as David explains: ?We can go to Gildas with an idea and he’ll throw it on its head in such a fantastic way. Everything from the artwork onwards is such an interesting process. It makes you push yourself.?

Russell is equally convinced that the maverick attitude of the label makes it the perfect home for them:

?For me Kitsun? is so important in electronic music because the forces behind the label are so adamant on continually moving forward rather than finding a sound and monopolising it for ages. They are constantly on the look out for new things which are exciting and original and needn’t necessarily fit the template of what people expect.?

Getting the music out there also seems to be a turn-on if their intense touring schedule is anything to go by. Their blend of hard rock attitude and dirty, fuzzy electronics has been wowing crowds all over Europe and shows no signs of letting up.

?The live thing is so hectic at the moment and going from strength to strength,? says Russell, ?Last week we played to over seven thousand at Dour Festival in Belgium and it was absolutely unbelievable.

It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life to see that many people turn out for autoKratz and go for it in a massive way.? Touring is also something which is necessary to their artistic development as Russell explains: ?To have the opportunity to travel round the world playing your music to people is pretty unbeatable. We love meeting different people and seeing how youth and electronic music culture is different across the globe. It?s really energizing to meet people who share excitement for this kind of sound.

I would say with the music we write we try to be original and innovative so although we thrive on inspiration and influences the music can only reflect you at that point in time and what’s going on in your head.?

Inspiration comes from all sorts of places and touring and exploring new countries and cultures is certainly one of them. But what about the guys? musical heroes? Needless to say, they?re quite diverse.

?The first time I heard Underworld it blew my mind!? enthuses David, ?The intense vocal deliveries and weird lyrics all underpinned with a dark electronic score which was neither techno or house; a rarity in the early/mid 90s. And Russell? ?I was brought up on a diet of Shoegaze so at home I suppose I still find myself listening to loads of My Bloody Valentine, Jesus and Mary Chain, Chapterhouse?that kind of thing. I’ve always been fascinated by bands that explore other sides to their creativity to produce this wealth of amazingly innovative and forward thinking music.?

A lot of hard work and a little bit of good fortune go a long way in this business and the autoKratz story has progressed from humble beginnings to the verge of super-stardom in a relatively short space of time.

Kitsun? have jumped on their sound with gusto thus far releasing four very sexy 12? singles, the newest of which, Stay the Same, recently topped DJ Mag?s Hype Chart ahead of tracks from Hot Chip and Laurent Garnier. A 9-track mini album is due to drop in autumn, intended to draw a line under the first chapter of autoKratz?s musical odyssey before work starts on their hotly anticipated debut LP.

And if you?re expecting more of the same, then it might be wise to think again; unlike some of their peers, autoKratz certainly won?t settle for sticking with a sound that sells at the expense of creative development as Russell points out: ?For an artist to be truly important, moving forward, changing and innovating whilst still remaining compelling must be a prerequisite. Like an involuntary reflex.?

www.myspace.com/autokratz autokratz myspace
www.kitsune.fr kitsune website

NEALE LYTOLLIS

Underground nightlife impresarios Larry Tee and Daniel Nardicio both
spoke enthusiastically about America?s current economic crisis this
week, and suggested it should prove positive for New York nightclub.

When the economy dips, the nightclubs heat up, club owners are willing
to take chances and a lot of the old club owner/predators get weeded
out,? Larry suggested.

?In times of economic hardship, artists flourish. It?s an undisputable
fact, just like the other undisputable fact: Sluts Heal Quicker,? ,?
Daniel agreed, ?One can already see a change: Cute little parties are
popping up everywhere, and people seem to want to go out more. It’s
like “If the USA is going to hell in a handbasket, lets f**king party!”

?Personally, I hope New York City goes bankrupt and one has to walk
over hedge fund operators bodies to get to a club. I think the drama
is very exciting,? he laughed.

Larry was similarly unconcerned about Wall Street clubbers, suggesting
they?re already retreating from their bottle service haunts.

?When (satirical TV show) Saturday Night Live does a comedy skit about
the strippers at Scores, a popular club here in New York City, closing
down the Champagne Room because the high rollers are gone, you get an
idea about how the nightclubs in Manhattan are going to be affected,?
said Larry,

?But that Wall Street money and those “I moved here because of “Sex In
the City” girls had just about killed New York Nightlife. For years
now, New York City has been plagued with these awful stereotypes and
the clubs responded to the waterfalls of cash by making dance floors
smaller and private bottle service areas bigger.

In West Chelsea where the most expensive bottle clubs are on every
corner, the weekends still look very healthy but the normally solid
weekdays are beginning to thin out,? he said.

Daniel was actively enthused about the plight of the City?s merchant
bankers and said he?s noticed few, if any, so far ditching the stock
market for sex clubs.

?Nah, they walk around pale and scared- it’s hilarious,? he chuckled.

?Gone are their smug, self satisfied faces. New York City has become
so focused on money and wealth that these people don?t know what to do
without dollars to flaunt. They never had to develop real
personalities, so now they?re trapped.?

?Having said that, I honestly don?t? have anything against any
particular group. I think it’s great to thrive and prosper,? he added,
?And lets face it, some of those frat boy hedge fund guys are HOT
pieces of ass and deserve man on man sex to calm them down. But
obscene wealth in the face of people losing their homes, and America’s
poverty just seems wrong to me,? he said

Larry pointed out that New York?s last economic recession of the early
90s spawned seminal clubs including Disco 2000, Sound Factory and The
Tunnel, recalling ?it also seemed as though the government had more on
their plate than looking into bathroom stalls to see if anyone was
doing drugs.?

?New York is NOT going to go back to THAT city, but there is no doubt
going to be some serious shake-ups in the nightlife hierarchy,? Larry
predicted, ?Viva La BUST!?

Daniel concluded with a cautionary note.

?I do wonder if all this drama and fear is created by the White House
to distract us from something else. I mean, what happened to Bird Flu?
Anthrax? And Y2K? The list is endless of ?Breaking News? stories that
are supposed to be catastrophic yet nothing seems to ever change in
reality,? he noted.

?The more I work in media the more I see how events, diseases, drama,
fear and crises are all created by the media to propel the idea that
we need media.
I mean, I keep hearing about this recession yet they?re building
condos left and right around me! HELP!?

More evidence of the depth of the crisis, however, emerged in Florida,
this week, where a local cyclist complained to cops after being held
up and robbed by a pack of women on the street.

Olmer Morales said a heavyset woman initially blocked his way and
seized his handlebars while four topless women surrounded him and
stole $100 from his back pocket.

The 18 year old described the suspects as ?thin with blonde hair?
wearing ?overalls and no shirts or bras underneath? according to
police reports (The Smoking Gun).

http://www.dlist.com (Daniel?s gay social networking site. Free
membership)

http://www.michaelmoore.com (Michael Moore: How to fix the Wall Street
mess: ?The richest 400 Americans — that’s right, just four hundred
people — own MORE than the bottom 150 million Americans combined. 400
rich Americans have got more stashed away than half the entire
country! Their combined net worth is $1.6 trillion. During the eight
years of the Bush Administration, their wealth has increased by nearly
$700 billion — the same amount that they are now demanding we give to
them for the “bailout.” . . .?)

Jonty Skrufff (Skrufff.com)

“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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Make sure you check out the big Alec Empire special in ‘Future Music’ this month.
It has an inside view on Alec’s studio in Berlin. He is also talking about his philosophy on sound and mixing.

Artrocker interview click here