Nowadays musicians and bands actively confront challenges in revenue maximisation. Most bands blame the streaming platforms, and there is some truth in it, but there is a way bigger problem, and that is that bands often lack a sustainable fan data source which they own for the full 100%. I say ‘sustainable’, because as a musician and band you do not own your data on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, or even Amazon (CDs, downloads and streaming).

Social media have the very same problem, apart from having an abysmal reach these days.

There is only two platforms worth talking off that give you the option to gather and own data from your fans and that is Bandcamp (which itself is being criticised by some bands) and Bandzoogle (plus some other smaller digital distributors). But I’ll talk about these two platforms later on in this article.

Let’s dive into the main problem first.

Underutilisation of fan data

The underutilisation of fan data is a major problem in the music scene, whether it concerns small or big bands. As we know, the music industry, heavily influenced by streaming services, typically benefits well-known artists, leaving new and independent musicians with suboptimal revenue options (and with no fan data at all except for some statistics).

Sure, it’s a nice ego trip if you have thousands of Spotify (just an example) followers, however, apart from Spotify’s algorithm that triggers your new releases to your followers, you have little to no way to actively push your new releases to your fans. And it’s not just Spotify that has this problem, all of the mainstream platforms suffer from the same disadvantage: no direct push towards fans. These platforms typically provide some level of analytics, but they don’t offer the comprehensive data that artists could use for direct marketing or fan engagement strategies.

But there is more. When social media platforms emerged, the organic reach seemed endless. However, and every band and artist has noticed this, Facebook’s organic content reach for instance has been declining heavily, with an analysis of 933,200 social posts showing a substantial drop in the average reach rate to just 4.32% in 2023.

Let’s check the case of Facebook as an example.

Facebook’s declining organic reach

The organic reach on Facebook pages has undergone significant changes over time, primarily influenced by adjustments in Facebook’s News Feed algorithm. Here’s a brief overview of the trend since 2007:

1. 2007-2012 – Introduction of Fan Pages: From 2007, when Facebook introduced “Fan Pages”, businesses and organizations could freely reach their audience. However, by 2012, it was revealed that only about 16% of a page’s fans saw its posts in their News Feeds.
2. 2014 – A Sharp Decline in Reach: Research from Edgerank Checker and Social@Ogilvy indicated a drastic decline in organic reach. Between February 2012 and March 2014, the average organic reach for Facebook Pages fell from 16% to 6.5%. For pages with more than 500,000 likes, this could be as low as 2%.
3. 2016 – Reemphasis on Friends and Family Content: In 2016, Facebook adjusted its algorithm to prioritize content from friends and family over that from Pages. This change caused a further decrease in organic reach, with SocialFlow reporting a 42% drop between January and May of that year.
4. 2017 – Alternative News Feed Experiment: Facebook experimented with an ad-free News Feed dedicated to publisher content, indicating a potential future where Page content is separate from friends and family content.
5. 2018 – Continued Focus on Personal Connections: Following the Cambridge Analytica incident, Facebook continued to prioritize personal content over Page content. Updates to the algorithm were made to favor meaningful interactions, which meant content that didn’t encourage such interactions saw decreased visibility.

The focus on user privacy and personalisation wasn’t the only factor – and I honestly think it was just an excuse – because Facebook desperately wanted to ramp up its ad revenue by getting page owners to pay for reach (and a certain point even its users but that was quickly aborted).

Facebook remains a key platform for user engagement and brand presence, with users spending an average of 19.7 hours monthly. But bands should understand that Facebook is not where you will be able to own your fan data. They own it and you will have to pay to extract any data via give aways etc.. And even then, do realise that most of your data catching updates will undergo a serious decrease in reach (because Facebook does not like outgoing traffic).

As a band you can not neglect to own your fan data, such as email and mobile contacts. If you do you will find yourself at a considerable disadvantage in the digital music realm. Sure, your label will be able to push your release to a bigger audience, but it is somewhat naive to think that you as a band don’t have to do your work too. Precision marketing, reliant on detailed fan data, yields higher engagement and response rates and will boost your revenue on the long run.

What platforms do offer fan data (and revenue)?

The question ‘What platforms do offer data and revenue?’ is not irrelevant as owning fan data is becoming more challenging for bands in the current digital music landscape as I pointed out. Therefore, bands are increasingly seeking alternative methods and platforms that can provide them with more direct and extensive access to their fan data.

There are two platforms that definitely stand out.

Bandcamp

Bandcamp, as of November 2023, reported that artists and independent labels have collectively earned $1.2 billion through its platform. In the last 30 days alone, they generated $15.8 million. Bandcamp stands out for its artist-centric approach, with 82% of sales going directly to artists, contrasting with the lower per-stream payouts from major streaming services​​.

It makes the platform as the number one B2C platform for bands.

If you look more closely into Bandcamp’s succes, you will notice 3 main factors that contributed to the success:

1. Artist-Centric Revenue Model: Bandcamp’s structure, where 82% of sales proceeds go directly to the artists, stands in contrast to the much lower per-stream payouts of major streaming services.
2. Focus on Downloads: Despite downloads accounting for only 3.6% of global recorded music revenue, Bandcamp’s emphasis on this model has proven financially beneficial for artists.
3. Direct Artist-Fan Connection: The platform facilitates a direct relationship between artists and their fans, enhancing fan engagement and loyalty, and thereby boosting sales.

Bandzoogle

Bandzoogle was founded in 2003 by Chris Vinson, a musician himself. The creation of Bandzoogle was inspired by Vinson’s experience in building a website for his band, Rubberman.

Bandzoogle is now a platform that enables musicians to create their own websites, offering them a professional online presence. This service goes beyond mere website creation by providing tools for selling music and merchandise.

In 2023, Bandzoogle’s members collectively surpassed $100 million in sales through their websites. That’s the result of actively engaging with fans and sell merchandise and music directly through their own channels.

If you look more closely into Bandzoogle’s succes, you will notice 3 main factors that contributed to the success:

1. Direct Fan Engagement: Artists using Bandzoogle have the ability to create a direct line of communication with their fans. This can include exclusive content, early access to new releases, and personalized experiences.
2. Diversified Revenue Streams: By using the platform, artists can diversify their income sources. This includes sales from merchandise, digital products, and music directly to fans without any intermediaries.
3. Fan Data Utilization: The platform allows artists to gather and utilize fan data effectively. This data can inform marketing and promotional strategies, helping artists understand their audience’s preferences and behaviors.

Other platforms

A few other platforms also offer some extra data, but don’t match the value you’ll find with Bandcamp or Bandzoogle.

Topspin is not just about connecting with fans across social networks; it extends to selling music, videos, merchandise, and even tickets, broadening the scope of artist-fan interaction. The platform’s business model, which includes a monthly licensing fee and a percentage of retail sales, aligns with the needs of bands looking for comprehensive solutions.

Bandsintown takes a slightly different approach, focusing heavily on fan management. Its suite includes tools for gathering fan data, building mailing lists, and promoting shows. What sets it apart are the insights it offers, direct messaging capabilities, and the promise of an Email Builder for more personalized marketing campaigns. It actually provides a robust framework for artists to understand and engage their audience in a more structured manner.

Mandolin‘s approach pivots towards in-depth fan understanding. With products like Fan Navigator and Mandolin Fan Pages, it offers artists the ability to create detailed fan profiles and receive marketing recommendations tailored to these insights. The integration of streaming and social stats with individual fan data presents a holistic view of the fanbase, aiding in more targeted and effective marketing strategies.

Openstage is designed to deepen fan engagement. It not only facilitates the collection of data like fan preferences and behaviours but also comes equipped with tools for data interpretation and segmentation. The addition of email marketing capabilities further enhances its utility, allowing artists to communicate directly and effectively with their fans.

Feature.fm focuses on the analytics side of music marketing. It allows artists to see which music services their fans prefer, track sales revenue, and even partake in ad retargeting. The ability to create smart links and landing pages also adds to its appeal.

And… get a website

The rise of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and others has seriously impacted how bands and musicians approach their online presence. While social media offer a possible immense reach and ease of use, there is a major issue to consider regarding the trend of bands having fewer dedicated websites: if the platform disappears (MySpace anyone?), so will your social media data (which you only will optimally reach when paying these days).

A dedicated website is way more effective for reaching a niche audience and creating a more branded, unique experience. Websites can offer exclusive content, detailed artist information, and more control over the user experience. And you will be able to sign up visitors to your website more easily than via social media.

It is something I have repeated over and over again when talking to bands, yet, I still see too many bands that have no website, don’t plan to have one and solely focus on Facebook. When Facebook will disappear, and it will happen sooner or later, you’d better be ready to have your communication mainly in your own hands.

Don’t say I haven’t warned you: Own your own data!

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!

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Washington, DC-based industrial/rock band, 51 Peg has just announced the release of their new full-length album, “A\Version”.

“A\Version”‘s themes center on the relationships we have with ourselves and others, and how they can fracture despite our best intentions.

“Some of the lyrical content is the most personal that I have ever written”, says singer Jeff Sargent. “We’ve all dealt with the heartbreak and confusion of losing connection with people we’ve loved. Moreover, society itself has become literally (during the pandemic) and figuratively distanced from each other. Different “versions” of reality exist for everyone which has made it difficult to connect despite technology having been designed for us to communicate more effectively.”

Named after the extrasolar planet 51 Pegasi, 51 Peg emerged on the music scene in the late 1990s and are known for blending elements of industrial, electronic, and alternative rock. Their sound has often been compared to bands like Stabbing Westward, Gravity Kills, and Orgy. The band’s original lineup consisted of Jeff Sargent on vocals, Carlo Pizarro on guitar, Brian Fasani on drums, and Pat Dalhover on bass. Over the years, the members have evolved, and some of the original members have been replaced.

51 Peg released their debut album, “Strange Appointments”, in 2000 followed by “Esc Ctrl” (2004). On April 21, 2009, 51 Peg announced via their MySpace page that they had disbanded as a group after having been together for ten years. On January twentieth 2016 the band reunited for a show in Baltimore, and started to work together again to record new music. The result was “A\Void” (2018) which is now being followed by “A\Version”.

“A\Version” is available on CD, digital & all streaming formats. Read the review of ‘A​\​Version’.

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

H/P are the initials of Happiness Project. The French Electro-Pop project signed on BOREDOMproduct is already busy for years and this year released the first album as H/P. Driven by Christelle Fournioux, Cyrille Tuyeras and Fred Tuyeras the new work entitled  “Programma” moves on there where previous Happiness Project albums stopped. Pure Electro minimalism reminding legendary 80s formations but with a more explicit vintage sound on top. “Programma” is a fascinating and achieved production which might serve as a referential opus for H/P. I got in touch with all members for this interview.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: What made you change the name into H/P and what are the main differences with Happiness Project?

Fred: That was something we had in mind for quite a long time, and that was an idea of our label, who wanted some change. But however, we have always named ourselves H/P, when we were talking about the band.

Cyrille: Our latest album before “Programma” was named “Mutation”, so it meant that something was expected to change after this album. When we started to record and produce “Programma” with BOERDOMproduct, we thought it was time to change and simplify our name which was not always easy to understand for people who didn’t know us and our music. We chose the initials of our name H/P to make understand that our music will become more minimalist and will go rapidly to its purpose. But the soul of H/P doesn’t not change at all, we’re still the same and I think one can hear this in our music.

Q: Tell us a bit more about the way “Programma” saw the daylight? How did this new work took shape and what kind of album did you want to accomplish?

Fred: “Programma” started with a very clear idea of the music we wanted to make. We wanted to sound much more minimal than the two previous albums. The reason was we wanted a big change. But from the original versions of the songs, to their final aspect, things took some time, because there were a lot of back and forth movements between the band and the label. This is usual work, I guess when you are in the production process?

Christelle: Simplicity was the idea for this album, and I think we reached this purpose with our label which made a great work of production to give to our music this minimalism which contains a true depth either. And we wanted to change the way to sing and the position of voices in our music. Voices are more present and maybe dark either and are in real harmony with our music. All this was the programma for our album !  

Q: What makes the 80s sound that special and how did you incorporate this influence into your own composition? Do you have 80s standards?

Fred: The 80’s are so meaningful to us! Especially, because that was when we were musically born! I mean there was so much going on and so many extraordinary bands. Of course, we have so many standards from the 80’s ! The most important ones to us are Joy Division, New Order, In The Nursery, Dead Can Dance, Cocteau Twins… But we have also been influenced by bands from the 1970’s, too! Kraftwerk and Space, to name two of them!

Q: You invited Alain Seghir from the legendary formation Martin Dupont to play bass guitar on one of the songs. How did this meeting and collaboration happened? And are there international 80s artists you also would like to work with?

Fred: Well, of course, Martin Dupont! We could have mentioned them before!! That’s such a long story. As fans, we bought all their albums, as they were coming out. Then Cyrille got in touch with Alain Séghir, via Myspace, who obviously enjoyed some of our creations. Then, we met at a concert in 2019, in Cognac, France. That was such a good moment. And as artists, we made the cover of “Just Because” for BOREDOM’s tribute album “Broken Memories”. The idea of having him on one of our songs naturally came to Cyrille who had an idea for a bass-guitar melody. He took a chance, sent an email to Alain and it worked out! 

Cyrille: Martin Dupont is one of our big influence. We had all their albums at home and I am still listening to their albums now. It was a dream which came true when we covered their song “Just Because”. When this song was produced on the tribute album “Broken Memory” Alain Seghir sent us an email to tell us that he enjoyed a lot our version. We were so happy that we decided to make an unofficial video of the track, because this song means so much to us. And if you take a look of this video you will see in the latest seconds that we announce in a certain way the change of our band’s name! So to continue this wonderful adventure I decided to invite Alain Seghir to play bass on our track “Vicinities” because I have always loved the way this great singer plays bass too. And the result is so cool, we love it.

If we could create another track with another legend of the 80’s, personally I would enjoy to create something with In The Nursery, Brendan Perry or New Order.

Q: What did you try to express by the album title “Programma” and the lyrical themes of the album? Can you also tell us a bit more about the artwork of “Programma”?

Fred: As for the artwork, this picture was issued from a series of works, which question the human place in an expansive urban world. It was made by a friend of ours, Stéphane Coubret. With the title “Programma” we wanted something which could evoke a certain idea of technological advance. Therefore, a word which did not exist, this could be the name of a retro-futuristic place, like in the picture or the name of a computer program. As for the lyrics, they were all inspired by this idea and the situation, we were all living in: confinement! 

Q: I noticed the reviews you already got for “Programma” are very positive. That brings me to ask you about the importance and impact of reviews, magazines and journalists? And do you sometimes consider to do things a different way because of reviews you get? And how critical are you with your own work?

Fred: We have never created any album as a response to former press reviews… at least, not consciously. Of course, we are sensitive to feedback but we have always created our music as a continuing pathway… and our goal has always been to not make the same album twice. We are critical with our own work, because we often feel doubt, uncertainty, but also willingness throughout the creation process. We do question ourselves a lot.

Cyrille: We create music to be listened and each feedback is very important for us and meaningful. When we have good reviews, it does not make everything, but encourage us to continue the long story of H/P. It gives us the will to celebrate our twentieth anniversary in 2023.

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

COP International has announced the signing of the Dutch band Vaselyne. The duo came recommended by John Fryer who had worked with Yvette Winkler on a Black Needle Noise release.

“Waiting to Exhale” is the first single taken from Vaselyne’s upcoming album to be released in 2022. The video for the single, which you view below, was shot by dutch filmmaker Dorothée Meddens.

Through Pieter Nooten Winkler came into contact with Frank Weyzig who was Clan of Xymox’ original guitarist. They decided to write music together and Vaselyne was born in 2011. As well as being Vaselyne’s singer and lyricist, Yvette does guest vocals and lyrics.

Vaselyne has so far released four albums/EPs on the German label Echozone: the “Earthbound” EP (2012), their full-length debut album “The Fire Within” (2013), the “In Dreams” EP (2015) and the “Fragile” EP (2016). In the spring of 2018, after a two-year hiatus, Frank and Yvette Winkler picked up things where they left and Vaselyne contributed to the Textbeak (Michael Szewczyk) album, “Sick for Songs a Season Eats”, produced by John Fryer.

About Yvette Winkler

Yvette Winkler is a Dutch singer/lyricist and artist. After being a nightclub singer in her teens performing covers with a tape, she formed her first band Dazzle & Delight. In the following years, she did musical theatre, recorded with Orphan Amp and co-founded Sea Of Souls.

After meeting Pieter Nooten of Clan of Xymox on Myspace, she started a collaboration for his album “Here is Why” for which she did lead, backing vocals, and wrote lyrics.

She has collaborated with Textbeak, John Fryer’s Black Needle Noise, IAMTHESHADOW, Junksista, Jean-Marc Lederman and Attrition.

About Frank Weyzig

Weyzig started his music career in 1985 with the Dutch electronic wave band Clan of Xymox when they were signed with the English independent label 4AD, which released their first album, “Clan of Xymox” that year. Weyzig played guitar and keyboards on the first album and performed with the band on stage as a live guitarist and keyboard player until 1990.

From 1995 until 1999 he played as vocalist and guitarist with Dutch indie-wave band Born For Bliss which you will surely remember from the track “Arabia” (released via Nuclear Blast / Death Wish Office).

In 1998 German Goth rock legends ‘Love Like Blood’ asked Frank to write a song for their “Snake Killer” album, “Ylene”.

In 2009 Frank co-wrote and produced the album “Spiders in the MindWeb” for White Rose Transmission, the band founded by Carlo van Putten (at that time vocalist of The Convent; later the singer of Dead Guitars) and the late Adrian Borland (frontman of English 80’s cult band The Sound). Other notable endeavors include the StarGazing Project with Remco Helbers and The White Rose Transmission live album “Spinning Webs at Night”.

In 2020, Frank started to work with Kelly Cook (ex-MOEV) on their new project Tearing The BlackBox. So far, TTBB released two EP singles; “Devil World” and “Breathe”.

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

Stahlnebel and Black Selket met via Myspace in early 2008 for a remix contest. Sander Kapper (Black Selket) from The Netherlands was looking for a singer while Ralph Neuhaus from germany (Stahlnebel) was in search for someone to make the music. Stahlnebel & Black Selket was born and started to release albums. The sound is not just Dark-Electro driven, but clearly empowered by Trance leads and other Technoid elements. It makes the originality of this formation, which has a very distinguishable sound.  The newest full length “The Darkest Hour” released on Advoxya Records doesn’t really innovate, but simply confirms the dance potential of the band. I talked about it all with Sander Kapper.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Stahlnebel & Black Selket are now active for numerous years and have released multiple productions so what makes the chemistry between you guys and what do you consider as your major accomplishments?

Sander: Our chemistry just works well to get results and that makes us strong in what we do. I still think “Lifeless” was our best selling album and “Noise” was our first box set sold by Advoxya Records. I am most proud of our vinyls because it is in my genes since I come from the early days of dance music. I produced a lot of vinyl during that time. This is different for Ralph.

Q: Throughout the years you created a very own- and recognizable sound, kind of ‘sound DNA’, which is mainly dancefloor orientated. What makes the essence and specificity of this sound?

Sander: The basis of our music has never really changed. Raw beats with a Trance build-up. We have tried to change our sound and production, but it just doesn’t work for us. Even when we make a remix, we try to keep that ‘sound DNA’ in it. This also distinguishes us from the main-stream

Q: Every band has its own sound formula and a proper way of working. What’s yours and what’s the input of each member?

Sander: We often work with a starting idea. This can be a sample or just something from the news or contemporary activity and Ralph starts writing a text for that and I lay the foundation for the melody. Ongoing production -we often adjust a lot of things to make it a composition and so you can hear that this is us.

I produce all the music, Ralph arranges the lyrics and vocals and Branko is mainly active on stage for the ‘live’ instruments.

Q: When did you start the writing of the songs for “The Darkest Hour” and how did the composition process happened in pandemic times? Did you try to change and/or improve specific aspects of the production and was there a particular focus?

Sander: “The Darkest Hour” is based on a real 90’s sound. Influences of Skinny Puppy and Hocico from that time. And the title of the song grew out of the dark days and the beginning of the pandemic. But as you may have heard in our old songs, Ralph has been writing about this for years so this pandemic gave us an extra boost.

Q: “The Darkest Hour” sounds as an appropriated title in times of Covid-19, but is there a real connection? What did you try to express lyrical wise  and especially by the song “Never Surrender” featuring famous samplings of Winston Churchill?

Sander: “The Darkest Hour” actually stands for several aspects. War, pandemic, overpopulation and these themes always come back in our productions.

The title says it all, “Never Give Up Or Give In”. Even when time is not good and things are heavy.

Q: How do you see the project evolving throughout the years? Do you’ve a kind of referential album or is every new work just the best one? Further plans?

Sander: This is our eighth album and personally I don’t really have a preference for a particular CD or song. For each of us we have our own preference and, which track we like best. Since I have two young children, it is a bit more difficult to produce these days. I have to manage my time well. I also do a lot of Techno and ‘Hardstyle’ so Stahlnebel & Black Selket always comes first for me. After the release of the box set “Decalogy” I first took some rest and started working on some new tracks. So… more music will follow… maybe a new single. The first thing we are waiting for now is our new “12 inch” We Never Surrender”. 

Since vinyl is back on the swing, the production time is extremely long. We thank Advoxya Records for this. Because the costs are very high to realize this, but we are glad we did it. And of course we want to  thank our loyal fans without them we cannot realize this.

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

Back in 1991 I started writing my first reviews for Side-Line magazine. I would have never thought to go on writing reviews and making interviews non-stop for 30 years. So 2021 is a special year to me, a kind of ‘celebration year’. I got the idea to celebrate this special event by interviewing people from the scene who all have a special meaning to me. ‘Journalists’ have to remain neutral, but it doesn’t take a way we all have our own favorite artists. Juno Reactor is one of my all-time favorites. Instigator Ben Watkins is an artist who each time again takes me by surprise. His work is mixing influences like Psy-Trance, Tribal and Cinematographic music. The Juno Reactor sound has something special featuring elements you directly recognize; a true sound-DNA. I already got the opportunity to interview Ben Watkins before, but I’ve been deeply touched he accepted to answer questions for this special interview. Great artists aren’t only composing great music; they’re still accessible and humble persons. I’d an endless number of questions to ask. Ben took his time to answer and it finally resulted in one of the most informative and complete Juno Reactor interviews ever. Thanks Ben and respect!

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

‘I Was Smitten By Girls And Rock’

Q: What have been your first experiments as a musician? What have been the triggers and, which were your favorite bands as a teenager? 

Ben: I was born into a family of five kids, I was the second, my parents had both been actor’s. When I was between 5 and 6 years old I would wait for my brother in my classroom to finish his school -I would have about an hour, so about 10 of us kids and a teacher would do drawing, games etc. One day I suggested we do a “Top Of The Pops” (a popular TV show); I formed a band with air-minus-everything, sat my mate Jason down on drums as he had the biggest nose like Ringo Star, can’t remember the others; we would make what surely was a cacophony of made-up words and stamping to the beat. “She Loves You Yeah Yeah Yeah” must have rung out beyond the classroom as the headmaster, a demonstrative man, with a liking for beating kids with his sports shoe would appear at the window looking very irritated. As it was not the first time I had had the unwarranted shoe across my backside, a shiver would go down my back as his eyes and Hitler moustache bobbed above the door partition. 

These pleasant heady afternoons were soon banned due to the repetition of “She Loves You Yeah Yeah Yeah”. I noticed the rather large female teacher was pretty good at the piano, So I asked if I could have lessons, even her non-stop smoking didn’t not put me off. 

The headmaster had too much of a liking for giving me a sore ass, so I asked my parents if I could move school. I had joined the parish choir, the choirmaster was a man named Roy Massey. Roy Massey was cool and pushed me as he liked my voice. He suggested I go to a Cathedral Choir school and apply for a scholarship. 

First I went to audition at St Pauls Cathedral in London. It was a bleak audition, I didn’t prepare enough, and glad I escaped what reminded me of a Charles Dickens movie. Next was Chichester. I could breathe in this atmosphere, I passed the audition of 200 kids for one place and felt very puffed up with myself, knowing my parents didn’t have to pay for my education. 

Violin followed, along with daily practise -7 am wake up, 30 minutes piano or violin practise. 8 am breakfast, 8:30 practise piano violin, 9 am going to the classroom, 12:00 choir practise, lunch then school, sports, choir practise, choir service, dinner, do homework, play free games, practise then bed. This went on for 4 years along with a new disciplinary teacher who equally enjoyed punishment -this time a cane, up the wide massive stairs of the bishops palace, down a long dark corridor, knock, explain my crime, ‘Ben-d over Watkins’, a leather chair which when bent over lifted my behind into the perfect position. 6 whacks later, my hands firmly on my butt, dark bruises would appear later in the night. I had been born again to the boy I should have been in the first place. 

Music school and punishment always seemed interlinked. Even now it annoys me that the first headmaster refused to put my name on the scholarship board, what a cunt. His name was Mr. Sandford.

 I survived Chichester, I became the head of House, by this time I was no longer beaten, and had a champion in Mr. Ross, the disciplinary teacher, sports freak alto in the choir with a certain eye for pubescent males. I was good at winning in Rugby, as we had the biggest 13-year-old god or whoever made him, like a superhero he would destroy other schools and me riding on his coattails basked in his glory. Mr. Ross showed me how to take down a man, so we did with as much aggression as possible when he joined in. 

I left Chichester, a remnant from the stone age of how not to teach a dyslexic kid like me through corporal punishment on how to learn -I didn’t. My choirmaster at Chichester I must say was equally odd, looking like Eric Malcombe (a British comedian). He again had a draconian delight in making sure the boys of the choir feared him, his eyes would hover over you like the follow spots of a prison camp from high above us in the organ loft. He had two mirrors focused on us, and if you looked up, the Vampire of Bela Lugosi would be there. I can’t say I cried when he died a few years ago, as I still hold a dagger that was thrown too many times my way. 

So Wells Cathedral school was next, my introduction to the female sex… well, bye bye learning, OK practise the violin, do all the rest, then focus on bands, Led Zep, David Bowie, Marc Bolan, Alice Cooper, Queen, glam rock. I was smitten by girls and rock. My mate Simon Baggs was older and had a car, we would venture out of the school across to Glastonbury plateaus, a labyrinthian set of roads through old mash lands, country pubs to drink cider, smoke John Players Special fags, and listen to his 8 tracks (?) as the beams of his car entered the mists of the backcountry lanes. Alice Cooper’s “Love It To Death” album never sounded so sweet. I continued exploring musical possibilities by experimenting with my first band Spiritual Sky, influenced by David Bowie, whose concerts was the first I went to, the Aladdin Sane tour at the Earls Court Stadium.

‘I Was Listening To D.A.F. And I Realised This Is The Future’

Q: Hailing from London (UK) I can imagine the late 70s and 80s have been fascinating years when it comes to music and the (r)evolution of Electronic music. What did these years mean to you and do you still feel an impact today? 

Ben: I left school when I was 16/17 with the intent of going to a music college. At that time I played classical guitar, and would practise 8 hours a day, and got quite OK on it. I flunked the first audition as I didn’t present a second instrument. This depressing point changed the course of my life, I was so annoyed by myself, I stopped playing classical guitar and got more into songs of Dylan and people like John Martin. Smoked a ton of dope, started busking, went off to Paris with a semi pyscho guy called Lynn, a man with an addiction to Valium and a crushing right hand as a rhythm guitarist, and spent the summer playing on the streets of Saint Michelle and the Champs Elysée. After months of being arrested (and sometimes put into prison -the police were quite nice and would give me beers to play) I had had enough. I wanted to form a band! Due to my parents lengthily separation and all the conflicts attached to it, starting since I was 9, and final divorce shortly after my return home from Paris, life diverted and I ended up establishing a rehearsal room in the now deserted parental house, where I and my older brother would continue living alone, experiencing the newly found peace and evolving musical projects while rehearsing with my first band Panther. I started gigging, Punk-Rock was kicking off! I was playing, now with my band Rainstorm, the same pubs as the Sex Pistols, Japan, The Stranglers amongst others, we did a tour withThe Frankie Miller Band. A Glasgow singer that should have been born in Memphis -a great singer, wild and very much a Glaswegian. Back then I was booking shows from a red phone box -coins every 30 seconds. Rainstorm turning into I.O.U., we played pretty much every music pub in the country. I really wish I’d kept my bass player from I.O.U. for my next musical project, a guy named Ian Taylor, who I had a natural affinity with.

I was bored of being skint and driving up and down the country for 2 years in our Box Transit with 6 aircraft seats, a PA we had on HP (higher purchase/credit) and going nowhere, fun but nowhere. One time we had to be rescued by the police near Shropshire in Winter, heavy snow blocked the roads at midnight, and the Transit was stranded and being snowed in, the guitarist, also called Ben, had icicles forming on his moustache. I remember crossing fields alone to find a house, first one wouldn’t help us, onto another who did ring the rescue, six of us stuff into a police car -never felt so good.

I partnered up with some musicians an A&R man from CBS suggested. The A&R man was a guy called Chas de Whalley, the brother of a friend of mine from back in the days of the headmaster with a penchant for corporal punishment. We, The Hitmen, went on to be signed to CBS after a year of rehearsals and songs that sounded like a primitive AI had made for a pop audience. Much to the chagrin of CBS, the management and the band, we were incredibly unsuccessful despite all the money and machinery CBS provide. I hated it, the mentality of playing the same notes, in-jokes and seriously underwhelming emotions. I had to leave as I couldn’t stomach The Hitmen any more, the characters in the band were the antithesis of my mental state or desire. Luckily the second album decided to shoot itself in the head, due to too much fighting, no focus and CBS’s realisation The Hitmen were doomed.  

Phil Manzanero’s studio (the guitarist of Roxy Music) was a white circular house -I had never seen anything like it! The engineer was a guy called Ian Little. We had made the last Hitmen record there, and I got on with him well. We talked nearly the same language, as opposed to the disconnect with the band. He wanted to make an avant-garde album, free of doctrine -just do what you want. So for a few tracks I threw away all concern and I was to be David Bowie, imagining myself on an alternative “Lodger”-album. Nothing was written, all just improvised. The band was called New Asia… This set my brain off into new ways of writing, like Brian Eno, as studios were expensive and this gave me a chance to experiment. 

So in the ’70s and ’80s it felt like I was always playing catch up with what other people were doing. I had had the band signed to CBS – it sounded like another band (Elvis Costello mix), or my previous bands -we didn’t sound particularly individual. It was only when I was sick enough of all the ego’s, bullshit or the hatred that you got from possibly jealous band members, that when I got introduced to a drum machine and a sequencer I realised I could get rid of half the band. I was listening to D.A.F. -it was a two-piece and I realised this is the future.

I met Youth (the bass player of Killing Joke) in ’82, around the time when he had just left Killing Joke and was looking to start a new band, which became Brilliant. I was the only guy he knew with a sequencer so for a short time I joined. Toured UK and Spain. We went on to record under the Name The Youth & Ben Watkins on the “The Empty Quarter”-album and “The Empty Quarter” on the “Delirium” album. Both albums were extremely quick in making;  first album -the official soundtrack to Jonathan Moore’s stage play “Street Captives” -2 days. Written, recorded and mixed with predominantly pulsating bass lines, drums, early Greengate samplers and synthesizers. Second album -5 days. We recorded “Delirium”, focusing more on rhythms and Electronic elements with still some instrumental aspect, ranging from Tribal to Industrial to Gothic-Funk. So many funny stories with Youth -the time in Spain on the evacuation of the tour, as it all fell apart after Barcelona; we took all our equipment back on the train, decided to eat all of our dope before the French border. By the time we arrived at midnight, the French border police wanted to play games with this group of English stoners. ‘Who is this woman’ they said, referring to a passport. We all looked and couldn’t identify her? ‘Go find her…’ so we all went looking on the train platform, bewildered and laughing, about an hour later we returned to their pigeon hole and asked to look again, as no way was she still on the platform. Upon second look we realised it was me they were referring to… Ha. Ha.

I heard DAF and Suicide around this time, I was saved! This music spoke to me. My grandmother died and left me 200£ which I immediately spent on a Roland MC 202, a sequencer with one monophonic synth. On HP I bought a cheap drum machine and a Moog Rogue. I formed The Flowerpot Men with Adam Peters, a classical cellist, who later became Echo And The Bunnymen’s orchestrator. 

 Our first single sold well for an underground track. We toured with Dead Or Alive and Siouxsie And The Banshees. Steven Severin of the Banshee’s produced the first “Single Joe’s So Mean to Josephine”, a dark murderous story I had read in the papers. The police knew who had killed the woman in bed, but couldn’t work out how Joe had managed to tie himself up. For the track I expanded on the story a bit. The 202 was driving this with the added influences of T.Rex, sort of a suicide inspired track. It charted in the indie charts and you could hear it being played by John Peel on BBC Radio 1 and loads of underground Gothic Dj’s. “Jo’s So Mean (to Josephine)” was also on our own independent record label, Compost Records.

In 1985 we recorded a cover of Dr Johns “Walk On Gilded Splinters” with Dr John on guest vocals, at Run DMC’s Studio In Nostrand Ave, Brooklyn NY. The B side featured a track called “Melting Down On Motor Angel” which was an elongation of the new drug MDMA, which we sampled on a roof garden on 8th Street watching a shoot-out down below. “Melting Down On Motor Angel” was also the album title to Sunsonic’s only album.

Around this time also, Sigue Sigue Sputnik started turning up to our gigs in full dress, noting down all we were doing, later to make their own version of our madness. A single a year, then along came Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in 1986 completely out of the blue.

Another EP “Alligator Bait”, four songs inspired again by the time in New York… what wasn’t great about New York at that time? So much vibe, parties, gigs, the Danceteria, hanging out with artists, musicians, actors, painters, just walking down the street was like being in a Kojak episode, I loved it!

We were building a nice audience when Adam decided to go produce a Punk band in Denmark instead of headlining the Temple of Gothic achievement -the Camden Palace. The Flowerpot Men were no more.

 Yello had come into my life with the “80 – 85”-remix album, it never left the record player, Sonic Youth, Front 242, most of the Mute Records catalogue, Beggars Banquet label, ZTT were making records I could only dream of creating…

So rethink time, 9 months of thinking, writing; rave music came in 86/87, early parties hanging out with KLF in their squat. Sometimes engineering their remixes, or going on the highland adventures with the KLF, making a copy of “The Wicker Man” for all KLF’s licencees, flown onto a small island on the Western Isles (the same place they burnt a million pounds in the name of art and cocaine), so like a twat, as again I was skint I did the opposite of good, and tried and succeed in going and signing with another major label, this time Polydor Records and with my Flowerpot partner, I started Sunsonic. Part of the deal was they build us a studio to save on costs, so what seemed a cool idea -and was in some ways -was us investing into learning how (and not) to become an engineer, an album that should have taken a few months turned into two years and sounded like it: over thought under inspired.

I worked with Alex Paterson (The Orb) again and formed a short-lived band called Peace In The Middle East, same name as the track we created, a sort of goodwill floppy dance sounding workout, nothing special.

 When there was so much great quick music being made we were in creative limbo. So the impact changed. Find a new way to present a band, no longer did I want the ego of one partner, I wanted a collective or collaborators and keep the vibe and atmosphere good and exciting. 

Adam left for the USA, I stayed and started Juno Reactor.

‘Juno Reactor Was Set Up As An Art Collective’

Q: I think Juno Reactor was originally set up as an art collective/gallery, right? Who was involved? What was it all about and how did it finally become a music collective centred around you? 

Ben:  Juno Reactor was set up as an art collective, with writers, installation artists, filmmakers, etc. Norma Fetcher, my girlfriend, took a surface to air missile and we drove it around London down past Parliament Square, Big Ben, Whitehall on a flatbed truck, with armoured personal carriers front and back whilst dressed as Arabs -an anti Gulf War protest, and installed it into an art Gallery, the Diorama, that was owned by the Queen and had a perfect silo shape in the middle where the rocket was newly erected. For this, I wrote “Luciana” -really Juno Reactor’s first album, which was also a suggestion of Jimmy Cauty (KLF) that I should do an hour mix as he had just done, as an experiment. The trouble with art was funding and much easier for me to get musical backing so it folded as soon as it began. Although R&S Records did sponsor that show as I had released a track called “I Love You” under the name of Electrotete with future JR musician Stephan Holweck (who later became Total Eclipse), a crazy French guy and brilliant bass player who also lived in the Benio squat with Jimmy.

The main people in the first two Juno Reactor albums were: Mike Maquire, a great guy I met at the distribution company Greyhound, when releasing a self-released title “Pycho SlapHead”, a brutal rave track with a sense of murderous humour. Mike was great, he had been in India many times and loved the early scene where DJ’s were already playing my tracks. I had to find out more, so we went into my studio in Bowl Court and Mike turned me on to the current sound of India. As it was so close to my Electronic sound it was an easy hop onto a train – Sci-Fi Landscapes, my 202 still purring like a train, we made the track “High Energy Protons”. Mike took it to India and immediately it became a big track there and abroad: Japan, Greece, France, Germany and UK. Tracks kept on hoping out in two or three days, with Stephan Holweck and Mike and soon we had about nine or ten tracks, so I took them up to Mute Records, intending to only perhaps sell one track. They loved it and wanted the album!

No one knew what this music was, so they called it intelligent Techno, albums were selling, gigs were happening, I was feeling more comfortable about the debts of Sunsonic being paid off. 

‘For Me It Was A Sci-Fi Scene For Acid Party People’

Q: The singles “Laughing Gas” and “High Energy Protons” plus the debut album “Transmissions” (1993) were into Goa-Trance. Back in time this genre was something totally new and often introduced as ‘Electronics for hippies’. What did you keep in mind from this album and how did you see the Goa-Trance movement evolving? 

Ben: Well, I never saw it as music for hippies -for me it was a Sci-fi scene for acid party people, hippies were still listening to Dylan in my mind. I had come from the Industrial-Rock routes, with heavy sense or brutal Electronica, which was also being played out in India, so for me, it was not much of a diversion, more like an extension of what I had already been doing. So I hooked up with Mike and Johann Bley, a great writer and drummer, who lived in Goa for 6 months of the year whilst I stayed in the UK and carried on writing tracks. Youth by this time was also indulging in holidays out there. It was a great way to write with no commercial interest, and just get what was great feedback from India and the parties. Essentially it was a very positive way of producing after what was a rather grim time whilst with Sunsonic. 

“Transmissions” was the first real beginning of something special, Mike Maguire – Stephan Holweck – Johann Bley even Turnip the Swede Jens Walderbeck, had an important part to play in the new playground. Mike and Johann would go to Goa and live there for 6 months of the year, send feedback on tracks, that even in these days of fire hilltop communication, managed to pass on the vibe of the parties, as I worked on new tracks to send out, or wait for their return. I had no idea of the lazy days on the beaches, rented houses year round, with cleaners and cooks, small or large jungle parties where monkeys would be interactive with the monkeys our tracks (“Jungle High”) -I have sampled a lot of monkey sounds.

These new Cyber-Punks would network in the blessed out Goa sun, to return to their homelands, far away from paradise and the free love of this un-celebrated underground unknown music, their generation accepting of all ages, colours race. Would telegraph their passion, create parties in on hidden mountains in Japan, sex clubs in L.A, warehouse London, gymnasiums in Paris, disused airports in Germany, Outback volcanos in Australia. We were invisible to the industry of wannabe stars and bankrupt music.

This kinetic energy of knowing you were onto something new was the drug, like a secret society that anyone could join, if you had digested the shared psychedelic values.

Our new world was fresh, driven, invited around the world, “Transmissions” was transmitting on a global level, that music magazines and house DJs couldn’t fathom.

 The studio building was from the time of Jack the Ripper, a 3 story warehouse used for  god knows what, the atmosphere had not left it, along with some of the rather back street people you might expect in that area of London. Prostitutes would use the car park at the back, working their trade. Sometime city guys in suits would be aggressive and attack the women, so we kept a baseball bat by the door and if we heard their screams we would run out in the name of protection.

Q: Your next album “Luciana” (1994) was something totally different and not exactly the most familiar album from your discography. But I think there’re a few interesting things to say about this work; it revealed your interest in Soundtracks while it got released on Alex Paterson’s (The Orb) own label Inter-Modo. What brought you to write this album and how did you get in touch with Alex Paterson? 

Ben: This goes back to the Missile Project and the involvement in installation art. Alex (THE ORB) heard the album and loved it, he said ‘Can I release it?’, why not I thought, so I spent an afternoon with Alex in the studio, he added some elements over the stereo track and that became the album. I met Alex in 1986, as he is Youth oldest and best friend, an ex roadie of Killing Joke with an amazing record collection, a massive ability to smoke more than London can produce and speak in a way you need a hearing aid to listen. 

Q: I’ve always linked Juno Reactor with solid bass lines and transcendental drums. “Beyond The Infinite” (1995) perfectly symbolizes these elements, but also your interest to explore new ideas like Tribal drums. What did this work say about your perception of ‘sound’ and eventually your passion for drums? 

Ben: “Beyond The Infinite”, by this time Mute and cool London were not fans of Goa or Trance anymore, and decided to call it ‘Tarquin Techno’ in the media, because of the image that rich kids were behind the scene, which -looking at myself, was obviously bollocks, but in Goa there certainly were a few, and maybe the other scenes sensing danger, ridiculed it. They were about to steal the name of trance. Paul Oakenfold(like ‘Sique Sique Sputnick’) was hanging out at parties, listening, collecting ideas and tracks, the house was moving to Trance. Clever, to take this and add all the crap vocals and sell it off to the sheep… Their power and media savvy then became ‘Trance’. Not sure what our scene was, Psychedelic-Trance? Along come all these pigeon holes. Name it, sell it. We didn’t give a shit and stayed as far away from the cliché as possible. Mike was so great at this time, he had the best tunes of anyone, and was in great demand as an international DJ, from the USA to Japan and sometimes we would join him as a live three-piece. Brilliant days, we were a family. 

Q: I think you’re an artist with a very unique sound DNA! What I’m trying to say is that I instantly can recognize your work by the bass lines, the orchestral arrangements, the hypnotic drum sections… What makes this DNA and where does it come from? 

Ben: I have no idea. Like all musicians, I have collected and been inspired by what I needed and wanted. I love all types of music, still do, these DNA strands are unique, the hard part is how to lay them out for others to share and enjoy. I wanted to be a photographer when very young, my dad said it was too expensive, so film, TV, pictures, music all collided and formed whatever I am in my tastes for music.

‘I Decided To Become More Grounded In Earthly Sounds From The Percussion’

Q: It’s impossible not evoking “Bible Of Dreams” (1997), which revealed new ideas and collaborations. I consider this work as your magnum opus, which even today hasn’t lost its original magic. How do you look back at this work 24 years later and are there some aspects of the production you would do differently? 

Ben:  So the time of “Bible Of Dreams” came along. Robert Trunz, CEO of MELT2000 -the umbrella company which ran Blue Room, and Simon Ghahary, the managing director of Blue Room -a sub-label based in the UK specialising in Electronic music, had signed Juno Reactor to Blue Room/Melt 2000 for “Beyond The Infinite”, as Mute didn’t want it. Robert was a jazz freak, and he got me involved in his great love for African music. Robert and Simon were different, business was easy, as Robert was pretty loaded and loved to invest in his artists. He took over my shabby warehouse studio, put in a massive Raindurk Symphony Desk, massive monitors that would be anyone’s wet dream, 9 bass drivers aside, they blew the roof off. He took over landlord costs, God I was free of all these costs, and could make music without the fear of losing it all.  

I had been introduced to the African musicians on Melt 2000. All the scene was doing was still making chemical noises, and stick in an alien landscape for the acid heads. Although this is enjoyable, it became very repetitive. So I decided to become more grounded in earthly sounds from the percussion. The only percussionists I had been introduced to before Amampondo were generally white guys, flipping away on drums in a sloppy-sloppy fashion, or German-style timpani military way which I had found pretty useless and saw no advantage in it on a track. So my mind was blown away by Mabi -power, rhythmic complexity, fun, tradition, amazing rhythms that propelled the track! My eyes were opened and I felt stupid I had not seen what so many others had -say for example my favourite drummer Ginger Baker -why hadn’t I noticed African drumming that years before? Anyway, I was now awake to its potential in my world of cross over, not interested in world music in its pure form and wanted to create a fusion with electronic music and see what comes out. 

Working with Mabi was so instinctive, we both saw tracks in the same way as pictures and thoughts, I literally fell over him in a music studio corridor where he was asleep on the floor when I was producing a Zulu Band for Melt 2000 in South Africa. We got talking and I invited him and Amampondo to play all the percussion, so in a way, our future was laid out there.

I felt I knew what I was doing, none of my UK band wanted to tour the USA with Moby for just 30 minutes a night, so I called Mabi and Amampondo , did a few rehearsals and off on tour! This moment diverted the future of the project for the next 12 years where I would tour with Amampondo.

 “God Is God” could finally be added to a Juno Reactor album, as now JUNO RREACTOR was more interested in the earth sounds, leaving sci-fi behind. “God Is God” was written around the end of “Transmissions”, needed a better mix, but was ready. The album fell into place so easily. 

I wouldn’t touch “Bible Of Dreams” as it is a record of where I was musically at the time. I firmly believe people walk on our path for a reason, be it for a short or long period. How we interact with them is up to us. Some people unexpectedly turn out to be far more important than you could ever have imagined. Some you will love until you die, while other return to the mist of being.

Q: I read somewhere that after “Bible Of Dreams” you got the feeling to be done with Electronic music. What was it all about? Was it a kind of exhaustion or blank page syndrome?

Ben: It happens a lot to me, especially with Electronic music. Far too many people seem to be happy to create a platform. Be it Trance, Techno, Ambient, Drum’n’Bass, Bass music, whatever. It gets like an L.A motorway full of polluting gases all sounding the same. So I go left, maybe my mistake there, but as I am totally useless at being commercial, I prefer my way. And hope others enjoy it.

‘The Track Was Built Around My Love For Tarantino And Westerns, Clint Eastwood And “Once Upon A Time In The West”’

Q: The opening song “Pistolero” from the “Shango”-album (2000) probably became your biggest hit ever. It sounds differently because of this guitar play and yet it remains 100% Juno Reactor! I remember my reaction when I heard it for the very first time: ‘this guy is crazy’! Was this song a kind of antithesis to all what you’ve done before? And how did you imagine the future of the project right at the new millennium? 

Ben: On tour I met up with Steve Stevens. After speaking with him on the phone about the recent Traci Lords album that I produced, I invited him to play on a show in L.A, a great venue, like an old-fashioned sports hall with a running track above. Now, I think how freaked out he must have been, as I patched him into my desk, he would play, and I would cut him off at random, he kept on looking over as if to say ‘WHAT THE FUCK?!’, he must have thought I was crazy, he didn’t complain but you don’t do this to a Rock Legend. Anyway, we got on, he asked me to produce a track for his album – yep, “Pistolero”.

Steve wasn’t used to my regime of endless hours in the studio and I think after six days his eyes were somewhere down near his guitar swaying hips, exhausted he returned to the USA. He wasn’t that impressed, so I agreed to pay his costs, and I would release it. I worked on it a ton more, and out popped the track we know.

The track was built around my love for Tarantino and Westerns, Clint Eastwood and “Once Upon A Time In The West”. When it was released I named it the “Tarantino Radio Edit”. Quentin loved it and Robert Rodriguez and Tarantino then wrote “Once Upon A Time In Mexico” after being inspired by my “Pistolero” track, which they credited in the CD booklet.

Currently, I’m working on the new album, Steve Stevens, Sugizo and Amir Haddad will hopefully all on the same track.

Working with Amampondo was a dream, we never argued, just laughed a lot, after having lived in each other’s pockets on tour we got on well. I learnt more from them than they did of me. Their sense of rhythm, spontaneity, improvisation, the humour of dance, the humour of anything. We would do shows, stop the machines and go into full-on Tribal rhythms, songs of the Pondo’s. Every night was different. Mandla and Simpewe would perform acrobatics when we played “Feel The Universe”, crowds loved this, even though injuries happened, the next night they would do it again. I carried on working with them for 12 years until it became impossible to bring them from South Africa due to rising costs and falling promoters budgets. 

I should add that Traci Lords was also very cool to work with, and had several enjoyable sessions with her, which led to a top 5 USA billboard track titled “Control” and a number of movie syncs from these sessions.

‘“Matrix” Was Like Being Shot And Landing In Heaven With A Ticket Back To Earth’

Q: Your songs got more and more featured in movies and you wrote different songs for Soundtracks. I can imagine the “Matrix”-experiences must have been a kind of ultimate dream and accomplishment? But what has been the impact of all these experiences –and more especially “The Matrix”, on your career?

Ben: I love films, first of all, so for it to combine with my music is a dream job no matter what the film is. I will score a bug on a wall, and still enjoy it. “Matrix” was like being shot and landing in heaven with a ticket back to earth. After the initial meeting with the Wachowski’s I had to smash nails into my boots to keep me from flying off to the stars. Reality hit in a good way and was the toughest discipline mixed with the excitement of being able to please the directors and myself. What do I take away from it? A sense of achievement that I did something very special. I still get composers coming up to me and saying it is a landmark film for integration of Electronics and orchestra which is what the Wachowski’s wanted. It helped me believe in my writing al lot more, although confidence is like the wind, some days you have it others not.

The daily routine of waking up in heaven is not always as easy as it sounds, as even in my camp I would experience jealousy, I had brought with me a programmer (Stephan Holweck) an engineer (Greg Hunter) Singer (Taz) Stephan more turned into a cook and this frustrated his, as he wanted to be more involved, but the way out worked out there was no real room for him. Greg brought in his friend, which added to the annoyance of Greg; Greg would come in and say as I was working on “The Burly Brawl”, ‘that is a load of crap’ in-front of his friend as a light heated joke, which they all found very funny, I took Greg outside and suggested he return back to London as he wasn’t on my team, either buck up or go home. I should have sacked Greg as he would do things like after a mix was finished, he wanted to polish it more, so first time I agreed and I went back to the Paramore to sleep. I got a call from the dub stage early in the morning saying ‘what is this mix, it is horrible!!!’ I asked what time it was made they said 8 am, I replied please listen to mix from 1:00 am . They did and said thank you this is great.

Greg Hunter had in the hours between, added noises, effects I knew would be unwanted, and a rebalance uncalled for. He had become a liability to me, as now Warner were clocking his over times. I could not get rid of him as I didn’t know another great engineer in L.A. I would never use him again. These unexpected invasions add a colour I would have preferred had not happened, as these were not the only times he tried to unravel the job.

 Zig Gron (my Music Editor)  on the other hand, a man I did not know previously was my guardian angel. He walked me through all of the landmines, I asked him to teach me all he could, and I was in a 100 milesper hour world on information upload. Zig was funny, informative and such a bloody relief to have near me. God save Zig Gron and all who sail around him.

Q: The Soundtrack you composed for the “Brave Story”-animation film (2006) must have been something really special. For the very first time you composed the entire Soundtrack and here again I discovered some new aspects like the song “Juno Waltz”. How did you prepare and finally composed this work? 

Ben: This was composed under my name Ben Watkins rather than Juno Reactor. I had done another one, like “Beowulf”. I asked them why they wanted me to write for mainly orchestra, and they said we would like to hear how it sounds. So I sort of did my impression of ‘a man who knew what he was doing and what they were talking about’. There were a few production problems re-budget, as it wasn’t cheap for an Anime film. Once that was over, it was surprisingly easy, maybe a lot easier than writing for pure Electronics as the orchestra tone is defined by what you want, and once set, you have your pallet of sounds more or less. “Juno Waltz”, funny you mention that one, as it was the one I most feared to write, as again it has been so defined by other writers. I wrote it last, and it just popped out, it was also the one I felt the orchestra liked the most as they would tap their music stands like clapping. 

We recorded the Orchestra and choir in Bratislava, The Bratislavian Symphony Orchestra and a Vienna choir. I remember on the way to the massive radio sound stage all the older ladies at the bus stops had bright blue/purple hair. A hangover from communist times maybe, thought it looked great and definitely a way I wouldn’t mind my hair, like Quintan Crisp on acid.

Q: You also composed music for animation games. Does it need a different approach than for soundtracks? Any preference and/or favorite? 

Ben: “The Mark Of Kri” was a sort of nightmare, in as far as I had to create on each level two hours of non repeating music, on 0.5 MB, which now sounds insane huh. So you have an excitement engine, 0 – 100, fight mode is 50 plus. I had to build the macros to enable this. So deep learning curve, endless nights on the phone to Scott in San Francisco. This is a bit like the early beginning maybe of programs like WWise.com -which is a sampler on Crack, and hold so many possibilities for AI and VR, which makes me really excited for the future of music and sonic displacement for composers. My preference for games is really to write and hand over in stereo or 5.1. 

“PS4 Gran Turismo” -I made special mixes of tracks from the not so soon to be released album “The Mutant Theatre”, I didn’t have much involvement on this as they loved the tracks I presented and it was done.

Thanks of the Galaxy was a scored mobile game. Despite it being for mobile-only, I really enjoyed working with the team in Finland, in which I presented a Sci-fi industrial orchestral score made from orchestra libraries by George Strezov well worth checking out.

www.strezov.net  www.strezov-sampling.com

‘“Navras” Is The Biggest Track I Have Written’

Q: “Labyrinth” (2004), “Gods & Monsters” (2008), “Inside The Reactor” (2011), “The Golden Sun Of The Great East” (2013) and “The Mutant Theatre” (2018) are the studio-albums released after 2000. How would you analyze the evolution of these productions considering items like influences, technology vs. production and new collaborations? 

Ben: “Labyrinth” is “The Matrix”-album, and after the experience of the last track for “The Matrix Revolutions”, “Navras”, I couldn’t write a thing. “Navras” is the biggest track I have written, or been involved in with 120-piece orchestra, 80-piece choir, soloists, percussionists… So for three months after that I was bashing my head against a wall back in the UK. I think mainly as I was still missing the vibe of L.A, the people always around, the buzz. Until “Conquistador” Parts 1 & 2 came to save me along with guitarist Eduardo Niebla. I was mainly working very analogue, real drums, humans playing, and I still do, but now I am 75% out of the box and 25% in the box. Loads of new software have enabled me to make it more expansive. 

“Gods & Monsters”-I wanted it less epic than “Labyrinth”, write some songs that spoke to me at the time, and try a sort of Jazzy feel to some of it. Not very popular with the Juno Reactor dance crowd at the time, I still love certain tracks. A lot of artists musicians feel constrained by the genre they are in, main thing to me is to stand by what you write, and try it, it ain’t going to kill you. 

One track for example, “Tanta Pena” from “Gods & Monsters” -I was driving to the studio at Ridge Farm when a voice came on the BBC world music show, I had to stop and listen. A cross between a butterfly and a thunderstorm, it took the wind out of my lungs. As soon as the song was over I rang the station and asked who it was. Yasmin Levy! I contacted her husband who was also her agent/manager and asked if she would be interested in recording with me. 

Yasmin and the manager arrived on a beautiful Summer’s day. Ridge Farm is in the Surrey countryside, an Elizabethan Estate with grounds, a swimming pool, beautifully landscaped gardens, all made possible by Frank Andrews never-ending building work on his estate. 

I had moved into Ridge Farm after “The Matrix” films when I heard the studio on the estate was laying bare. I was able to bring my equipment and use one of Englands classic studio’s. Muse, Queen, Ozzie Osbourne and so many more had recorded here… 

Yasmin was shy, and maybe only 20yrs old when she visited the farm. I played her my idea’s, talked a little, not much really and went into record! With one take it was done on both tracks, no need to do any more, she had nailed it! It is quite amazing when this happens, like Lakshmi Shankar on “Navras”. 

I carried on working the track to bring it to her level, with an amazing Zook player from Arminia, Tigran Aleksanyan with the merciless drumming of Greg Ellis, who, when I started working with him in the studio, sounded a bit like a session player. His appearance was that of a typical tattoed L.A drummer, calm, spiritually balanced in appearance -and a very amiable personality.

I asked Greg to let his rage out for this track, really hit those fuckers! I unleashed a beast, a monster, his whole countenance changed, Fire and brimstone drumming, an apocalypse of anger and frustration came out! Drum skins didn’t last long, an inverted blister would appear on the snare within one take! Greg loved this approach, which you can also hear on “The Immaculate Crucifixion”. After this, “Tanta Pena” was complete. 

The original song dates back to the time when the Spanish ejected the Jewish population or made them convert to Christianity around 1492. It is sung in Ladino by Yasmin Levy whose father was a famous archivist of Ladino music, “No More Blood” –“Tanta Pena”.

 “Golden Sun Of The Great East” -I went to India to record a lot of the soloists, and this opened up my world to new horizons, as I found Bombay very “Blade Runner”-ish, ancient and modern all running parallel, crazy, mad, tragic and beautiful. 

Magical things happen, even when you are not looking, I was on a day trip around the studio’s of Mumbai with a potential agent for me in India. We entered a black and gold studio, very camp, I would expect Freddie Mercury of Queen to pop out and say ‘Hello darlings, welcome to my fuck fest!’ instead it was a wonderful Panjabi singer being recorded for a film. Our next appointment was with the Mozart of Indian film music, A R Rahmen. Excited I jumped in the taxi, horns blaring, rain falling, a bright night journey. Next to me in the taxi was the Panjabi singer, ‘Hey can you sing me a song into my zoom recorder, as we wait for my agent to say his goodbyes’. 4 minutes later, a song that never varied off its pitch, was in my data control. Leaving out the A R Rahmen meeting as it was nice, but nothing special, I returned to the hotel where eagles would fly high above in the morning light, I listened back, to the Mumbai traffic and the voice of a celestial being. I started writing “Invisible”, the second track on the album.

“The Mutant Theatre” was written for the show -a Sci-Fi extravaganza where choreographed performance really took over the direction. 

For me, the last two albums speak to me how I want to hear them, and possibly my favourite albums.

“The Mutant Theatre” was designed as a show album. In 2015 I was asked by the Ozora Festival to come back the next year with a new show, I had thought of a show to be called “The Mutant Theatre” 5 years before when in Russia and working with two amazing Performance groups, Agnivo, from Moscow, and Stigma Show from St.Petersburg. I presented this idea in pictures to Ozora, which they loved. It was expensive as it involved around 18 people.

Eyal Yankovich had been my agent for 5 years or so, also the head of Hommega Records. He was an OK agent, getting me the occasional gig or tour, what he was really good at was igniting my imagination with tunes, and suggest I listen to many great tracks, ‘How about a new “Pistolero” Ben?’

Eyal Hung himself before he could listen to the final “Return Of The Pistolero”-version or the album, which still a saddens me.

 Sanja Music, our tour manager, started to really help me, not only from a business perspective, but also from a listening view point. Despite being unable to discuss in a musical language, she would always hit it on the head, find a way to describe the best versions, enthusiasm, insights, referenced insights how fans can view it, how it might work on stage. Spend hours discussing and evolving ideas. I met Sanja many years before in Slovenia when we were playing with Laibach. A tall shiny girl in Japanese fashion appeared solo waiting for the doors to open, a Sugizo fan I believed. We stayed in contact through Myspace and later meeting up in Japan when I was having tours there. She came to the 2015 Ozora Festival and I’ve asked her to photograph Juno Reactor. After we went to Budapest to sight see the city, when I realised what a great addition she would me to Juno Reactor, little did I know how central to my thinking and the project she would become.

‘I Want To Give Something To The Audience That They Might Not Have Seen Before’

Q: You’ve always worked and composed your albums with guest musicians and –singers while going on tour with dance companies, drummers ao. It all feels a bit like the initial goal of creating a ‘collective’ has never changed. What did you learn from all these meetings, collaborations and exchanges? 

Ben: I want to give something to the audience that they might not have seen before. Maybe this goes back to my days of loving David Bowie, and his great performances, always looking for a new way. I feel a sense of family when we are on the road, not always possible with some people, but when it is good it is great. I am still learning how best to be, and how to navigate the waters of human interaction. I feel most comfortable in my studio along with all the other me’s talking.

Q: Your brother Simon Watkins has been often involved in the artwork of Juno Reactor. It all looks like arts is a family thing. Where does it come from and is there a next Watkins generation to hold on this artistic fire? 

Ben: Simon, my brother, helped me focus on art and how to look at it. He always had an unusual taste, a black comedy in his work that I loved. My parents were actors, and despite we were a family of 5 kids, and totally squint, I have no clue why our blood directs us to the arts, as it would be much simpler if we had just wanted a normal life. My parents gave up on their careers too early I always felt, and so I have to live with the musical sword in my hand.

Django, my younger son, is at film university learning the art of script writing and direction, Tim, my older son, is a great musician and records tracks I love. Scarlet and her friend wrote a track for a Japanese singer that was pretty successful. Scarlet at one time wanted to take over Juno Reactor, maybe she still does who knows, but she has chose marine photography for now.

‘AI, VR & AR Have So Much Potential For Young Musicians To Escape The Old Models Of Creation And Start A New Chapter In Music’

Q: A lot of things have changed/evolved since the early Juno Reactor years; think about technology, new equipment & music programs, streaming, social media etc… What have been the pros and cons? 

Ben: I started out on an MC 202 and now I have a museum, a laboratory, loads of instruments that I play. I miss the hangouts in the studio, as everyone has a studio, so we became moles. I love the independence of starting a Juno Reactor label, which I and Sanja Karin Music, who is my manager and for a number of years has also collaborated on artwork, future NFTs on knownorigin.io and other platforms, and a variety of creative projects and activities, which we will be rolling out in the coming year.

The new possibilities of NFT’s and blockchain, which might well help the independent musician into a new economic model. AI, VR & AR have so much potential for young musicians to escape the old models of creation and start a new chapter in music, independent from middlemen and greedy manipulators from the dark alleys of the old music industry. A new world awaits in the decade to come, and I am excited by it, and what it will become. This doesn’t in any way exclude the old ways, or purity of the orchestra, classical musicians, just a new voice in the galaxy.

Q: Covid-19 has seriously affected artistic activities all over the world. How did you keep yourself busy and what are you actually working on? 

Ben: I am learning the Viola, this has kept me in focus at times, writing new tracks with this has been very enjoyable, as well as testing, as I am still learning, and it will take me a long time to play the way I would like. I swim in the sea, this I love when I can afford the time -a sea swim now takes me about 2:30 hours compared to the pool of 1 hour. It blows all the cobwebs and bad thoughts away -of which there have been many through the past year, no question. I think a lot of artists had a very hard time, a lot of artists might have been forced to stop doing what they love, which is very sad. Like many others as well, I have been forced to look into the paperwork side of the project and face all the different misdemeanours and manipulations from a number of people I preferred not to face while gigs were still bringing in enough money to keep going.

‘Sooner Or Later An Autobiography Could Certainly Happen’

Q: I read in a post you got the idea to write an autobiography, which I think is a real interesting idea. Is it something concrete and are there some next ‘big’ dreams you want to accomplish?  

Ben: Well, it is odd, as I have lived long enough to tell stories other people find interesting, or so they say. Sometimes I get caught up in them, and it reminds me of talking to family members before they died. As you can ask them a historic question of how life was, and you can see their eyes glaze over as they reminisce as if they are walking the streets and cafes they used to. It is beautiful to see and hear. I don’t want to become a broken record and recite story after story, so maybe one time if I can write it OK, it might be interesting. My manager Sanja has been pushing me to write down or talk about times in my life and slowly collect all these to be turned into an entity at some point, so sooner or later an autobiography could certainly happen. It might have been silly of me to suggest I’m writing it on a simple social media travel picture that looked to me like a book cover, but perhaps having the public know and expect it will give me an extra boost to keep working on it, with my managers help, as an dyslexic person I was surprised to find that I’m really enjoying this process.

‘The Older I Get The More I Want To Do Music, Scuba, Swim, And Exploring New Horizons’

Q: An interesting item for the autobiography could be to know what you would have done in life without music? And do you have specific hobbies/passions next to music? 

Ben: I remember one day my father said ‘If you pass this exam, I will buy you a pony’. I tried my best, but still failed, and thus had to grow up pony-less. I wonder what would have happened had I passed the exam. Would I really have gotten a pony? Would I perhaps be in a completely different profession today? I should ring up my dad and ask if he actually planned to get that pony …

A lot of people through-out my life have mistook my dreamy exterior to think I am lazy, when in fact my brain has never stopped talking, the conversations I have in my mind seem to me to be more interesting than the ones outside, so I can be non responsive, come over as aloof. The reality is I have drifted off into my own world again. Where I might think I have answered a question asked by someone, just to realise it was only answered in my head. Dyslexia has strange traits, and for me it is this, I am word blinded sometimes that also raises my pulse to a train, panic. I envy people who can be logical, and competent in social exchanges. Stage is my way out, a sort of nether world between reality and dreams where I feel confident of its power.

Without music, I would be a shadow, maybe worked in a stable or farm all my life, something that didn’t need a searching brain. The older I get the more I want to do music, scuba, swim, and exploring new horizons.

Q: “Pistolero” is the Juno Reactor-song I make people listen to, who aren’t familiar with your work. Which one would you choose? 

Ben: At the moment, Ummm my latest one: “Coyote You Me And The Stars”. As it was written for a very special moment and one I will forever remember. I bought an amazing keyboard at the beginning of the crisis, which has been my main frame and primary sound source, the Quantum keyboard by Waldorf, it is such an unusual instrument. It is possible to create sonic textures I haven’t heard before, a 3D motion I have been looking for, this along with the viola.

I am more interested in how I can hold the sound in the stereo field to give depth and spatial pleasures. Political events don’t usually invade my thoughts yet this has been unavoidable.

Witten by: Ben Watkins

Co-editor: Sanja Karin Music (management & shrink services)

Side-Line also covered Juno Reactor’s ‘Let The Flowers Grow’.

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

Belgian artist Jef Janssen started with music when he was a kid, walking around in the backyard with his Fisher Price tape recorder machine. A bit later, he became a nine-year old boy with a big guitar on his back, that was forced to go to musical class, because it was part of his parents‘ ‘educational plan’. It helped him a lot composing his own music. It’s also the reason the Spanish guitar is very prominent in ART OF EMPATHY’s music. So ART OF EMPATHY started with the guitar strums Jef collected on tape, of which he made songs, short after his studies. A few albums were released, but the new opus “End Of I” is the first new album in ten years. The work, released on Aenaos Records, is a true artistic piece mixing elements of Neo-Folk together with Cinematographic music.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: ART OF EMPATHY is already active for numerous years now, but the new album “End Of I” puts definitely you back on the map. What have been the main facts in the ART OF EMPATHY history so far?

Jef: Actually, the greatest time to run this project was this startup-period, in the early 2000’s. The internet was booming, but music was not yet streamable. It’s a bit odd to say, but that means literally: it had more value, because in these days people were not yet overloaded by tremendous amounts of internet entertainment. Getting in touch with like minded people from all over the world (mostly through Myspace), was very exciting. 

The following two full albums were, of course, two other main facts to mention here.  Both of them are still exactly the result of what I was aiming for, regardless of the opinion of audience or critics.

Another fact might be the confirmation I got from several listeners that ART OF EMPATHY is an unique project with an unique feel and sound, apart from all labels and musical dogma’s.

Q: Your music has been introduced as a mix between Neo-Folk and Dark-Wave while I think “End Of I” clearly covers much more influences, revealing a truly eclectic style. How do you perceive your own composition and what do you consider as your own sources of inspiration?

Jef: The music of ART OF EMPATHY is not created during trial and error jamming, but rather mentally planned. By the start-up of a new album, I mostly know exactly what I am working towards. So the music is already finished in my head, but it still needs a lot of work to translate it to audiowaves.

In the future, I might do things in a different way, because I’m curious what would come from collaboration or experimenting.  Losing control would be new for me, but might be also exciting and fun. 

Musically, at the start it was my goal to combine the sound of nature inspired Dark-Folk like Empyrium and Dark-Wave like Dargaard. The result, however, was of course influenced a lot by more than those styles. My all time favorite band, for instance, is Type O Negative. This band also had a true, unique sound.  In terms of songwriting, they managed to find a nice balance in between catchy, pop-tunes and progressive songwriting, which I adore. 

Q: ART OF AMPATHY is a solo-project so how did the entire process from composition till recording and production happened? Do you follow an established pattern to compose your songs –including the lyrical content and recording/production of the vocals?

Jef: The album concept is already roughly finished in my head at the startup. I think of it a lot in the months before the creation process. It is exciting to find lyrical ideas while reading, watching  movies or documentaries (for the use of samples) that fit the puzzle I’m creating. 

So piece by piece, it comes all together in this one concept (album) and, except for some adjustments here and there, I work towards a clear goal. The months in between the ‘album in my head’ and the ‘album on the shelf’ are quite heavy and intense. It takes a lot of time and effort to write lyrics, record, sing… For instance: every choral voice is individually recorded by myself. 

It is not only very intense for myself, but also for my entourage.  So a different approach imposes itself.  What will happen might be more relaxing and fun.

Q: I noticed “End Of I” is dealing about consciousness and in a way a critical reflection about the Western lifestyle. It makes me think to the themes evoked by Belgian psychiatrist Dirk De Wachter, but what are the lyrics all about and how do you transpose the ideas into sounds and songs?

Jef: Consciousness might be indeed a key word in the “End Of I” album, and yes, I live in the ‘West’, so it is from the point of view of the Western lifestyle. On the one hand, I perceive the world with my senses and my guts are telling me things. I start to see dots and try to connect those.

Luckily, there are a some smart people walking this earth who see a lot more of these dots and help me with connecting them. So yes, people like Dirk De Wachter, Paul Verhaeghe, Rutger Bregman, Alain de Botton are a big help in finding a way throughout the chaos that surrounds us. More and more, I also get deeply touched by the wisdom from ancient philosophers or spiritual teachings of people like Eckhart Tolle. 

Q: The title of your album is however intriguing and interesting as it reflects to me ‘individualism’, a world where people are no longer connected with each other except by social media platforms. So this album can be seen as a soundtrack denouncing individualism… or a requiem for the fall of capitalism? I probably have to much imagination, but what did you really try to express and what did it say about your own perception of life?

Jef: I really do not despise individualism or capitalism. It’s only the fact that they have become so excessive that makes me believe that I might be time for a turning point. Recently I read following quote: ‘Freedom without discipline equals chaos. Discipline without freedom equals tyranny.’  I guess, in the West, it has become more of a chaotic thing. Many people drift off and as a social mammal it might be a good thing to find a bit more connection with fellow humans or the world as a whole. The fact that this instability is used by some greedy psychopaths to feed their greed and ego is a thing I despise. That’s also clearly translated into my music. But I don’t want to spend much more time on that and rather choose to focus on the search for a new balance.

Q: How do you as solo-artist transpose your music to the stage? And what might we expect from your live performances? 

Jef: I would love to do some live performances, but as I witnessed some nice shows from several (even huge) acts in the Dark-Folk or Ambient scene: I don’t think I can put much effort in it. The input would be too big in comparison to the output. With Covid-19 on top of that, it is not the right time anyway. I always refer to a project like Summoning, who inspired and enlightened a lot of music lovers from all around the globe, without any live performance. It’s all about the audio waves hitting your heart and soul.

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

Does the name Mark Burghraeve make ring a bell? No doubt about it, ‘older’ electro heads know this Belgian artist born in 1961! Together with Marc Verhaeghen he set up The Klinik and created the band’s original look. Both ‘old’ mates are now back again working on new Klinik-stuff. You might also know him from his work under the Somnambulist moniker and M.Bryo & D.M.T. He also worked with artists and bands such as Niki Mono, Bill Leeb, Insekt, Vomito Negro, For Greater Good, Mike Shelter, Brain Pilot, Dark Poem, Hybryds, Les Boufons Tristes ao. Mark Burghraeve is a man of many talents and next to his music activities he’s also active as a multimedia artist and graphic-, video- & sound-designer and sound & light engineering. But back to music! The French label Nuit Et Brouillard recently released the album “Things I Was Due To Forget 1979 – 2005”. The work has been released on different vinyl formats and is now planned to be released on CD format as well. The music brings us back to the early and original sound of electronic music… to the roots. This interview will give you more background information about this passionate, fascinating and visionary artist.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: The least I can say is that you’re involved with an impressive number of very different artistic projects. Do you’ve some preferences in your artistic creation, what’s the importance of music and do you still have secret dreams in mind?

Mark: My preferred creations are the ones where I could sit at home and work on them in my own tempo and atmosphere, without any unwanted interference from the outside world. The ones where I could set my own deadlines and delegate some of the time consuming work. I like to see myself as a multi-media artist in the broad sense of the word. Music is one of the media I use to evoke or reproduce feelings, visions and dreams, based on my experiences and observations. I jump from one medium to another, sometimes mixing them. And the more I can use in one project, the more satisfying it becomes. The final result grows into a part of a viewer’s or a listener’s precious time. The artist has only this short period to take them on a small journey by exposing himself.

I try to keep my mind and taste open. My dreams are no secret. It would be nice to have my work survive the times, interpreted by others as it has already happened. The best feeling one can have is that his work is appreciated by as many people as possible, I guess. Making an immersive VR experience is on the want-list. Another film score would be nice too. A book maybe? A golden tie?

Q: You’ve been inspired by early electronic pioneers, but you in a way became a pioneer yourself. How do you look back at the early years of electronic music? Was there a kind of particular ‘spirit’, ‘philosophy’, ‘goal’… and do you see common elements with what’s happening today?

Mark: I always felt as a pioneer, out to get a taste of the future. Electronic music was the most futuristic music then. That time,  synthesizers were expensive and not seen as a full instrument yet. They were more like an effect in a classic rock setting, an extra weird toy for the keyboard player, like Pierre Henry did in the sixties with “Psycho-Rock”. Or they were used as sound effect machines for cinema as Bebe and Louis Barron already did in the fifties for the movie “Forbidden Planet”. Apart from “Popcorn” by Anarchic System, full electronic music was not yet popular. There weren’t that many people in Belgium who had a synth and tried to make music that fitted the expectations of a new sci-fi future vision.

After the ‘No Future’-era, we were looking for one. Most of the guys who had synths made ‘cosmic’ music or just collected buttons. Pure electronic music was not regarded as ‘real’ music yet. But there was a kind of spirit of togetherness between the artists of that time in Antwerp, a lot of independent projects and disciplines crossed each other: theater, music, fine arts, fashion, performance. It was a period in time when we revolted more, as a group or as individuals, against anything we were opposed to. We used the new technologies. We walked away from tradition and uniformity. Sometimes we even had ‘goals’. From political- and ecological awareness to shared ethics and aesthetics. We were multicultural anarchists with a rainbow of tastes and opinions. We were the avant-garde. We were the underground.

I don’t see this anymore, it seems culture has been institutionalized, nationalized, censored and belonging to the happy few who get financial support from the government. I see increasing xenophobia and homophobia. I see aggression, racism, poverty and despair in this modern day dystopia. And cell-phones, lots of cell-phones. But then again, I don’t go out that much anymore, so I might miss out on a lot of what is happening today.

Q: One thing is for sure, the late 70s and early 80s were pure ‘underground’-like! I think it had something magic, connecting people a different way than today. Today we’ve the internet, electronic music became much more accessible… everything became that different. What’s your perception about this evolution? The pros and cons?

Mark: The pros are that it all became much more accessible and now more people can create, produce and put their stuff on the internet. One can reach a global audience immediately. A computer is now a household thing and most people have cell-phones. We are all connected by wire or by Wifi and have libraries of virtual synths and plug-ins at the touch of a button or screen, complete with professional production tools and low distribution costs, if any.  Also you can get direct feedback from people all over the world who value your stuff. One can communicate faster. Co-operations over great distances get easier. Tools are easier to find.

The contras are that anybody can make music and put videos on YouTube. But without talent, proper promotion or attention of the media one can get lost in the flood of banal information. Today’s internet has become a marketplace, a big and busy one. You need extra skills if you want to get noticed as an artist. Like for instance opening an e-mail account to get PayPal. It also still leaves a very big and bad ecological footprint. Think of the control knob you ordered on e-bay, transported by trains, planes and diesel trucks.

The search for new music has also dramatically changed, we have robot programs that search for everything we want, telling us what we are supposed to like, based on databases and tags. Before all this, we physically went to the record shop to buy what they were offering. We had magazines with no commercials. No cell-phones, no social media sites, no e-mail, no internet. Just telephone, fax, modems and walkmans. Cassettes were the independent medium of that time. The home-studio was born. Affordable, but still expensive. I was lucky to have Stefan Van Elsen (Trans-4M,  Brain Pilot, …) of Central Tapes who distributed my work. Teac, Tascam & Fostex competed with Revox. There were still U-matic, 12-bit Digital Recording, Commodore & Spectrum, Memorex. All these factories sold physical equipment. Nowadays, big companies sell or even just rent data for the same use.

It has it’s pros and cons. The thing is, it’s here. One has to use it as a tool and avoid distractions. It’s still very new and it already had a very radical impact on all our lives. Writers like Kafka, Orwell or Huxley couldn’t even have dreamt this up. It’s like their warnings became handbooks for the rulers. Are we in the hands of a system we don’t understand, own or even know anymore? Who collects and controls the data? Does all this ‘security’ make us feel safe or does it make us more scared or paranoid? Since the expression ‘Fake News’ has been introduced, nobody trusts the media anymore, from both sides. We have political propaganda and commercials in between the services we paid for. We’ve all seen how YouTube and Google have evolved from data providers to data collectors. Do we lose freedom and privacy and should we protect these values? What’s this thing with wars, money, power and persistent ecological & political unawareness?

We live in glass houses. Too many rats in a cage with an overload of information. Sorry, what was the question again?

Q: Nuit Et Brouillard recently released the double album “Things I Was Due To Forget”; I should say an appropriated title for songs taking us back to your first sonic compositions. How did this release come through and can you tell us something about the origin of the songs?

Mark: Sylvie, co-founder of the French Nuit Et Brouillard-label, once made a compilation tape from records she had borrowed from a friend to play in her car. One of the songs was “The Empty Street” by M.Bryo & D.M.T. from the “No Big Business” compilation. Years later she found me on Facebook on a picture with Marc Verhaeghen (the Klinik) and Bill Leeb (Frontline Assembly), from the time we worked together on Noise Unit. She knew both Marc and Bill, but had never heard of me until she did some investigations. Nuit Et Brouillard invited me to Lille to meet them in person, so I took all my courage, some luggage and a train to France. There I met Stéphane as well. We talked about music and politics and played with the idea of making a release. It was a bit like checking each other out, before we made this idea concrete.

For Nuit Et Brouillard it would certainly have been the most ‘commercial’ record they would have ever made, since they were mainly releasing more experimental and ‘obscure’ music. A bold step. They showed me their beautifully made releases. Some of them had handmade art covers. All their releases were treated as gems, showing a deep involvement and respect for the artist. They were not driven by money, but by passion. Of course I felt very flattered by the offer and I loved the people there in Lille who supported me. I had the chance to do everything from A to Z; music, lyrics, recordings, mastering and artwork. I am very lucky to have had this opportunity and I am proud with the result.

The songs had their origin in the late seventies, the start of punk, affordable synths, drum machines & multi track recorders. Bands like Kraftwerk, Tubeway Army, Ultravox and The Human League had just started and people like Vangelis, Jean Michel Jarre, Tomita and Walter Carlos had already opened the door to popular electronic music.

I lived in industrial Hoboken and was a DJ for some time, pretty up to date. By buying the ‘trash’ the record shop couldn’t sell on a Friday, I got a lot of weird unknown stuff. The weirder it was, the more I liked it. Anyway, I had fun in my room with my machines, later got into computers and now I’m still trying to use technology as a medium, not only for making sound.

Q: When it comes to music, I think there’re very different types of artists; classical schooled musicians, composers, producers, self taught artists and experimentalists who clearly break the codes. Where do you place yourself and tell us a bit more about the different aspects of being the musician/artist you are?

Mark: I’m a self-taught mad experimentalist, composer, bad musician, an OK writer and from time to time, if I may say so, a very able producer with neo-classical ambitions, and some more… I cherish my work as a musician as much as I like using other media. If I get bored or stuck with one medium, I jump onto another one. It keeps the creative ball rolling. Sometimes one inspires the other. Bringing as much art forms as possible into one project is the most satisfying, I think. To me, programming is an art form as well. Sometimes a program can be written as elegantly as a poem.

Q: You’ve been involved with different music projects; M.Bryo & DMT, The Somnambulist, The Klinik… and you’ve worked with an impressive list of artists. What did you keep in mind from all these projects and experiences and tell us something more about The House of the Thepaphone?

Mark: So many stories to tell. So many experiences. Every contact has its anecdotes. Sometimes, it seemed as if I lived in a soap opera, complete with the melodrama and the intrigues. But the fun part was the work itself, trying to get the best results with the tools I had. Having my own rock-band KOYT! was great, but what I liked especially were the one-on-ones, like Les Bouffons Tristes with Peter Geysels, whom I knew from For Greater Good or the ones with Sophie from Dark Poem.

With The House of the Thepaphone, I try to create a cosy place for my friends and I on Bandcamp, a popular music site for independent use, with a possibility to get some money for the music. Not big amounts, but since money seems to be a handy thing to have on this planet, any return is always welcome. It’s where I put some of the collaborations with other artists and completed works from my archive. On SoundCloud I put my most recent sketches and portfolios. ReverbNation was one of the first music libraries I used on the web. I forgot MySpace, but who didn’t? I think of building some more websites. They open possibilities for experiment and promotion. Recently, I got on Spotify and iTunes, to keep up with the new tools and platforms. I’m still learning.

The House of the Thepaphone :

Nuit Et Brouillard:

Other Links:

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

Alien Skin is an Australian synth-pop project set up in 2008 by George Pappas. George has been involved with the legendary 80s formation Real Life, but is now working on his own. After having released three albums on the now defunct A Different Drum plus multiple self-released productions, Alien Skin signed to the Russian ScentAir Records to unleash a new full length. “P.O.P. POP” is without a shadow of a doubt the most atypical and visionary work ever accomplished by Alien Skin. It’s a modern piece of electro-pop. I talked about it with George Pappas.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: You’re always introduced as having been member of Real Life, which became famous for their legendary 80s hit “Send Me An Angel”. I think you were not involved during the early years of the band, but what has been your personal experience with this band and is Real Life still active today?

George: My time with Real Life began circa 1995 when I was brought in to do studio work on the song “Meltdown“ a key track on the 1997 album “Happy” and also did a handful of local gigs. Subsequent to this I permanently joined the band who had been hitherto dormant and away from the public eye for a number of years. I ended up co-writing half the “Happy”-album with singer David Sterry and programmed our entire set list for live performances. In 1998 we embarked on an extensive tour of the US, Germany and Australia to promote “Happy” and in 2000 were asked to perform at Synthstock2000 in Salt Lake City US with the likes of OMD and Berlin. In 2004 we released the follow up album “Imperfection” and once more toured the US in support. All in all I recorded 3 albums with Real Life before we called it a day in 2005.

David Sterry continues to tour internationally under the name of Real Life as part of various 80s review shows with other singers of the era. I must also add, as we all lived in Melbourne in the 80s, I knew of Real Life almost from day one, becoming an obsessed fan and catching the band at every gig around the city from 1982 till “Send Me An Angel” became the massive hit and took them to international stages for the next few years. I clearly remember when songs such as “Angel” were simply just live tracks performed in their set list during those early, extremely exciting, innovative, electronic, new wave days. Very fond memories; I was a fan well before I became a band member.

Q: I think you set up Alien Skin around 2007 and got rapidly signed to A Different Drum, releasing your debut album “Don’t Open Till Doomsday” in 2008. What did you try to express with this solo-project and can you compare the original sound and spirit of this debut work with your new album “P.O.P. Pop”?

George: In 2003 we (Real Life) signed with US label A Different Drum to release the album “Imperfection”.  After we returned from our 2004 tour of the States in support of said album, and after nearly a decade co-writing with David Sterry I felt the urge, as you do, to write and release something outside the confines of the band. I think David and I were a complimentary team, and I always valued writing with him, but nonetheless I had untapped ideas that had no outlet, songs and moods that could never fit within a Real Life album. And so, returning to Melbourne I started writing songs for, as yet, an unnamed project. After completing a couple of demos I approached A Different Drum who agreed to release a full album upon completion. That album became “Don’t Open Till Doomsday” and one of the tracks was called “Alien Skin” and from the song title I adopted my moniker. MySpace at the time was a major asset in getting the album and the name known to a large number of people.

“Don’t Open Till Doomsday” is still an Alien Skin favorite for many fans. I can understand why, it has the  brooding, melancholic, slow and medium tempo atmosphere ala Depeche Mode with Martin Gore-ish vocals. That’s where my head was at, at the time. It had a couple of key songs “Razor Arms” & “Saviour” which continue to be fan faves, so I have a lot to thank the album for. “P.O.P. POP” is a distant cousin, it obviously comes from the same source – me – so there will always be connections and associations in the music and sound but I view it as a totally different type of Alien Skin release – an exercise in being more rhythmically upbeat and strident. Nonetheless I believe it maintains the moody, dark colored melancholic spirit of my debut. I don’t do ‘happy’ very well:)

Q: After A Different Drum closed its doors, you self-released a few productions. What’s the importance of a label today and especially when we realize the CD format is progressively getting lost? How do you expect the music industry evolving and what does it mean to you as a musician?

George: A label – and here I speak generally of independent labels dealing with non-mainstream artists like myself -will always have more clout than an individual musician or band, especially within the music industry with promoters, magazines, reviewers, interviewers, retailers etc. Supporting and representing many artists, a label is a brand within itself in the market and if one has music released through a trusted label it demonstrates that someone else aside from yourself believes in your music and in you. I regard a supportive label as a confidence crutch providing a release with a sense of gravitas and for me there is also the value of knowing I am not laboring alone to promote my new work.

Yes I agree, the CD format is progressively getting lost and is now mostly for die-hard fans; all music sales across the board have been declining for years. But sales are not what I value most about being on a label. For instance “P.O.P. POP” was released via ScentAir Records exclusively as a CD through retailer POPoNAUT, Germany; it reached number 11 on their sales chart remaining in the top 15 for weeks. Now, although this does not imply great sales it nonetheless demonstrated to me a genuine level of fan support and the label played an important role in generating awareness of the album, far more than I could have achieved alone.

Anyhow, I can see the time, if not fully realized yet, when ownership of music, whether physical or purchased download, will become irrelevant in an absolute sense with no motivation to acquire it. Technology, convenience and the promotion and consolidation of social behavior through big money corporate marketing will continue to see the delivery and experience of music as an adjunct to telecommunication streaming plans and who knows what else in the further future. Live performance though will always remain a means to connect with people and is an area where a musician may earn more than via music sales. But this is mitigated due to many variables and only a minority make a decent living through touring. One cult band that continues to do this after nearly 40 years, and one I adore, is The Legendary Pink Dots. International gigging keeps them financially afloat.

As Alien Skin, working alone and outside the commercial mainstream all this has nominal effect on me. Making a living out of music sales in not something I rely on and gigging is not an option. Having said that, the lack of commercial prosperity does impact upon me as I cannot justify outlaying much money on any music project I undertake, even to the exclusion of some, on economic grounds.

Q: Over now to “P.O.P. Pop”! The title speaks for itself, but still some of the lyrics like “Aim With The Wrecking Ball” clearly refer to the impact of the 80s. Tell us a bit more about it all?

George: Well firstly “Aim With the Wrecking Ball’ has no straight narrative and it’s a mixture of thoughts that I realize can be interpreted in various ways, not necessarily as to what was in my head when I wrote it. It is certainly not my attempt to smash my music idols of the past, as has been suggested by some reviewers, quite the contrary. It’s an eclectic mix of political and social statement, not to put too pompous a tag on it mind you.

Most of my music heroes originate from the UK and Britain has had an enormous impact on world history which has been well documented for millennia. It fascinates me. The Victorian and post-Victorian era is one I’ve been interested in for quite some time and that’s how “Wrecking Ball” begins with my references to Victorian built industrial cities that were composed of masses of impoverished, poorly housed proletariat of the period. Eventually council estates took the place of slums but did not redress most of the social ills. The wrecking ball is a metaphor for the need of social, economic change.

Moving forward, name checking 1970s cultural icons (with Depeche Mode thrown in for good measure) is my way of focusing attention on the dystopian social culture of Britain in that era, a period of protracted economic struggle for working people; a social powder keg that lead to the ‘winter of discontent’ and the rise of the political right wing regime of Margaret Thatcher. If one has a listen to the lyrics you will hear I only aim the wrecking ball at Thatcher and the corporate financiers in the City with an allusion to the Sex Pistols (it ain’t pretty), nowhere else. And, as a follow through, the Thatcher regime was a political blueprint for Reagan in the 1980s, and here we go, my oblique segue to the 80s. Ironically, the 1980s is not an era I am particularly fond of with social & economic upheavals begun then that continue to influence and command us today.

The title track “P.O.P. POP” was inspired by an anecdote Noel Gallagher (Oasis) told of being at a British songwriters award night. When song of the year was announced 8 people stepped up to accept the said award. He was dumbfounded at how a single song can be authored by so many people so he walked up to their table and asked. One did the beats, one the chords, one the lyric, one the topline (melody) etc etc. I share his distaste for conveyer belt, generic, pop fodder.

“Devil In The Detail” was inspired by Nosferatu, “Me And You” by Dan Deacon (but very Bauhaus sounding) from the Francis Ford Coppola film “Twixt” which I saw last year. “Byron Said To Mary” is a particular favorite written after having read Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” and her eulogy for Byron in 1824. The song has an aggressive drum track coupled with that relentless bassline and sounds powerful with the volume cranked up.

Q: The album might be inspired by the 80s, but I experienced your new work as refreshing and even very visionary. This is not a stereotypical electro-pop work, but definitely an opus revealing minimal & intelligent sound treatments. What kind of work did you want to accomplish and what have been the main goals in sound creation?

George: Firstly, thank you so much for your kind praise of the album! I consciously aimed for a different Alien Skin album than what I had been doing to date, especially in attitude and with a change of attitude comes the choice of ‘sound’ itself. The transitional album was its predecessor “1980 REDUX” which again was a conscious decision to deviate and create an 80s themed release, albeit through my own particular prism and perspective. This, I believe, was a major change for me and returned me to my earlier electronic roots from the era of the late 70s into the early 80s.

I had a couple of left over tracks from “1980 REDUX” which were incomplete sketches “Aim With The Wrecking Ball” and “P.O.P. POP” were there musically, but very bare and unlike the finished album tracks and with no lyrics. I completed those two with spoken word in early 2018 and felt I stumbled upon an album ‘direction’ which I liked and I simply continued with more and more tracks with a similar vibe. Dominant, harder edged beats were important, faster tempos and rapid electronic synth sequences became intrinsic to each song and sound design.

Q: What does ‘pop’ music mean to you? How did you see this music genre evolving throughout the years and do you expect some changes/evolutions we maybe already can hear today?

George: My personal history, given my age, is a long one and I have been learning and absorbing music genres for 6 decades now. I was brought up on the crackling electricity of 1960s & 70s innovation that produced ever-lasting pop and rock that lives and inspires still. So, to me ‘pop’ is something precious, something that can be beautiful, meaningful, fun, exciting and ever so memorable. I love strong melody and clever application of ideas that may appear simple on the surface but with closer inspection, if you look for them, are damn genius at work sometimes. A clever, well written, well produced, memorable pop song is pure bliss to me.

I don’t hear anything of this in what goes under the umbrella of pop today nor have I been inspired by such for quite sometime. Depeche Mode with Martin’s brilliant songwriting flair in the 80s was perhaps the last time I was obsessed with pop, albeit their own very unique and dark sense of pop. The word applied nowadays makes me wince, and displays little connection to my own idea of pop and what it once related and referred to. Hence I have no idea how it will pan out in the future, how it may evolve, and much of what is new today continues to be rooted in one way or another in the past, for big industry supported commercial pop music anyhow.

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

MySpace, the once very popular online social network founded in 2003, has suffered a huge loss of data after a server migration.

A message posted on the website (see above marked in yellow) says: “As a result of a server migration project, any photos, videos, and audio files you uploaded more than three years ago may no longer be available on or from Myspace. We apologize for the inconvenience. If you would like more information, please contact our Data Protection Officer at DPO@myspace.com.”

That means 12 years of data in total (more or less 50 million tracks by 14 million artists).

Back in the mid 2000’s it was the platform for sharing new music and even got bought by NewsCorp in 2005 for $580m. Back then we already posted an article that that price was way too much for a platform which was basically one big spam garden with very little financial return. It was sold in 2011 for $35m to the ad targeting company Specific Media and Justin Timberlake. In 2016, it was sold to Time Inc. which was in turn purchased by the Meredith Corporation in 2018.

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

I never heard of Markus Midnight before he joined hands together with the Brazilian label Wave Records. This Canadian artist previously released his songs on different online platforms till he got contacted by Wave Records. The 7” “Blutgeld / Your Devil” got released in 2017 and the debut album “Fifteen Midnight Rituals” was unleashed in 2018. This work is a kind of compilation featuring songs that were originally written in between 2009 and 2017. The work is clearly inspired by 80s electro-wave music and reveals a few cool songs. The interview is an introduction to the sound universe of Markus Midnight.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: What incited you to start composing music and what have been your main sources of inspiration and references?

Markus: I’ve always been interested in making music. When I was young, I had cheap little keyboards and a drum machine that I found inspiring. I got my first real synthesizer when I was 18, a Roland JX-8P. I had very little idea of what I was doing with gear then, but I knew I wanted to create sounds similar to the artists I was listening to. I was fascinated by the soundtracks of John Carpenter and listened to lots of Skinny Puppy. I guess that was the starting point!

Markus Midnight began as a project in 2009. Prior to 2009, I worked on some really low-fi synth-pop that was poorly produced. I also played bass here and there, but I was mostly interested in electronic music.

Q: Wave Records last year released the album “Fifteen Midnight Rituals”, which also is your ‘official’ debut album featuring tracks written in between 2009 and 2017. It’s rather unusual to release a compilation as official debut full length so I can imagine it means a lot to you? Tell us a bit more about it?  

Markus: I used to release songs on Myspace and Soundcloud in the early days and moved on to Bandcamp a little later. Wave Records approached me to do a compilation of some of the older songs I released online, including some newer tracks. I was surprised by the offer as I was just making music as a creative outlet. It was also great to have physical media, particularly the 7″ of “Your Devil/Blutgeld”.

Q: How difficult –or easy, was it to make a selection of 15 songs and what have been your criteria to select the tracks?

Markus: Definitely a difficult process. I have a lot of older material which people still enjoy, but I’ve moved on from my early sound. Thankfully Wave Records made some song suggestions that helped me make a list. I think we got a good mix of old and new songs that shows a progression in my sound.

Q: “Fifteen Midnight Rituals” is mixing varied influences, but remains pretty 80s-like. What fascinates you in the music of 80s electro, how do you try to re-create this original spirit and what does it say about your perception of contemporary electronic music?

Markus: I have always been fascinated by dark synth sounds and drum machines, with my entry into 80s electro being artists such as Skinny Puppy, Cabaret Voltaire, and Psyche. I also find living in a cold, isolated Canadian city has steered my interest towards this type of music.

I used to write songs using exclusively vintage gear and old sequencers where I’d have to save a song to a floppy disk. But accidentally formatting a disk and losing all my songs made me update my ways. In the end, regardless of technique, my music will reflect the era that inspires me.

When it comes to contemporary electronic music, I really enjoy dark, 80s-inspired techno and electro, like DJ Overdose and Beta Evers. I think there’s lots of great artists working with 80s sounds, and using them in interesting ways.

Q: I noticed you released several clips. What do you try to express through the clips and what’s the impact of clips today –which in the 80s were really important?

Markus: Wave Records made most of the clips except for “Poison Flower” and “Blutgeld”. I enjoy horror, sci-fi, and b-movies from the 60s-80s, so I wanted to channel some of that texture by using grainy film loops and shaky camerawork in “Poison Flower”. My friend worked on the “Blutgeld” video and it turned out amazingly well; very dark and bleak just like the song. Wave Records also did a good job of staying true to this vision for the other videos.

When it comes to the videos that have had an impact on me, Depeche Mode’s “It’s No Good”, although not from the 80s, made a huge impression when I was younger. I used to be really obsessed with Severed Heads videos, too. Can I also talk about my love of Italo-disco clips? Something is so great about a singer lip syncing and gyrating on an empty stage.

Q: Do you still have new songs ready and do you notice a difference- and/or evolution in sound? What will be the next step regarding writing process, live performances, remixes, other projects?  

Markus: I’m currently working on some new songs and there is definitely a difference in sound. The beats are a little heavier and the synth parts are more atmospheric.

I don’t have any live performances or other projects lined up, but one day I’ll get to Europe and play some shows. Keep an eye out in the future for some new songs.

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

Set up in 1993 by Ken Evans and Georgina Emery, Australian formation Tycho Brahe recently released the “Triplex [complete]”-album on ScentAir Records. It’s without a shadow of a doubt their most accomplished work to date. The songs will probably ravish 80s synth-pop lovers, but it first of all is a great production the band might be proud of. This was a real good reason to organize an interview with the band.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Tycho Brahe saw the daylight in 1993. What have been the main facts about your career and how much of early Tycho Brahe do you still recognize in your writing today?

TB: We started off as something different and evolved into our current form. The consistent thing about us though, is that we have always approached every situation with a total sense of self-belief. We’ve never been afraid to take a risk and do something ‘crazy’ or to do the impossible when others might say it can’t be done eg like organize an international support in 2 other states with 5 days’ notice when we haven’t rehearsed in five months. Or organize an interstate gig for an international or interstate band whose promoters let them down with one weeks’ notice.

With this never say never and can-do attitude, we’ve ended up playing shows with other notable acts like The Human League, John Foxx, VNV Nation, Covenant, Real Life, Psyche, Pseudo Echo etc and made many great connections and strong relationships within the industry. We are self-taught in everything, including playing our instruments, programming, recording and production…everything…but have never seen that as a disadvantage. Through self-belief and determined application we have succeeded.

Compared to the earlier Tycho Brahe songs, some of the more recent work has been more unusual in structure (eg “1985” and “Valerie Perrine”), and that has been a deliberate decision to try and keep things interesting. There’s also more confidence these days in being more personal about song lyrics. But the biggest difference between the early Tycho Brahe releases and the more recently recorded work is the level of production we’ve achieved in an independent studio setting. We feel that “Triplex [complete]” is easily our most accomplished body of work so far on many levels.

Q: I noticed your early work has been released on cassette format. What does that evoke to you and what’s your perception about the evolution of technology (recording techniques, instruments, social media, streaming etc)?

TB: Our first two releases were on professionally duplicated cassette in 1996. This was the most affordable format at the time. We’d spent a lot of money in professional studios before that, which was fairly normal for a band in those days, however we made those recordings ourselves very cheaply on a borrowed 4-track system, with the intention that they would be used as demos. We were playing a lot of live shows, and we needed to be able to make our music available to promoters as well as fans, so we put the best of these recordings on a cassette – that first release is literally called “The Promotional Cassette”. The reaction was great, and we realized that for our purposes it didn’t matter if we recorded in a 24 track studio or on a home 4-track system, as long as the music was good, and was recorded and produced to a suitable standard. This appealed to our self-taught ‘do it yourself’ manifesto, so we decided to completely move away from expensive professional studios, and instead invest that money into achieving self-sufficiency for recording and producing. We were early adopters of the digital recording revolution, and the freedom to experiment with recording and production on our own time schedule was a total revelation. Our debut album “Cassiopeia” (released in 2000) was recorded on a PC running very basic 8-track recording software on Windows 98. Our studio setup has now evolved to the point where we’re able to integrate and centrally control all of our vintage hardware synths, drum machines, effects units, DAW software and VST’s etc quite seamlessly. We are living in a golden age of digital recording.

Social media is the great enabler for independent bands which allows us to not only connect globally with geographically dispersed fans, but to connect with other musicians and producers, creating great opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t exist. Before social media, in the early days of the internet, it was still difficult as an independent act to grow beyond our local area and we were still reliant on local gigs, press and radio to generate interest and connections, which of course is very limiting. Streaming services like Spotify are both a blessing and a curse – whilst they deliver practically no income for the artist, people who otherwise may not have listened to acts like Tycho Brahe can hear the music very easily for no cost. It’s just one aspect of the modern democratization of music distribution, although as an artist it is painful to see very little financial return on the recorded work through these streaming services.

Q: Your newest CD-album “Triplex [complete]” features your 3 latest digital EP’s. How important is to have these songs released on CD format and how did you get in touch with Russian ScentAir Records?

TB: Digital distribution is obviously a far more pragmatic way of distributing music, but it is killing the album format. The recordings on the “Triplex”-EP’s were originally intended for a cohesive album, so from an artistic perspective we feel that presenting them in a physical format such as a CD album encourages people to listen to that entire body of work rather than hearing random individual songs from a digital playlist, and that is very important to us. And to have a business external to the band share a belief in the recorded work to the point where they’re willing to invest money into manufacturing and distributing physical copies of that album is a very affirming and validating process.

We became aware that there was a synth-pop scene happening out of Russia, when we stumbled across a pirated Russian synth-pop compilation which we were on with the likes of Depeche Mode, Beborn Beton and Camouflage. It was completely illegal but somehow flattering. So our curiosity was piqued, and we investigated the Russian scene a little further and realized that our musician friends Empire State Human (ESH) had recently released an album through ScentAir, who appeared to be one of the few remaining independent synth-pop labels still releasing CDs. Tycho Brahe had previously collaborated with ESH/The Garland Cult when we remixed each other, so we contacted Aiden from ESH. After he said very positive things about ScentAir, we decided to directly approach them with the idea of compiling the “Triplex”-EP series into the proper complete CD album. This had been our original plan and ScentAir were very keen to do it, with distribution through Poponaut. We’re very happy in our relationship with ScentAir, and would like to release further albums through them in the future. If we could ever do so, we’d also love to tour in support of those releases in Europe, but living in Australia makes that a very expensive proposition.

Q: I’ve to admit I’m deeply impressed by this album revealing a perfect balance between electronics and guitar while featuring bombast and refined bleeps, alluring bass lines and catchy choruses, typical 80s arrangements with charismatic vocals on top. Tell us a bit more about the writing and recording of this masterpiece?

TB: Thank you, we’re glad that you like it! “Triplex [complete]” is our fifth album, and we actually started work on it immediately after our “Atlantic” album in 2006. The first song to be completed was “Loveless”, which debuted on Myspace way back in 2007, before our “Transatlantic”-remix album was released, and that recording set the writing and production standard that we wanted to achieve for the rest of the album. We were playing and refining songs from “Triplex” at live shows with bands like The Human League, Psyche etc, and that live work plus other commitments slowed progress on recording the album…

Before we knew it, four years had passed, and then our studio was flooded, completely submerged, under 4 metres of filthy flood water in the devastating Brisbane floods of January 2011. We saved all of the equipment, but then we were basically demolishing and rebuilding for the next year, but then decided to relocate to higher ground anyway as we were post-traumatic from losing a studio and a home to the flood… every time it rained we would freak out. The flood cost us two years of progress, and around that time Andy Walls (live keyboards and co-writer), decided to leave to ‘take up gardening’ which was another setback. We had a semi-functional temporary studio which wasn’t really set up for vocals during this time, so in 2012 we recorded and released the novelty song “Sex Rocket” as a single – which is one reason why it has a vocoder in place of vocals… it was remixed by Parralox, Neuropa and Psyche, we also did a follow up song in a similar style, “Super Hot Robot”, another fun novelty song but not representative of our usual work. (Both songs have videos on Youtube and were created by another talented member of the Tycho family, Thomas Evans.)

So as fate would have it, the album was shelved until we could get our studio and our lives back in order. When we finally re-established the studio and got back to the album, we found that we were being perfectionists wanting a very high production standard, and recording was slow and painstaking, so we became impatient to release something. That is when we decided to split the album into three parts, so we could complete four songs at a time and release three EPs over a longer period, maintaining some output. Georgina came up with the name “Triplex”, which means ‘having three parts’, or a house divided into three residencies. We digitally released each EP ourselves, with artwork by our friend Stig Olsen in Denmark, who has also done graphic design work for The Human League, and on our “Sex Rocket”-CD single. Each EP was mastered in Sydney by Kathy Naunton at dB mastering, who has worked on albums by Severed Heads, Boxcar, Midnight Oil… the songs themselves range from very personal, such as “No Love”, to “Castaway” which is about not fitting into society, to “Valerie Perrine” which is about the hot tub scene from the Village People movie, “Can’t Stop The Music”! Our favorite track on the album is probably “Metropolis”, the intro has a mobile phone recording from a New York subway which sets the mood perfectly.

Q: “1985” is an interesting song with references to the 80s. Are you guys nostalgic and what has been the impact of the 80s on you as teenagers and later on as musicians?

TB: We’re massive ‘80s fans, obviously music especially but also movies like “Buckaroo Banzai” and “Electric Dreams”, video games (Georgina has a vintage Galaga arcade machine), musical equipment… most of our synths are vintage ‘80s machines like the Prophet 5, Emax sampler, Juno-106, LinnDrum, Simmons, etc because we love how they sound… even the registration plates on our cars… Georgina’s is “80-MIX” which is the music she’s always playing in the car – a mix of ‘80s stuff; Ken drives a Mustang convertible with the plate ‘FAC-73’ which is the Factory Records catalogue number for the “Blue Monday”-single, the song that made him want to create music way back in 1983. Most people’s formative years are their teens, and the ‘80s certainly had a huge impact on us, but it was a groundbreaking era for music, with all of that incredible new technology becoming available and affordable in the post-punk years.

The song “1985” is deliberately nostalgic and is about specific events experienced in the ‘80s with various friends…”Park Avenue” is referenced in the song, it was a Hi-NRG club in Adelaide that played Man 2 Man, Dead Or Alive, early Stock Aitken & Waterman… we would actually dance all night and emerge at daybreak; the song is quite personal and about still being anchored to that era. In 2011 we were able to work with Giorgio Moroder’s 1980’s bass player/programmer Arthur Barrow, and we released a remix single for the song “1985” in the production style of Moroder in 1985, with Arthur Barrow contributing parts using the same bass guitar and Jupiter-8 synth he used with Moroder, and our LinnDrum loaded with custom Giorgio Moroder sounds used around the Scarface/Electric Dreams era. There might even be some sneaky “Back To The Future” samples hidden in that song too…

Q: I’ve to ask you a last question about a real exciting project consisting of doing some programming for the upcoming tour of Peter Hook. How did you get in touch with each other and what is it all about?

TB: We became friends with Peter Hook and The Light when they toured Australia in 2010, when we shared drinks and stories with them after their Brisbane show, and we’ve since caught up with various members socially and travelled to see the band play overseas. They’re wonderful people and an amazing, hardworking band, and one of our favorite live acts of all time. Some of the New Order songs that Peter Hook and The Light play require pre-programming and digital multi-track playback onstage (also known as backing tracks) to re-create the complex vintage sequenced synth and drum machine parts. Peter Hook initially became aware that Ken was an expert in recognizing the distinct New Order sounds and the synthesizers that made them, when he sought his help in clarifying how some early New Order equipment would have worked on certain songs for his latest book. Ken had also assisted in setting up a live vocoder system for their keyboard player, who also knew that Tycho had been covering “Bizarre Love Triangle” live. This led to Ken being asked in 2015 if he’d like to attempt new programming and backing tracks for “Bizarre Love Triangle” for them, as they weren’t particularly satisfied with what they’d been using. They were very happy with the result and so Ken has been creating backing tracks for Peter Hook and The Light ever since.

About half of the New Order songs from their recent international “Substance” tours in 2017 and 2018 featured Ken’s work. He’s been working on new backing tracks for the “Technique” and “Republic” albums since late 2017, for a tour commencing in September 2018. By the end of the current project, Ken will have re-created the synth and drum machine parts for over 30 classic New Order songs. It is incredibly challenging work, as everything has to be completely made brand new, from scratch, without access to any of the original source material due to legal reasons, with only the released versions from albums etc as a guide. The most complex of these can take around 60 hours of work, and it involves researching the original equipment used, detailed sound design, forensic listening techniques, and then the actual programming, sequencing, mixing and production to essentially build a new multi-track recording of the electronic parts, as close to the original as possible. Ken has set up a separate business called Tycho Sound Design to accommodate this work, and he has also now done similar work for Australian ‘80s band Machinations.

Tycho Brahe literally would not exist if not for New Order releasing “Blue Monday”, so to be working with Peter Hook brings us full circle and is a huge honor. Last year in our home town of Brisbane Ken was invited on stage to sing “Bizarre Love Triangle” with Peter Hook and The Light, which was a very surreal and emotional moment.

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

Read the news on ‘Deus Irae’.

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