INTERVIEW WITH PORTION CONTROL

HELLO JOHN, IT FEELS GREAT TO INTERVIEW A PIONEER AND A
LEGENDARY MUSICIAN. DO YOU SEE YOURSELF AS ONE?

No. We were around at the beginning of the industrial/punk electronic music movement
and continue to create electronic music today - so we have a long history
and experience which means we are labelled as pioneers

IT MIGHT BE BECAUSE I’M GETTING OLD BUT EVEN IF I THINK THERE IS
TODAY TONS OF GREAT MUSIC, I GET THE FEELING THAT THERE’S
NOTHING NEW BEING MADE….
DO YOU THINK THAT TOO AND HOW COME YOU THINK?

I agree that lots of music fails to take risks nowadays as sales of product diminish I think
this will only get worse. Groups have to rely on live performance and much music is
created with this in mind. It is certainly much easier and cheaper to create music now
than it has ever been which in turn creates lots of competition

IF I SEE PORTION CONTROL, THEN I AUTIOMATICALLY THINK OF ALL
THOSE OTHER ELECTRONIC BANDS WHO WERE SO INFLUENTIAL….
FROM CABARET VOLTAIRE TO PSYCHIC TV TO…
WAS THERE SOMETHING LIKE A SCENE IN THE SENSE THAT YOU KNEW
EACH OTHER?

Yes, certainly in the early 1980’s most bands were linked in some way or other. We had a
flat and modest studio at 319 Kennington Road, South London within a few miles radius
SPK, Lustmord, Nocturnal Emissions, Chris and Cosey and Funky Porcini lived...and we
all knew each other reasonably well

BACK THEN THE GUITARBANDS HAD JOHN PEEL.
I KNOW YOU DID A SESSION BUT WAS HE IMPORTANT FOR THE
ELECTRONIC SCENE?

John Peel was vitally important to the electronic music scene as well as the dub scene
he played our singles and we were privileged enough to record a peel session. I
discovered lots of music through his shows which i often taped and passed to my friends

BUT HOW WAS THAT FOR ELECTRONIC BANDS? WAS THERE ACTUALLY
ANY COVERAGE AT ALL? I MEAN YOU ARE LEGENDARY BUT IF YOU SEE
ALL THOSE OLD FOOTAGES…THAT ALL SEEMS TO BE QUITE OBSCURE,
NOT?

The whole industrial, wild planet electronic music movement was always small in
England with most bands playing across Europe for any recognition at all. The movement
was about obscurity the music was often difficult and never translated into any sort of
commercial success easily

YOU CALL YOURSELF ELECTROPUNK, SO I GUESS THE PUNKATTITUDE IS
OF GRAT IMPORTANCE, NOT?

We grew up out of post punk in the UK. The idea that anyone could form a group. This
doesn’t seem so unusual now at all but back then it took punk and post punk to really
open the floodgates to music creativity again

YOU’VE BEEN NAMECHECKED BY LOTS OF ARTISTS WHO HAPPEN TO BE
MILLIONAIRES NOW.
HOW DOES IT FEEL….I MEAN IN A HONEST WORLD, YOU SHOULD HAVE
BEEN HOSE MILLIONAIRES!

Commercial success has never been a driving aim and we do not profess to being
musicians. we have aimed to create uncompromising electronic music and single
mindedly set about this goal. Of course we would have appreciated being better rewarded
but we also took a long break to raise families etc

HISTORICALLY SEEN YOU INVENTED THE SAMPLING IDEA.
CAN YOU TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT THAT?
I MEAN, WAS THAT FOUND BY COINCIDENCE OR….?

In about 1980 we heard about a sampling system called ‘greengate’ powered by an apple
ll computer and bought one of the first of these to be made commercially available. From
this we learned the basic principles of sampling and the technology was set to accelerate
We then progressed to the akai s900, s950 and finally our pride and main workhorse the
s1000.

YOU KNOW, JOHN? I MISS THAT IMPROVISING THING THESE DAYS IN THE
MUSICSCENE….
IT ALL SEEM TO BE SO MANUFACTURED NOW….

commercial pressure seems to apply automatically now. i think the naivety of the music
industry allowed real creativity to occur but with that learning process disappearing
creativity suffers. as was mentioned earlier taking risks is much harder now

SOMETIMES THEYSAY THAT WITH TODAY’S TECHNIQUES, EVERYONE CAN
MAKE MUSIC….
I SAY TRUE, BUT IS IT GOOD MUSIC?
WHAT DO YOU THINK?

i think having the ability to create music being so readily available is a good thing
it is the punk spirit - but of course the downside is that it floods the market with copycat,
manufactured stuff. good stuff will always be around it just takes more effort than people
are willing to invest

YOUR OPINION ABOUT THE DOWNLOADGENERATION…I MEAN YOU
BELONG TO A SCENE FROM WHICH THE RELEASES ARE WORTH A
GOLDMINE!

again we have always pushed for the progressive edge and so we certainly embraced the
software side of music production early on as we did with sampling etc. most recently
i’ve looked at using apps like nanostudio and beatmaker for music creation. however
many people, including many to young to have been involved at the time - still want to
own the original vinyl versions from the scene. i am happy with downloading although it
does undervalue the product

DO YOU FOLLOW THE MUSICSCENE YOURSELF?

not really although of course we meet other bands when we play

THE MOMENT YOU WENT ON A MAJOR, LONDON RECORDS, YOU WERE
GONE.
PURE COINCIDENCE OR DID THE MAJORTHING NECKED YOU IN AN
ARTISTIC SENSE?

the major label thing just never suited our personalities, we were just not confident
enough nor did we like the immediate concentration on commercial viability and profit
we had been independent and self contained for to long... this period was our unhappiest
and least productive. If you look back at the independent left field electronic acts that
went to major labels few if any succeeded

I ASK THIS TO EVERYBODY…WHAT’S YOUR FAVE RECORD OF ALL TIME
AND PLEASE STATE WHY…

the pop group Y, when this came out we hadn’t heard anything like it before. it was
produced by dennis bovell so had loads of volume spikes, low end, feedback and dub
reverbs and delays along with inventive dance oriented tracks and edgy intelligent
vocals. To top it all it came out of Bristol that, at the time, was a UK city smouldering
with unrest....

YOU SOON WILL BE ON THE BIMFEST. WHAT CAN THE AUDIENCE EXPECT?

we have been refining our live set [threat] to be as forceful as possible so expect pure
sequenced electronics with plenty of bass, deans vocals, a new set of visuals mixed live
into the output.... and a few surprises, of course

INTERVIEW WITH XMH

Can you tell us what XMH actually means?

XMH is the short term for Xenomorph which is the name of the alien from that same movie. Being a sci-fi fan I was fascinated by that name but having a look on the net we soon found out that there are already bands around who had the same idea.
I decided to take the first and last letter and the one in the middle and that’s the sole explanation XMH has….

You just have released your latest cd “State of muind” and this could be the cd that will make it….I only see positive reviews!

And that makes us very happy indeed! The big papers like Sonic Seducer, Zillo, Gothic, Negatief and so were all wild about our release. We put a lot of work in”State Of Mind” and the positive response is like a reward for the hard work that’s been done.
Of course it’s great for making our name a bit more known. I really do hope that our sound reaches as many ears as possible and that it will open new doors to us. The only way we see is the one forward!

But being part of the scene means working very hard….what motivates you?

I know it sounds like the biggest cliche there is but my biggest motivation is the love for music and my wish to become a better musician.
Of course it is really motivating seeing people are reacting on what we’re doing and for achieving that you have to develop yourself constantly. The hard work is something I accept, nothing annoying at all….

Just like every band in the genre I guess you have Germany and Belgium in mind…

Especially the reactions from Germany are positive, even more as we ever wished for. Belgium isn’t that great for the moment as things go rather slowly but everything we get is positive as well. You see we’re not complaining at all!

When I was looking at some information on the net about your band I noticed some local reviews who have to ridiculize the whole scene though…. Howx do you react to such things?

Most of the times I don’t care about such reviews. But I must say that it is a shame that it are those who are complaining that the scene is dead are also those who do anything to slash it down. All they do is complaining instead of bringing up some good alternatives.
It looks like they are looking for something to slash down as if they are looking for things to blame.

There are some bands from Holland which are very big from Within Temptation, Grendel to Clan Of Xymox…but it feels like there is no scene over there.

There is a scene in Holland you know. But comparing it with other countries, I tend to say the public is much younger. Honestly said it’s not that very well accepted by the big audience even if our country is famous for being open minded.
Maybe it’s because of that you think there is no scene, but there is one believe me…

XMH is compared quite a lot with Suicide Commando….

Of course I can’t say this isn’t true at all. Suicide Commando is in our genre such a long active band and of course they influenced us, so I am sure you will hear some comparisons too.
But we did it without wanting to but XMH is part of a scene in where such comparisons are inevitable.
Having said that, if they wanna compare us with acts that has been so long in the scene then that’s fine by us!

Where do you find your inspiration?

A bit from everywhere in fact. Films, movies, news, personal things of course other music in every possible genre.

I read once that you started the band because of the love for Hocico and now you’re sharing the stage with Erk and Rasco. How does that feel?

Well, XMH came later and Hocico is a reason but of course not the main reason. I used to play in several metalbands but it was thanks to Hocico that I got into the electronic scene and so far I still have lots of respect for them.
Knowing that I will be with them on stage in both Antwerp and Rotterdam gives me a good feeling, yeah……

What’s your fave record of all time and please state why….

Really too many to come up with one. I love music no matter which genre. It really depends on my mood which record I will state as my fave.
If you should ask me now then I go for “Navras” by Juno Reactor.

What can the audience expect from the show you’ll be doing in Antwerp?

An explosive show at where you foot will command you to dance.

And the last words are yours….

Come to Antwerp at 12th November, be free, become fan, buy or music, send spam around the world that we’re genius…but serious now : please come and enjoy Hocico but be sure to be early so you don’t miss our show and we can drink a beer during Hocico.

INTERVIEW WITH HOROLOGIUM

Dear Greg, what does industrial music mean to you?

Hello! Industrial music stands for creative freedom and lack of musical borders. It allows me to express myself freely, to decide what is right and what is wrong for me from A to Z, be it musicwise, productionwise etc..

Everything seems to go away but industrial music seems to be standing for decades, how come?

Good question. I guess what you mean is that other genres of music usually have their five minutes of popularity and then they go back to their garages, their underground etc. Look what happened to punk rock for instance. But industrial music has always been here in the underground and has never become really popular, which is good of course. It’s the kind of art that is, so to say, immune to . And that is what makes it so strong and everlasting.

I always tend to say that industrial music is perfect for my imagination as I can create everything with it what I want….

I guess that depends on one’s own imagination, but I do agree basically. I’d say that classical music/film scores and dark ambient stimulate imagination a lot. Like I said before, it’s the music that deconstructs all borders, schemata and ‘being used to’ aspects. Long live industrial music.

How did you get involved with that sort of music?

In the mid-90s I discovered Cold Meat Industry through some metal magazine. Then a bit later I also watched a Merzbow video and that’s when I got hooked.

The industrial scene has masses of releases, there used to be a time when there was an overflood from tapereleases but now with the new techniques everybody seems to make stuff. How do you follow all this?

I don’t follow at all. I keep myself busy trying to listen to all the great bands I already know. I rarely find good music from new artists and instead of wasting my time I try to focus on some well-known bands/projects.

This might be less funny to say but if everyone is making music, it also means lots of crap comes above.
Isn’t that extra hard for serious bands to deal with it?

The crap is no problem at all for serious bands. Well established artists will always find it easy to release their music and get through. In my opinion it is more annoying for label owners. Imagine how time consuming listening to all this must be.

Does it interest you in which form (vinyl, cd, mp3, tape) music is presented?

Of course. A release is not only the sound, or at least it shouldn’t be. Artwork, packaging, the way you promote the release – all these factors count as well for the overall impression that you get. I love vinyls and I feel nostalgic about tapes, they were my youth. Mp3 is fine as an introduction to the actual release on CD/vinyl/tape, but I feel it’s not a complete release if without any tangible object.

You are the man behind Horologium, I guess that’s not the only band you are/were involved with….

Horologium is the only project that really matters to me at the moment. I have lately started working with Marcin of [haven] on a more idm/breakcore oriented band and I hope you’ll soon be able to listen to our music.

Poland seems to have a quite vivid scene with lots of bands, but I guess it’s better to keep my foot on the ground : I guess it’s rather very underground as well?

It is indeed. But is that bad? What makes me more anxious is that without few exceptions people in Poland tend to play the same stuff over and over again. Dark ambient that we all heard dozen of times or plastic sound of synthetic orchestra – that’s usually the case. However, I was quite impressed recently by Polish project named K.

Honestly said I tend to follow the scene (from pop to Indus) in East Europe for quite a while, but it’s only since recently (some exceptions not counted) that there are so many good bands around.

I don’t follow pop scene, but there have been many industrial artists that appeared in recent 10 years after the inception of Beast of Prey Records in 2000. This was a great impulse for young artists to start their own projects.

When I heard Horologium’s latest offering, I got silent inside as it was rather morbid and creepy.
Do you feel as such too?

I assume you mean “A Handful of Dust & Ashes”? This is actually a reissue of my music from 2005 with some additional live tracks. Everyone perceives music in one’s own way, so it’s kinda hard for me to relate to your feelings. As a matter of fact, listening to “A Handful of Dust & Ashes” makes me nostalgic and serious.

What’s the most important thing for you : the story behind the music or the music itself or are the two not to be seperate?

I can listen to, say, End.user without thinking about the story behing the music, and that’s just great, but for some artists, including Horologium, these two fields are not to be separated. So if you mean my own music, I’d say both are very important.

Apart from being musician, you also do run Ur Muzik-label. How would you describe this label?

I run Ur Muzik with my wife Olga. We release music that we enjoy. We hope people will enjoy our releases too. Let the music speak for our label. It speaks best.

How does it work. Are you in search of musicians/releases or come they knocking to your door?

It’s 50/50 actually.

Is anything possible on the label or is there stuff you absolutely do refuse?

On the one hand, I would say that anything is possible. Anything that I find interesting. On the other, it’s less probable I would publish some christian pop crap instead of some interesting neofolk release.

Who has a record company in times where the musicindustry is in crisis?

If it’s not about making money, what’s the problem? People like me still enjoy listening to CDs and some other people enjoy releasing them. Who cares about the rest? Again, it’s about fun and passion, not business. Financial crisis doesn’t have much to do with it, at least in my case. Some other labels might find it difficult, though.

Is there anything special in mind you would like to release?

There definitely are some bands and albums that I would love to release, but let’s not talk in vain. I think that dreams are supposed to come true and I hope I will one day release what I intend.

What’s your fave record of all time and please state why…..

Sorry, but there are so many of them it’s really hard to pick up only one. It would be unfair.

We leave the last words to you…..

Thank you very much for the interview, which I enjoyed a lot!

INTERVIEW WITH QNTAL

Hello, first of all thank you for wanting to do this.
What’s in fact the difference between Estampie and Qntal?


Estampie is an acoustic project that was originally based in the “authentic” Early Music scene. QNTAL was a crossover project between electronic somewhat “dark” music and original melodies and instruments. The music of ESTAMPIE is created in the rehearsal room, Qntal is a computer project.


If you compose a track, how does that work. Recording something and then decide if it’s going to be for Qntal or Estampie, or do you have that in mind before?

No, no….from the beginning it is clear which project is on: practically is Estampie a band gathering in a room and rehearsing. Qntal is in the beginning Syrah, me and the computer , although at the end on stage Fil plays the synthies.


If I’m right you were noticed by Alexander Veljanov, right?


It was not Alexander, it was Ernst whom I met at the Munich theatre. We both love thatre and used to work a lot for it. He was the expert for Electronics and I for the medieval music. At that time (late 80ies) this was a very new concept. We had quit clear musical ideas and the work was rather exciting.

I guess you don’t mind if I tell that your music can be classified as classical music.
How did the fascination for that genre started?

Well, the classification changes constantly. There were times in the beginning in which we were regarded as revolutionary, even as traitors towards the “authentic” interpretation. Now since we have this movement of medieval rock as well as the Easy Listening Medieval Music our interpretation is seen as more classical again.
I was classically trained and so I was always in a very close contact to any forms of “serious” music. Only the Opera I never liked.


Qntal and Estampie are “specialized” (if I may say so) in medieval music. Is that a choice that’s been made for always or can it be that you do something completely different?


We already combine medieval music with a lot of different styles: Qntal with Electro, a bit of Rock and Pop. Estampie with Arab Music (Al Andaluz Project), Mongolian Music (Marco Polo) and many more. In the moment we work on a program abut Scandinavian Music)


I understood that your music is based on lots of traditionals. How do you find these?

This is just a lot of research, but everything we play is published and everybody can do the same work. There is no secret behind.

I guess you must laugh with people like me who have no idea what’s been made all these centuries ago.
I guess you’re kind of archivarists, not?

No , I´m much too chatic for that. What drives me , is the creativity. I develop always new ideas. What else can you do with medieval music. That´s my main talent. Many other band just follow the road that their predecesors prepared. I´m constantly building new roads.


In the past you made some tracks that had an uptempo beat but I guess you definitely have skipped that part, not?

Our aim , in both the bands , is to show a wide spectrum what medieval music could be.
So it can be romantic , hard, party and dnnce , folky, intellectual, simple or complicated.


Qntal and both Estampie are here popular among the gothpublic.
Is that the same in Germany?

Yes, but not exclusively. We are known , but still not always liked, in the classical scene. The more progressive part likes us and invites us for festivals and so on, the more conservative not so much. The same is in the Gothic Scene. A part is curious to new things and interesting approaches, but not everybody.


In that perspective, hasn’t it been kind of difficult for being taken seriously by the classic audience?


I always thought : music is music, there’s only good and bad music…


Never happened that you listen to your own music?


Sometimes yes, but years after I have made it. Sometimes it´s quite interesting.


I ask this everybody : what’s your fave recotrd of all time and please state why…

That´s really hard. King Crimson , The Incredible String Band, Bruckner and Beethove,n Bach, Monteverdi, Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa and thousands more.


In Gent you are part of Festival Van Vlaanderen which is a prestigious festival for classical music.
How does that feel?

It is not sooo extraordinary for us. We have played in Brügge years ago. We sang with our new classical project VOCAME at the Early Music Festival Stockholm, at the Rheingau Festival and so on. I lov e the athmosphere of Classiical Festivals!!!


What can the fans expect in Gent?

A quite new experience: Estampie and Qntalin one show.

INTERVIEW WITH THE BOLLOCK BROTHERS

FOR SOME THE BOLLOCK BROTHERS ARE AN INSTUTION, DO YOU SEE YOURSELF AS AN INSTITUTION?

Us an institution, really, do some see us this way, should I ask ARNO to answer this, no, not really Mr D


YOUR FIRST ALBUM HAS BEEN THE ONE WITH THE SEX PISTOLS.
WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN THIS ALBUM?

Our first album was the Last Supper, followed by the four horsemen of the apocalypse, never mind came later, we choose this as we felt the bite coming from our Electro Influence, some say we were the very first, done at the studio of John Komgas, cc happy mondays etc


I RECENTLY SAW JOHNNY LYDON WITH PIL. APART THAT IT WAS A GREAT SHOW, I FELT SORRY FOR HIM…I MEAN, THIS ICON HAD TO BEG THE AUDIENCE TO LISTEN TO HIM.

John Lydon remains a genius, but living in the USA has done whats left of his nut in, and being married to NORA whos edad is the ass Chef of Der Spiegel mag in Germany, we we’re mates untill my brother smacked a polieceman in Dublin(off duty guard) rotten got caught, and banged up in Mountjoy prison


TALKING ABOUT PUNK. WHAT DOES PUNK MEAN TO YOU?

Punk means seeing the kids at Bim fest and Peter flogging his cds with his lady, and me in the bar with a nice lady from west Flanders laughs


TECHNICALLY SPOKEN YOU’RE NOT A PUNKBAND BUT IN SPIRIT I THINK YOU ARE ONE OF THE BIGGEST PUNKBANDS EVER, AGREE?

total agreement


YOU WORKED WITH MICHAEL FAGAN, I AM SURE THAT MUST HAS GIVEN YOU SOME ENEMIES….

Michael Fagan, god save the queen, wow enough said here Mr D


NOT TO SPEAK ABOUT MANY RELIGION-SUBJECTS YOU MAKE PARODIES OF…
JUST BECAUSE IT’S FUNNY OR IS IT A REAL HATE TOWARDS CHRISTIANITY?

Ever thought that I LOVE christianity Mr D, I do, the old testament in the bible is fabulous, Abraham with his son, Joseph in Egypt, Moses parting the red sea, Joshua, where can one read anything like this



IN ALL HONESTY I DON’T KNOW IF I BELIEVE IN GOD OR NOT, BUT IF THERE IS ONE HE CAN NOT LET AN EX-HITLERJUGENDMEMBER BE THE LEADER OF THE CHURCH.
I KNOW YOU CRITICIZE IT, BUT DO YOU EVER THINK YOURSELF IT COULD HAVE COME SO FAR?


Total belief in God, absolute, might be a wild lad, but this will NEVER falter, Dieier, my dad was FIVE yrs in a camp in Poland, taken at Dunkirk, they were the poor sods that had to hold up Rommel, the French in total dissarray, he was freed by the yanks, belief in god and Churchill was got him through, Ill get to you pope question in a min




YOU WERE CONTROVERSIAL AS THEY SAY, BUT IN ALL HONESTY : I THINK THIS WORLD HAS BECOME SOOOOOOOOOO SOFT.
I MEAN IMAGINE DOING NOW A SONG ABOUT ALBERT SPEER.

Albert Speer, the first person to enter Hitlers bunker after the russians had a field day there was a Irish Ameriican called J P Odonnell, related to us by Irish ancestory, got the chance to speak to him, saw his interview with Speer, that’s what made me write the song, Albert is back laughs



GREAT YOU CAN ANSWER THIS QUESTION…SO MANY BANDS ARE LAME T0DAY!!!!!!!!!

Yes the bands are lame today, why, so much drugs available, once u guys clodes the borders the cartel had a field day, no more Bollocks left in the musicians, its lets say getting like football shite


AND AS UBERPUNKS, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE RECORDINDUSTERY THAT IS ON ITS KNEES AND FREE DOWNLOADING THAT IS RISING?

Well on the industry let me say this, Im suing our record company at the moment, ca va, on downloading, not such a bad thing


ONE OF YOUR ANTHEMS MUST BE “HORROR MOVIES”. SO SIMPLE AND SUCH AN ADDICTIVE SONG.

Horror movies, yes so simple true, but effective, the Dewaele are shortly re mixing it for me


YOU ALSO COVERED “HARLEY DAVID” BY SERGE GAINSBOURG, A TRUE HERO OF MINE.
IF I HEAR THE BOLLOCKS I OFTEN COMPARE HIM TO YOU, NOT MUSICALLY ….BUT IN THE SENSE OF LIVING AT A MAXIMUM…..

Gainsbourg, simply this Mr D, when I needed a friend and a break in the business he was there, I reamin the ONLY person to rewrite one of his songs, the rest only re recorded, find it strange that the girl who plays Jane Birkin in the new movie Gainsbourg Killed herself after having a row with her boyfriend in Paris, wonder what Serge would have made of this???



I USED TO BE A DJ AND PLAYED “HARLEY DAVID” A LOT AND IT WORKED WITH PEOPLE WHO DIDN’T UNDERSTAND A BIT WHAT WAS ABOUT….

Harley David, a monster seller on PIAS, that made there company



I UNDERSTOOD THAT THIS SONG HAS BEEN REMIXED BY THE FAMOUS THE BROTHERS DEWAELE, PLEASE TELL US ABOUT IT…

working with Stephan and David will be a honour for me, those dewalle brothers are the Guvonors, they have also been so Kind to my son Kilien, we met up again in Lyon with the belgie cook Piet Huysentruyt, what have we learned today Bollocks, laughs, soon in ghent recording and remixing Pgod



THE BOLLOCK BROTHERS ALWAYS HAVE HAD A SPECIAL LINK WITH BELGIUM, I UNDERSTOOD YOUR DRUMMER WAS EVEN BELGIAN…


Drummer Patrick Pattyn is from Oostende, formely NAUCHTU NEBEL beats of love, which we will do live in anvers for Patrick Nebel



HMMMM, RIGHT IF I THINK THE UK WAS NEVER OPEN ENOUGH FOR THE ARRIVAL OF THE BOLLOCK BROTHERS?

re the uk now it begins to open, as u said inone of your questions we got into a lot of trouble re Michael Fagin, recently we played Camdens purple turtle fab gig, full house fabulous


AS A BAND YOU TRIED ALMOST EVERYTHING, ARE THERE STILL THINGS YOU THINK YOU WANNA TRY OUT TODAY?

As a band yes, make love to Kim Clijsters in the ladies toilet at Wimbleldon,



I ASK THIS TO EVERYBODY : WHAT’S YOUR FAVE RECORD OF ALL TIME AND PLEASE STATE WHY…

Fave record wow what a choice if I was a rich man by Topol, or baby your a rich man by The Beatles



WHAT CAN THE FANS EXPECT FROM THE BOLLOCK BROTHERS AT BIMFEST?

Bim fest, wow, we show what we can really do on this one, total

INTERVIEW WITH STIN SCATZOR

Stin Scatzor is 20 years old, that’s a teen’s lifetime! How does it feel?

I guess it’s a case of getting old but we’re still alive and kicking! It feels weird that after all Stin Scatzor is known in the genre, and not only Belgium.
I am not speaking in terms of songs that are known, but as a name we are. I mean, if even the singer from KMFDM asks what Stin Scatzor means….

In those 20 years people you worked with are famous, others have completely disappeared. Is it a case of being the lucky one or do you think that quality rises above in the end?

I would rather see it as a coincidence. Right, I worked with Johan Van Roy as I recorded my first demos over there, I worked with Peter from Liquid G., I know Dirk Ivens and Eric Van Wonterghem quite well.
But in the end I think it’s due to the fact that it’s a small world, everybody knows everyone.
For me it all started with a stupid advert about electro-music in the musicmag “Fabiola”…an ad placed by Johan Van Roy!
But it still does something to me that after 20 years I might share the stage with Suicide Commando, Dive, Die Krupps, Insekt, KMFDM and now Front Line Assembly.

With Suicide Commando Johan became a sort of institution, never felt any jealousy towards him?

Yes and no. I still consider it as a hobby but for Johan it has become something that got out of hand. But that was to be expected, like he was committed with Suicide Commando. Hat of to that and I think he deserves it.
Maybe if I had the same drive and character as him, we could be as big as he is…who knows.

Ben wel blij dat ik het eerste optreden van Suicide Commando en de opgang van Suicide Commando heb mogen meemaken ! En er wordt zelfs al over een eventuele terugkeer van Lescure 13 gepraat... Maar dat is toekomstmuziek, wie weet. Alleen de tijd ontbreekt ons...
Maar ik ben tevreden, zoals het nu is. Ik ben ook niet dagelijks met muziek bezig.

You also are children of the so called tape-area. Technically speaking it surely was inferior but I still think these tapes meant more than the cd-r releases now.

Somewhere these tapes kind of fascinated me. You know making the covers by yourself, copying them…it was all an amateur thing.
Still think it’s damn cool that there are two split-tapes around with one side featuring us and on the other Suicide Commando.
We also made splittapes with Liquid G. and Notstandskomitee.

Never thought to feature all those tapes onto one cd?

In a way we did, especially with our 20th birthday. But such things take time and I need to make a good selection. Plus they all need to be remastered as well.
Having said that, releasing them on vinyl appeals to me as well.


2000 was a very important time as then Kris joined.
Was this meeting pure coincidence or were you searching to make the group any bigger?

Coincidence is not the word as we knew each other from the gigscene as he used to play with The Lace Of Allotment. One day one I met Kris at a vampire party I was already involved in recording songs for “Industrogression”.
I asked him back then if he would like the idea to add a guitar on that. When those first demos arrived I was thinking : this is the new Stin Scatzor sound!

I didn’t ask it yet, but what does Stin Scatzor actually means?

That’s of course the kind of question that is always asked.
Stin Scatzor is a word without sense, it’s like some kind of puzzle from different letters and it just seemed to fit fine. I found that 20 years ago when I had some boring times during school.
The logo is also pure by coincidence, no meaning and certainly not anything to do with Nazis.
One day I got a compliment from Rudy out of Wumpscut for my logo.

The longer you think about, the less concertorganisators that are around…

I kind of do understand that if you see what it all involves. I just think it’s a genius thing that there are still people around in our genre who are willing to do so.
Also not forget that Belgium is a small country, I mean every time there is something going on…one event being bigger as the other.

Belgium is the country that breed its EBM-children but I still do think that this country doesn’t treat its children in a right way.

I am really happy that it is all underground as I never want this genre to get commercialised. I know others will have other opinions and I am sure it’s different for organisators or people who are earning their living with music but for me : no thanks to those mass events!

Now that EBM is being in South America, don’t you get reactions?

We get some once and a while but apart from some fancontacts that was it.
I have no idea if Stin Scatzor is known there anyway….

For a band like Clan Of Xymox it’s no problem to play there for tenthousand people…

Honestly said in some way I would like to experience that once. The biggest audience we ever played for was in Leipzig at Wave & Gothik Treffen and we are talking about 1000 man only…but I really enjoyed that!

You soon will be on stage with Front Line Assembly, what can the people expect?

From us or Front Line Assembly? (Lol)
We will play a short but powerful set. Nothing special, just like always!
Pure “industrock’n roll”!!!!!!! I hope the audience will be as wild as the one we had in Nijlen.

Anything to add?

Well, I can reveal you that “Industremakes” will soon find its release on a European label, as soon as details are coming in we’ll let you know!
And our latest mcd3” “Industruction” is still available…and follow us on Facebook!

INTERVIEW WITH SANTA HATES YOU

Hello, most people will know you, of course from Project Pitchfork.
I just asked myself : why does someone who plays in such a legendary band decides to form a second band?

PETER SPILLES: I guess that‘s because artistically and musically I have a lot more to give. There are many dimensions in my personality, and they generate the multiplicity of my musical projects. I am „chronically inspired“ and a cure has not been found yet! :)
I love to experiment and to explore new musical ways. In Santa Hates You there‘s the female component which obviously is not present in Project Pitchfork, and that alone is a quite intriguing aspect. Also, the two projects are very different, musically and lyrically, too. So, as you can see, it‘s a thrilling and exciting new adventure.


Is there a sort of concept behind Santa Hates You?
I mean is this your outlet in where everything’s possible?
PS: Santa Hates You is the answer to all questions of our times. The truth in its name and lyrics are frightening and in all aspects sizzling. We don‘t limit ourselves, so everything is possible at all times without a warning sound. You have to understand, that there is no love existing in any imaginary product which is used to make you consume in a more happy mood.

“Crucifix Powerbomb” is like hearing a weird horror film in where freaks are ruling.
Is horror an important part in your life?
JINXY: I gotta say, I like your description of our album! :)
Horror per se is of course one of the many facets of life, and it wouldn‘t be possible for us to truthfully portray the contemporary society without referring to it.
But to answer your question in a much more trivial manner, I can reveal that both PS and I are huge horror movie fans.
PS: Jinxy, your choice of movies really scares me shitless. :D

Maybe life is just horror?
JINXY: Sometimes real life is even worse than the most gruesome horror movie.
PS: And sometimes horror is just a product of human fear.


There is lots of humour too and to be quite honest I normally hate that type of horrorhumor just because there are soo many clichés being overused, but it seemed like you did a more than pretty job to avoid that!

JINXY: Well, yes. :) I think that‘s because Santa Hates You is by nature the opposite of banal: we are an „anti-cliché“ band, if you will.
Our art is not created to please the masses. People may love us or hate us, but even in this second case they will have to recognize that we are not an ordinary band.
We are both creative subversives and humor is our weapon of choice to fight against the ethic-less and fraudulent world in which we live. Even when we‘re being witty, we still have something to say!




You are an artist who could profit from the big German wave, in the sense that twenty years ago mags like Zillo, Orkus and Sonic Seducer were like kings.
For or against, it helped to create a solid scene. Now this power seem to vanish, is that a good or a bad thing, you think?
PS: In my eyes it was that the bands of that time helped to evolve a scene that was worth being reported about and so there grew some former fanzines to the size
we now know as important magazines of our scene. First there was a solid scene, then there came the mags..., a magazine cannot give birth to a scene. Power is by nature not something that will last forever, so it is neither good nor bad.

Having said that, I can’t imagine that it must be easier now or am I wrong?
PS: You are wrong. :)

I always wondered, how come that Germany is the country that seems to breathe goth and EBM.
Why does Germany has such a strong link with that scene, you think?
PS: I think it is because in our catholic dominated culture there are themes blinded out which are important to have a fulfilling life. On top of that I guess Germans have a secret love for everything that is made with electricity.


Some will say Santa Hates You is a typical club album…I’ve never been to a club (haha) and I like it a lot…..
JINXY: Well, Mister, you‘ve got an exquisite taste in music, that‘s for sure! ;)
PS: “Crucifix Powerbomb” is a club album, but not only. It also has the power of turning your living room (or every other environment you choose when listening to our music) into a realm of dreams.

Recently Project Pitchfork released a new album….it seems like you’re having a busy schedule to deal with!
PS: Yes, in fact I trained myself to sleep only on sundays.

I ask this to everyone : what’s your fave record of all time and please tell why!
PS: That changes from time to time. In the moment it‘s „Crucifix Powerbomb“ Why? Just listen to it. ;)


What would you do if Santa would turn up anyway?

JINXY: Well, the first instinct would be to run away, ‘cause he‘s one creepy, evil mother fucker who hates everybody and if he‘s coming right at us, say, in a Michael Myers kind of way, his intentions cannot be that good. However, on a second thought the best thing would be to fight back in some deliciously absurd way, for example by poisoning his cookies, or by hugging him to death, or other fun stuff like that. You get the idea.
PS: I would tell a nice little rhyme to pretend I was a good boy.


You soon will be at Necropolisfestival here in Belgium.
What can the audience expect from your show?

JINXY: Some wicked, fucked up awesomeness, if you‘ll excuse my French. :D
You may wanna bring some aspirin, an umbrella, a couple of candy canes, shaving cream and an extra pair of panties.
You‘ll never know.
PS: You can expect everything...., so be prepared!

The last word is yours!!!!!

JINXY: You don‘t have to be crazy to love Santa Hates You, but it helps.
PS: It is scientifically proven that Santa Hates You loves you deeper than any regular band.

INTERVIEW WITH THE ETERNAL AFFLICT

YOU HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR 20 YEARS ALREADY, HOW DO YOU SEE THOSE TWO DECADES?
WINUS: Looking back through the years life has treated us good enough - at least most of the time.
Somehow we survived all the ups and downs and now we are still here.

YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE BANDS WHO HAD TO BREAKTHROUGH WITH THE USE OF SELF RELEASED TAPES, I EVEN GOT THEM SOMEWHERE AROUND HERE. DO YOU THINK THE GENERATION OF TODAY HAS IT MUCH MORE EASIER?
CYAN: The internet has changed the whole process in various ways. But that doesn't necessarily make things better.
Of course some convienience is nice to have but the myth of making music is almost gone.
Not to forget that unless you are a real big seller you can't earn a living with it anymore.
You can be a big star today - and tomorrow people won't even remember your name.

IN THE EARLY DAYS THE ETERNAL AFFLICT HAD A BATCAVE-SOUND. THAT WASN’T THAT MUCH OF A LOGIC CHOICE…I MEAN LOTS OF GOTH IN GERMANY, BUT NOT THAT MANY BATCAVEFANS…..
WINUS: If you try to do something special the ways you choose are never easy and seldomly logic.
We always chose what we thought to be best and if it turns out that the people like it ... well done.

THE ETERNAL AFFLICT HAD A LOT OF GUEST MUSICIANS TOO. DO YOU THINK THAT’S A GOOD THING?
CYAN: Don't you? It has always been a pleasure to work together with other musicians because their contributions give you new impulses and ideas.
Each of them was special in their very own way.

I ALWAYS CONSIDERED YOUR SOUND LIKE PEOPLE WHO ARE SEARCHING FOR WHO OR WHAT THEY REALLY ARE…..
IN FACT, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR OWN MUSIC?
WINUS: The good thing about music is that every listener can canalize his own feelings and ideas through it.
Of course that also counts on the musicians side...

THE ETERNAL AFFLICT AND BELGIUM ALWAYS SEEMED TO GO HAND IN HAND QUITE WELL………
CYAN: Thank you ...

YOUR LATEST OFFERING “EUPHORIC & DEMONIC” WAS A SORT OF BACK TO THE ROOTS THING….
IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY MUSICIAN DOES THIS ONCE, OR NOT? AND YET SOME TECHNO-INFLUENCES TOO….
WINUS: Where would mankind be without it's roots?! Actually E&D is not our latest offering (that was 5 years ago)... 
We have since founded our own label "AFFLICT:ME RECORDS" and had two releases last year:
"SAN DIEGO 2K9" (our 20th anniversary celebration which includes a rerelease of the original "(LUMINOGRAPHIC) AGONY")
and our latest album "ION". In fact we are already working on the next album which is due to be out next summer.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CURRENT GOTHSCENE? IS IT DEAD LIKE IT’S BEEN ANNOUNCED BY GOTHTTRONIC?
CYAN: Just because people get older and find their place in life doesn't necessarily mean they're dead.
Of course the scene has changed throughout the years but without change the world would stop to turn and then we would all die....

I ASK THIS TO EVERYBODY : WHAT'S YOUR FAVE RECORD OF ALL TIME AND PLEASE STATE WHY
WINUS: That is a hard question to answer. Being as old as we are... 20 years ago the answer would have been different than today.
Every musician has his own very special virtues and vices. No matter which we would choose to state, it would be unfair to all the others.

YOU SOON WILL BE PART OF NECROPOLIS, LOOKING FORWARD TO ANY PARTICULAR BAND?
CYAN: We are very much looking forward to seeing Dirk Ivens.
He has always been an inspiration and a good friend throughout the years whom we see too seldomly...

WHAT CAN THE FANS EXPECT FROM THE SHOW?
WINUS: A trip through 20 years of eternal music. Hopefully there will be something for everyone to enjoy and party on....

THE LAST WORD IS YOURS!!!!!!!!
CYAN: Rock on and stay tuned ......

INTERVIEW WITH FRANK (JUST FRANK)

HMMMM, PLEASE TEL US WHO FRANK 5JUST FRANK) ARE

FJF are Anthem and KD.

YOU ARE TECHNICALLY SPEAKING AMERICANS BUT YOUR SOUND IS SO FRENCH

I (Anthem) have dual citizenship USA+France. Kirti is born in France of a French father and an Indian mother. I grew up with Kirti in the same school in the Riviera where we both attended class in the Anglo-American section.

HOW LONG HAS THE BAND BEEN GOING?

Since high school really. So that’s 8 years !


I KNOW IT’S WEIRD (HAHA) BUT A FRENCH BAND THAT HAS A FRENCH SOUND TURNS UP ON SOME AMERICAN LABEL….

I think I finally realize how exclusive that idea actually is. It never came to mind as something bizarre. Pieter Scwhoolwerth, the man behind Weird records, is a very open minded person who loves European sounds. He happens to love French alternative bands from the 80s and believes that the French language is perfect to express melancholy. Despite the distance he didn’t hesitate to sign us to his record label which is somewhat of a blessing.

I DEFINITELY COULD HEAR THE INFLUENCE FROM ASYLUM PARTY…

Yeah. We discovered them years after we started FJF. At first our only influences were solely British. We came across bands from the French touching pop scene much later and realized we had a similar sound to theirs. It’s as if we inherited this French coldness unconsciously.

I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS SUCH A SHAME THE WHOLE FRENCH MOVEMENT WAS SO IGNORED, WERE YOU AWARE OF THAT THE TIME IT CAME OUT?

Sure, I think the same goes to all latin speaking countries. I only discovered amazing Italian bands recently through the ‘Danza Mechanica’ compilation released on Mannequin mailorder. Howcome I didn’t hear about these bands before, but knew all about German based DAF instead ? I don’t know.

THERE WILL BE PEOPLE AROUND WHO WILL ACCUSE YOU OF A DATED SOUND……

They’re perfectly allowed to. We can’t help the fact that there will be some people out there who will criticize our music for whatever reasons. It’s always the risk you take when your main influences were active 30 years ago.

IS FRANK JUST FRANK ALSO A BAND THAT CAN BE SEEN ON STAGE, OR NOT?

Of course. We’ve been playing in different areas in Europe and played twice in NYC. We got a few gigs planned in Italy, Norway and the USA in the next months.


WE UNDERSTOOD THAT “THE BRUTAL WAVE” HAS A SPECIAL MEANING, PLEASE EXPLAIN…..

‘Brutal Wave’ is the style of music we play. ‘The Brutal Wave’ also happens to be the name of our first album. In this case, it refers to the wave of French post-war militias that would grab girls who slept with German soldiers and shave their heads off. Unfortunately, they would sometimes do worse to these girls.

ON THE COVER WE SEE WHAT PEOPLE ARE ABLE OF….
HUMILATING PEOPLE AS THEY WEREACCUSSED FOR DOING EXACTLY THE SAME.

That’s right. The duality of good and evil in men and things is a strong theme in FJF’s music. What’s happening to this girl is a perfect example of ‘good people’ doing awful things.

DO YOU CARE ABOUT SUCH ISSUES?JUST LIKE ALL COLD WAVE, IT’S MUSIC WITH A NICE MELANCHOLIC ATMOSPHERE BUT VERY UPLIFTING IT ISN’T, NOT?

That’s a way to see it. We like to express our personal concerns in our music. And life can sometimes feel like that girl on the cover. You can sometimes be a ‘victim’ of good.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVE RECORD OF ALL TIME AND PLEASE STATE WHY…

I think it’s impossible to have a favourite record of all time caus that can change every 2 months. All I know is that Rage Against The Machine’s self titled first release turned my world upside down. Made me start listening to music obsessively rather than just for entertainment purposes. If I was to give you a modern album that is definitely one of my favourite records of all time, it would be Xeno & Oaklander’s ‘Sentinelle’ on Weird records. That album is sincerely a gift from God.

WHY SHOULD OUR READERS ABOUT FRANK JUST FRANK?

Huh ?

INTERVIEW WITH LIQUID G

Liquid G. does exist for 25 years, seems like an eternity or not?

Time flies as they say, but yes almost 25 years…don’t really count it myself.

In those 25 years you experienced music throughout 3 decades. Do you think a lot has changed?

Yes, I do. It’s not only the music that changed but the scene too as for it fels like there was a much bigger freedom to do your own thing.
Now they decide what is good or not to be part of the scene, be translated as everything has to be perfect on both cd and stage. If you ever see Liquid G. on stage you know we’re nothing like that…

How has those changes influenced Liquid G.?

I guess chaos ruled like it always had. Even our musical style changes from time to time…from electro to industrial to noise….
I think we did everything and that’s fine for us as long as the fun is there.

It seems so important that we put a point after the G. in Liquid G;, not?

Absolutely als Liquid G. comes from Liquid Garbage.
We started as two bass-players with a rhythm box (Peter VB and Michel VDP).
It didn’t last that long till the garbage dropped, so yes that point has to be there!

When you started in 1987, what were your motivations and which big dreams did you had in mind?

I guess I never had that much of big dreams as for me it was a hobby, even if at that time it worked pretty fine.
I was involved in the tapescene and that was an international thing : America, Portugal, Brazil, Germany, France, Holland, Japan.
In that time I only had one problem, I thought my stuff wasn’t good enough to be played on stage and so it happened I only was once on stage, with the 10th anniversary of Suicide Commando that was.

You could witness how some of your friends got succesfull, how did that feel?

I was always proud that I knew these people. I have a lot of respect for them and I know it’s not that simple to make it. It was great to be in the studio with them or sharing the stage :
Vomito Negro, Stin Scatzor, For Greater Good, SOL 19,…
Also Dirk Ivens taugt me a lot about cd recording and gig playing.

All those EBM-bands over here in Belgium, do I have to see that as a sort of clan?

Well, honestly said I never considered Liquid G. as an EBM-act in the first place, aznd I’m certainly not an EBM-man.
My roots can be found in the punkscene, and I try to bring this out in an electronical way.
I never pigeonhole bands in the first place.

One day the black scene in Belgium was divided in two, honestly said, this was literally the blackest period in the black scene…

I agree on that one, Belgium is such a small band and certainly the black scene so we definitely should work together.

I don’t mean it with some aftertaste but I never thought Belgium had that much respect for its musical heroes.
So I guess you have to fight for every opportunity to get a gig?

Absolutely true, it’s not that easy to find a place on some stage.
When you don’t sell cd’s or your name isn’t hip, you can forget it.

Do you think digitalizing of music is a good thing?

What do you mean? Digital sales or digital recording?
I don’t care about it that much and good or bad, we have to go with it as it’s a sign of the times.

You did remixes for institutions like Crash Course In Science or Portion Control, something like that must make you proud, not?

It’s a nice thing just a shame they don’t do anything with it…
Personally I think our version from “Being Boiled” is genius!

In 2009 Kim joined the band, how did that change the band?

Ah that’s something else as she really gave us a different vision on how we had to look on the musicscene within Liquid G.
Now Kim has joined us, I can find more time to care about our music while she is concentrating herself more on the lyrics.
Playing live is also totally different as we can switch places now.
Everything clicks between us, we feel things that weren’t arranged before.

Your fave record of all time is and please state why…

Ah, that’s a tough one…for Belgian ones I definitely go for “Sabotage” by The Klinik which was just great and innovative and it still sounds good.
On a national base I can sum up something like 100 but let’s leave it to Sex Pistols, Dead Kennedys, Ramones, Cabaret Voltaire, Skinny Puppy,…..

Soon you’ll be at the ZAPPA with Front Line Assembly.
What can we expect?

Fireworks, it will be a short set but with power including one brand new song.