B. FLEISCHMANN

Interview with Bernhard Fleischmann (Austria)
by E*Rock
9/00
www.charhizma.com
www.morrmusic.com
www.fuzzybox.com

B. Fleischmann's music reaches a finely tuned balance between the textural ambience and the relaxed, poppy keyboard melodies and solid downtempo beats. Songs are highly musical, yet vear towards abstraction, flowing out from your speakers. Itís hard to put a finger on what heís doing differently, but it's not hard to enjoy.

When did you start making electronic music?

Maybe now, about one and a half, maybe two years agoóbecause I usually play drums in several bands. This was more the harder guitar stuff, like old Husker Du school, things in that direction. I played drums and I sang too. I really enjoyed it, but then I started to interest myself in some electronics and just decided to try it. I bought my first machine and then did my first songsóand since then everythingís great. I started without believing that it would be superóI donít know, I just tried it and then after I finished my first songs Christoff Kurtzman released the first CD, and this was quite lucky for me.

Heís the one who does the Charizma label?

Yes.

Heís from Austria too?

Yes, heís living in Vienna, but I just put my cassette in a pub, where he worked at the time, and then I met him and asked him, ìHave you listened to it?î And he said, ìNo, not yet.î Two weeks later he called on the phone and asked if Iíd like to play a concert. I said, ìYes, of course.î And after the concert he asked if Iíd like to release a CD and I said, ìYes, of course!î Then Thomas Morr got the CD and said that heíd like to release it on vinyl and this is how it started. This was April ë99.

Thatís pretty quick.

Yes, now everything has developed so quickly. Itís fantastic for me.

Do you play live very much?

Yes, I play live as well. There are some songs where I play the drums live to my songs to let the people see something happening on stage. I think people like when I play drums live with the electronic songs.

Do you play the same songs live as on the albums or do you change your set much?

It depends. Most of the songs it can change playing them live, so I decide if they stay calmer, or louder, or more rhythm. When I play drums itís just to a melody of course, then itís the same. But usually I can decide live how a song is going on.

So ìPop Loops for Breakfastî was your first recordings?

Yes, that LP was released on Charizma and Morr who also released together the Sidonie EP. Then Fuzzy Box mailed me and said they would like to release the next album and I spoke to Charizma and Morr Music and they said it was okay with them, no problem. And thatís the thing I did with Fuzzy Box and Darla [A Choir of Empty Beds]. Then I made some tracks for several compilations like ìThe Invisible Soundtracksî on Tanya Morleyís Leaf Label. In the last half year everythingís just going very quick for me. Itís unbelievable because I knew all the work for concerts and selling CDs and everything can very very hard. I saw this with my last band, when you have to check every thing, every concert, every sold CD, blah, blah... And now suddenly someone calls me and tells me, ìDo you want to play there, do you want to play there? Letís make this, letís make that.î Itís just crazy, but, yeah, itís fantastic.

Are you able to make enough new songs to keep up?

Yes, but I think I should calm down a bit. Not just to do too much and then everything is getting bored, and I am getting bored, and then everything sounds similar...

Take a little break?

Yes, that will be good I think.

How old are you?

Iím 25 now.

So youíve played in rock bands for a while?

Yes, before I played in four or five bands. With the last two we played all over Austria, some in Germany, so it was the one we had the most concerts, and the biggest ones, and we did a CD with them. If you want I can send you a copy of my old guitar band.

Sure, that would be cool. And you played drums for that band?

Yes, I played drums and sung.

Was it a big change to start learning synthesizers then?

That happened at the same time that I started to play my electronic things, but that didnít have anything to do with my occupation with electronics, just that the band fell apart. One went to Japan for a half year and the other one is now in London for a long time, so the band was just at a point where we said, ìOkay, letís stop doing it this way.î Everyone decided to go his own way and I decided I would try it with electronics. I didnít know it would go that well for me.

Your songs have a very strong melodic sense.

Thatís maybe because I also learned the classical piano and I usually listen to music where you hear the melodics. itís the same if itís electronics, or guitar music, because I think the step from the melodies of guitar music and electronics isnít so far away. I usually loved the melodies with loud guitars like, I donít know... Dinosaur Jr, for exampleÖ The first one, which I really love.

I always like to hear electronics used for more than rhythm.

I donít know, itís quite a mixture for me because I played the drums and at the same time I listen very closely to the harmonies, so I hope that one side is not too heavy.

How long did you study piano for?

Well, maybe nine or ten years. It was sort of private lessons when I was about maybe eight until eighteen.

I noticed a saxophone on A Choir of Empty Beds [on ìChad F.î].

Yes, thatís the saxophone of Christof Kurtzman of Charizma. On the CD there is a hidden track where we do once more, a song that is already on the CD, but with the saxophone, which is kind of more ìbluesî. I think itís really fun. The other one on the ìChad F. Sax Mixî I think itís quite a nice song with the saxophone. I hope itís not too pathetic.

I think it works well. Is that you on the cover of the record?

Yes. (laughs). Itís just, I donít know, before a party when I was in school. My parents took my picture.

Do you record at home?

Yes, itís a very small room. Itís about fifteen, maybe twenty square meters-rather small, where I have my equipment where I do all the stuff. There is no TV or telephone, nothing else, so I just sit there and do my things. But itís some kind of home production, yes of course, because it is not a big studio with all that stuff. Itís just my equipment that I use live on stage too. Maybe I will buy a computer now, because Iím only working with now the Groovebox 505. Until now I do everything with this and I just see that with a computer you have much more possibilities.

Yes, I have a 303, but I donít use it so much now that I do everything on the computer.

You have a Macintosh? Yeah, I saw people like Christof Kurtzman are just doing crazy things with their laptops. Itís crazy what they can do with it.

Do you have a favorite synthesizer?

No, no really. I have only the Groovebox so I donít know too many other synthesizers.

Oh really? Youíre playing all you melodies on that one too?

Oh yeah.

Some of the bits on the ìGoodbyeî track sound like crickets.

Ah, yeah, just another sound from the Groovebox. Itís quite funny what this box can do for sounds if you try enough changing the filters and pitching and everything. Maybe I will try a bit more in another directionóa bit minimalistic, but more with soundsóas well harmonies, but no too pop. Do you know what I mean? Itís a bit hard to explain in English, because but the songs on the new record are now six, seven, eight, months old. So, when I first listened to it after a long time, I though, ìOkay, I think that itís quite nice, but I would love to do it less poppy.î Yeah, I will see, maybe I wonít.

I though ìIrcamî seemed more abstract.

Yes, thatís one of my favorites.

That ones nice. Itís a little more ominous.

I would prefer to do something a bit like Ircam more. Thatís what I wanted to explain.

I think also if you start working on the computer it will change the way you approach songs, because with the Groovebox youíre working more in real-time. Yeah, I hope to get one just to try new things.

What do you listen to when youíre just relaxing at home?

Well... Thatís not too easy to explain. I love to hear my old guitar stuff. Now Iím looking at whatís on the record player... that Slint LP, Spiderland. Thatís what I listened to yesterday, so yeah, thatís an example of a super great album for me. I just love it. Well then, sometimes some electronics, or Robert Wyatt... Itís just what I like, thereís no top ten that I have to listen to every week. Itís always changing.

Do you like Vienna?

Do you mean the political situation? Because of course Iím not that confident with the political situation here, as you can imagine. There are demonstrations every Thursday here. Thatís really cool because I didnít expect that becauseósince February, every Thursday, there are about two and eight thousand people walking through the city saying, ìOkay, weíre not confident with whatís going on here.î On the other side, itís rather interesting because many people talk about daily politics, whatís good, whatís not too good, so itís really interesting at the moment. But itís sad that it has to be with the government like this for it to happen. With the music scene, itís pretty good in Vienna, so for that point I like to stay in Vienna of course.

I think thatís one thing that I like about a lot of whatís going on with electronics these days because the medium is real direct. One person can be anywhere in the world and they can produce something unique that also touches with sensabilities far away.

Yeah, itís not too easy for other bands to go wherever they like, but with electronics you can go wherever and just do it.

We can also communicate easily and make friends with people in any country who happen to like the same type of music...similar musical interests...

For example, I think the new album wouldnít have been released on Fuzzy Box without email. I think Sean and I, and James and Chandra from Darla wouldnít have had so much contact via phone. With email it was really cool and simple, and after a while you get to know the other side. Itís really cool when you can use it for that.

[end]