Set up in 2007 by René and Andrea Nowotny AD: KEY rapidly became a noticeable band in the ‘old-school’ EBM style. The band’s debut works were released by the now defunct Electric Tremor Dessau (a true reference in this music genre) while they next signed to Emmo.biz, which is another label that is no longer active. The German duo finally joined hands together with Belgian label Alfa Matrix. They this year released their sixth full length album “Resonanz”. It remains an EBM experience although AD: KEY experienced with new elements so this work is maybe opening new paths for René and Andrea.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries) 

Q: “Resonanz” is your sixth full length album. How do you look back at the writing and production of this album and what is it all about?

Rene: “Resonanz” is primarily about interpersonal relationships. We tried to reflect on daily life; less our own lives than what we hear, see and read.

Andrea: It’s about love and hate, about hurt vanities. But also about problems such as sexual harassment, where every woman is sure to have had her unpleasant experience. This is exactly what our song “Ich Will, Dass Du Jetzt Gehst” is about, for example.

Q: I experienced “Resonanz” as your most sophisticated and maybe mature work to date. How do you explain the evolution in sound? Is it just growing experience & maturity or still a will to experience with new sounds, equipment and ideas?

Rene: The fact that “Resonanz” sounds a little different from the previous albums has several reasons. At first, our goal was not to repeat ourselves over and over again. This time we wanted to push the EBM attitude a bit into the background and work more song-oriented. We are also constantly looking for interesting sounds. And since we’re fans of the 70s and 80s electronics, we went the opposite way that many other bands take. We didn’t want to use modern equipment or software, but analog synthesizers. So we rebuilt our studio and bought a lot of new / old equipment.

Andrea: We are also older (except me):-D, maybe more mature.

Q: The song “Electro Musik” sounds to me as a homage to DAF and Gaby Delgado. What did you try to express with this song and do you want to say something about the tragic loss of Gaby who definitely belongs to the icons of EBM?

Andrea: Gabi Delgado’s death in Spring hit us hard. I’m a big DAF fan -Gabi and Robert‘s music has always had a certain influence on AD: keY. Then we made a cover version of “Verschwende Deine Jugend”, because this song speaks to us from our hearts. Maybe someday we will release this cover version.

Rene: Our song “Electro Musik” was written a few months before Gabi’s death. The song is the result of a jam session that we did together with Axel Machens from Placebo Effect in the AD: keY studio. We wanted to test one of my new synthesizers -and Axel had his Korg MS 20 -a synthesizer that DAF used very often. In principle, the basic structure of “Electro Music” was ready that evening. The song name speaks for itself -a nod to the roots of electronic music.

Q: I always link EBM with energetic live performances so I can imagine it must be frustrating because of Covid-19 to no longer play on stage. What are you feelings about this situation and how do you expect to see things evolving?

Rene: Yeah. It is very frustrating not to be able to go to any more concerts and not be able to play any more live concerts. We miss that very much. But in September this year we were very lucky to be able to perform at the NCN Festival for a concert under strict hygiene rules. It was an indescribably good feeling.

Andrea: But we see the need to implement these tough restrictions. We hope that the situation will improve in the foreseeable future. But this COVID 19 virus doesn’t just go away on its own. So we retired to the studio and work on new music. There will be a new AD: keY EP in December.

Rene: At the same time, I’m working on my side project, a new RECTOR SCANNER album that is due to be released next year.

Q: René, you’re still pretty close with ARMAGEDDON DILDOS and became member of ORANGE SECTOR too. What’s your input with these other bands and is there something like a big German EBM family?

Rene: Yes, I’m good friends with Uwe from the ARMAGEDDON DILDOS. Nothing has changed about that, even if I‘m no longer a live member. We sometimes stil work together making music. Uwe recently made a remix for AD: keY and I did a mix for ARMAGEDDON DILDOS. Uwe has always been a kind of musical mentor to me, and I value his opinion very much.

With ORANGE SECTOR it’s a lot of fun on stage. It’s just as great as it was with the ARMAGEDDON DILDOS. Martin, the mastermind of ORANGE SECTOR, produces the songs and the basic concept. The main work is up to him. He sends the files to me, I add my files and tracks and he mixes everything together.

Overall, one can say that the EBM / Electro scene in Germany is kind of a big family. Because the scene is relatively clear, you know each other, respect each other and are friends.

Q: How do you see AD:KEY evolving towards the next few years? What might we expect and what are you still dreaming of?

Rene: I don’t know how AD: keY will develop in the coming years. We are open to new influences because we don’t want to limit ourselves. We like to experiment. AD: keY will always sound like AD: keY. We stay true to our basic sound.

Andrea: In any case, we will start a new AD: keY album in 2021. We just let ourselves go -and we’ll see what comes out of it in the end.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

1. Farben
2. Götter V.02
3. Heute liebe ich dich
4. Ich sehe Dich sterben
5. Farben (Club 89 Mix)
6. Götter (Ad/key rmx)
7. Ich sehe Dich sterben (Zoon Politicon immortal mix)
8. Götter V.03
9. Farben (Blitzmaschine rmx)

Read the review of ‘Farben’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

AD:KeY is driven by Rene and Andrea Nowotny. The 4^th album “Anthropozän” released on Emmo.biz at the end of 2015 is without a shadow of a doubt their most accomplished and successful work to date. This is pure EBM on which old-school elements have been reworked into a sophisticated production. Their sound is no longer comparable with the stereo-typical standards in the genre, but belongs to the most intelligent format of EBM.

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: You’ve recently released your 4^th album “Anthropozän”, which I think is your best and most accomplished album so far. What does this new album mean to you and what do you keep in mind from the composition?

Rene: The album “Anthropozän” was very important for us. It took our almost 3 years to produce it and we are very happy with the result. It has become a very personal and complex album that combines our thoughts. The opening song “Anthropozän” is about people dealing with nature. We shape our planet earth into something new, we change it and we dig it. We build gigantic cities in which millions of people live in cramped. We believe that we can improve this site. In reality, we destroy our own livelihood; polluted oceans, destruction of natural resources, climate change. We are builders and destroyers simultaneously.

Andrea: The song “Kontrovers” describes the contradictory nature of man; people and their opinions polarize. But we are moving in the shades between black and white, hot and cold. We are neither heart nor head. We are both.

Q: It all looks like you guys got some fun making the clip “Autodynamik”. What did you try to express in it and how what do you think about the global result?

Andrea: The clip “Autodynamik” is fun, but it also is a part of our freedom to do what we like. So we jump in puddles when we want. No one can stop us. We enjoy the moment of freedom. The ‘jumping in puddles’ is an expression of childlike light-heartedness. It is an expression of joy and freedom. The text says: “I decide about me, I decide what I want.” We want to be free. Yes: We think that we express with the clip vitality, away from the typical video clip aesthetics in EBM- genre. If we as adults want to jump like children in puddles or daub with cakes, then we simply do that. We do not care what others think about us. We don’t harm other people with it.

Q: You recently made a remix for Front 242 (cf. “Take One”). How was it for you to remix the ‘Godfathers’ of EBM and especially one of their early hits? What did you try to add to this remix?

Rene: It was a great feeling to remix the heroes of our youth. Of course it was not easy remixing “Take One”. The original version is perfect and no one can’t make it better. But you can change it and reinterpret it. We have endeavored to make it sound like AD:keY. We have omitted most of the sounds from the original version and have programmed the synthesizer the way we like it. Actually we only used the original vocals and trumpet sounds from the original. For the drums, we have incorporated the voice of Andrea as a snare effect, which can be heard well at the beginning of the cover version. This gives the song the typical AD:keY feeling. In addition, we thought that many other remixers would try to make it sound ‘hard’ for the clubs. We did not want that. “Take One” should get a kind of pop song structure. For this reason, we have also added the string sounds and a melody. We are very satisfied with the result.

Q: You’re into EBM for years now so what do you think about the global evolution of ‘electronic body music’ and what’s your impression of the scene today?

Rene: That is a difficult question. There are many great bands: Spetsnaz, MRDTC and many others. The old heroes, Nitzer Ebb, Front 242 or Leaether Strip are still active. The scene has become more diverse. However, we also notice that the scene is older. EBM is a subculture. This is good, but on the other hand it’s also bad because the scene is missing ’fresh blood’. If we go to concerts or clubs, we always meet a lot of familiar faces. The scene (at least in Berlin) is small and manageable. Everyone knows everyone.

It has an impact on the music: sometimes I have the impression that a few new bands don’t have the courage to do something really new. There are constantly repeating old patterns. These bands sound like they were living in the year 1989! On the other hand, if it would sound different, it would no longer be EBM!

The scene has problems to accept new things. DJ’s always play the same (old) songs. Sometimes we make a bet, which song will he play now.

Andrea: Nevertheless, we feel comfortable in the scene and take pleasure in the music. We go to concerts and enjoy our lives.

Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com