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UNSIGNED EUROPA DARK INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONIC FREE MAGAZINE

Skinjob Hematosis tao of the Machine xp8 DE_TOT_COR perfect symmetry asinaptico the crystal apes ngng-pro antiscion FEBRUARY 2012 Cover artwork by Paul and Danilo Rizzuti

UNSIGNED EUROPA this issue...

SKINJOB

HEMATOSIS

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Page 4

DE_TOT_COR

NG-PRO

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Page 6

ANTISCION

XP8

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Page 8

Perfect symmetry

THE CRYSTAL APES

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Page 10

asinaptico

Tao of the machine

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artwork by chris roll

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SKINJOB

Artwork by jscreationzs PICTURE By skinjob

It all started back in 1991 when a guy called Andy Manns and I wanted to start a new band. We came up with this idea of producing 'postmodern industrial dance' but we never were able to find exactly what we wanted to achieve. We rehearsed all over the place with various musicians (Keef Baker was playing guitars for us at one point for example). It's worth noting that the basics of 'Insects & Metaphors' and 'Move' were co-written by Andy and I in those days, but we had no means to record them properly as back then the only people who could afford professional studio time were signed bands and rich kids, of which we were neither. Time moves on etc. and the project was shelved, then later Andy pursued his career in games design so everything fell to me, and the project lay dormant for a while, but I always planned to 'do something with it'. I always maintained some form of studio however. Years later and I started hearing music that was kind of like what we imagined 'back in the day', plus with modern computers practically anyone who knows what they are doing is able to produce music to a good enough standard to release so I decided it was time and upgraded the studio and started writing more tracks and was finally able to realise the ideas I had. I got some shows, did some remixes, met my live keyboard player (Susana Duende) and live drummer (Mark aka Gus) and it went from there. The first EP 'Insects & Metaphors' was sent to promoters and so on as a demo, and ended up entering the Dutch Underground Chart (DUC) at number one (which was a WTF moment) but it got us on Summer Darkness and Infest as a result. The album Selfish Discipline was released early this year.

How would you describe your sound?

I refer to it as 'Elitist Obscure Electronica' which is a phrase which was used by a reviewer when describing one of my remixes - I love this (in a self-deriding way) so went with it. Our album 'Selfish Discipline is available on most of the major services (iTunes, Amazon MP3, Spotify) and CDs are exclusively available from musicnonstop.co.uk. iTunes: http://bit.ly/upmh5H Amazon: Selfish Discipline - http://tinyurl.com/7bnmo9o Music Non Stop: http://musicnonstop.co.uk/product-view.php?productid=24528 Are you already working on new material?

I have ideas and am working on new material, but I am not a subscriber to the 'must release something every year' approach so I cannot give a time scale. Next year maybe. I do have some songs which I don't know what to do with as they don't really fit in with the current direction. I could change direction, or start a side project. Not sure yet. I have secretly played some of my side-project material at events and had a good response so who knows.

What are your music influences? What music do you usually listen to?

I developed musically listening to Depeche Mode, NiN and classical in the mainstream 90's, but I remember the day a friend gave me a tape containing Nitzer Ebb and Skinny Puppy and being blown away by it. I later discovered Front Line Assembly, and they are all bands I still love. I do tend to prefer electronic artists however, so I do like the usual - Icon of Coil, Combichrist, Covenant, Assemblage 23, Solitary Experiments etc. I will also confess to liking a lot of 80s bands such as Tears for Fears, Erasure and Black. All great stuff.

Do you like remix and/or being remixed?

Yeah I've done a number of remixes. We are best known for our remixes of Nachtmahr, XPQ-21 and KiEw I think; some of which were in the DAC (Deutsch Alternative Chart) at some point. There is a list on our website - http://www.skinjob.co.uk/wp/remixes/ As for being remixed, I'm not sure I'd like that. The danger there of course would be getting remixed by someone like VNV or La Plegua, realising it was better than the original, never being able to better it for forever being known for 'that track'.

Is it difficult to get some attention in this scene media? What are the best places to promote a music-project?

Getting attention is easy - just do something stupid - people love that. But if you want to get noticed for your music, remix a bigger band and hope they release it What is the next main objective to be reached for your band?

Traditional labels seem to be increasingly insignificant in an online world, however on the flip side they do have marketing expertise and budgets so this is a subject I have wrestled with. I'd like to play more festivals, and another album would be nice to have under the belt, but also perhaps a side project for the songs I have which are 'not really Skinjob'.

Do you usually go to clubs or live shows in your city/area? Is the dark-electronic scene popular there?

Sure - Manchester is my local area for such things but it's not as popular as it was a few years ago, but I like going to clubs all over the country - Bedlam in Glasgow is a great night, so is the Classic Grand (also in Glasgow). At the other end of the country of course there is Slimelight which is a culture unto itself.

Are you using social networks to interact with your audience?

We are on Facebook, but Facebook is run by idiots who deleted our page so I tend to focus on the website and let Facebook re-publish the main info. We do occasionally post some things that need immediate feedback to Facebook though; it can be useful at times.

Thanks for the interview. Is there anything else you would like to add?

No problem – thank you to the people who have taken the time to be interested - without you, we are nothing.

SKINJOB

Artwork by happykanppy PICTURE By hematosis

Hematosis is Industrial Macabre Dance. Omen (Lyrics/vocals), Rev-D (keyboards/programming). We Come From Cincinnati, Ohio. We have played with My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, 45 grave, The Azoic, Nachtmar, Alter De Ruin, Whore In Babylon, Structual Interfearance, Chakras, Common Man Down, Only Flesh, Razorbliss, Espermachine. as well as many of the local bands. Our band is in a network of the Goth/Industrial Community. Supporting the Club scene. We have released the albums: Are You Scared (2007-2008), Health Sektor (2009-2010) Machines Before Man (2010-2011 It is distributed via i-tunes, Spotify, Last Fm, and 40 other major online retailers. Hard Copy's for sale through live shows and all other merchandise) and SIN due out 2012.

What are your music influences? What music do you usually listen to?

We listen to Skinny Puppy, OhGr, :Wumpscut:, Hocico, CombiChrist, The Cure, Velvet Acid Christ, Leaether Strip, Suicide Commando, God Module, Switchblade Symphony‌ How would you describe your sound?

The brain-trust of Hematosis, have continuously built sound walls of high energy thrills and chills for over 20 years in various forms of insidious deviations in the performing arts. Their artistic expressions casts a dark light far beyond music; the stage performances not only captivate and slice open the audiences minds, it gives voice to the deepest fears, desires and sins of the human condition in which all of us strive to suppress. Simultaneously, Hematosis makes their audiences confront internal suppressed fears while inspiring them to express emotions of anxiety, desire, guilt, and anger through dancing. The imagery of their compositions and lyrics seduce the irreverent youth and crack the hardened minds of the pious. www.reverbnation.com/hematosis www.myspace.com/hematosismusic www.youtube.com/hematosismusic www.soundcloud.com/hematosis www.hematosis.webs.com Are you working on new material? What are your future plans?

Yes, the New Album is entitled SIN and will be available for sale Summer 2012!

Our next goal is to get signed. Live shows we already do but we want to tour and spread our gift to the world.

Do you like remix and/or being remixed?

Yes to Both. Its always fun to hear our stuff being remixed and remixing our favorites too.

Is it difficult to get some attention in this scene media? What are the best places to promote a music-project?

It is difficult to promote your music being unsigned, very hard. We have several years into this so we have a fan base here but we need more exposure. There are millions of bands out there and its hard to be recognized. The web to us seems to be the best place right now until we are picked up by a label.

Are you using social networks to interact with your audience?

Yes, this seems to be the best tool for us right now. I think that goes for most bands too. www.twitter.com/hematosis www.facebook.com/hematosis Can you tell us about the dark-electronic scene in your area/country?

The club scene is awesome here in the midwest. Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Indianapolis, Louisville, Cleveland, Bowling Green and Pittsburgh have all pulled together as one giant scene here in the Midwest. Its good here but nothing like Europe.

Thanks for your words. Greetings from Europa.

Thank you for your interest in us.

hematosis

DE_TOT_COR DE_TOT_COR is an industrial_alternative_industrial music project from Barcelona.

It started with fun electro-dark covers of heavy metal songs and some rough remixes of :wumpscut: remix-contests. The first DE_TOT_COR official release "Dead Heart EP" was published in November 2009 by the North American label Vendetta Music. Includes the club-hit "strawberry Panic".

After leaving the Vendetta Music label, "Mädchenliebe" is released as a free digital single in 2011. A new version of this song is included on the first DE_TOT_COR LP "Gothic light", released in October 2011. The new album is not instrumental at all. It brings the collaborations of Kari Berg (ex-Ashbury Heights), Fredrik C. (Project Rotten), Sister_, DJ Zynthexia and Jenny P. (Luzid) on vocals, and the distinctive gated synths and stomping DE_TOT_COR 4x4 beats. It also includes remixes by TrümmerFrau, Studio-X, End:theDJ and Revolution State.

What are your music influences? What music do you usually listen to?

I listen to many different music styles, but these days I mainly have futurepop and dark-electro albums in the CD player.

Are you working on new material? What are your plans to release it?

Yes, there are new songs in progress. There will be a new DE_TOT_COR EP in 2012, hopefully around summer. It will contain some new songs, reworks of some tracks from ‘Gothic Light’ and ‘Dead Heart’ EP, and remixes of great artists. But the most important thing is that this new EP will be free for those who bought the latest ‘Gothic Light’ album.

Do you like to remix and/or being remixed?

Both. Although remixing a very good song is quite difficult, remixes provide a new perspective to (your) songs. If you take a listen to ‘Dead Heart’ EP and ‘Gothic Light’ you’ll find remixes of different styles. I love the variety they offer to each album. I’ve been lucky to have these bands remixing the DE_TOT_COR tracks, their work has been excellent. And as for remixing other bands, it’s always a pleasure to have the chance to work on new songs. Lately I’ve been working on remixes for Diverje, Grandchaos and Antythesys.

Keep an eye on their forthcoming releases.

What is the next main objective to be reached for your band?

The main objective now is to finish the new songs, and give to the DE_TOT_COR audience new music. There are fresh news to come, so check our website regularly. I’ve also been thinking of the possibility to play some live shows, but who knows…

In 2011 you released the first DE_TOT_COR LP “Gothic Light”, after leaving the US label Vendetta.

It has not been easy to self-release the album, but it was worth it. There was some changes also in the music, but the people has been reacting very well. It is a limited edition album, soon will be sold out, no more physical copies will be done. However, this means that I can pay all the money invested in the process of making the album, which is great. Obviously I am not making music to earn money, but self-releasing was better than being in a label. I think the promotion was not very good before, now it’s geting better…

Is it difficult to get some attention in this scene media? What are in your opinion the best places to promote a music-project?

The fact is that a lot of people make music and that’s great! It’s difficult for artists to release an album (pay for studio, artwork, mastering, replication, digital selling platforms, etc.), but there are emerging cool sites that allow us release our music. The best thing we can do is to make people understand that if they like the music, they should pay something for it. “Big” labels and magazines have their own rules, their own charts, their managers, etc. But more and more bands are realizing that nowadays they can DIY, because there are great people supporting these scene for free, cause they love music! All I can say is: Buy music, go to live shows and support independent artists.

Do you usually go to clubs or live shows in your city/area? Is the dark-electronic scene popular there?

Not very much lately. When you’ve seen 4-5 times the same band live you get a little bit tired. However in Barcelona there are regular club nights and live shows for the dark-scene. Maybe there is a need to renew the panorama, I don’t know... I prefer to go to live shows in small venues to see unknown bands, whatever music style they play.

Are you using social networks to interact with your audience?

DE_TOT_COR has profiles in many social networks. I would like to say hello to everyone who cares about my music, so share your words at FB (http://www.facebook.com/pages/De_Tot_Cor/133207893384897), Google+ (http://gplus.to/detotcor), VampireFreaks (http://vampirefreaks.com/detotcor), Soundcloud (http://soundcloud.com/jordidtc) or through the official website (http://musicadetotcor.blogspot.com/ ).

Thanks for the interview. Is there anything else you would like to add?

Keep checking out about DE_TOT_COR. There are some great things to come!

Artwork by chris roll Pictures by de_TOT_COR

NG-PRO We are NG-pro and we come from a small town in the Netherlands. NG-pro consists out of 3 members: Niels (Vocals / guitar), Gerwin (Vocals / Vocoder / Synths) and Bas (Bassguitar).

Gerwin and Myself started NG-pro in January 2000 and were joined by Bas in 2008. We've released 2 mini-cd's and 2 full length albums, on our site you can also download a third unreleased album with some more experimental stuff on it.

What are your music influences? What music do you usually listen to?

The main drive to start this band was because we were both fans of Front 242 and early Apoptygma Berzerk, which we still love.. besides that we are fan of bands such as: Sisters of Mercy, Field of the Nephilim, Deine Lakaien, I monster Zbigniew Preisner, Sixteen Horsepower, Laibach, The Exploited, Juno Reactor, And One, etc…. the list goes on and on.

Have you been working on this project without any label since the start?

For some reason it seems we are too difficult for labels, the combination of electronics and electric guitar seems to confuse them.

We've had contact with labels in the past but that didn't work out due to contract issues. The albums are all for sale, and some of them are indeed a free download on the website… You can always mail us what you want and we'll work something out, we are currently working on webshop which should be up somewhere spring 2012.

Are you working on new material? What type/style of songs are you working on?

A new album is scheduled for fall 2012 but nothing is certain, we always take our time with these things. The songs on the new album are gonna be what you can expect from us, danceable songs with strong melodies and a punch in the face, we didn't use guitars on our last album "The place to be" but for this album they will be present again. Hopefully a new album followed by some shows in club circuit and maybe some interesting remixes to make, and who knows maybe a label who is not scared of good music.

You also released several remixes, maybe the most famous is the "Global Killer" one.

Well, in the case of the Global killer mix it seems that XMH got to profit the most of that, but we're glad it helped them to get more airplay/gigs. For us as NG-pro I really wouldn't know if we gained more audience with our remixes, let's hope so. I'm not a real big fan of remixes, all of the members of the band grew up playing musical instruments so I think we've got a good sense of tonality and songstructures, but it seems nowadays that anyone with a computer can make music which leads to remixes that are, to put it mildly crap, on the other hand, there are really good ones out there which personally for me have led to the discovery of some great bands.

Is it difficult to get some attention in this scene media? What are in your opinion the best places to promote a music-project?

I think it is, mainly because there are so many bands trying to get exposure… Sites such as Soundcloud, Facebook and Myspace are invaluable tools to promote your music but the best place is the stage!!!

Do you usually go to clubs or live shows in your city/area? Is the dark-electronic scene popular in the Netherlands?

Not that much anymore, the scene in Holland is at a decline and there aren't that many live shows that are interesting enough for me personally but there are still enough party's that do well although I feel the popularity is dwindling.

Are you using social networks to interact with your audience?

PICTURE By ng-pro

Artwork by nuttakit

You can find us on the following sites. Feel free to leave a message: http://nl-nl.facebook.com/pages/NG-Pro/104814579575168 http://www.myspace.com/ngpro Thanks for the interview. Is there anything else you would like to add? http://www.last.fm/music/NG-PRO You’re welcome and we would like to thank everyone who has supported us over the years. http://vampirefreaks.com/ng-pro Keep an eye on the site (http://www.ng-pro.com) http://soundcloud.com/ng-pro for info on the upcoming album and other events.

antiscion

Artwork by antiscion

Antiscion is currently just me, Zac Phoenix. I'm 22 and from Australia but I live in London, UK. I've just finished my first futurepop/EBM/dark electro album called "Cold Prospect" and one of the tracks, "Overthrown" was featured on the new Synthematika Three compilation album which very kindly seems to be getting me some attention at the moment, especially in Russia and Mexico! I'm very humbled by the response so far that people are loving my music.

What are your music influences? What music do you usually listen to?

I listen to lots of different stuff, but I think generally my tastes are dark or sombre. I love everything industrial, especially the electronicheavy stuff, but I also listen to a lot of trance, alternative metal and post-rock stuff like Sigur Ros. Anything incredibly thematic and transcendental is likely to grab me. I don't like happy melodies or folksy-acoustic stuff. I'm not so goth I shit bats or anything, I just prefer the sound of minor key melodies and atmospheric soundscapes. Industrial will always be my first and last love. There's a lot of good stuff coming out of the scene still in the past few years. The Birthday Massacre are a brilliant success story of this and I adore their unique sound. As cliche as it is, the single biggest influence on me as a musician and producer has been Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails). I grew up adoring everything the man has ever done and continues to do. He taught me everything I know about production and I continue to constantly learn from his skilful mastery of sound.

How would you describe your sound?

My first attempt at an album was during the aggrotech/terror EBM craze a few years back. It was called Pumpkin Kult and it was not great but a lot of fun to make. You can still find it floating around online somewhere. It wasn't really mixed or mastered properly and it clipped all over the place but it was an original attempt at doing something unique within that very narrow sound, injecting a kind of crazy carnival-esque thread to the usual two-dimensional violent/angry theme.

After that, I realised I needed to spend more time perfecting my craft, so I read loads of books and magazines on production and mixing and practised making a few other styles (trance, d'n'b, dubstep, even an industrial rock EP called Alpha Gate). When I felt I was ready, I wanted to make a mixed-style futurepop album, partly in homage to all the bands I listened to in my teen years but bring my own style to the genre. I'm a part of a younger generation that never knew Depeche Mode or Nitzer Ebb. VNV Nation and Solitary Experiments were those bands to me. I don't think futurepop is dead at all and I think there's a lot of scope for new bands like me coming into the scene, especially on the darker end of the spectrum.

Have you already started working on new material?

Not currently, as the first album has just been finished. I'm waiting to hear back on some labels and hoping it will get picked up. I'm very proud of it and it was mastered by John Sellekaers of Metarc (he mastered for Assemblage 23 and many others) but he has closed his studio now and I think my album might have been one the last he worked on.

What is the next main objective to be reached for your band?

I just want people to hear the music and enjoy it. I don't care about money. It would be great to get signed, but I won't be devastated if it doesn't happen. I figure I could work on more material and start putting together a live show to start gigging here in London.

Do you like remix and/or being remixed?

Remixes can be fun, especially when big names in the scene remix each other and you get to hear their unique styles blend, like Assemblage 23 remixing The Birthday Massacre. I've already had some kind offers to remix tracks from my album and I'll consider it maybe if I release a single later in the year. It all depends how things go.

Do you usually go to clubs or live shows in your city/area? Is the dark-electronic scene popular there?

There's a great scene here for alternative/electronic/industrial music which I started going to when I was 15 and sneaking in to places like Slimelight (the oldest goth club in the world) where I probably was not allowed to be. I befriended people in the scene like the guys in Inertia and followed them around asking to use their studio. But I was just a kid and I don't think people took me very seriously back then.

It was a very adult world and I probably shouldn't have been there by myself at that age. It got quite lonely and I never felt like I made real friends there. I think it can be a very cliquey world where people keep to themselves and their friends.

Is it difficult to get some attention in this scene media? What are the best places to promote a music-project?

I think there's a lot of great new blogs and magazines starting up. It's very encouraging for new artists like me because it shows that people still love the music and there's a real demand for it out there. It's the DIY spirit of the industrial scene that's always kept things rolling when it seemed like sales and releases were slumping. Social media has made it really easy for fans to share your music to others quickly and directly, which is great. I don't think the internet has killed music. It's weeded out all the people who were just in it for money and now you really have to be passionate about making music for very little returns, because you love the music and would do it even if no one pays for it. I think that's a new kind of quality filter that is very beneficial to the scene.

Are you using social networks to interact with your audience?

We're on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/coldprospect but not really anywhere else. Avoiding Myspace like the plague. Bandcamp (http://antiscion.bandcamp.com ) has really changed everything for new artists like me and it's the best platform to have our music heard and sold. You can listen to the whole album for free there.

Thanks for the interview. Is there anything else you would like to add?

If you hear the music and love it, drop me a line. When there's little money involved in this, an artist loves nothing more than to hear what people think of their music. So don't be shy. Get in touch and let me know what you like and dislike about the album and keep in touch will all the bands you enjoy. I'm sure they love to hear from their fans too.

XP8

Artwork by happykanppy Picture by xp8

You have just released an EP to celebrate the first XP8 decade. It would be really difficult to explain briefly your history…

Marko: XP8 is an EBM/Futurepop project born in the underground club scene in Rome in 2001. We started as a trio, with Paul Toohill singing and all three sharing songwriting and production duties.In this form we released two albums: "Forgive(n)" in 2004 (in a few different formats with different labels) and "Hrs:Min:Sec" in 2005, with Sebastian Komor, of then Icon Of Coil fame, helping us out with production.

In 2007/2008 we split up with Paul and I took the lead singer role. In this form XP8 has released "The Art Of Revenge" in 2008, "Drop The Mask" in 2010 and "X - A Decade Of Decadence" in 2011.

As I said, XP8 is now a duo with Marco Visconti sharing songwriting and production with me, while I am in charge of mixing.

What are your music influences? What music do you usually listen to?

XP8: Influences are difficult to highlight exactly.. there is a lot of music that we listen to and enjoy, but that we would never introduce to the XP8 sound. When songwriting we filter out a lot of "noise" and try to concentrate on what can add depth and flesh to XP8 musical ideas.

That said, we do experiment to a certain extent by mixing in elements that are not strictly Industrial, whatever that term means nowadays…If we talk of influences in a much broader term, the thing that really spurned me into being in bands and making my own music instead of becoming a boring coverband musician, (and believe you me, it's tempting at times) was the punk-ethic fueled new wave of the early and mid eighties, as well as the DIY approach of early 90's "dance" acts.

You decided to leave Infacted Recordings label, and now you are free to distribute your music. Is this the best decision for the band (to go solo)?

Marco: the music business format that ruled till the 90's has now almost completely collapsed. The Industrial scene, but more in general the Indie scene had to face the music a bit later than the major labels ruled mainstream pop, possibly due to a more devout following, but mostly because its business is so infinitesimally small that it takes a trained eye to see its shrivelling. Nowadays CDs sale figures in this scene are only relevant to a small elite of bands. Most of them projects with more than 15 year long careers, that we able to reap the benefits from sales when those were still happening at all. Digital is the way people consume music, either locally or from "the cloud" and you don't need the heavy and expensive distribution apparatus you once did, so yes, it's feasible now for a band to start up their own label, do their own on-line promotion and hook up with a digital distributor.

What is your advice/opinion to upcoming/new bands who are searching to get signed to a label?

Marco: you don't have look up to the big ones necessarily, cos they'll most probably use you as a filler in between "big names" releases to keep their distribution network happy. If you're not confident you can do the job on your own, and indeed it's a tough job, seek out smaller, more dynamic and dedicated labels, who might have less releases in a year, but will pour all their work into your music.

Remember: it's much more important to have a promotion team that really work for you, than being signed to some "name" label that will just use you as another bullet in their catalogue, so that they can keep their distro deals.

Oh, and don't expect to become rich overnight. Or ever…

What are the best places to promote a music-project?

Marko: Social networks and clubs. You need to have DJs introducing your stuff to people, and you have to follow through by giving to those interested few something to chew on line. These days, being a musician is being everywhere at the same time: in the studio, on stage, at the merch booth, and in the crowd. But hey, I guess you already knew it wasn't an easy job when you signed up for it, don't you? :) What are the next plans for XP8?

Marko: Right now we're concentrating on a few live dates in spring next year, but we're already started the pre-production phase for our next release. We're always writing stuff...

Marco: As for signing to a bigger label… like I said above, it's not the size that matters :) We have been signed to some of the most important and prestigious labels in our scene, and yet we haven't got much off those deals. If we'll sign to a label again, it will be one that we'll be able to trust they'll do what they promise.

Do you like remix and/or being remixed? What are your favorite remixers in the 'scene'?

Marko: Remixes are a great way to interact with other musicians and we've been very lucky in our career remixing and being remixed by some of the best out there. Right now we entered a contest on Beatport for the latest single by Steve Aoki, "Ladi Dadi", and we turned it into a dirty electro floor filler. Personally I'm really looking forward to one day have a Northborne or Kloq mix of our stuff...

Is the dark-electronic scene popular in your city/area? Or people tend to prefer more things like soccer/calcio?

Marko: Well, football is definitely more popular in London than Industrial music, but they're not mutually exclusive interests, are they? ;-) Marco: …and in Italy is even worse. I guess that these days, the so-called dark electronic scene is popular only in Germany, and then in selected UK cities such as London and Sheffield, and some in North America, such as Los Angeles or New York. Everywhere else, it has been left to die by those who were supposed to support it: labels, booking agencies, promoters, but most of all, the fans. Sad picture I'm painting, I know.

Are you using social networks to interact with your audience?

XP8: We are everywhere really… just Google "XP8" and you'll see it yourself. But if you think there's a network we still haven't tagged, feel free to drop us a mail at info@xp8.org to let us know! :) Thank you very much for this interview.

XP8 Artwork by happykanppy

PERFECT SYMMETRY My project name is Perfect Symmetry and I’d like to introduce it to more and more people. I am from Belarus, Mogilev city. I am only one person in my project. About 2 years ago I published my first demo NEXTGEN and some days ago my new dull 15 tracks album - KOSMOS. You probably can hear it on my SoundCloud set.

What are your music influences? What music do you usually listen to?

it is pretty hard to answer , cause I like too much and different kind and styles of music. My favorite are indie,EBM, DarcElectro, Future pop and hard dubstep. Favorite bands are Bloc Party, Mindless Faith,Rammstein,Cut Copy, Mind in a box and many others, and of course two my projects - Perfect Symmetry and Mind The Gravity.

How would you like to describe Perfect Symmetry?

I always liked space movies and futuristic sounds in it, so I try to put everything what I like in it, but it is not ambient it is music that you can dance for. You can listen to Perfect Symmetry at: http://vk.com/psymmetry http://soundcloud.com/perfect-symmetry Are you working on new material? What are your plans to release it?

Yes, I am working every day on a new stuff. You can hear new track already on my soundcloud page. But now I have plans to make a full album of my industrial synth metal band Mind The Gravity.

What is the next main objective to be reached for your band?

I don’t realy know what I need to reach.:) It would be cool to get signed to a realy big label, but it is just a wish. Wanna make a music video soon. Thats it.

Do you like remix and/or being remixed?

I like to remix smth what I really like, but I never have been remixed, I am not so popular.

I made a remix for Celldweller contest last year, but i didn’t win it.

Do you usually go to clubs or live shows in your city/area? Is the dark-electronic scene popular there?

I just came from the club:) it was dubstep, dnb party. Better than nothing cause we have no good dark scene. In Belarus we have lots and lots of industrial music, but we have no listeners.

Is it difficult to get some attention in this scene media? What are the best places to promote a music-project?

Yes it is hard. But the internet is the best promoter for me now and some people who want to help me with it. Actually is Alex from Diezel Xzaust.

Are you using social networks to interact with your audience?

Yes, I have my band page, but I don’t spend too much time for it. http://vk.com/psymmetry Thanks for your collaboration.

Thanks for that interview. I would like to show my music to more and more people.

Artwork and picture by perfect symmetry

Can you introduce your project?

Doc: TinTin founded The Crystal Apes together with me between 2006 and 2007 in Hamburg, Germany where we also live. The first album called “Galaxies” was released in early 2007. TinTin sings all vocals, creates the music, writes the lyrics and takes care of the visuals. I concentrate more on the mixing, live work, the technical stuff and write some lyrics from time to time.

TinTin: On stage we usually work with additional musicians who also help out in the studio. That's why we re-released the first album “Galaxies” under the name “Galaxies 2.0 [Extended]”. We transferred their live sound of the “Galaxies”-songs into the studio. Currently we are a team with Kitty Core on the guitar and Joschka on the drums.

How would you describe your sound to someone who never listened to the name of The Crystal Apes?

Doc: You could say that it's basically Electronic Rock with a deep atmospheric touch, enhanced by orchestral elements and elements from pop and industrial music. But it's more important to understand the music and the albums as a journey with a couple of dramatic and experimental changes in style and sound.

What are your music influences? What music do you usually listen to?

TinTin: I appreciate atmospheric music like The Cure, Nine Inch Nails or Rob Dougan (The Matrix soundtracks) and also an intimate sound like Tori Amos', or experimental pop music like Gorillaz. A very special influence, not only musically is David Bowie.

Doc: Just like me. And furthermore there are are also bands from the metal/industrial genre like Strapping Young Lad, Ministry or Die Krupps in our personal music library. Listening to modern electronic styles like Dub Step is also very interesting, there is a lot going on at the moment.

In November 2011 you released Cried Tears. What has been the reaction of the audience? What can you tell us about the album?

Doc: Listeners reacted very positively to the musical approach of taking them on a journey through atmospheric, intensive and varying landscapes. This album probably shows many of the influences on TinTin. Nevertheless she creates a sound which follows a golden thread and forms a stylistic unity. We like albums which do not sound as if made to please to a specific genre and which sound the same from the first to the last track.

TinTin: Expecially the USB wristband has been a success. A lot of people really like this idea. We are always looking for new ways which keep up with the speed and changes of time. It is one of many more specials which are planned for 2012.

What are The Crystal Apes future plans?

TinTin: I am currently working on new material. I will be working with new sounds, instruments and moods. That's why we are currently not planning any concrete live shows. I feel best when I can concentrate on and dive into music while creating.

Doc: Exactly. Of course live dates will be announced as soon as set. But meanwhile there will be regularly new single releases. TinTin has got some ideas about this. There are and have been offers from labels but we have not decided yet if we really want to give up our freedom to decide on our own what we shall do and not.

You come from Germany where there are many good bands and the dark-alternative scene is more popular than anywhere else. Is it difficult to find oportunities for your band?

Doc: Yes, the scene is pretty big but it varies regionally. You have hot spots like in the eastern part of Germany or in North RhineWestphalia where you have a lot going on. The scene in Hamburg is relatively small compared to that but pretty active, so there are many parties or concerts each month, some of them in special locations. This steady activity makes it not especially difficult to play live – the more you take care the more you play. And that although our sound is not what you would typically expect in this scene.

Radio play is a different subject. German radio stations are very main-stream-orientated and commercial. Hamburg is probably one of the most boring cities talking about radio. So the main activities are web radio station which are really well organized and open to new sounds. We are lucky to have contact to really nice people in media and press with a good opinion about the importance of variety in music.

Artwork by dreamdesigns picture by the crystal apes

The crystal apes How do you manage to work with the band and your current jobs?

Doc: Our team work in the job is the same like in music: TinTin is freelance graphics and web designer, the creative part and I am doing web conception and development (the technical part). It works perfectly. For us two time schedules are very flexible, we just have to check dates with Kitty and Joschka who have steady jobs.

You have been on German music magazines and compilations. Does this help to a band like The Crystal Apes? What are in your opinion the best ways to promote a music project?

Doc: It can help when you invest time in steady promo work online and offline. It is the mix of different channels. But no matter what you do, the best is personal contact to people: listeners and those working in the business. Our music is very intimate and pretty uncommon for the dark scene, that's why it is so important for us that people get to know from whom it comes so that they get a good introduction to it. TinTin has some special ideas in mind for this year which will help to achieve the same, but that's a surprise.

Are you using social networks to interact with your audience?

Doc: Yes, definitely. We are mainly on Facebook and Twitter most of the time. Of course we can also be reached via our official website (including newsletter form), Youtube and MySpace. Additionally we have profiles on several networks like restorm, Roadrunner, LastFM and many more.

Official: www.thecrystalapes.com or shop.thecrystalapes.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecrystalapes Twitter: www.twitter.com/thecrystalapes YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/TheCrystalApes MySpace: www.myspace.com/thecrystalapes LastFM: www.lastfm.de/music/TheCrystalApes Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/crystal-apes Other: http://thecrystalapes.restorm.com Thanks for the interview. Is there anything else you would like to add?

TinTin: First of all, we want to thank you and all those who have joined and join our journey. Don't forget your visions, focus on your dreams and don't waste energy in unimportant obstacles.

Artwork by dreamdesigns picture by the crystal apes

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We are Asináptico from Santiago of Chile. This band is composed by Emmanuel Mozg and Pablo Zvook. We have been making music since 2008 and what we are right now because of all our persistence and progress that we have given to this project. The highest priority for Asináptico is the characterization of it’s own unique sound without neglecting the essence of Electro Industrial music.

How would you describe your sound to your new audience?

We describe our sound as Electro Industrial with disturbed frequency. It’s hard to put into words but it is the first category that comes to my mind when I think about it. This is because we mix industrial sounds with electronic music, moreover, we add very strong and sick sounds. We have released our first demo “Smoking Shit” which has five powerful songs and our first single “Room 237” which has our own sound, two remixes and the tribute song to Halloween franchise, furthermore, our song “Fornicación Mental” appears on the compilation “VA Necromorphosis Vol.3: The Future Generation!”.

Are you working on new material? What are your plans to release it?

We are always making new sounds. We have developed a passionate interest in music and that is what we really love and what keeps us on working together. Our main objective is to be specific about a high quality sound, we sound different than other bands and we want to keep it like it is. Now we are working on our first album and also getting ready for the release of it along with live performances. The main aims of this project are the expansion of our music around the world, we would like to perform in as many places as possible and although It would be great If we could sign to a label, we are not in a rush to do it.

What about remixes?

We have just started the whole process of remixing other bands’ songs because we had spent more time working on our own project. But a true fact is that what we have done with the other songs stimulate us to create powerful noises or even stimulate the creation of new lyrics. It has been a new and enjoyable experience.

What are your influences?

We separate our influences according to lyrics and music. About the lyrics, they’re most influenced by Joy Division and according to the music some of the bands that come into our minds are Suicide Commando, Nitzer Ebb, E-Craft, Combichrist, Aesthetic Perfection, Icon of Coil, SAM, Turmion Katilot and Stahlmann. Mainly, we listen to EBM, Industrial, Future Pop, New Wave, Post Punk, Metal music and also a little bit of Chilean Rap. Do you usually go to clubs or live shows in your city/area? Is the dark-electronic scene popular there?

Actually we don’t go to clubs very often but when the opportunity of seeing bands like Nitzer Ebb, Hocico or Combichrist comes, we are going to be there for sure. The “dark scene” is not so pupular here in Chile (in comparison with European countries), although the audience who listen to this kind of music has increased over the last few years.

Is it difficult to get some attention in this scene media? What are the best places in your opinion to promote a music-project?

Yeah! It’s hard to do it. People prefer foreign bands rather than national ones. Besides, not everybody spends time listening to the new bands. We believe that the best place to promote unsigned bands or new music is Internet, particularly social networks and online radios.

Are you using social networks to interact with your audience?

Sure! People can find us at these 4 sites: http://www.myspace.com/asinaptico http://soundcloud.com/asinaptico http://www.reverbnation.com/asinaptico http://www.youtube.com/asinaptico Thanks for the interview. Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thank you for giving us this opportunity to let people know more about Asináptico, and thanks a lot to all the readers too! We’d really appreciate if you join us and share your opinions about this project. Congratz for this amazing magazine and all the effort you’ve put on it. Hugs from Chile!

Artwork by happykanppy PICTURE By asinaptico

TAO OF THE MACHINE Hello, my name is Max, from Italy. My project is called Tao of the Machine.

This is currently a solo project, but I used to collaborate often with other artists from Europe and the rest of the world. Now I'm self producing, mixing and mastering my tracks. I mainly use Ableton and I have Akai and Beheringer hardwares. When I find a free moment I like to design and assemble my own midi controllers.

What are your music influences? What music do you usually listen to?

My musical influences are many... talking about industrial techno I really appreciate German productions, like S.A.M.’s and [x]-Rx’s works, but most of times I listened to the myriad of artists outside the mainstream. From the outset this project was oriented towards the crossover. The first tracks were characterized by an attempt to fuse EBM elements together with DnB elements. Then progressively, I started to produce much more industrial tracks, best suited for raves. Sometimes I try to play other genres such as psytrance, minimal techno, and even progressive house or dubstep I noticed that many people who deal with similar stylistic differences, tend to create side projects. I think the stylistic variety is one of the central element of mine.

How would you like to describe Tao of the Machine?

My production is also greatly influenced by my mood. It goes from oontz oontz tracks to more subtle and conceptual ones. Lately I have very little time available, but nevertheless I continue to produce material steadily. When I am quite satisfied (I'm never totally satisfied) I upload a track online for the audience and waiting to gather some feedbacks. They're ALWAYS usefull. I'm working on a full-length album which will be called Digital Riot. It's an album that may be suitable for industrial clubs. It goes on very slowly, but I'm pretty happy with how it is coming out.

What is the next main objective to be reached for your band?

I don’t have a real goal about this, I just do what I did and I will continue to do this.

Do you like remix and/or being remixed?

I think that remixes are a fundamental part of my project. Apart from being a mere display of techniques, that allows you to put into practice your point of view about others' works, they’re also like opportunities to meet other artists and deal with their fanbase.

When I remix, my aim is always to create something better than the original track. I often don't manage to achieve this, but it's always stimulating to give it a try.

What can you tell us about the dark-electronic scene in your city/are?

In my country the scene is quite supported, there are clubs and theme nights. It was at one of these events that I listened to EBM for the very first time. There are many good artists, but I don't have many connections with them.

Is it difficult to get some attention in this scene media? What are the best places to promote a music-project?

The difficulty in getting noticed is higher, the means of audio production become more affordable. I think that from this point of view, the industrial techno is becoming what once was punk rock. The independent acts proliferate so that visibility becomes a difficult subject. I came into contact with different realities typical of the underground: promoters, netlabels and people who work to spread the scene. It 's always nice to meet someone who appreciates what you did and try to give you an hand. It repays you.

Are you using social networks to interact with your audience?

Clearly, the network has a fundamental importance for spreading the news, by now the project is on some networks... On VampireFreaks I try to keep something that looks like a blog, also I use SoundCloud as the main repository for tracks. http://vampirefreaks.com/TaoOfTheMachine http://soundcloud.com/tao-of-the-machine Thanks for the interview. Is there anything else you would like to add?

Bye and thanks to all those who have read this far!

Artwork by tao of the machine and paul pictures by tao of the machine

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