Press
Interview With D-Side Magazine
1/ What is the title "Devil's Advocate" illustrating in your music?
It's more a title referring to my character, however I like to bring other points of view to people's attention musically as well, so I suppose the different styles represented on my album can sit neatly under the title"devil's advocate"
2/ A lot of different styles are representated on your new album, is it a bit conceived like a DJ set bringing the listener in several soundscapes?
No, not at all I don't believe in that journey shit being pushed by dj's (mostly trance) a few do it well(not trance!) but the majority hide behind it with their non descriptive adjective free musical genre as a "journey" so as to make the audience feel they belong to something! The album's different styles are reflective of me, I listen to, and appreciate, a wide array of music, so it seems natural to bring this variation to the music I make.
3/ Our readers are mostly belonging to the electro-industrial & " gothic " scene, do you feel like also having roots in that scene, as you are known to be a very " dark " person?
I am constantly referred to musically as being "very dark and challenging" and personally as being "very dark with a dark sense of humour", EBM is a big influence but Punk is more of an influence than Gothic and when I say punk, I don't mean commercial punk like the pistols, I mean The Damned, Devo, T-Rex, The Ruts, The Stranglers, stuff that was interesting sonically, politically but not fashionwise.
4/ Please tell us more about the composition of your new single " What was her name ", the choice of this sample of Bauhaus's classic " She's in Parties ", of Chicks On Speed for the voices.
Looking for inspiration I recently rediscovered Bauhaus, I was into them a little bit at school, then my ex-wife introduced me to Tones on Tails and She's in Parties in the late 80's and whilst record shopping I found the 12 inch of "She's in" with different accapella's on the dub side (I used accapellas for demo's to my record company in 1988- XL) and made the instrumental on my birthday, Tiga told me that to make a track on your Birthday is a good omen...so I didn't celebrate at all and came up with the instrumental (file name 19/9/02) then the idea of using CoS came about, either to do a straight cover or a new track based loosely around the hook....we chose the latter.
5/ " Deo Gratias " sounds like " orchestral Kraftwerk " to me, tell us more about its amazing structure and sounds...
Thank you, I let sound dictate what should happen, I like to be organic in it's construction, so it built on itself using strings and arc sounds with a good dose of old fashion Deep Purple style Hammond organ (Justin Robertson heard it and saw me coming out of the floor like a mad organist...like in Jules Verne 20k leagues under the sea!). It wasn't inspired by Kraftwerk (I never really found any love with them..they were pioneers undoubtably but too cold for me with no vibe of humour or self deffication...I was getting my kicks off John Foxx and Devo at the time...the head honcho from Devo latter helped invent MIDI btw). I love listening to Classical ( I worked in a classical recordshop for 2 years) and was first inspired by Holst's "The planet suite" when I was 11 and then latter by Tomita's interpretation of it, these were probably in my subconscience when in the studio. It was also a very complex mix bringing in over 60 channels using moving fader programs to control all levels and only after mastering at Metropolis with Miles(the mastering engineer) did I feel it was finally tonally nailed. The title by the way means thanks to God and was chosen to balance the lp's title and continuing demon vibe (all the edit points for vocals on "what was her name came up" 666!) and even as an atheist I thought I better cover my ass!
6/ " Stay out of the light " has a very scary mood, the bass-line reminds John Carpenter's soundtracks, are you conscientiously bringing your music from very luminous and catchy atmospheres to frightening ones?
Shit...you've really picked up the vibe..... I got that from listening back to it as well, I don't listen to stuff to death after finishing it as you never can be honest as you become brainwashed, so after a month I checked it and I could hear what you mean then. It sort of is like "assault on precinct 13" after a house party with Reece. I like dark, happy lightweight shit isn't me or my music, so it has to be atmospheric and introspective as opposed to euphoric.
7/ What is " The Wolf " refering to?
A furry beast that lives in the forest!!!! I don't enjoy coming up with titles, so I listened and in my head a lone hunter came to mind using the forest as cover hence "wolf"
8/ The album's last track, a very cold synth-pop one, is called " Addendum ",why? Is it a kind of epilogue coming back to the roots of electronic music?
Never thought of it like that, although again I can see where you are coming from.....initially it had a Patti Smith sample in it which started "Only four word's remain, Love Death Sex and Drugs....We are the Adrenal people we need Action"and they got pulled at the last minute despite one side agreeing (Mechanical) and the other side not (Publishing)...we could have used it as it was from a live poem (paris 1978) but I didn't want to without the artist's blessing and apparently Patti didn't approve on the publishing. But "Addendum" refers to the lyrics being additional matter which make sense of the rest of the album and my generation. I still feel sad it wasn't allowed, but the song stands up to it without the sample so it was edited.
9/ You come to perform in France in February, will you play some material live or will it be a DJ set including some of your own tracks?
Not sure yet, let's wait and see.
10/ What is your top 5 among the tracks you play as DJ at the moment?
1) Fixmer & McCarthy "Destroy"
2) Antony Rother "Back Home"
3) Split Second "Flesh Remixes"
4) Tones on Tails "Means of Escape remixes"
5) DJ Hell "NY Muscle lp"
10 Bis/ Same question if you had to mix 5 songs belonging only to the EBM-industrial & goth scene
1)Die Warzau "Free in the land of the Free"
2)Bauhaus "Bela Legusa's Dead"
3)The Neon Judgement "Fashion Party"
4)Nitzer Ebb "Join in the Chant"
5)Joy Division "She's Lost Control"
11/ You like good wines and good food, so you like France right?
Yeah, but not all aspects, I don't like the way Parisians are rude to tourists, I don't like the way you have to pay every five seconds on the motorway, I don't like the way you cannot double park on the pavement for five seconds in regonal cities because you have anti car bollards made to deter an invading tank battalion, and I hate the 105db law for clubs...that is so unfair and utterly ridiculous. Of course I love the wines and I love the comradery that everyone has in a French community, perhaps if we become a republic and drop the royal family we can get a sense of community and belonging (not everyone belonging to the queen as a subject that is).Oh yes please don't refer to us as little americans either!
12/ What are your projects for 2004 except still being a brilliant DJ and composer, do you have passed good resolutions for the new year?
I would like to do another album and continue touring live as well as DJ'ing....I think that's enough!
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