Seb: I havent read to many reviews yet, only feedback from friends and so. But yeah, the feedback's been great really. People seem to dig it. Exept from some super die hard square head's Nitzer Ebb fans who probably just cant accept any changes with NE, which is fine by me, I'm not expecting everyone to like it. But so far the feedback's been great. And that is comforting as I was a bit worried about how it would be dealt with by the masses, specially conisdering the abuse of the freedom of speech on various online blog sites. Oh lord.
Muscle and Hate found its home in Infacted Recordings. How did this collaboration take place?
Seb: Both XP8 and myself are on Infacted with other projects so it basically felt natural to keep it in the "family" so to speak. And as I have worked with Infacted before I knew I wouldnt have to worry about poor handling of the release. And as I also finished the production of the last XP8 album, I realised Paul's vocals would be perfect for this. It's also easy to work with people that are in the same state of mind as yourself and working together for the same reasons.
Why do you call this project Muscle and Hate and what where the reasons for starting this Tribute to Nitzer Ebb?
Seb: The title Muscle And Hate is taken from a phrase in "Join In The Chant", and I wanted something directly from the songs or NE related, to give it more a overall complete vibe to it all. And well, hate and anger is a common issue in todays ebm/industrial scene, so I also felt it was a fitting name, kind of in an ironic way.
”A Tribute to Nitzer Ebb” can be described as a collection of cover versions. How was the work like to do some new interpretations of “old-school” songs?
Seb: It was fun and an education in classic ebm. It was a challenge as well, as I didnt want to mess up something as classic as Nitzer Ebb. I wanted to add something new, not just copy the whole thing. So once I got the basics down, like the baseline and what not, I just started jamming along, and it was really fun to hear things develop, and when I got the vocals from Italy it all just worked out really well.
On the CD you can find hits like "Murderous", "Control I´m Here" or "Join in the chant". Did you chose your favourite Nitzer Ebb tracks for this tribute?
Seb: More or less, but I also talked to the XP8 guys, Torben and a few friends whom I trust their judgement on musical matters. There were a couple of other tracks I really wanted to do as well, like Captivate, Shame and Lighting Man, but in a situation like that, one need to just be mm..flexible. But there is talk about maybe making one more track for free download on some site, we'll see.
Sebastian R. Komor is a wellknown name in the scene. Can you say something about your musical background?
Seb: Sure can; I started making music in late 80's, of course under really lo-fi conditions, using a 4 track sequencing program on Atari and a old crappy Casio keyboard. But I got tunes out of it somehow. I released a couple of demos under the name Melt (3 tapes which I am planning to upload to my site for free downloads soon), 2 Melt tracks on 2 Norwegian compilations (Psychoactivated phase I & II). When I got more gear things evolved of course, so I initiated a project named Area 51, later renamed to Sector9, now Moonitor. I met Andy late 90's when I recorded a demo for his punk rock band back then. We hooked up and he joined me on some work on Sector9, also then the first IOC songs came to life, and I joined IOC fully right after the release of the single Shallow Nation. So yeah, things evolved from there. My most recent work exept Muscle And Hate is remixing Juno Reactor and Alphaville, which was great fun. Musically I am 100% selftought. I have always been an explorer when it comes to music, I always want to know how things are or can be done, specially in the fields of production and songwriting. I think music is a gift and should not be taken for granted. If you want a more complete bio on my work, feel free to go to my Xenomorph Productions site.
You ran a lot of musical projects. What are you working at in the moment? Will there be a new output from Icon Of Coil and Moonitor in near future?
Seb: Phew yeah. I just got to many ideas in my head, and not enough time to get them all out into the audio world. And I dont want to just keep releasing something just to release something you know. I want to feel that what I am releasing is something I can be proud of, and not just another product on the market. Currently I am working on the new Monofader album named "Everything Changes, But The Sea", which will be out on Infacted early 2006. It's going to be different. I'm currently learning to play the base guitar for that album, which is great fun. With Moonitor I have a big load of new tracks around, not any released however, but due to the Monofader deadlines Moonitor is currently hibernating. I am also heavily working on getting some Zombie Girl stuff out, which is lead by my wife Renee, which I must add is a fantastic singer. As for IOC, there are losely woven sentences about getting started on new ideas. However (speaking for myself) I dont want to make another "hard" future-pop sounding IOC album, I think that theme is done and over with. I dont want an album with 5 tracks like Access And Amplify and 5 tracks sounding like Dead Enough For Life. I like the songs, I just feel a bit tired of that trance/future-pop feeling. It's time to go down another road.
Do you make music for yourself or for your fans? Does the fans` reaction influence your work?
Seb: If I am not satisfied with the result at the time I work on it, I wont release it, even though I know fans would enjoy it. In one way I can say I make music for my own enjoyment, to satisfy my creativityness, and my need to explore sound and music. But getting feedback from fans is also important for me. During moments of no inspiration or other lack of something moments it always pleasing to hear/read good positive comments about my work, that kind gives me fuel to keep working on tracks, and also puts me in a state where I want to overcome my previous work to hopefully please the fans even more. But the fans don't influence me in how I make the music or how it is going to sound in the end.
How are you behaving in producing songs?
Seb: Like a scientist of sound. Haha, well, I'm pretty relaxed about the whole process until it comes to the final mixing stage. And I like the studio to have a down to earth feeling to it, not like what some of the major studios around are; Cold, clinical and barren. There needs to be a vibe in a studio to be creative, not just all about technicalities. Regarding how songs are made; There is no template or pattern I go for. What happens, happens. Sometimes a sound gets me going, sometimes a groove, or a chord, etc..etc..hardly ever the same thing. Or on occation I have a drink or 10 to get the inspiration flowing ;)
You are famous for making great remixes. What is the attraction in doing a remix? Will there be Muscle and Hate remixes for other bands?
Seb: I didnt know that haha. Remixing is fun because it is a way to create music without actually worrying about the making of the song itself. It's like you get some of the ingredients, and it is up to you to mix them together into a gourmet meal. It's also a good way to improve one's skills, specially when remixing bands of a very high and proffesional level, where the recordings and quality of it all is of a high standard, as that kinds opens my mind and makes me realise a few things I never thought of myself. There are a few remixes of Muscle And Hate on the EP already. We didnt want to fill the EP with more remixes than sence. I have been thinking of uploading a couple of remix kits online for DJ's to make their own mixes for their sets. I can see that happening soon actually.
What kind of music or bands do you hear in private?
Seb: Ironically mostly stuff outside the ebm/industrial/goth scene. I dont find a lot of the current ebm/industrial to interesting to listen to, sorry to say so. There are a few gold tunes out there absolutelly, dont get me wrong. The scene as it is now is being overkilled by compilations and one hit wonders. Currently I listen a lot to Thomas P. Heckman, Juno Reactor, Rob Zombie, Die Krupps, Bjork, Chris Isaak, Rammstein and some good old Psychadelia, like X-Dream and Eat Static.
What are you doing when you are not producing new songs? Which jobs are you practising and which hobbies are you pursuing?
Seb: I do a lot of graphical design, for the web and for cd covers. Last cd cover I did was the Muscle And Hate cover. Exept from that I enjoy movies, well exept the fact Hollywood is running out of ideas. The Devils Rejects was an awesome movie. Disturbing, but awesome. Rob Zombie's a great movie maker. Then I am doing my best being a good husband in between all that :). And also currently being a bit caught up playing Resident Evil 4, which is an amazing game. And when time and $ allows, I hang out with friends and so at New City in Edmonton, a great club and great people.
Do you earn enough money with your music for your everyday-life?
Seb: Yes and no. On cd sales alone; Not currently. But I have been very careful when it comes to put myself in a situation with to high standards, as the music industry is suffering from a lot of problems with sales, marketing and numerous other elements that makes it hard for musicians these days. Ironically in these times people still wants things done for free, like remixing and what not, I mean sorry, that is something I cant do anymore.
Nitzer Ebb will play some Reunion-Gigs next year. Do you plan to do some Live-Gigs with Muscle And Hate?
Seb: Nothing planned really. We've gotten some requests, but the fees werent even enough to cover half the travel expences, so it was technically undoable. It would be fun to perform the tracks live though, maybe at some festival next year, who knows.
What aim do you want to achieve with Muscle And Hate in the future?
Seb: It is a one off thing really, didnt and dont have any major plans with it. I just wanted to try this out and release something a bit different than what I ususally would do. Some people have asked if there will be one more EP with Muscle And Hate coming, but I feel releasing another one would not really make sence, as it would kind of be overdone. I just hope people can enjoy it for what it is. I mean on some forums I read about someone claiming it is an attempt to become legends, which I find rather funny, as it couldt be further away from that fact. People just talk to much you know.
Thanks for the interesting interview and good luck with “Muscle And Hate”! The famous last words are up to you:
Seb: Doh! First of I would like to thank all the people who shown support and helped out on the way, whether it being a label, promoter, DJ, booking agencies, magazines, friends, fans and the like. Oh yeah; I fart YOUR way, with full force! (personal matter). Have a great winter, hopefully I wont freeze my ass of in Canada. Ironically the weather here is pretty good. Friendly people. Anyways, thanx for the interview.
Homepage Band: Muscle And Hate
Homepage Label: Infacted Recordings
(Interview geführt von Andi)
