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!