Interview - Coma Detox

Interview With Coma Detox

[PURESTENCH : How did you first get involved with Noise/Power Electronics? ]

Mainly through the old Relapse/Release catalogs.

[PURESTENCH : Talk about the origins of Coma Detox and what it was that drove you to create the material that you work with. Who were some of your biggest influences when it comes to music, authors, artists, etc? ]

Basically, Coma Detox came to be after i decided to scrap any other previous attempts at power electronics/noise. When i was finally able to record in a more "live environment" things came together a lot better.  My anger and disgust with the current times is my main influence.

[PURESTENCH : Your first tape was self-released and then after that you worked with different labels; Nil by Mouth released "Volatile Debasement" and your latest cassette was put out by the well known Finnish Filth And Violence label. Did you send the labels your material or did they contact you? Were these positive experiences and would you continue to work with both labels in the future? ]

I was contacted by both labels to put out tapes. Both were really good experiences. "Volatile Debasement" took a little longer to be released then I had expected but came out well in the long run i think. F&V was really great, I had been doing some trading with Pasi for awhile and he contacted me for the "Concussed & Asphyxiated" tape.

I have a few things lined up right now but i would definitely do another release for F&V and also with Nil By Mouth.

[PURESTENCH : You seem to have a lot of medical imagery in your artwork and track names. Where does your interest in medical/trauma/death come from? Are you lyrics focused around this topic as well? ]

I work for a publishing company that sells and reprints many medical journals so I'm constantly around them and they have always interested me. Plus I've always viewed people as being very fragile, weak and or pathetic and death and trauma proves that. Lyrics are always based around degradation of the anatomy and my daily anger and disgust.

[PURESTENCH : How important is the imagery and why? ]

I think it's very important.  I think if the imagery doesn't match the message then what's the point?

[PURESTENCH : Are you lyrics written in detail before recording or are they improvised on the spot? ]

Usually before hand, a few tracks have been on the spot, a few on Volatie Debasement.  I plan on printing all lyrics from now on.

[PURESTENCH : Do you record live or use overdubs and editing? What type of gear do you use and is there anything that you could not go without? ]

Majority of the material is done live without overdubs. Again, a few tracks on Volatile Debasement had a few overdubs. Most of my gear is analog and old. I have a few mono synths, contact mics, a few beat up DOD and Yamaha distortion pedals, a small mackie mixer, analog 4 track, analog delay, a crappy ART multi-fx processor and junk metal. I don't like working with a lot of gear. I always use the same equipment but nothing I consider too important.

[PURESTENCH : In an interview I read with Terror you mentioned that you had not performed "live as Coma Detox yet, but if the situation was right [you] would do it.". Have you since played live? In order for you to perform live what would the ideal situation be? Would you travel to Europe to play? ]

I still have not played live and I haven't gotten any offers to do so. I would love to play in Sweden, Italy or Finland if time or money allows it. No real ideal situation, it would just have to be in an environment that made sense to me.

[PURESTENCH : What are your future plans with Coma Detox? I have read that you may be doing some work with Mania, is that a collaboration or a split and can you give us any idea of when we could expect to see that? ]

I have a few releases I need to finish up and a few labels I still need to get back to. The split with Mania should be wrapped up by late summer.

[PURESTENCH : Any final comments? ]

Thanks again for the interest.