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19 : DEC : 05
So far the response to Nurse Grenade seems very positive! Congrats. Apart from spreading the enthusiasm for Angelspit, what did you want Nurse Grenade to do/be? Destroyx: Nurse Grenade was very much an experiment for the newly formed band as we were testing the waters, musically and visually. As we hadn't worked together musically before, we weren't sure what the music was going to sound like, so it is quite like a demo in a sense. We experimented a lot with sounds, voices and production, and the effect was quite primal, however we feel we are pushing our abilities further in the new album. Zoog: Figuring out how to successfully pull off a dual vocal attack was the first big hurdle, but we managed to combine our different vocal qualities in a simultaneously cohesive and divergent manner. We were in some ways attempting to blend musical genres, such as dark industrial, noise and rock to create a hard edged industrial sound which pushed musical limits without it becoming inaccessible for listeners.
Image and immaculate presentation are obviously close to the heart of Angelspit. What's your theory behind the slick and professional presentation? Destroyx: As people both involved in the design industry, we realised early on that it's often quite difficult to separate visuals from music. It's almost impossible to encounter music without some form of imagery, whether it is a CD artwork or a band photo, so we reasoned that it would be logical to pay close attention to the aesthetics of the music and to put as much effort into the visual side of the band as the musical side. Zoog: First impressions are extremely important which is why we have a penchant for visual detail and presentation, whether it be through printed material, on the internet or onstage. We'd like to think we are a multimedia band who doesn't only explore and have an emphasis on sound but also other mediums, such print and performance. We have cross medium projects in the pipeline.
Nurse Grenade, crosspatches, eyepatches.. can you tell us about the reason for the medical theme? Destroyx: I'm interested in the way the medical world has been fetishised, as the nurse symbol epitomises the dichotomy between nurturing and caring with the sinister side of the surgery. The body through history has often been characterised as a sanctified whole, with the meddling of surgery and doctoring connoting a sense of unease, as human meddling disrupts the totality and naturalness of the body. The concept of the medical signifies a range of issues dealt with in our music, such as the contrast between the coldness of industry and the natural and the effects of mechanisation in our modern lives and the frictions created by the imposed structures that ensue. The symbol of the nurse also as a typical fetishised fantasy is appropriated but subverted.
You have a track and promo patches that say 'Fuck Fashion'. Care to elaborate? What is your approach to fashion in general and how people use/relate to it? Zoog: On a general level, we're trying to tell people that they don't have to follow fashion like zombies, whether that is in mainstream or in the 'alternative' scene, which can be just as strict despite its 'non conformist' ethos. We believe that diversity enriches any culture, whereas conformity kills it, and we're trying to evoke in people the belief that they can create and express themselves in their own individual way. Having said this, we are also trying to communicate how fashion can manipulate a response. First visual impressions count and we're using our image to illicit particular reactions. For example, would Fiend readers be reading this article if we wore tracksuit pants and uggboots? Destroyx: Personally we're great fans of fashion, and its' ability to express and transform the wearer. We believe that everyone, regardless of body shape and physical attributes should have the right to feel comfortable in their own skin, and that society shouldn't dictate what beauty is. People need to understand that they can use fashion to enhance and project their personalities, instead of victimising them.
You have a new album sneaking up later this year; any secrets to leak?! What can we expectin terms of music and themes? Zoog: We're incredibly excited about the new album and have spent a great deal of time on its concept and visualisation. The new album is called 'Krankhaus' which is German for hospital, and we were heavily inspired by the historical events in Berlin post WW1. We've taken fashions of the time and amplified them, drug and entertainment references and distorted and extrapolated them into a timeless period of decadence taken to a macabre extreme. It was a turbulent period of change where self-indulgence and depravity ruled, and this extreme is reflected in the ambiguous imagery we've created. Destroyx: We were also very much inspired by Butoh, the Japanese avant garde performance style, which is also known as 'the dance of darkness'. What is interesting about this discipline is the blurring of boundaries between beauty and horror, and the fascination people have with that fine line. This album is about perverse and morbid entertainment, with the human body acting as canvas for such events. Zoog: Musically we decided to push vocal delivery a lot further than we did with the EP and we've taken modular synthesis to the extreme. We've built up a modular system affectionately known as the 'middle finger of god' to create the ultimate uber fat sounds. Again we've pulled in Graham from Grand Fatal to mince the guitars so they sound bigger and meaner than ever! We've also been experimenting with different tempos and grooves to explore how music can manipulate the body in movement. Zoog: 'Carnal pleasure that will ring, here comes the beat that will make you Sin…" - lyric from 'Krankhaus' that sums up the sentiment of the album.
Has your inspiration for the new album been similar as that for Nurse Grenade, or do you have new motivations now? Zoog: Essentially the inspirations are much the same, but we feel we are delving much deeper into them.
Everyone knows that unless you are real lucky making music is a hellpaced circus of running about and late nights and stitching seems and sound checks and the like. What is Angelspit's motivation for being in this industry, and what keeps you going? Zoog: Primarily I think we are creative people at heart, and we would be worse off if we didn't have an outlet for our energy. Music is not always fun behind the scenes, but ultimately all the late nights, lugging of equipment, blood, sweat and tears (literally!) are worth it for the thrill of performance, connecting with our audience and meeting some amazing people. We are incredibly lucky to have very supportive friends and some fantastic fans that inspire us to forge through, especially through bad reviews, inevitable problems and scene politics. Destroyx: Luckily we are totally in control of the creative process, which makes the hard slough much more self satisfying.
Both musically and visually, who has inspired you? Destroyx: Visually, we've been very inspired by artists such as James Gleeson, Audrey Beardsley, Bill Henson, J. P. Witkin and Helen White, an Australian photographer whose works are regularly published in established fashion/art publications and who we have had the great privilege of working with for our album artwork. The horrific and grotesque yet graceful Butoh movement influenced the visual style and conception of 'Krankhaus', as we tried to create a spectacle both alluring and terrifying simultaneously. Zoog: At the moment we're being influenced by bands such as Haus Arafna, The Faint, Sonic Youth, Skinny Puppy and Cobra Killer. Of course we are also listening to fine Australian music such as Tankt, Ikon, the Crystalline Effect, Stark and the other members of the Crash Frequency collective.
In the same sense, who/what has given you 'negative inspiration', what do you -not- want to do/be? Destroyx: If you take a look at mainstream media, especially on television, there are a multitude of negative role models to be found who promote a particular kind of morality and beauty as being a homogenised and unrealistic ideal of perfection. Zoog: The very few people that are cynical, bitchy and bitter are incredibly inspiring in a negative way, as they often simply criticise people without actually doing anything. Encountering these sorts of people gives us the inspiration to be everything they are not. Destroyx: We find it almost impossible to find artists or musicians who inspire us negatively, because we realise how incredibly difficult it is to expose oneself by outputting in an artistic way. We have nothing by respect for fellow artists as we can understand the immense personal and financial trials they go through in order to create.
Apart from the new album, what are your plans for the future? Where would Angelspit like to be in two years time? Zoog: We're planning to tour 'Krankhaus' Australia wide in January and will be busily creating accompanying artworks such as zines and artbooks and remixing many of the tracks. Destroyx: We would love to tour extensively in the future, and are planning on touring to Japan, the USA and New Zealand. Excitingly, we're relocating to Germany in 2007 for a year, and to London in 2008, so we're both madly learning German at the moment. In two years time we hope to have released many more tracks, rocked out at a lot more gigs and experimented a great deal more with performance and installation art, interactive motion graphics and with cross media exhibitions. Zoog: Closing words… 'Krank it up!' (lyric from 'Krankhaus') |
