Sonic Seducer Interviews Zoog Von Rock from Angelspit about their album HELLO MY NAME IS
“My main philosophy is : “You are better than this”. I believe creativity has been bored out of our mindset. The simple are of painting, sculpting or making music is being replaced with grazing on computer games or procrastinating on the internet. Though creative hobbies, comes creative thinking. Through creative thinking comes new solutions to improving your life.
Phrases like “I am bored” and “my life sucks” are usually uttered close together. Get active. Entertain your brain!”
– Zoog Von Rock, ANGELSPIT.
Hi! What´s the news?
Zoog: We’re getting reading for a very big USA tour in October/November. LOTS OF ROCK WILL BE HAD!
Your forthcoming album is named “Hello My Name Is”. What´s behind all this and how did you come up with this title?
Zoog: Destroyx and I came up with the concept in which we wanted to explore “The Occult of the Corporation”. I wrote a lyric “If God is money, then I am The Devil”…and we wanted to explore this. For many people, corporate existence is the new church that demands our devotion. It threatens damnation if you turn your back on it. Ask yourself: What would really happen if you lost your faith and strayed from the suited flock?
Personally, I think you’d probably start having a life.
The album was recorded and co-produced with Alan Labiner at Secret Weapon, New York. Alan has a fresh approach to recording and producing. His ideas greatly shaped the sound of ‘Hello My Name Is’.
This album was very long process where I need to insure the quality of each song. I always need to be open to new ideas and “happy accidents”.
With each album, I design and build new instruments – either electronic or acoustic. My knowledge of instrument building is very limited so the instruments are very experimental and prone to being destroyed (!!)…they make the coolest sounds when they break or go up in flames…!
On ‘Hello My Name Is” I built mostly electronic instruments from old arcade video games. I also collaborated with Chris King to construct an industrial drum kit using garbage cans and random metal. IT ROCKED!
Alan Labiner, the album’s co-producer, also build a massive audio effects unit the size of a double bed (called a “plate reverb”). Alan’s plate reverb added a thick and lush sound to the album – it’s absolutely unique because it’s not a software plug-in or commercially available effects unit – it’s a hand built one-off.
On ‘Hello My Name Is’ I put more effort into melody, emotion, scope of sound, and raw energy! Some tracks are very electro, some tracks are very heavy. Some tracks are gentle, some tracks are extremely harsh. We worked hard to make this album as diverse as possible, but still have Angelspit’s distinctive sound running through all of it.
Your artist name ZooG is quite sonorous, your real name is just Karl. Well, which one do you prefer?
Zoog: My friends call me Karl – Zoog is a nick-name that I was given a long time ago…it kinda stuck.
What about further secret (or funny) nicknames your friends and relatives calling you? Are there any? Do you like them? Can you give us any examples?
Zoog: There’s this “brotherhood” in Sydney who are called “The Von Rock Clan”. You are given Von Rock status if you do something insane…like trash a venue. I don’t remember which venue I trash which earned me the title…those were hassy days…!
Your debut “Krankhaus” has been released on 06.06.06, “Hideous And Perfect” on 09.09.09, Larva Pupa Tank Coffin on 10.10.10, if I´m not mistaken? “Hello My Name Is” will come out on 10.10.11. Why not on 11.11.11?
Zoog: That’s funny because was the original release date! However we were offered an INSANE USA tour with Blood On The Dance Floor in October and we wanted the CD to coinside with the tour. It will be seven weeks of BRUTAL ROCK!! IT WILL BE INSANE!
What are the most important changes in comparison to “Larva Pupa Tank Coffin” and “Carbon Beauty”?
Zoog: “Larva Pupa Tank Coffin” and “Carbon Beauty” were the two remix albums off our 2009 release “Hideous and Perfect”. These 2 remix CDs were and experiment in which we pushed our sound – “Larva Pupa Tank Coffin” in the direction of electroclash and “Carbon Beauty” in the direction of industrial punk.
These experiments laid down the groundwork for “Hello My Name Is” – it’s our sonically richest album to date.
Your electro punk attitude seems to be more than just a fashion statement. What are the core messages you want to send to your audience? Or to the whole world, perhaps?
Zoog: My main philosophy is : “You are better than this”. I believe creativity has been bored out of our mindset. The simple are of painting, sculpting or making music is being replaced with grazing on computer games or procrastinating on the internet. Though creative hobbies, comes creative thinking. Through creative thinking comes new solutions to improving your life.
Phrases like “I am bored” and “my life sucks” are usually uttered close together. Get active. Entertain your brain!
Some of your songs are named “Defibrillator” or “Catatonic”. Your music sounds quite nervous and angry, but I hope you never had a heart attack or catatonic seizures, so far?
Zoog: Not yet…but we’re pushing the live show in the hope that one of us spontaneously combusts on stage…we’re nearly there!
In other words: How does music keep you sane?
Zoog: Music is a drug and an outlet – I am addicted to old synthesizers. My main instrument is a German made Doepfer Modular Synthesizer. It is vintage technology and is pure analogue – so it’s sound is deep, rich and luscious! The Doepfer has a special interface which allows it to connect with modern technology so I get to mash old technology with the new.
In order to create each sound I need to physically connect the different synthesizer elements together using patch leads. The Doepfer allows me sculpt completely unique sounds. They can be smooth and melodic or harsh and scraping. I can also use it to DESTROY any sound – such as our vocals, guitars, drums…it’s a brilliant way to make music.
As previously mentioned, I am regularly building new musical instruments. The main instrument on ‘Hello My Name Is’ was built from an 80’s arcade controller parts. It has a genuine space invaders joystick plus several buttons and knobs. This instrument allows me to interface with my Doepfer Modular Synth in a completely new way – I can very quickly route signals around, modulate, mutate and destroy sound! I can route synthesizers, drums, guitars or vocals through it. The only think I can compare it to is dubstep…but it’s much dirtier and meaner!
I keep track of my experiments on my blog:
http://angelspit.net/zoog/
What kind of music do you prefer listening to? Except for you own, of course…
Zoog’s current playlist:
Jean Michel Jarre: The Concerts In China
Recoil: Selected
Trentemoller – The Digital Chronicals
IAMX – Kingdom of Welcome Addiction
Modselektor – Hello Mom!
Lots of Steve Wonder (1986 – 1984)
…and some Random glitch insanity
What are your new songs’ lyrics about in detail?
Zoog: Our mindsets are changing. It used to be “Fuck The Corporation”, but now it’s “Let The Corporation Fuck Me” – this is because of the unstable economic times we’re in. People are doing horrendous overtime and working like slaves…and still we can’t “make ends meet”. We’ve become the walking dead as we trudge to that job which we HATE….dreaming of finding another job…which we will end up hating within 6 months.
‘Hello My Name Is” is an anthem of defiance in a time of numb despair. It’s obvious that we are slaves to a system…but now we are contributing to that system and making our lives worse with the financial demands we are putting on ourselves. The cost of living has sky rocketed, but wages are not keeping up…plus you have convinced yourself that you need that new massive flat-screen…
Do something crazy before you die – pursue that dream of being a rock star, super model, fashion designer or movie director. You have NOTHING to loose and everything to gain. Life is a wild game…start playing!
Always remember: You are a Human Being…not a Human Bee.
What´s your favourite song on “Hello My Name Is”?
Zoog: ‘Violence’, which is the last track. It’s possibly my favourite Angelspit track so far. I wanted to write something that was beautifully horrific….and I think I finally got it right!
I get to sing in it – and I really love singing. Plus the guitars are wild, the drums are chaotic and the synths are blistering – it’s pure evil.
What made you extending your band´s lineup months ago? Was it a new sense of co-operation?
Zoog: Our original plan was to tour Australia/Europe/USA as a 2 piece, then expand…and that’s what we’re doing.
Valerie (guitars) and Chris (drums) were picked because of their solid reputation. We held a competition to choose our video-jammer – and the winner was a video artist who goes by the name “The Lair”. We’re joined live by Matt James – he’s a wild drummer.
The new sound is brutal! It’s manic…MANIC! Live is sooo much fun now! We try and smash out a sound combining hardcore punk and electro/industrial. It’s great fun!
We have insane lights and projections, but the best part is the on-stage chaos. We just love performing and GOING OFF!
The Liar, Angelspit’s Video-Jammer, mixes web footage with several cameras set up around the stage. He mixes the video live and streams it, while Destroyx, Valerie (guitars) and Matt (drums) and I go wild onstage. It’s the brutal fun!!
This time your artwork looks very disturbing, in my view. What´s the idea behind?
Zoog: We used Dangerousdolly.com to create beautiful images of “Corporate Saints” being slain and martyred. Destroyx covered the artwork with hand written text – it looks like a suicide note from a psychotic worker who goes on an office killing spree.
The images and music are all about the frustration that is building within us. Since we can’t figure out a solution to our global work issue, we have instead built a bazaar cult that numbs us and rewards us with ruin.
Are you planning any gigs in Germany or even a world tour?
Zoog: Besides the USA tour in October/November, we’re hoping to hit Germany/Europe mid next year. We have not toured Germany in several years and we are so excited to get back!
What are your further plans for the next future?
Zoog: I believe the next 12 months will be the most prolific for Angelspit…we have so much in the pipeline. We want to do more videos. The Liar (Angelspit’s Video-Jammer) is AMAZING at creating intense and dark videos. Angelspit is also planning several tours – more on that later!
Personally, I want to remix other bands – I love to experiment and collaborate with other musicians. Mashing Angelspit’s sound with other bands is so much fun!
ROCK!
Zoog Von Rock.
Website :: http://www.angelspit.net
Twitter :: http://twitter.com/angelspit
Facebook :: http://www.facebook.com/angelspitmusic
MySpace :: http://www.myspace.com/angelspitmusic
Vampire Freaks :: http://vampirefreaks.com/u/angelspit
Forum :: http://www.krankhaus.net/forum/
Youtube :: http://www.youtube.com/user/krankhaus
Sound Cloud :: http://soundcloud.com/angelspit
Band Camp :: http://listn.to/angelspit
