Interview - Nordisk Klub

[PURESTENCH: Introduce us to Nordisk Klub. When did it begin? What made you want to start a label? ]

NK: Nordisk klub started in 2010. I wanted to start the label because I heard some different bands which i thought sounded really good and i didn’t think that anyone else was going to put them out. I was also involved in another label/zine project before Nordisk Klub but our ideas about music were too different.

[PURESTENCH: What do you look for in the material you release? Besides sound what (if anything) would make you deny a request from a band or artist to have your label release them?]

NK: Most of the releases just happened, maybe someone handed me a tape with some material or i heard some recordings at a friends place or something. So i haven’t really “been looking”.

I would deny all people of right wing beliefs.
 

[PURESTENCH: How did you get involved with Noise and Power Electronics? What about these genres do you like?]

NK: I started out going to punk shows when I was younger and then i met some people that used to play in different punk bands, that were playing noise music at that point, I found it really interesting and started attending the shows.

[PURESTENCH: Are you a member of any of the bands on your label?]

NK: Yes. I am member of some of the projects.

[PURESTENCH: From what I have heard you guys are quite young. Does this effect how serious other artists take your label? Does age have any negative effects or has everyone been pretty open to it?]

NK: I don’t think it affects anything. People have been really positive about the things I have put out and some of the tapes have also been distributed by other people that are older or have been “into the scene” longer, whether it’s punk/hardcore or power electronics/harsh noise.
 

[PURESTENCH: So far all of your releases are bands from Denmark, where you are located. Denmark seems to be swelling with new experimental and metal/punk artists and labels. How is the scene over there? Is it a tight community or are there many separate groups doing completely different things? Do you plan on only releasing bands from your area/country?]

NK: In some way everything is connected, if you talk about the noise scene, but more and more people are getting involved all the time. The punk/hardcore scene is more divided but Copenhagen is a small city, even though it seems like there is an endless amount of bands, so in one way or another people know each other.

So far I have only released projects that are based in Copenhagen simply because it seemed straight forward, and because there were some good projects/bands that weren’t put out anywhere else. But if I hear a good project/band from somewhere else and it feels natural to put it out, I will do it.

[PURESTENCH: Does Nordik Klub represent any ideologies, whether artistic, political or whatever, in your labels work? Is there a consistent theme in the work?]

NK: Nordisk Klub by itself does not represent anything but underground music. I don’t have an overall theme for the label, every release has a theme of its own and the releases are not necessarily connected in any way.

[PURESTENCH: The artwork you do is really nice. How important is art to your label? Do you do the artwork or do the bands and artists do it themselves? ]

NK: Thanks. I do allmost all the artwork myself and I do the layout as well, but always with some of the artists from the band I am going to release. I think artwork is really important and I like when everything is linked together, from the lyrical theme to the artwork and how the overall theme fits with how the tape is presented all together with inserts or whatever.

[PURESTENCH: So far NK has only put cassettes out. Is this the format to be used in all future releases? What is it about the cassette format that you find so appealing?]

NK: maybe I will release something in another format at some point but at the time cassettes seems like the right format to use. I find cassettes appealing because they are so easy to handle. You don’t need any fancy equipment or anything just a tape recorder to record the music on and a tape player where it is possible to dub from one cassette to another. Then you can always find a xerox machine at some school or something where you can do copies of the cover and then you have a release. D.I.Y. style.
 

[PURESTENCH: What are some of your influences, whether it be bands, artists, painters, political figures or authors?]

NK: I have been listening to Japanese punk bands, like Disclose, a lot the last few weeks. Then a lot of Danish stuff, there are so many new projects all the time, its hard to keep up with everything. The last movie i saw was a documentary from 1977 called “Dressing For Pleasure”. It is a movie about leather, rubber and latex fashion in the 70’s.
 

[PURESTENCH: What are the future plans for Nordisk Klub? What can we expect in 2012?]

NK: You never know what to expect from Nordisk Klub. Most of the things I have been doing have been quite impulsive. Maybe i will make 100 releases, maybe 5. The next tape is coming out in a few weeks.

[PURESTENCH: Thank you for doing this interview. Any final comments...]

NK: Thank you. Look out for some of the bands/projects I have released. MEGAN has just made a split 7inch with HSV on Release The Bats records from Sweden, there is an upcoming REDFLESH 7inch out soon on Video Disease records from the states and the PAGAN YOUTH demo tape is going to be re-released on a 7inch together with 4 new tracks by Dead Section Records from Denmark.

Interview - Alleypisser

[PURESTENCH: Who is Alleypisser? Where are you from and when did the project begin? ]

My name is Mikkel and I’m based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Alleypisser more or less started out as a side-project a couple of years ago with the purpose of exploring more conceptual ideas. It then quickly evolved into my main focus.

[PURESTENCH: Would you say that there was an overall purpose or aesthetic that informs all of your releases? Is there a common thread between them all in terms of subject and concept? ]
 

The common thread between my releases is the exploration of personal issues, thoughts and subjects, but there is no single one to narrow it down to. I have no interest in dealing with topics that aren’t somehow connected to me as a person – you could say that Alleypisser is more about portrayal of internal concepts rather than the study of external ones.

[PURESTENCH: You seem to use a lot (or only) "acoustics", from metal and junk to tape manipulation. What is the recording process like? Is there any editing or overdubbing that goes into the final product?]

Definitely, I’m very interested in acoustics, both in the sense of the object and the environment around it. I like to retain the acoustic sound without altering it too much through heavy effecting and such and I enjoy the challenge of creating an interesting piece with a minimal/limited sound palette. The recordings have so far all been done completely live without overdubs and with fairly minimal editing in post-production. It usually involves sitting down with a couple of tape machines, tape echo(s), mics and objects with the occasional analog synth, radio or whatever else suits the piece at hand.

[PURESTENCH: Is there much room for improvisation in Alleypisser recordings?]

I always have a compositional sketch or at the very least a rough idea worked out for the recordings, but there’s always space for improvisational reworking of the piece if I suddenly don’t feel like a certain thing fits in or some other idea comes up. Sometimes these improvisations have lead a perfect recording in the first go and other times to several re-recordings of a single piece until it feels just right.

When it comes to playing live on the other hand, I’ve done several sets that have been completely improvised.

[PURESTENCH : Your work seems to get back to the basics of Noise without sounding like you are purposefully under-producing or stripping down your material. Where do you think you fit within the new "contemporary Noise" scenes and what do you think of the current state of the "scene"? ]

Quite frankly I don’t think too much about that. I don’t seek to fit into a specific aesthetic or even necessarily noise as a genre. I rather just identify with experimental music and sound on a larger scale and find inspiration and connection in many places.

I think there’s many, many interesting things coming out of the experimental underground lately and I’m happy about the activity happening here – we’re several people setting up shows, have great artists coming through, good variety, interesting acts and labels.

One unfortunate thing about the “scene” in general, in my opinion, is the heavy fragmentation that’s going on at times – it seems there’s a lot of focus on what style or aesthetic a certain act is following, there’s quite a range of small niche scenes that have turned up within the larger whole of experimental music and they don’t always work together very well, which I think is a shame. More mixing, more doing things together across scenes, would make it possible to go even further with all of this.

[PURESTENCH: A question that seems to always be asked within our small genre is whether or not Noise is a form of catharsis for yourself. Is it (particularly your own Noise)?]

In the sense of some kind of transcendental, euphoric experience then no. I haven’t found sound itself to provide this. I can find the sound itself to be extraordinarily mind-altering and provide a sort of relief, but it doesn’t provide what I’d say characterizes catharsis. The performance on the other hand can provide a wholly different experience (both as a performer, with or without audience, and as a spectator/interactor) – therefore to me these two concepts are very separate, the sound in itself and the physical act. Furthermore this means the experience isn’t exclusive to noise, but rather performance and physical acts that lend themselves to this as a whole.

[PURESTENCH: Who are some of the non-musical influences that have an impact of what you do as Alleypisser? Authors, artists, political figures, whatever it may be...]

I don’t really have any conscious influences that I have in mind when creating material, but of course my background and interests affect my work. Aesthetically, I guess there’s some traces from the artistic avant-garde, such as Fluxus, minimalism, Dadaism and Viennese actionism. The mix of crudeness and intricateness in much of this work is deeply inspirational – as are contrasts in general. I’m influenced by postmodernist and poststructuralist ideas (in art, literature and philosophy), while being based in a d.i.y. background, which could be said to impact my sound endeavors. Most of all, Alleypisser is just influenced by everyday life.

[PURESTENCH: Your music seems to be just one part of a vivid, and refined package. How important is imagery to your project and Noise in general? Do you do all of your own artwork?]

I think visual aesthetics are equally important to my own projects and to noise in general. It’s a complete package - sound and image - that works together to create a whole. One without the other will never be able to obtain the same feel (whether good sound/bad visuals or bad sound/good visuals). I have a hard time appreciating an audio-release, without a fitting and pleasing visual accompaniment, no matter how good the sounds – I’d like the material to speak to both my ears and my eyes. Of course a “pleasing visual aesthetic” means a lot of things.

So far I’ve done the artwork for all my releases except the Tvang cassette on Second Sleep, which Matteo Castro did the artwork for (I haven’t done artwork for neither of the compilations I’ve contributed to – the Unifying Themes LP on Misanthropic Agenda or the Victoria 2xcs on Posh Isolation). Recently, especially with the two latest vinyl releases Kvalt and Savn, I think Alleypisser has reached a visual aesthetic I’m very pleased with.

[PURESTENCH: Sampling/loops seem to play a significant part in some of your work. Can you speak to the use of samples in your work going back to "Dogging"? This seems to be a fairly constant thread in your art, why does this medium appeal to you?]

All my recordings have a heavy use of domestic/field recordings and found sounds, which has become increasingly central through the times. I think Dogging is the only release where sampling seems an appropriate term since it mixed domestic recordings with straight cuts from old porn movies, after this the process has been a lot more focused on the self-made recordings and re-appropriation of old tapes and found sounds. A large part of the appeal is my fascination with re-contextualizing sounds and thereby creating new narratives. Also there’s the importance of format in this case, since I’m extremely into working with magnetic tape and tapeloops – I find the physicality of these to be very fitting for the concrete nature of the sounds.

[PURESTENCH: How many live shows have you played? Which one sticks out the most?]

As Alleypisser I’ve played around 15 shows over the past couple of years (significantly more when including other projects and bands).

I have a tendency to either just remember the last show I played or the ones that went the worst. That being said though, the short tour I went on in Italy with Gerritt Wittmer in October definitely stands out as a great experience.

[PURESTENCH: Who do you feel are some of the more promising new artists and labels coming from the underground?]

Right now I think Italy in general is the place to look for promising artists and labels. The scene is incredibly varied and encompasses everything from electro-acoustics and sound art to free improvisation along with harsh noise and industrial. I greatly admire this openness and experimentalism.

I’m also enjoying some of the newer Midwestern noise acts – I think they represent a look towards the future while keeping an eye on a great past.

Of course I’m also excited about the local and Scandinavian scene, still lots of promising things going on.

[PURESTENCH: Is critical acceptance or rejection important to you, or do you tend to ignore it?]

I by no means ignore it, but neither is it important to me. I’d be doing my things whether or not anyone was interested in it, but I greatly appreciate all the interest I’ve received and am very happy about the opportunities it has given me.

[PURESTENCH: So Dokumentarisk Agenda is your label. Why did you begin your own label? What are the main differences between having a Noise/Industrial project and having a record label?]

I started my label because I wanted to present experimental sounds in a context I didn’t feel like anyone else was (at least not in Denmark) – that is without a specific niche. Since I have a network of friends and people whose material I enjoy greatly and where I, personally, whether or not others recognize it, see a line of commonalities, I wanted to present these together and show them in a context where the style of sound isn’t as important, but rather just let the material speak for itself without being tied down. Getting to know new people and working with a community of experimental and open-minded individuals is definitely also a reason why I started this label.

To a large extent I feel that making sounds and running a label entail a lot of the same things; such as the communication, sharing of views and interests, trading material etcetera. So running a label (at least a small scale one) feels mostly like an extension of the former. The main difference is probably that doing the label is a lot more extroverted than just making material yourself – when just dealing with your own material, except if you’re heavily into self-promotion, you’re in a much more self-sufficient and introverted place where dealing with and relying on others doesn’t really factor in – these things become very obvious when running a label.

[PURESTENCH: What are your future plans for both Alleypisser and Dokumentarisk Agenda?]

There are several new releases in the works for Alleypisser, amongst them an LP called Knust on Trash Ritual, a cassette, Glemt, on Throne Heap and another cassette on Nostilevo. There’s several more that are still being worked out.

As for Dokumentarisk Agenda the next batch has planned releases by Francisco Meirino, Sewer Election and Kam Hassah. I’m very excited about the future for this label.

[PURESTENCH: Thank you for doing this interview! Any comments or last words you want to make?]

Thank you very much for the interview and the interest.

Interview - Unclean

[PURESTENCH : First introduce yourself and give a brief history of the project. ]

Angry and frustrated male from Finland. I have done experimentation with noise (type of) music for 8 years now, mostly into home environment. Starting from recording various different sounds, editing them with computer software and assembling them together in chaotic order. This continued for very long time with no satisfactory results. Serious efforts with more knowledge have come into play in the past 2 years. I am also part of power electronics unit called Insular.


[PURESTENCH : What are your goals with Unclean? What do you want the listeners to take away from the work you do? ]

My aim is to make dirty noise/pe that satisfies my own ear/mind.

If someone else enjoys it as well, that is great. Whatever people want to get out of it; rape fantasies, violent states of mind, hatred towards fellow men, all is good to me.


[PURESTENCH : You have a tape titled "Obscenities" which will be coming out on the great Finnish label Filth & Violence sometime this year (?). How did you connect up with Pasi? Do you believe the aesthetics of F&V fit yours? ]

Tape will come out early 2012. How I hooked up with Pasi? He was the man offering me candy in the park... I have been buying records from him, then me and my friend (Insular kommando) arranged a noise night here in Kuopio (BU, Cloama, Grunt). A year later I recorded material and sent it to him, he was interested right away. Being a F&V fanatic, I was certainly very pleased about that. F&V aesthetics are very close to my own taste and one of the reasons why I think it is superior label. Proud to be part of it.


[PURESTENCH : From what I have heard of "Obscenities" you seem to use the usual Power Electronics gear; synths, processors, samples, etc. Is everything analog or do you use some digital equipment? Do you record everything live? Are there any overdubs or editing? ]

All analog and live. At least so far I have not done any overdubs, very minimal editing, if at all. I record everything straight to tape with an old cassette-radio, gives best results in terms of sound. On "Obscenities" there are no synths or mics used, only digital thing is sample source. Very minimal set; a delay and distortion pedals, more distortion and echo, plus samples. I like to keep things as simple as possible and create within the limitations they set me. It is a bit hard to explain, but I like to try to push as much as possible out of things to see how far they can go and what I can do with them. I think even this set I use now has so much more possibilities in terms of sound variety and decayed noise.

[PURESTENCH : I hear a Mauthausen Orchestra, Felony Sexual Assault vibe on "Deviants" - building chapters of filth and dirty mangled synth work. Who are some inspirations for your work, both musically and aesthetically?  ]

I agree on the Mauthausen Orchestra influence, but most important influence is the world today. With all its downsides. Drunks, perverts, junkies, all violence towards teenaged girls/them dressing like prostitutes at age of 13, refugees and their totally corrupt lifestyles. And of course overpowering sexual drive is a big factor. The usual deal, for me it comes off natural that these things give me big impulses to create Unclean.

To see most fucked up middle aged woman drinking straight booze out of a bottle in the day light, face beaten to bruises all the way from neck to forehead and reeking of piss. "Grotesque mirth" indeed! It is a real inspiration. No deep philosophy, just lingering in the dirt that this society leaves behind.

As for musical influences; Black Leather Jesus, Bizarre Uproar, Coma Detox, Mauthausen Orchestra, Male Rape Group and especially old Ramleh. Love the old 80's sound, dirty, screeching, violent and obnoxious vocal work.


[PURESTENCH : What do you think will distinguish Unclean from the other acts that are currently out there? ]

Unclean material is worship of old 80's sound, creating an atmosphere of rotten layers of urban world. Not so fresh or new, but I am obsessed over the sound/themes. I've never had any conscious idea to make something totally new, I create what I would want to hear. Recording sessions often take unexpected turns.


[PURESTENCH : What does "Noise" and "Power Electronics" mean to you? What are some common misconceptions you hear often about the genre? ]

Noise and power electronics are an obsession. It becomes very physical, and just blows everything away, really. Fucked up day, sexual frustrations/obsessions, hatred in general. All these topics covered with fitting music, is there anything better? Years and years ago I used to listen to lots of musical styles, explore endlessly. Nowadays I listen to mostly noise/pe. A little bit of black metal and WP rock on the side. The list of misconceptions is endless. At least from people who don't listen to this type of music. Anyone can do it, why all the shocking images etc. It is pointless try to explain. All I can say is, it is an acquired taste!


[PURESTENCH : Top 3 favorite records or cassettes of all time? ]

I will limit this to noise/pe, even then it is impossible to answer but...

Whitehouse - Great White Death
Genocide Organ - Remember
Black Leather Jesus - Torture Machinist


[PURESTENCH : If you could hang out, drink a beer or two with 3 people either dead or alive, who would you choose? ]

Richard Ramirez AKA Night Stalker, Marquis de Sade and Philip Best. All certainly interesting personalities.


[PURESTENCH : Thanks for doing the interview, any final words? ]

Thanks for interests. Beware of Insular kommando attack!

Interview - Custodian

Visit Custodian:

http://custodianhn.blogspot.com

[PURESTENCH : What is the history of Custodian? What was your creative influence when you started Custodian and has that influence changed at all since the beginning? ]

Custodian was an on and off "bedroom" project for many years. I started experimenting in 97 which was shortly after I was introduced to noise recordings via a relapse records catalog, but I didn't release anything until 2008 mainly because I was busy pursuing various other projects. My sound is heavily rooted in mid-ninties Japanese and American noise. Here and there my P.E and death/industrial side creeps in but not very often. I don't see my influences changing much/at all as far as what I do with Custodian.


[PURESTENCH : Is there anything specific that you want the listener to comprehend and take away from your sound?

It's not predetermined but I always go into the same headspace when I work on/listen to my tracks. If anyone can catch the same sense of unrest/bleak vibe that I hear while I'm recording thats great.


[PURESTENCH : What was your favorite live show and why? Do you know exactly how many shows you have played live altogether? ]
 So far my sets with Deathjenk (Grainbelt/Gnawed/Custodian collab), and my collab with Gnawed recently stand out as favorites. I like what they do, and what they do works well with what I do. As Custodian I've yet to have a favorite set. I was pleased with my lasT 3 sets but it always can be better. I've played a lot of shows thanks to having the Borg Ward here in Milwaukee. It's a very active location for local and touring acts...usually there's several gigs a month. I've also played out of state fests/one offs and a midwest tour so I am pretty active live.


[PURESTENCH : You released a good deal of material in 2010, 7 to be exact. Which was your favorite? How was it working with that many labels in the small stretch of one year? ]

It went pretty smoothly last year actually. I thought "Toil and Waste" and "Excruciation of Routine" came out really good. I was generally happy with my sound and kept mostly up to date with what I was having to get done. This year I have almost just as much lined up but I've been spending most of my time trying to refine sounds and approach so I'm way behind. I also lost 2 25 minute releases in a computer crash a few months back so that put me back a few steps as well.


[PURESTENCH : What are some of your favorite labels? ]
 
Phage, New Forces, Fusty Cunt, Skeleton Dust, Maniacal Hatred, Factotum, Pitchphase, Malignant, classic Relapse/Release and Cold Meat Industry. I know I'm drawing a blank on tons of others...


[PURESTENCH : Is there any one artist that has influenced you and has had an impact on you and your music more than any other? ]
 
It'd be almost impossible to single it down to one artist. Although I can trace everything I've done with Custodian or otherwise back to DEVO in one way or another.


[PURESTENCH : Your new split with Mania just hit the market. How did that come about? Wasn't it initially suppose to be a collaboration? ]
 
Bill over at No Visible Scars is responsible for the whole thing coming together. My memory is a little sketchy but I believe we came into contact through a trade, and somewhere in our exchange of emails he brought up him wanting to work with Mania eventually. I think it was shortly after that he pitched the idea of a split/collab tape with Mania. Then it got changed to vinyl, which obviously I'd be stoked with.

Initially there was going to be solo tracks and collab tracks. In regards to cover art, titles, etc it was just much easier to do solo sides though.


[PURESTENCH : In all honesty, if Noise/P.E. was to get huge and you were offered a million dollars to put out a record on Interscope of something and it would get constant spin on MTV and Fuse would you do it even if they told you that you would have to change your sound, the "scene" would definitely label you as a "sellout" and you would be taking a very personal and intimate style for a lot of the fans and exposing that to a lot of people who only care about trends. ]

Theres no way anyone could tone it down enough to make harsh noise accessible to a larger audience. If I were offered unreasonable amounts of money to do Custodian AS IS, why not.


[PURESTENCH : What is your favorite format to release your material on and why? ]

I personally like 3"cds/cdrs. I like size, look, and playing time of them. They appeal to my minimalist side. I also really like c10's but not alot of labels want to bother with them.


[PURESTENCH : What gear of yours could you not go without? Is there a consistent "instrument" for Custodian? ]

The piece that has been the most consistant though would be either one of my two korg pandoras. I've used one on everything I've done and would have a hard time going without it.


[PURESTENCH : Is there any symbolic ideologies in your artwork? How important is artwork to your music and do you create all of the art for your material? ]

The first 4 were titled only with roman numerals and the images only were used because I felt they fit the sound well. The last several releases though had more going on with art/title relationship. The visuals are somewhat representative of the titles, but for the most part the title has a more personal meaning that I'm obscuring though an associated image. The titles are only important only in a way that they may give the listener a little guidance into the intent of the recording.

Besides II and IV I've come up with all the artwork as far as choice of image, fonts, etc. I do not have Photoshop however so I take the ideas to a friends house and he then puts it all together for me.


[PURESTENCH : The current American Noise and Power Electronics scene(s); what do you think of them? ]

I don't really have any rants to go on about what I think is making or breaking the scene. Nothing really annoys me because I can choose to ignore, or support it. That, and I've honestly only been paying attention to the midwest... So many good acts and labels it's kept me more than interested and entertained.

[PURESTENCH : If there is anything else you would like to add please do so...]

Thanks for the interview/interest! Keep your eyes out for the LP.

Interview - Bizarre Uproar

[PURESTENCH : Everyone knows who Bizarre Uproar is so I luckily I can skip all of the introductory shit. How would you say Bizarre Uproar has evolved from your earlier material to your present sound? How would you define that current sound? ]

2005 was changing point due the fact that I got reherseal bunker of my own. I had a possibility start to collect large metal sheets, I bought several 3m long heavy chains(heavier one was/is 15 kg).. you know things got into very physical and loud as fuck. Big amps also got into the picture. Besides environment and all junk etc. one major difference comparing to before 2005 was that I started to aim performing/recording live. earlier it was more or less "studio" tricks. BU sound at the moment is a combination of junk/chain and putrid slowly evolving electronic buzz . Rotten walls of epic filthy noise. Nasty vocals, in your face and buried. I like to mix those 2 styles. Pretty minimal approach not much going on at same time.. usually just two elements going frw molesting the listener. that’s the foundation. tracks usually 15 to 20 min. Its like a fist fuck session. starts pretty mildly to strech your arse hole. one finger, two finger .. .. whole hand. fist forth and back. it hurts at some point but in the end maximum pleasure. feeling a bit dirty afterwards hah. Have you been fist fucked Ryan?


[PURESTENCH : "Lily the Flesh" seemed to be a "turning point" for BU.The change wasn't drastic but was very apparent. What was it about this tape that made you shift the sounds? Also, why did you choice the video Lily the Flesh out of all the XXX videos that are floating around out there? ]

"Lily The Flesh" was aimed for VHS-filth themed compilation, its on progress and I am not sure is it ok reveal details about it. So I shut my mouth. Anyway I went to bunker w/ VHS player and TV. the actual film plus few loose ideas. result was very pleasing, dirty and eerie. It came out such a long piece that it fitted better for BU full lenght release of own instead af compilation. "Lily The Flesh" was a homevideo made by NALLE VIROLAINEN and friends early 90`s .. 1991 maybe? Sold throught XXX magazine`s personal ads. S/M, Piercing, piss/shit etc. one female involved there "IIRIS" what a character, religious person.. Her Monoloque on film is brilliant("Thank you Jeesus") At one scene she is on leach as a dog, outdoor at one small park in Kallio, Helsinki. She starts to eat crass. another scene she is riding on Nalle`s cock and eating raw meat.Doing some animal sounds. hah! IIRIS gave paid sessions back then I gave her a call few times but didt had guts to go see her. She seemed a bit unbalanced person. That was the main reason I decides not to go. NALLE VIROLAINEN was editor of "CHAINS" S/M zine and "LYKANTROPIA" film zine late 80s and one of maker of "ROSKAELOKUVAT" book. Throught his writings I got introduced to ILSA, Cannibal films, Nekromantik, sadism and masochism etc. everything a kid need to grow up. I was 13-14 at time I ordered his zines.

[PURESTENCH : Sex and violence is an explicitly clear influence for Bizarre Uproar. What is it about sex and violence that is so intriguing to you? How does it play into your music? ]

Sex=Violence. What else interesting there is besides Cum and bizarre activities? that’s the reason to wake up in the morning. keeps the putrid wheels rolling. Essence of everything. Those two are true ying and yang.


[PURESTENCH : A lot of Noise/PE artists don't seem to be into what they write about, but from watching the videos on the IOPS dvd's and reading the Puudeli blog it seems that you are completely into what your material is all about. What was it that drew you into humiliation, dominatrix', filth, scat, perversions, etc? ]

You are or you are not. I am. I have always been.


[PURESTENCH : What are some books/videos/magazines that are particularly interesting to you? Snuff - do you think that snuff films exist? If so have you ever seen one? ]

As a younger I did collect stuff a lot. Now as an older gentleman I use all my energy to get real life experienses/sessions etc.
SNUFF as a film where someone is killed for purpose to sell it for big euros. I would say I don’t think so. Killings are filmed for personal pleasure/use/trophy/ of course but not to sell. Intriquing idea. I wish someone could be degenerated enough to do it..


[PURESTENCH : How long has Ms. Uproar/Fallen Angel been your dominatrix? Has any session gone too far, i.e. have you ever had to be hospitalized or hurt really bad to the point that it wasn't arousing but just plain painful? ]
I am a pervert. Pretty much everything goes. I have been w/FA almost 10 years now. it’s a twisted game for sure. At this point I have to state that I show a lot of things in public, but cannot show all. There are things that are better to keep in dark.
Eye infections and once her sharp nail teared big chunk of flesh inside my mouth, after that human toilet paper activity .. Not very wise way to take care of open wound hah!

..But there is more. Everything is not what it seems like to be...

[PURESTENCH : You should write a detailed book with pictures about your experiences with Fallen Angel, I bet that would sell quickly. Speaking of books, can we expect another book in the future? Or maybe some type of collection of Pasi artworks? ]

2012 Feb. I will be part of exhibition in Helsinki w/ SIIKALA & ASPA. There is also 3-way artbook in progress.


[PURESTENCH : The visuals of Bizarre Uproar and Filth & Violence are coherent and obviously very important. Are you involved with the art for every release on the label? How important is art overall to both the label and Bizarre Uproar? ]

I use a lot of time to get dirty enough result. Yeah I am involved w/almost every release artwise. Hmm visuals have been in a big role w/ BU but like last live I played it was in complete darkness. Also upcoming LP going to be just one painting.. Important but might change from minimal to full on fireworks of filth.


[PURESTENCH : How do you choose what to show on the projector or what acts to perform during a live show? ]

It changes a lot. Like said from total darkness to multi projector thing( like last year one gig w/ one own production female scatloop video and nigger gay porn) Of course there is always some red line some idea, video needs to back up the sounds and other way around.

I belive upcoming live things will be without anything extra just filthy noise.


[PURESTENCH : When you play live do you have a set idea of what is going to be played or is it mostly improvised? ]

Some spine where is a some space for improvising.


[PURESTENCH : Your first project "Aunt Mary" was an energetic Noisecore band. What made you go from Noisecore to Power Electronics? Will we ever hear any new Aunt Mary material or is that a dead band?]

I have said this somewhere earlier.. to make it short. AM demised I did continue alone. Did kind of noisecore stuff. fast bursts of rough sounds. What happens when you put a lot of that kind of stuff together. lots of layers. pretty much harsh noise. I did cut up stuff at some point. idea to make structured pieces came 2005. everything has evolved slowly.. Do you feel BU is Power Electronics?
AM did one session this year. AM is not dead but its not feeling very well..


[PURESTENCH : Filth & Violence has been dabbling with Noisecore and Black Metal releases for a few years now. How do you see the current Noisecore seen now-a-days? In what ways do you think Metal and Noise are connected? ]

Oh well I do not think a much of genres when I am releasing stuff. if its crude,nasty and original.. I am interested. Connection comes from some individuals who are involved in both scenes. Typical ug metal consumer hates noise most likely.. And cannot blame. There are so much utter crap around. Weak shit.


[PURESTENCH : What are some of your favorite releases on your label?]

They are ALL very important for me. Cannot pick any faves.


[PURESTENCH : What are some current projects out there that you have been listening to a lot lately? What are some of your favorite albums right now? ]

I listen a lot of F&V stuff before they get released. Now Its been time for HALTHAN Live, GOLDEN RAIN Live,RAPE, POGROM Live plus new Full length, BIZARRE UPROAR"Viha&Kiima" LP master etc. etc.


[PURESTENCH : What does Bizarre Uproar have planned for 2011? London Live first of October.]

"Viha&Kiima" LP hopefully end of the year. One private Helsinki bunker live. Recording sessions.

[PURESTENCH : Thanks a lot for doing this interview. Final comments.]

Thank you

Interview - Taeter

TAETER

[PURESTENCH : What was it that drove you to create Taeter? Why did you create a new project instead of record the material under Fecalove, if someone had not heard either project how do they differ? ]

I just wanted to focus on power electronics with some kind of "song" structure. Early Taeter is in debt with Nick/Silvum, who was originally supposed to release my first material (tracks that later became "Absolute Nothing") and encouraged me to record more stuff. 

Fecalove is more simple. I like to keep it basic and i think I'll use vocals less and less under that name. Also, Taeter has synth and bass..fuck, it's almost real music.

[PURESTENCH : Who are some of your major influences both musically and artistically? Teater to me sounds like The Sodality meets Whitehouse but with a filthy, darker and more twisted vibe.]

You're spot-on..both The Sodality and Whitehouse are big influences. Don't worry, i will not start to play bongos. Main inspirations are : Atrax Morgue, Intrinsic Action, Sutcliffe Jugend, Slogun, Deathpile, France Gall, Righeira.
As for art : Trevor Brown, Romain Slocombe, Magnus, Stu Mead, Suehiro Maruo..

[PURESTENCH : What do your lyrics deal with? What type of subject matter does Taeter touch upon? ]

As usual, everything comes from my cock. It is its view of the world fueled by personal experience and shrouded in fetid alcoholic fog.

[PURESTENCH : I can understand why you did the Sodality cover song but what made you want to do a Brainbombs track? It turned out really good, by the way. What gear did you use and how did you go about recording it? ]

I like that Brainbombs record (who doesn't?) and i like covers. It's fun ! I also did France Gall and Turbonegro. I planned to do an all-covers release but it didn't happen yet. For "Obey" i think i simply recorded rough junk metal noise with one or two distortions and then added vocals. It was ages ago so i don't remember well.

[PURESTENCH : Has Taeter played a live show yet? If so how was it and what can a fan expect from a Taeter live aktion event? ]

No, but i did play "Mouth" as Fecalove a couple of times. Nobody noticed of course. Someday maybe i'll perform as Taeter but there's nothing planned for now .

[PURESTENCH : Your art has been featured in zines, on a good number of cover art and websites. Out of all of your artwork which is your person favorite? ]

Cock swastikas. Girls sucking canine cocks.

[PURESTENCH : You are the co-founder of Turgid Animal if I am not mistaken? What is it that drove you to start a label and how is it working with George? ]
 
George and me used to trade years ago (2004?), then we came up with the idea of having a label. We happen to like pretty much the same kind of horrible noise so it was a natural process. Right now each works on his own, in secrecy and extreme boredom. We'll come back with some terrible collaboration tapes soon...

[PURESTENCH : What is up with you guys and the word Mutant? ]

Don't you like it ?

[PURESTENCH : I do, I was just wondering if there was something special about the word Mutant in the context of both you and George's material. What are some of your main Musical and artistic influences? ]

G.G. Allin, Serge Gainsbourg, Caligola. I'd throw a party for them. Enflatable swimming pools, martinis, half-naked girls and boys, nice music..

[PURESTENCH : Let me squash some rumors that I heard on Soulseek and through an e-mail - does the dick on the cover of "Parasite" belong to anyone that our readers and fans of Noise/PE in general may know? ]

It's my pathetic cock. All pictures on Taeter releases either feature me or they are taken by me. That particular picture was taken by Splinter Vs Stalin co-founder Marco during a drunken weekend in Berlin. Whose cock did you think it was ?

[PURESTENCH : What are the future plans for Mr. N. Vinciguerra in general? More Taeter ? Will you again be in the upcoming issue of Exoteric? I hope so because I was asked to do some art for it and it will be a honor to share a spot in an art Zine with you. ]

Definitely, but slowly, more Taeter : there will be a track on a Trash Ritual double tape compilation. I'm preparing new stuff as Fecalove (CDr on Crucial Blaze, some split tapes and vinyl) and Splinter Vs Stalin (a new tape and cd)  as well. Yes, i will be in the next Exoteric Zine issue, and i'm drawing a couple of short comics for italian zines. Also i'm messing around with oil painting.


[PURESTENCH : Thanks a lot for the interview. If you have anything to add please feel free to do so here... ]

Thanks for the interest.

Suck my cock.

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.

  

New Forces Interview

NEW FORCES LABEL INTERVIEW

[PURESTENCH: New Forces - when did you start this label? What were the main influences and ideas that went into the creation of the label? ]

The label was started in the spring of 2010, so it is about one year old at this point. I started New Forces in order to have both a vehicle for releasing my own material under the "Breaking The Will" moniker as well as for releasing material for friends and projects I want to hear more from. Aesthetically and thematically I'm very interested in political violence and history. Later summer / early fall I will be releasing the first New Forces industrial-historical document, which will feature Breaking The Will, Nyodene D, and Steel Hook Prostheses. Thematically the release will focus on the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, and will present a variety of archival and historical writings, photographs, and other media in addition to the music. If all goes as planned there will be other industrial-historical documents in the future. In my head they encapsulate what I want New Forces to be, hopefully that translates into reality.


[PURESTENCH: What are the main goals and aims of New Forces and how do you select which artists you want to release? ]

The simple answer is I approach artists I enjoy and follow closely. I also like to put out a lot of material from the Midwest, particularly Chicago, Milwaukee, and the Twin Cities (Minneapolis / St. Paul). Some of the best harsh noise in the country is coming out of the Midwest, and I think here in Minnesota some top tier artists are lately getting well deserved recognition, such as Grain Belt, Wince, Gnawed, Baculum, and several others. I try to push my own work with Breaking The Will to keep up with the high standard being set around here, and I'm excited for the prospect of seeing these projects continue to evolve and improve. Hopefully New Forces can contribute to that.


[PURESTENCH: Like many other labels I have interviewed you seem to have only released cassette tapes. Are cassettes the only means of expression for your label or will you release wax and/or CD/CDr's as well? Do you feel that the cassette format is the best format for Noise and Power Electronics? ]

So far I have only released cassettes, but I would like to release vinyl in the future. That is something to build up to. My obsession with harsh noise seems to be linked to a concurrent obsession with hearing harsh noise on cassette tape that I can't fully explain, but I do enjoy tapes in that they encourage me to sit down and listen to music through my stereo rather than simply putting them on the ipod for listening to and from work.



[PURESTENCH: You have quite a number of "HNW" releases on your label. What is your interpretation of so-called "Harsh Walls" and what is it about this very specific sub-genre that you like? Who are some of your favorite current artists doing "Walls" these days? ]
 
I guess I don't feel like I've released that much wall noise aside from the Richard Ramirez cassette boxes (Werewolf Jerusalem, Fouke, Crash At Every Speed). Richard's material is particularly suited to multiple cassette releases because he is able to bring an incredible focus to a very minimal palette of harsh noise textures and stretch them into a full composition. If you give him several sides of cassette to work with you get to experience a range of sounds.  I certainly don't place the primary emphasis of New Forces on wall noise. For me, wall noise is simply an extremely aggressive and heavy approach to harsh noise that comes out of the work of some of my favorite artists, such as the Incapacitants, The Rita, Macronympha/OVMN, Dead Body Love, ect... Like any micro-genre, there is worthwhile and exciting material that gets released as well as boring, contrived, or unnecessary material. There are certainly elements of the wall noise aesthetic that are appealing such as the minimalism, aggression, textural focus and heaviness, but when people become too rigid in their definition or too contrived in their presentation I tend to lose interest. The harsh noise presented by New Forces will take on a variety of forms and approaches.


[PURESTENCH: Do you have any personal favorites among your releases? Do you have any projects on your label? ]

It's hard to pick a favorite. I'm lucky in that every piece of material I've released is something I would have purchased if another label had put it out. Visually, I love how the Fouke triple cassette box turned out, the full color jungle images ended up looking amazing. The Koufar - Death of Myself tape is special in that Mack took a totally new approach to the material, went out on a limb and created something very unique, and the results are stunning. He's one of the best current vocalists in power electronics. The Custodian tape I released also stands out, simply because Jon works with a very minimal and familiar set of sounds, but that tape ended up sounding very different than his other releases while maintaining the same Custodian "sound." Quite a bit heavier, like getting crushed to death by concrete.

My primary project is Breaking The Will, which took some time to evolve but has settled into a dynamic and slightly cut-up approach to harsh noise. I've released two Breaking The Will tapes on New Forces, and will probably do more in the future. Breaking The Will will appear on an upcoming cassette box on the excellent Skeleton Dust Recordings alongside Being, Skin Graft, and Weak Sisters, definitely worth checking out for a diverse cross-section of current American harsh noise. I also have a side project called The Sun Turns Black that has made an appearance here and there.   

[PURESTENCH: What do you think of the current Noise/Power Electronics scene? ]
 
There are plenty of releases continually coming out that keep me interested, so I certainly don't have a pessimistic or bad attitude. There is more good noise than I can even keep up with, so that more than cancels out the garbage. I haven't been involved since the 80's or 90's so I can't really speak to how things are now relative to the past. Oskar Brummel, who does White Centipede Noise, commented on the Minnesota "scene" in the interview he did for you so I'll just echo him in that we have a small but strong group of harsh noise, industrial and power electronics artists here. As far as things I've been listening to, I will say that the Joe Colley - Disasters of Self record is probably the best record I've bought in the last few yours, you should probably track it down.

[PURESTENCH: It is not rare in this genre for labels to release "limited" amounts of each title. Why do you think this is, and how has it been for you? Do you ever intend to increase the number of releases which you put out or do you prefer how it is now? ]

For the next few releases I plan on bumping up the edition size to 100 copies. Most of my releases so far have been in an edition of 50; in some cases that was perfect, in some cases I could have done more. From the label-running prospective it has been nice to not have a large inventory as I've been moving around some in the last few years. As far as limited releases, there is certainly a "collector" aspect, which I participate in, that is both positive and negative. I don't need to lend one more voice to that debate here. For New Forces, my goal is to produce releases in a manageable amount for me logistically and financially while trying to make sure there is enough to go around. If the invisible hand of "hype" causes a sudden increase of interest I'll adjust accordingly, but for now 50-100 copies is enough to satisfy the harsh-heads that buy from me, and I'll just slowly change my practices as label growth demands.


[PURESTENCH: Just recently you released a Black Metal cassette by a great American band, El-Ahrairah. Will we be seeing more Black Metal releases from this label in the future? ]

El-Ahrairah is a local project that I came across while working at a record store in Minneapolis called "Extreme Noise." They were selling two of their demo tapes on consignment, and I listened to them on a whim and thought the material was excellent. I don't plan on black metal being a regular element of New Forces, it's not where I want to put most of my energy, but I certainly don't rule out the possibility of there being another black metal release in the future. El-Ahrairah is going to have a full length coming out on wax soon so keep on the lookout for that.

[PURESTENCH: Do you have any advice for someone who would want to go out and start a Noise/PE label? ]

Get advice from people that have been doing it for awhile, they can probably preemptively solve problems that will appear. Take the idea of "quality control" seriously, push yourself to put out excellent releases.

[PURESTENCH: You have been releasing material for a few years now. Is there anything that you would like to change in the future to make it better? If you had infinite resources what would you do with the label? Where do you see New Forces in a year from now? ]

If I had infinite resources I would release vinyl, but beyond that I don't have any grand aspirations. It's not like I could sell 1000 copies of any of the things I've released anyway, so as long as myself and the artist are satisfied with the end result and there are other people taking an interest I'm happy. Graphic design and art aren't things I have a natural affinity for, so I want to keep pushing myself to make each release look great. A year from now I would like to be working on a vinyl release and releasing more material from my favorite artists, as well as expanding the conceptual boundaries of New Forces.


[PURESTENCH: What should we expect in the near future? ]

The future will see the release of tapes by Wince, Bryan Tholl (who used to record as "Is"), a Breaking The Will / Bachir Gemayel Collaboration, Wood & Rope (the harsh noise side project of the guy behind the black metal band "Altars"), a double cassette box by Vice Wears Black Hose which is a collaboration between Richard Ramirez and Sam McKinlay (The Rita, BT.HN), the first Industrial-Historical document which will feature Breaking The Will, Nyodene D, and Steel Hook Prostheses. There are other things in the works as well, I'm very excited about 2011.

[PURESTENCH: Any last words... ]

Thanks for the interview, folks can hop on the New Forces mailing list by sending a message to newforcesnoise at gmail dot com. You can also keep up at newforcesnoise.blogspot.com.

Interview - Pogrom

Interview - Pogrom

[PURESTENCH: For the readers who may be unacquainted with your material, give us a brief introduction. When was Pogrom created? How many members, just you? Number of releases, and where are you from? ]

pogrom was created some 7+ years ago i think. at first it was more thinking and recording for my own self than releasing stuff. at first i had to agree with myself what i wanted and why and when i was 100% sure about that - first albums appeared. at the moment there are dozens of tapes gathering dust in the shelves with unreleased material, but perhaps it'll stay like that. it is just me. number of releases - two tapes. split with oorchach and a tape on filth&violence. I am from Lithuania. it's in Eastern Europe and people like to kill their selves in here.

[PURESTENCH: Is there much of a Noise/P.E. scene over in Lithuania besides yourself and Clo Goelach/Body Cargo? ]

there exist almost none. oorchach lately was doing more noisier stuff in live performances, there is Vidine Ramybe project, which is becoming a rather decent and interesting project. he started to care more about his sounds. and that's it. there are some noise projects that goes in obscure/art/academic/etc. direction, but that doesn't interest me much so i cannot say anything good or bad about that.

[PURESTENCH: Pasi told me you have a new album coming out, and I then saw it advertised in the mailing list, but he wasn't sure about the format. Can you tell us anything about that (will it be a tape, CD, wax, etc.)? ]

that will be a tape. at first we were talking about cd, but i think tape is better for pogrom at the moment.

[PURESTENCH: What is the name of this new release and is there a concept to it? Did you aim for a new sound? ]

Multicultural degeneration. it's the concept and the possible title. mixture of people, nations and cultures finally resulting in faceless mess. While seeing streams of imigration/emigration that are unbelievable nowadays, I remember USSR where people were forced to move in "great fatherland" from one part of the union to others in order to form a formal "nation of laborers". it's the same nowadays, just nobody is forcing no one. most people are doing the same in their free will. this was the main idea that led me to this album. as for the sound - no, i didn't aim for something new. the album is different though, it has parts of "acoustic noise", but overall - filthy material.

[PURESTENCH: Which came first, the split with Oorchach or Liberal Cunt? 2 albums in one year is actually a pretty meager amount for a Noise/Power Electronics artist. Do you like to take your time with the material or are there problems that force you to only release when possible? ]

split with oorchach came out before liberal cunt. it was planned for a year or more, but finally happened to appear in daylight. as for meager amount? there is no such goal in my list as to flood the "scene" with various sort of releases and so on. I record quite a lot, but the tapes mostly stays at home. I'm slow with releases for I'm waiting for the right and interesting thought to come about the whole conception of the album i'd like to see. i cannot just go and make an album without knowing what I am aiming at. it takes time. sometimes the ideas come during sleepless nights, sometimes I find some thought written on a piece of paper after some massive drinking or something like that. it will be in the future like that too. yet another thing is that I tend to spend a vast amount of time with the recorded material. Listening while every track seems shitty to me and then rerecording or something like that.

when a guy like Pasi writes "hey, let's see what you have" and i send him and mention the problems i see with the record and he write me back "you are hearing something that does not even exist in there", then I agree that perhaps he's right. Listening too much for the same record while you start to hallucinate about  it and see it in absolutely different light than everyone else.

[PURESTENCH:  There is a very specific sound to it that I can't quite define with words, I guess something like "sunken" or "pale" would be good words to use but they still don't get what I mean across. So what type of gear did you use on Liberal Cunt? What is the recording process like? ]
 
I use very minimal stuff. a pedal or two, noise generator, contact microphone and that's it. if i remember correctly, liberal cunt was recorded with various types of metal sheets and pipes (currently i share the rehearsal place with a ska band. they were rather curious at first why i am bringing all kinds of shit into the place. bricks, glass, pipes, rusty wires, parts of autos and so on, but now they're OK with that. i do have a corner for my "instruments" and no one's touching them), several cheap microphones, connected through pedals and a bass guitar. i'm recording into 4-track. at first when i didn't have it, the recording process was very long. i was recording material into tape, then transferring it to the PC and mp3 player, playing this track and recording to a tape as the "second track" and so on. it took time. now i have a 4 track that i often use during live performances and that i record to. usually the recording process has beer and nicotine involved, since the rehearsal place is further from home, when i go there, i am ready to spend there 5-6 hours or the whole day, so during that time i record material and while re-listening to it and resting, I decide what I can use further and what not. I think that's it.

[PURESTENCH: Unfortunately I don't know Lithuanian, I can't read it nor understand it when someone is talking. Why not English? Do you think you will ever write anything in English (I couldn't tell if you were speaking English on the N&K Compilation)? What are the lyrics on Liberal Cunt about and what does the cassette deal with overall? ]

I could ask you back - why English? I am comfortable with Lithuanian language much more than English. and I think it sounds nice even though you cannot understand that. I doubt that I'll ever write anything in English. I can translate lyrics though sometime in the future. in N&K it was Lithuanian too. English language is overused and boring already.
I'd like to see some Serbian power electronics project shouting their exploding sentences. Perhaps the most brutal language overall. Liberal Cunt lyrics are about liberal cunts. about women who are most annoying creatures when they imagine that they are the smartest ones on the planet. One track is about a Lithuanian cunt who is some anarcho freak and thinks she's famous philosopher and thus can piss on you with the endless rain of "equal rights". She was even proposed as a woman of a year some time ago. I doubt she's a woman at all... Another track is about a cunt who was a governor of a part of Lithuania and at the start of recession she "decided" that politicians won't be able to do anything about it and thus they are transferring the power to rule to Jesus Christ. That sounds like a nice tale, but this was real. Other songs are about similar cunts of democracy.

[PURESTENCH: What is the sample on Side B from? Or is it a "field recording"?]

That's a "field recording". Feedbacks were collected while walking and recording with portable dictophone by the sea at night and then joined with gagging. It sort of shows a romantic side of myself I think.

[PURESTENCH: If you could do a collaboration with another active artist who would that be? How about a split?]

It depends. If i see that the person has an interesting vision of what he does, then why not. I couldn't mention you any names though for if we agree on the main points of the split and the overall release and I see that a person is interested not only in quickly shooting the record, then I'm in. there will be one split in some months.

[PURESTENCH: Your influences, both past and present...]

Literature, movies, high temperature, insomnia, politics, philosophy, alcohol, confrontation of my "inner world" vs "outer world"... If you're asking about the musical influence, I cannot say who is that. There are artists that I like and that I dislike though I doubt they are influential. People reviewing tapes mentioned names like Bizarre Uproar, Slogun and something like that. Perhaps that would be then? But I don't know. The sound might be similar sometimes, but I doubt they're directly influential.

[PURESTENCH: Why did you begin your web-zine Terror? Do you listen to and critique anything and everything that is sent to you/that you buy or do you choose just what you like? I personally do the latter, I see no reason in talking about music I don't enjoy or interviewing artists/units I could care less about. ]

At the time I've started it, either there were little of these or I didn't know about them so I thought why not. I have records and why not spread the thoughts about them. Also there are interesting artists that would be nice to interview. As for reviews, at first I was reviewing only my own stuff, but now I have a rather big queue of "promos" that were sent to me. So I'm dealing with them for the people are waiting feedback. Though I insert one or two reviews of the release that I really like and that are not from the stuff, sent to me. I don't ever interview artists that I don't know or don't care, but as for reviews, I think sometimes when you force yourself to listening to material that you would perhaps otherwise forget about, it is good, you get to know more and so on. Though of course I could reviews the same Brethren or Grunt album every week and enjoy it.

[PURESTENCH: Will there be another print zine and will it, like the first issue, contain material already on the website?]

yes, there will be. I hope soon, but I'm still waiting for answers to interview questions. It will contain the reviews from the website and not published interviews.

[PURESTENCH: What do you think the current state of the P.E. and Noise scenes are like? Can Power Electronics and Noise grow or will it be forever stuck in the same arena due to the limited amount of sounds one can achieve within these genres?]

 
I quite like the current state of the scene. Though I think there are too many artists that simply does not care or does not know why they do this or that. I think at first one must answer the question to oneself - why do I record that and why do I want to release it. Would I listen to such release if it would be from a band X? It would go the same for the labels. But overall it's good. You mean like grow to become a worldwide trend? I doubt so. Well, noise serving as a soundtrack for fashion shows or something like that is already possible, but that must be just "weird funny sound" and nothing more. When PE and noise deals with "overall unacceptable themes", they cannot grow further than it is now I think. Of course if you add enough art value to that and prove that your intentions were truly artistic, some strange people with glasses of wine and various colorful robes can give you a chance.

[PURESTENCH: Thanks for the interview, if you have anything you would like to add you know the drill...]

Thank you for interest. It was an interesting time to answer these. Good luck with your blog!