I think that this is due to the lack of female idols
and rolemodels that other girls and women can relate to. It really needs
self - confident and strong female idols that girls can look up to, who
can encourage and motivate them and that was missing in the electronic
music scene for a long time. And there is just not enough knowledge about
other female musicians/artists who worked on important and interesting
musical developments, even if they are in the minority (take Bebe Barron
for an example: together with her husband she was setting a miles stone
in the fields of electronic music) .
Of course it is a fact that, for example, in the last century, because
of the misogynist structures in society, innovations, inventions and further
developments in music were triggered predominantly by men. Of course there
were a lot of women involved, but unfortunately they often only could
stand out in association with men.
But this is slowly beginning to change now. More and more women in electronic
music get the acknowledgment and appreciation for their artistic work,
but it is still very difficult and more of a struggle for them to get
to this point.
It can be very intimidating and demotivating for a girl to work and perform
in an enviroment that consists up to 90% of men. This is really out of
balance and it's no wonder that the relationship here between men and
women is irritated.
Speaking of my experiences, most men are just not used to this situation,
when a woman or a girl enters "their territory" (e.g. if there
is a girl in control of technology).
While some are cool and try to adapt to this new situation other men react
very aggressive and ignorant. They give you very clearly to understand
that they don't (want to) take you seriously. And this is the point where
a lot of girls give up or start to compromise.
There are more female Dj's out there now than there have been a few years
ago, but it's hard to find female producers and composers, who are creating
their own music.They are still the minority.
I believe that, if women are in complete control over their creativity
and the presentation of their personality and sexuality as self-determined
people, the positive development in this direction will at some point
apply to society, since music is still the strongest and most influential
expressionist art form at this time. I also hope that there will be a
lot more women that even take the risk of being role models for other
girls and women.
But something is changing, and the male domination of the electro scene is attacked now by a number of women artists. Besides you, I just name Hanin Elias, Le Tigre, Chicks On Speed, Peaches, Miss Kittin etc. Why now, in your opinion? Which artists do you feel close to?
I don't feel close to any of the artists named above.
But I think that this is a good development and I believe that there will
me more women doing also different music styles and conquer a lot of other
musical scenes in the near future.
It's important to stress that the male domination of the music scene can
never be attacked by the quantity of women, but only with the quality
of their work. Our music must be a danger to the structure thart doesn't
give women credits and even exploits them.
|
The 10 artists who most influenced you. James White/Chance |
 |
What inspires you when you write music? Life? Movies? Books?
When I feel the need to express I start creating. I
always recreate my feelings, thoughts and certain atmospheres of a moment
that has already passed into music.
Often it needs images that seem alien - In music it is about finding new
sounds and creating new worlds with them…
Most of my music is inspired by the feeling of not belonging to anywhere,
to any scenes etc., the feeling of isolation, alienation from society,
sexual rituals, violence…
It's certainly movie scenes and their moods that have triggered a lot
of musical ideas.
My GEIST record "She - Satellites , Poison Lips", for example,
was inspired by old 50's sci-si and horror movies. The special atmosphere
of movies like "Carnival of Souls" and "The Hunger"
gave me ideas for interpretation on some of the tracks on the album "Cold
Metal Perfection".
How do you write your music? What equipment do you use?
Before I start to program the tracks, I'm creating a
library of sounds for each project.
I improvise on different keyboards and sythesizers like the Nordlead2,
Moog Prodigy, Roland SH - 101, Jomox SunSyn, Sequential circuit synth
processed through a chain of various analogue effect machines ( for example,
Roland Space Echo Delay machine, Eventide H3000 Harmonizer) and different
kinds of guitar distortion pedals - effecting and distressing their sounds.
I record everything on Dat and then sample the parts that I want to use.
I use samplers, such as the Akai s1100, Yamaha A3000 and the Yamaha A5000.
They are the center of my production, where I layer and again effect and
manipulate the sounds and drum sets - it's the most time consuming, but
the most important part in the production of my music.
For arranging, editing and sequencing I use the Creator/ Notator software
for the Atari ST1024. I prefer this program, because I'm able to write
the lines and program the beats in notes, since I'm used to read notations.
I added the Pro Tools system to my studio set-up 2 years ago, which I
use mostly to edit and/or re- arrange the finished tracks in the end,
for vocal synchronisations and remixes.
What are your plans for the future? Records? Collaborations? Tours?
I am currently working on two projects simultaniously:
Since three months I am in the studio with Alec Empire. We are recording
new material for his forthcoming new release, where I'm contributing my
soundscapes and effects.
I'm also working on my own musical ideas and recording my new solo album
at the moment.
For more updates and information people can visit www.digitalhardcore.com.
Any suggestion to girls who want to make electronic music? Is it an expensive and difficult affaire like the boys want us to think? What equipment do you suggest for a beginner?
I think that the choice of equipment depends on what
you want to achieve - that's something people need to find out for themselves.
I started out with relatively 'cheap' and old electronic equipment, lots
of guitar effect pedals and synths. In the beginning I borrowed most of
the equipment from other musicians and friends I knew.
I learned to use each gear by fully concentrating on the singular piece,
which means getting as much out of it as possible and often working it
to the limit. In the beginning I was very unpatient and so excited about
the generated sounds and of course in general to do music with electronic
equipment, that I wanted to bring my musical ideas with the least technical
effort in the most direct way onto tape.
The 'White Heat E.P.' and 'She -Satellites', for example, were recorded
with a minimal set-up
(2 Synths, 2 delay pedals, little pocket sampler and everything was recorded
on a 4 track machine). Everything was played and arranged 'live', which
means by hand without sequencers and editors.
I experimented with a lot of different gear connected in various, all
possible chains to achieve and develop sounds, soundscapes and noises.
Especially during my time in ATR I specialized in producing/generating
noise, noise loops and pulses and also improvising noise to a rhythm.
In 2000 I began to work with a much bigger studio set-up including Pro
Tools and an ATARI 1040 as sequencer.While that 'live' and improvisational
approach is still a very important part in the process of creating my
music, I'm now spending a lot of time on the writing of the music and
programming as well.
A couple of practical tips when you want to buy equipment and get started
with it:
When you go into a store, you should have read about the equipment you
think of buying, before you go there. So the more self-confident you act
in there, the further you get. It helps to read magazines which are specialized
in that.
Don't be scared to ask others for help.
As equipment I can recommend any samplers, used ones, cheap ones.
Those DJ pocket samplers make sense in the beginning, because they are
the simple version of a professional sampler: So if you understand this,
it's easier to understand the next step. Effect pedals for guitars are
cheap and sound good. 4 track tape decks, they are analogue and sound
good. If you can afford it, buy more expensive stuff. But you should try
stuff first before you spend all your money. I don't recommend downloading
plug ins and soft synths because they sound cheap and bad and you can't
transfer them for professional use.
Do you see yourself as a feminist? What does it mean to you to be a feminist?
A lot of people use the term "feminist" in
different ways, positive and negative. That's why I became very careful
about using it - very often it can create misunderstandings. I use the
term a lot, for example in discussions or interviews, but only if I know
or feel that the other person I'm talking to has the same idea of it as
I have or if it fits the context.
For me it means the true self-determination of women. Our society is far
away from that. Feminism is about having the opportunity to make your
own decisions and living your life as you want to live it, not in any
way that society ( men in particular) wants you to live. So being political
thinking, acting and fighting as a collective for these ideals or building
a network between women and girls must be a strategy.
But the most important point for me is to focus on what I do best and
this is music.
Unfortunately. many girls have great ideas in theory, but when you actually
listen to what they really do, it isn't powerful enough to change the
image of female musicians. But at least it can be seen as a start. So
I avoid dissing or criticizing other girls in public, because it is only
demotivating and it divides the scene.
It is important for a girl like me to separate myself from other boys
or men to be able to go my own way. Especially when I work with somebody
like Alec Empire in ATR or in his new band. He has a strong idea of what
he wants to do and he influenced so many people. So when I do my own stuff
I need my own space to develop my own ideas. This is how far 'separatism'
goes. When I can learn something of a man, it's ignorant not to do it
just because he is a man. If I start to feel "manipulated" into
a direction that I don't want to go in, I leave and work in my own universe.
Overall, I agree with a french feminist who said "Every feminist
has ( her ) own private feminism".
Both Alec and Hanin have recently put out solo records. What's your opinion on them?
I personally think Alec's double CD " Intelligence&Sacrifice",
is the best album he's done so far. And I'm glad that he made that move
towards a 'solo career'. CD2 defines the future of instrumental electronic
music.
When I first heard the material, I was completely blown away. It is deep
stuff, real deep and intense. It seems like everything else has lead up
to I&S. It brings a total new vibe into the scene.
I also like that it sounds more serious than his previous stuff.
On Hanin's recent album "No Games No Fun", I like the tracks
that Khan did best. He understands to write the music that suits her personality
and her voice - the songs came out very sexy.
For my personal taste the music on this album could have been more experimental
and 'risky' and I was missing a bit of the intensity and aggressivness
of her previous album "In Flames" .
But I think it's a good move that Hanin chose to work with a number of
other producers and musicians on this album, which gives it an interesting
variety in music.
What do you do when you don't do music? What are your hobbies?
Nothing really. I only focus on the music at the moment.
The last 2 1/2 years I did some artwork and designs for DHR (for example:
ATR, Hanin Elias, Lolita Storm, etc.) and GEIST. I was also showing my
works in art exibitions, but I decided to concentrate fully on music.
I have no other artistic activities besides music and artwork. Music has
always been most important to me and doing artwork complements the whole
process of making a release and being in complete creative control over
it.
|
Are you a vegetarian? What's your favourite food? No, I'm not. I like anything fresh and healthy: vegetable dishes, fruits, salads, seafood raw or cooked…I like Japanese and Italian food best. Any new band or artist out there that you think we should check out? Last year in November I've been at a concert of
ERASE ERRATA in a very small location here in Berlin. It's an all-girl
group from San Fransisco and they are playing No Wave style music
- short instrumental tracks, performed very fast and hard, with
a really cool and expressive singer. |
 |
