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What sort of musical background dn you have? Did you always make electronic music?

The real beginning with music was Œ89 or so, I cannot remember exactly, I think Œ89. Originally I come from jazz and rock music. This is my background, but I was really interested in avant garde jazz, New York, John Zorn, Fred Frith, these people. The beginning with electronic music was five years ago now, I think, Œ92 or Œ93.

The records have a very live sound to them.

It is not really live. Maybe it sounds a bit more live because most of the tracks are played in the studio and played on midi without quantizing it or repairing the little mistakes - I leave it as it is and this random mode of the filters and crackles is maybe responsible for the feeling of live.

Where do you crackles and sounds come from?

This is the little Waldorf filter. Itıs a regular filter. You can put a guitar in it or another instrument or something and you can filter it. This one is broken and it makes the crackles all the time. Itıs a basic thing.

Is it something that youıve had for a long time?

I donıt use it for a long time but it gets broken two, two and a half years ago. That was the beginning of Pole‹three years now.

So you just were just interested in the sounds of the mistakes?

Every time Iım interested in every kind of mistakes. Thatıs what makes it more interesting for me. Iım not so into this traditional sounds, so itıs very important for me to use different sounds. You can say that.

I think too that a lot of avant garde artists are interested in difficult sounds, but you use it in a way that it becomes musical again, which is something I like a lot about it. I also heard that remix you did for Quarks.

Ah, yeah. That was from the track on the Plug Research compilation, or where did you get it? It was on the ³Kikyo² single.

That track also brings out your tendencies for reduction rather than layering.

That is my main method. Yes, thatıs right, reduction. (laughs)

Is this the first time youıve toured the US?

No, I played in November last year. It was in a small tour, six to five gigs or so in America: Windsor, Canada, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Toronto and one more but Iım missing it, sorry.

Have you noticed a lot of difference in the electronic music scene in Germany as opposed to the US?

I mean, I cannot really say what kinds of difference is because I donıt know that much about the American electronic scene, but I think itıs a bit smaller than in Europe. The scene in Europe is older. Itıs a big tradition. Theyıve been making electronic music since... since Kraftwerk or I have no idea, itıs very amazing.

It seems to me that itıs a lot more advanced as far as the type of electronic music thatıs coming out of Germany.

Yes. A few steps ahead. Maybe.

What is that you were working on, the broken unit?

[Stefan and another were previously looking over an opened unit at the bar with soldering iron in hand.]

This little thing is the editor to modulate the sounds on the live set to make it more live. Without this I cannot modulate them, they are like they are in the synthesizer and I canıt change them. So Iım really lost without this piece and I hope itıs working. Thatıs the reason Iım not really concentrating and why Iım a bit nervous at the moment. I have to check this because the doors open at 8:00.

Do you always perform alone?

Yes, everything alone.

What other artists are you interested in these days?

Oh lots of artists from this little label called Karaoke Kalk from Cologne. Do you know that? Puts out this band Wunder. I really like Plastikman. Um, what else? There are lots of people. Lnne Ranch from Los Angeles is one of my favorites at the moment. Kit Clayton from San Francisco (sometimes Mimic & The Model), there are many. I cannot say this or that because I am relatively open minded. Iım interested in lots of different music, so itıs not that Iım just into techno or electronic music or that or that. Itıs a mixture between everything. Can I shortly interrupt, I think that they are going to open the door and I want to check it.

[Stefan goes to check on status of broken gear.]

You canıt just pick up more guitar strings or a new guitar in a new town when they break. Playing electronic music can be tricky if something breaks because you have such specialized equipment.

When somethingıs broken on tour it can be a big problem. Thatıs right, but normally it should not break. Iım very careful with my equipment and all this stuff. This one, I have no idea why it is broken because yesterday in Los Angeles it worked perfect and today itıs not.

So the difference between the recorded set and live, do you have things recorded from the record that you use live?

Yeah, sure. The basic lines are pre-programmed and the crackles are programmed because I cannot make this live. I would have to take all my studio with me on stage. Itıs too much, so I make it more simple and record it before. There is enough free space for me to improvise on top. I do it in this dub style with muting channels and making parts longer, less effect and more effect and play with these possibilities. So in my opinion itıs live enough.

[end]

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