SONIC SEDUCER INTERVIEWS ANGELSPIT

Hello from Chicago Illinois, USA! The winters here are brutal, so I spent all winter locked away in my cave, working on the new album.

It’s shaping up to be a fun year for us – we just signed to Negative Gain Productions, and are working with Chicago vocalist Lorelei. A tour is in the pipeline.

How has your approach to create music developed in regard of the state of the world and getting ten more years of life-experience?

Musically, Angelspit is going through a “more simple and less cluttered” phase. I am making more sonic space for bigger, weirder, wilder sounds. Many of the sonic details in the older albums were never heard, they just got in the way. Plus a bad PA in a club cannot reproduce detailed music…so it comes out sounding like mush. The new simplified approach makes the music sound fat!

I am also experimenting with dance music. In many ways I am finding dance music more of a challenge, because you need to subtly insert subversive sounds, melodies and lyrics into the music, while keeping it simple.

Lyrically I am becoming more political and confronting with my thoughts. Angelspit lyrics used to only be image evoking “beat poetry” with hidden meaning, now they are a declaration of war. Lyrical content focuses on Health care, financial instability, militarization, meritocracy, and a generation being lulled to a gentle sleep while they are entertained with mind numbing propaganda.

…hence the album title “CULT OF FAKE“.

In which ways did relocating from one continent to another influence your work?

It forces you to drag around less gear!!

It also strips away cultural baggage and lets you see things from a bigger perspective.

When I was in Australia, I did not completely understand what it was to be a foreigner. When I moved to Germany I spent a year dealing with a language barrier. I have been in the USA for almost 7 years, and I am still trying to understand their sense of humour…!

Being a foreigner has advantages – you can see a country from another perspective, while you also peel away all your own personal cultural baggage and get to see your home country for what it really is. A fun thing is that I have an excuse to act a little weird…because I’m the “crazy Australian guy”.

Also, Americans will believe ANYTHING, so I spend a lot of time telling them bullshit about giant spiders and everything-will-kill-you-in-Australia….it’s great fun!

Living in different countries greatly influences my lyrics. There are so many things about America that I don’t understand – they seem illogical to me. I do not understand why so many people are convinced they are powerless to bring about change, and feel helpless to alter their future of this country. I cannot understand why the vast majority do not trust their government, yet are willing to follow….often to war, bankruptcy and an evaporating education system.

“Democracy for their elite, Education for their rich, Mass media for their working, military service for everyone else”. (From the new Angelspit track ‘Disaster Porn’)

What are the hardest parts of relocating from one end of the world to another and following your own path of life as much as you do?

No matter where I am, the older I get and the more people I meet, I feel increasing pressure to conform, get a job, get a wife, buy a house, make lots of money, have babies, get into debt, get another wife, lose all my money, lose my home, lose my wife, be hated by my children….and become a jaded zombie who watches Star Trek and Buffy re-runs…

In the new album CULT OF FAKE I challenge the idea of “work hard and be rewarded”… Because I believe it’s a lie. You work hard, then you lose everything. This society of “meritocracy” is a lie, it forces us to work like slaves so that we can buy shit we don’t need to impress people we don’t like in a lifestyle we HATE. Fight Club talked about it 20years ago…nothing’s changed, it’s only getting worse.

Listening to your lyrics it becomes clear, that you keep an open eye on world politics, but what are your trusted sources to gather facts?

Since the whole Jane Akre thing happened, I don’t trust any media or any Internet article. The only sources I trust are the personal experiences of the people I talk too. All lyrics were inspired by conversations with Angelspit supporters after gigs and online. One on one. Their thoughts and opinions, no matter their political side or profession. I have spoken with soldiers, bankers, devout Christians, gang members – everyone has a little wisdom to share. I would ask questions online and listen very carefully to the responses. Angelspit supporters guided the content of the lyrics. They also guided the musical style – as they gravitate towards the more dance orientated tracks…so I give you propaganda with a catchy dance beat…!

And when everything is just too much, what’s your place to calm down and get back in tune again?

I have an old VHS player and a pile of tapes. They are connected to an old TV. I turn off my phone and computers, I become unplugged and off the matrix. It’s the best feeling.

There’s an old newspaper distribution box near my apartment. People leave VHS tapes there. I grab some and leave some…damn I love Chicago! Another thing I do is get on a train and ride around Chicago – it’s a very interesting city.

What kind of feedback do you get from fans who take your lyrics in?

Very positive. It’s interesting that people mainly comment on the lyrics and not the music…which is weird because I think I am much better at music production than lyrics.

People can relate to the lyrics – because my lyrics are from their words.

People need to understand that we are a community, and although Goth clubs are closing, our tribe is strong. We need to encourage each other to keep going.

What could people who feel powerless do in everyday-life to make a difference?

Start making art and music! It’s not about aspiring to be a famous artist or Rock star, it’s about training your mind to come up with creative solutions!

Creative solutions to save your relationships, focus your life and realize that your job is there to fund your awesome life. You don’t work for your job – your job must work for you. Don’t let it destroy your soul! Have a REASON to go to work…art, family, something important. Focus on the bigger picture and remember that life is AWESOME!

I like that you list your Emulator trainers as well as your Jedi Master, so just on a side-line, what is your opinion on The Force Awakens.

I absolutely loved it. I saw it 7 times in the cinemas. I loved the way it worked with audience expectations verses studio demands. Mixing the old with the new…loved it.

Another thing I found interesting was the culture of hate around it. I have heard and read some scathing opinions. I have come to accept that you can’t please everyone.

Star wars is a perfect example of how an audience often want “the same, but different”. “I like your old stuff better than your new stuff” is something bands have to put up with. I did Krankhaus 10 years ago. I have released 5 full albums and 10 remix albums since then. Angelspit has dabbled with punk, rock, electro, industrial, experimental, horror soundtracks…now it’s time to play with dance music. The music you are introduced to will usually remain your favourite, just like how you build up the memory of your first love. CULT OF FAKE is something new, but presented on a backdrop of familiar Angelspit sounds, concepts and mood. It’s the familiar characters getting up to new mischief!

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