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equinoxe

Das Schöne an diesem an sich bemitleidenswert tristen Dasein als Musik–Schmierfink ist, dass es doch von Zeit zu Zeit immer noch Veröffentlichungen gibt, die einem die vielzitierten Schuhe ausziehen, wegen denen man versucht, in die Lautsprechermembrane zu kriechen, um ja nichts zu verpassen und mit denen man voller Wonne die verhassten Nachbarn terrorisiert. [f/a/v] ist so ein Fall. Die von dem Regensburger Einmann-Projekt dargebotene vielseitige Electro-Punk-Dröhnung lädt ein zum gepflegten Ausrasten innerhalb der eigenen vier Wände, beweist aber andererseits mit interessanten Lyrics auch, dass aggressive elektronische Musik durchaus etwas für's Hirn bieten kann. Wer jetzt neugierig geworden sein sollte, ist hier genau richtig...

Zunächst mal würde ich Dich bitten, Dich unseren Lesern vorzustellen. Sprich: wie kam es zur Gründung von f/a/v?

f/a/v bin ich, ich heiße Michael Krauss, bin 25 und habe mich selber eigentlich nicht gegründet. Ich fing etwa mit 15 an, mit meinem Amiga Musik zu machen, damals ging das so in Richtung Gabba. Vor allem war ich damals aber Schlagzeuger in diversen Punk-, Hardcore- und Crossoverbands. Etwa 1996 kam ich dann etwas vom Amiga ab und experimentierte mit einem MS DOS-Tracker herum, und irgendwann begann ich, meine Stimme in meine Musikstücke zu integrieren. Ende 1997 hatte ich irgendwie das Bedürfnis, meine neueren Songs auf CD zu verewigen, und dafür brauchte ich halt irgendeinen Projektnamen. Im April 1998 "veröffentlichte" ich dann mein erstes Album auf CD-R, sprich: ich brannte ca. 50 Stück und verteilte sie unter Freunden.

Wie kam es dazu, dass Dich Rudy Ratzinger unter seine Fittiche nahm und wie bewertest Du bislang die Zusammenarbeit mit ihm?

Ich hatte unglaublich viel Glück. Einer der Freunde, denen ich eine CD-R gegeben hatte, war Clone 137, der vor x Jahren mal mit Rudy zusammen gearbeitet hatte (er ist auf "Ain't It Mad, Yet" von :wumpscut: zu hören). Er wiederum gab das Teil an seinen ex-WG-Mitbewohner Karl von B-Ton-K weiter, seines Zeichens auch guter Freund von Rudy. Karl veröffentlichte mein erstes Album dann auf seinem gerade gegründeten Label DaHam, nachdem wir die Aufnahmen in Rudys Studio durch den Finalizer gejagt hatten. Als ich dann im Herbst 2000 das neue Album fertig hatte, gab ich Rudy dann eine CD-R mit den Tracks, sie gefiel ihm und deshalb kommt "feinde auf valium" nun auf Mental Ulcer Forges raus. Aus meiner Sicht könnte die Zusammenarbeit gar nicht besser sein, ich habe völlige künstlerische Freiheit, äußerst gute Konditionen und über Rudy hervorragende Kontakte zu einem extrem guten Vertrieb. Ich wüsste außerdem ehrlich gesagt zumindest in Deutschland kein anderes Label, zu dem f/a/v passen würde. Ich bin äußerst zufrieden und glücklich, dass alles bisher so gelaufen ist.

Welches Equipment verwendest Du? Etwa tatsächlich den im Booklet abgebildeten Amiga 500?

Zum Sequencen verwende ich einen Duron 600, auf dem ein Tracker (MadTracker 2.08) unter Windows 2000 läuft. Die Klangerzeugung übernehmen diverse Software-Synthesizer und zum (deutlich kleineren) Teil auch tatsächlich noch mein alter Amiga 500. Einige Rhythmusspuren spiele ich mit einem Roland SPD-11 Drumpad ein, meine Stimme nehme ich mit irgend einem billigen Shure-Micro auf. Klangbearbeitung, Effekte, Mastering etc. mache ich vor allem mit Cool Edit 2000. Seit kurzem habe auch einen "richtigen" Synthi, nämlich den hervorragenden Waldorf Micro Q.

Manche Deiner Stücke (z.B. "es brennt") klingen ziemlich Eighties- mäßig. Ist das in dieser Form von Dir intendiert oder ist es vielleicht als Folge des Equipments zu sehen?

Ja, das ist durchaus beabsichtigt. Ich mag viele Musikstile, die in den 80ern aktuell waren (auch wenn ich sie auf Grund meines Alters teilweise erst jetzt im Nachhinein richtig kennenlerne), z.B. manche NDW-Sachen, "guten alten" EBM, alten Gothic Rock und auch diesen typischen skandinavischen Amiga-Demo-Sound. Speziell bei "es brennt" ist es, glaube ich der Oktavbass, der ein bisschen Eighties-Feeling aufkommen lässt, da stehe ich einfach drauf.

Deine Songs sind ein wenig – nimm's mir nicht übel, ich meine das ganz positiv – wirr und hektisch. Ist sicher eine Menge Arbeit das zu programmieren – wie gehst Du üblicherweise vor?

Hmm, ich halte die meisten meiner Stücke sogar für ziemlich wirr und sehr hektisch. Ich nehme mir für die Programmierung viel Zeit und arbeite nur dann an einem Track, wenn ich in der entsprechenden Stimmung bin, da kann ein Song schon mal ein Jahr lang halbfertig auf meiner Festplatte rumliegen; aber zum Glück gibt es ja niemand, der mich in irgend einer Weise unter Druck setzt, insofern ist das kein Problem. Es gibt kein Muster nach dem ich vorgehe, manchmal fange ich mit einem Beat an, manchmal programmiere ich zuerst eine Fläche, manchmal existiert als erstes auch ein Slogan, ein Sprachsample oder eine Textstelle. Eines haben meine Lieder gemeinsam: den Gesang nehme ich sehr spontan und schnell auf, ich verwende fast immer die first takes.

In diesem Zusammenhang: Du arbeitest solo. Aus Überzeugung?

Ja. f/a/v ist ein sehr persönliches Projekt, ich will mich möglichst direkt und ehrlich ausdrücken. Es gibt ein paar Ausnahmen, z.B. habe ich auf "feinde auf valium" einen Text einer Bekannten vertont, und meine Freundin hat eine .. ähm .. Gesangsspur aufgenommen, aber alles in allem will ich möglichst Kontrolle über alles haben. Ich könnte mir durchaus vorstellen, mal zusammen mit jemand anderem Musik zu machen, dann aber unter anderem Namen.

Beabsichtigst Du, mit Deinem Material auch live aufzutreten und wenn ja, in welcher Form würdest Du das umsetzen (z.B. mit zusätzlichen Live-Musikern?)

Da bin ich hin- und hergerissen. Ich spiele sehr gerne live, und hab das mit f/a/v bisher vier mal getan (je zwei mal in Deutschland und in den USA). Die Musik kam vom DAT, und ich habe dazu gesungen. Für die Zuhörer ist das natürlich wenig spektakulär und interessant, deshalb werde ich es in dieser Form nicht mehr machen. Mit Live-Musikern ließe sich das Problem lösen, aber dann wäre es nicht mehr f/a/v, da (siehe oben) f/a/v alleine ich bin. Keine Ahnung, ob und wie ich aus diesem kleinen Dilemma rauskommen werde. Vielleicht irgendwann mal.

Welchen Stellenwert misst Du Deinen Texten bei? Woher nimmst Du die Inspirationen? Manches wird nur angedeutet, bleibt schemenhaft – stellenweise wird's aber auch konkreter. "juni" oder "beckstein" scheinen solche Fälle zu sein – und wer ist da eigentlich mit Onkel Ben gemeint, doch nicht etwa der Onkel Ben?

Meine Texte sind mir sehr wichtig; ich versuche, mit ihnen möglichst ungefiltert und direkt meine Gedanken auszudrücken, viele Textstellen kann daher wohl auch nur ich wirklich verstehen. Ich verwende viele Bilder und Anspielungen. Sprachlich versuche ich, meinen eigenen Weg zu gehen und Klischees zu vermeiden. Meine Inspirationen nehme ich aus der Welt, die mich umgibt: Gespräche und Diskussionen mit Freunden; Dinge, die mir passieren; Gesprächsfetzen, die ich irgendwo höre; Nachrichten; oder auch Gedanken, die ich mir allein in ruhiger Stunde mache. Die Textstelle mit Onkel Ben in "juni" ist ein gutes Beispiel, sie ist ein Wortspiel: Was macht Onkel Ben? Reis, auf englisch Rice. Und Uncle Ben's Rice ist mir lieber als Boyd Rice, womit wir wieder beim Thema des Liedes wären. Fand ich irgendwie lustig, und deshalb hab ich die Stelle verwendet.

Du äußerst Dich in den zuvor erwähnten Stücken ja zu politischen Dingen, indem Du etwa die Asylpolitik der CSU anprangerst. Aufgrund Deines Gesangsstils und der Verzerrung ist es jedoch für den Hörer sehr schwierig den kompletten Text zu verstehen. Wie denkst Du darüber?

Genau deshalb drucke ich meine Texte immer im Booklet ab, und auf meiner Homepage stehen englische Übersetzungen meiner Texte. Ich bin leider kein guter und schon gar kein deutlich artikulierender Sänger, und wie gesagt nehme ich den Gesang meist sehr schnell auf, und ich mag verzerrte Stimmen sehr gern. Aus all dem ergibt sich, dass die Texte schwer zu verstehen sind – ein Kompromiss, den ich eingehen muss.

Ich möchte gerne noch einmal auf "juni" zurück kommen. Hier wendest Du Dich gegen Künstler wie Douglas P. und Boyd Rice. Auch im Elektronik- und Industrialbereich gibt es ja dieses Phänomen, dass sich bestimmte Bands - aus möglicherweise unterschiedlichen Beweggründen – ein martialisches, militaristisches Image zulegen und teilweise auch einer bräunlichen Ästhetik frönen. Ist so etwas Deiner Meinung nach – selbst, wenn es, wie oft behauptet wird, "nur" aus Gründen der Provokation oder des industrialtypischen "shock values" heraus geschieht – überhaupt zu vertreten?

"juni" ist zunächst einmal keine differenzierte argumentative Auseinandersetzung mit dem Thema, sondern ein Song aus dem Bauch heraus, mit dem ich auf ironische und möglichst bösartige Weise meine Wut über eben diese bräunlichen Tendenzen rauskotzen wollte. Setzt man sich weitergehend mit dem Thema auseinander, so muss man sich natürlich genauer mit der Materie und den beteiligten Personen auseinandersetzen, da kommt man mit "Sind doch eh alle Nazis" nicht weiter. Man kommt dann schnell vom Hundertsten ins Tausendste, und jeder einzelne kommt nicht umhin, sich selbst zu informieren und eine Meinung zu bilden. Meine Meinung: Provokation mit "fragwürdigen" Symbolen halte ich für billig, den Opfern des Nationalsozialismus gegenüber für ehrabschneidend, hässlich und längst überholt. Sid Vicious trat schon in den 70ern mit Hakenkreuz-Shirt auf, damit sollte die Sache auch schon erledigt sein. National-konservatives und "völkisches" Gedankengut ist in Zeiten der Globalisierung und weltweiten Vernetzung unmodern und unpatriotisch (man bedenke: gerade die Deutschen litten am meisten unter sich besonders national gebärdenden Regierungen), rassistische und sozialdarwinistische Inhalte sind unzivilisiert. Wenn die hunderttausendste Techno-EBM-Band mit Militär-Image daherkommt, so liegt das wohl vor allem daran, dass den Jungs nichts Besseres eingefallen ist, mir gefällt's nicht. In manchen Fällen (ich denke da z.B. an Haus Arafna) mag die Auseinandersetzung mit diesem Themenkomplex statthaft sein, meistens ist sie es nicht. Soweit meine Meinung. Wer heutzutage provozieren will, sollte sich zuerst Bands wie Mutter, Max Müller oder Kommando Sonnenmilch anhören. Die sind provokanter und verstörender als alle Tesco-Bands und Hitler-Samples zusammen. Und außerdem noch amüsant.

Und jetzt unsere geliebte Psycho-Ecke: bitte antworte auf die folgenden Stichworte nur mit einem kurzen Satz:

Lieblings-Webseite

www.heise.de . Vielseitig, informativ, unabhängig, und die wollen einem nichts verkaufen außer der c't.

Rentnerbunker

Da wohne ich, eigentlich schade.

Blixa Bargeld

Über Ihn persönlich weiß ich nicht viel, aber ich liebe die Musik der Neubauten.

Big Brother

Interessiert mich nicht, aber John de Mol ist ein zynisches Genie.

Christoph Schlingensief

Gut, dass es ihn gibt, er hat nach wie vor gute Ideen, wird aber wohl auch irgendwann langweilig.

Preußen

Mag damals seine guten Seiten gehabt haben, aber 80 % des Steueraufkommens für's Militär auszugeben ist schon eine echt bescheuerte Idee.

Das Bonbon habe ich mir bis zum Schluss aufgespart. Du hast jetzt die unwiederbringliche Chance exklusiv bei uns zu enthüllen, wofür eigentlich f/a/v steht. Irgendwer hat behauptet, es sei die Abkürzung für "fucking and vomiting"?

Ja, stimmt. Auf die Idee kam ich durch das Drama "Fucking and Shopping" von Sarah Kane und durch eine einschlägige japanische Website. Auf jedem Album wird's aber eine alternative Bedeutung für f/a/v geben, z.B. "feinde auf valium". Die Idee hab ich natürlich von SPK geklaut.

Interview: Rainer Metz

last sigh:

Last Sigh: The word is out that Germany is a hotbed for electronic/ experimental/industrial music which has brought us bands in the past such as "Wumpscut", "B-TON-K", "Yelworc", "Noisex", "P.A.L.", to name a few. There are many influences for the harsher noise/power-percussion/ industrial and experimental types of music in Germany, and more specifically where you live in Bavaria. How have these people/musicians/ bands/friends in Germany influenced you in your own music creativity? Do you get together and discuss "music", writing/ composing/gear, i.e. networking with each other about these things?

Mike: I don't really know in what way the bands you mentioned work together, but as far as I know they really work alone and have their own approach to music. I wouldn't call it a network in the sense of discussing about musical ideas, but some of the Bavarian industrialists help out each other with gear and knowledge on the "music business" I suppose. I never was part of these nets, simply cause I lived in a very small town and never met those people until 2 years ago. Since I have released "Miscellaneous" I meet more and more other musicians. I wouldn't say I'm influenced by them much, but some of them (especially Karl/b-ton-k and Rudy/ :Wumpscut:) helped me very much.

Last Sigh: Did you find it difficult to start up with your own band/music and put out a CD there, or was it a natural type of process perhaps due to the resources in your life in Bavaria, that is, does your networking with friends and other musicians where you live tend to be a big influence for you? Can you tell us what the name "FAV" stands for, and how you came to use the name?

Mike: Putting out the CD was very easy for me, because I had more luck than I deserve. I composed some songs and burned a demo version of a full length CD on CD-r and gave some copies of it to some people and magazines. One of those people was Karl [B-Ton-K, Daham Recordings], and he signed me to his label. That's the story. I just had luck. In the U.S. for example I guess I would have had much more difficulty releasing anything I guess. f a v is short for fucking and vomiting. I saw this phrase on a Japanese website I "accidentally" browsed to some years ago ;) ... and there is a drama by Sarah Kane called "Fucking and Shopping" that confirmed my opinion that f a v is a good name :) . Hmm, I see that some people may think that I chose this name because it may sound "hard" and repulsive, but it's not like this. See the name with a smile ;)...

Last Sigh: Is there any type of creative process you use when you compose your music or does it just flow spontaneously for you? What else influences you in your composing and music content, that is, people, bands, ideas or philosophy, film perhaps? Do you sample things from the immediate world around you? If so, what things do you sample? Radio, the city street life, other music on CD or vinyl? Is your music exclusively done with computers and synths or are there elements of it created with *organic* or non-electronic instruments? Again, if so, what do you use? Do you play other instruments other than synths/keyboards/ electronic based machines?

Mike: There is no "routine" in my work. I always just play around with musical elements and see what fits together. There is a lot of "trial and error" in my music. Sometimes I start with a beat, sometimes with a sample, and sometimes with the lyrics and then see how the song evolves. The speech samples I use are usually taken from t.v. or radio. There are no other bands/musicians that influence me in the sense that I try to copy them, but all the music I listen to does have an impact on my output in a way I guess. If I had to name the bands that influenced me the most, I would say Einstürzende Neubauten, Nine Inch Nails and ea80 (a German punk band). Apart from my voice, my music is 100 % electronic. Nearly everything is sequenced, only some drum sequences in newer songs were recorded "live" with a drumpad, but also these parts are looped and/or manipulated after being recorded.

Last Sigh: On your premiere release, "Miscellaneous" [1999, Daham Recordings], track listings are in German, as are most of the lyrics on the CD cover, as well as performed in German vocals on the release. Can you give us, [those of us who can't read or understand the German Language], a short overview of what you are presenting to the public in terms of the messages within your music lyrically speaking? How would you describe your music to those who haven't yet heard it?

Mike: My lyrics are quite weird and full of allusions. I guess also most Germans don't know what I want to say with my lyrics, so don't worry ;) .. well, I actually tried to translate them into English and put them on my website... hmmm, some of the topics I deal with in my lyrics are sloth ("Leiche"), right wing politicians ("Das Reservat", "Abschieber"), children who meet in the sand-pit and later found a factory of arms ("h/k"), incapacity of Bavarian policemen to speak properly ("Wir Bekennen"), yuppies who jump out of windows ("Warten"), self-pity ("Selection Bias") and many more :). My music is hard, hectic and electronic, something between industrial, e.b.m., breakbeat and punk I guess. The rhythms I create are complex, the melodies are simple and I try to avoid stereotypes, both musically and regarding the lyrics.

Last Sigh: How long have you been toying around with the idea of composing music? Was music a big part of your family life while growing up? Do you have any formal training in music, if so, when, where and what did/do you study?

Mike: My parents bought me a drum set when I was 15, and I immediately started playing in several punk and hardcore/crossover bands with some friends. I also took lessons in drums, (funk drumming mainly), for about 2 years. My parents and my sister don't play any instruments, but they tolerated me making noise in my room. When I was 15, I also got my amiga 500 and started making sound with it, first using Aegis Sonix, later using a tracker called MEd. I continued working with trackers when I got my first pentium machine, and it's still the same more or less now.

Last Sigh: What music do you listen to on an average day in your life? What was the last film you saw and the last non-university related book you read?

Mike: I like listening to good punk music (ea80, Boxhamsters, Babes In Toyland, Dackelblut, l7 etc.), especially when I get up at noon :). Then there are some weird electronic CDs, like Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Kybernaut, Hanzel Und Gretyl, harsh industrial, (Winterkälte, Needle Sharing, Imminent Starvation, Noisex...) and some electronic music I wouldn't consider as industrial, like Numb, Wumpscut, Nine Inch Nails, Cubanate, Rx etc... Sometimes I also listen to good dance music (Prodigy, Fluke), and I also love Ministry and Einstürende Neubauten of course. I saw many good movies in the last months, for example: Very Bad Things, Pi, Wisdom Of Crocodiles and Heart. I hardly read non-university related books (and also hardly university-related ones :) ), the last one I read was "Die Verlorene Ehre Der Katharina Blum" by Heinrich Böll, but that also was several months ago...

Last Sigh: You are currently studying in a University. What subjects are you leaning towards in your college career?

Mike: I study psychology, and I will have something with computers as a second subject soon. I don't have big plans what I will work as when I finished studying, maybe something like web- or multimedia design. We'll see.

Last Sigh: Your web site is over at Insania.com. Do you build it yourself? How did you hook up with Patzblue at Insania? Do you have any MP3s on your web site people can download to hear your work? What is the web address for them?

Mike: I built and maintain my website myself. I met Patze Blue once in late summer 1998 when he visited Germany and stayed at Karl's place. At this time I had my homepage on one of those slow but free tripod.com servers. Later I mailed Patze if he could put my page on Insania and he did it :) ... some mp3s can be found on my site, another one is here.

Last Sigh: If you could delete/remove one idea, dogma, event or philosophy from our civilization's history, what would that be and why would you omit it? What do you think the future has to hold for the human race in terms of our evolution? Are you at all worried about the upcoming Y2K/new millenium problems in terms of computer shut down/malfunctions? Germany is a leader in the industrial global export consumer arena. Does Germany seem to be Y2K compliant, or aren't you keeping up on the issue?

Mike: If I could, I would delete racism and intolerant religions that claim to be the only "true" one out of history. They cause war, hate and are an obstacle for the progress of mankind. What will the future bring? On the long run humans surely will destroy themselves and vast parts of the earth, but some life forms will survive and something new will evolve. That's a natural process and doesn't really worry me much. I'm more frightened of the possibility that my children may have to grow up in a world that is full of wars between those who have all and those who have nothing. This can be between people from first and third worlds, between rich and poor people in the cities, etc. as long as some cigarette slot-machines in my area will work on Jan. 1st 2000, I'm not much worried about y2k :). I don't care about that much. I won't fly at this day anyway, and if there should be no electricity for some hours or days, I know how to spend my time without. I don't have money at my bank, only debts, so if they'd set my bank account to zero, that wouldn't be really a problem for me :) . I don't really know if Germany is prepared for y2k, I guess the big companies and governmental organizations are more or less [prepared].

Last Sigh: Would you like to share your thoughts or give us any information on the anti-fascism movement in Germany or in the area in which you live?

Mike: It's all about one question : Is the use of violence adequate for struggling against the fascists? This question divides the German anti-fascist "movement" (I wouldn't call it like that, it's not so many people) into two parts. I used to sympathize with and support the militant part for some time, but in the last years I saw that I am absolutely not the guy that likes planning riots against 16 year old stupid assholes. And the militant part also makes big mistakes, sometimes they act like their opponent is the police and not the nazis. Not that I like the police very much, but at least they don't beat up refugees in the streets (ok, sometimes they do...).

Last Sigh: How do you feel about MP3 technology in it's wide use in the music business? Do you think labels are *leery* of it in terms of sales dropping due to the 'pirating' of music, and at times entire CDs into people's music collections? Or do you feel MP3 technology is an overall benefit to the music industry? How would you feel if you knew I was encoding your entire CD contents and giving it to 100s of people on the Internet for free without your knowing?

Mike: The music industry sucks ass. First they flood the market with casted boy groups and dance floor projects nobody can identify with and really wants to hear more than the one chart breaker they have [heard] of, then they ignore and later try to fight technological innovations like mp3, and then they are surprised that the sales drop a few percent. In the near future, mp3 may be a real threat to famous artists and the big labels. But who cares if Michael Jackson sells one million copies of his next album less than of the last one? I don't. For the music I like and produce mp3s that are good, it's free promotion, [as] if the tracks were played in the radio. I don't think that good labels like Ant-Zen, Hands, Warp, Digital Hardcore Recordings etc. sell less than they could because of mp3, because the people that really like the music want to own the whole CD/record, not only some files on their harddisc. If you would sell mp3s of me to people, I'd say :"Pass obacht ! A fotzn is schnella gfangt wia a wurschtsemme !!" (<-- and this is not very friendly :) ). If you'd give it to hundreds of people for free, I'd ask your phone company if we could make a deal :) ...

Last Sigh: Can you give your "gear list?" If you could purchase any instruments you currently don't have to create your music, what would you purchase and why?

Mike: I hardly have any gear. I have an Amiga 500, an AMD K6-2 machine with awe 32 soundcard and some software, and I got a Roland spd 11 drumpad recently, that's it. I am used to working with this equipment very much, so I don't really plan to buy more. If I could choose something from a music store, I'd get the Clavia Nord Micro Modular, a new soundcard with digital i/o and a dat recorder, so that I wouldn't have to change my production methods much. The way I work now gives me a very high level of flexibility, everything works and I can use any sound I like.

Last Sigh: What are you currently working on with your music? What can we expect from you in the future with your music? Are you leaning towards a change in sound or direction from "Miscellaneous" or are you staying with the same style/type of music on the next release?

Mike: Currently I'm working on the Daham, Incest Remix" of a track from Puls/ b-ton-k and on new tracks for the next album (about the half is done already). If I keep up my current speed in producing, the next album should be done in early next year [2000]. Like on "Miscellaneous", there will be harsh tracks and softer ones on it, electronic sounds and noise, fast beats and simple melodies. I think it will be at least as diverse as "Miscellaneous", maybe a bit harder over all.

Last Sigh: Will you be playing live anywhere in the future? If so, where would that be and when? Can you give us a URL to those events for reference?

Mike: I will do two live performances in California, one at Das Bunker, Los Angeles, ( http://www.dasbunker.com ) on September 3rd and one at Club Dekonstrukt, San Francisco ( http://www.dekonstrukt.net ) on September 5th in San Francisco. Savak, a side project of Holocaust Theory will be the main act, and Mikael Orgillon (ex-Death Industry) will support me on stage at both concerts. There are also plans for some concerts in Germany together with Noisex and Infact, but nothing is confirmed yet. I will post news regarding [future] live performances on my homepage.

Last Sigh: Thanks for taking the time to share your ideas and life with us and those who read Last Sigh Magazine. Is there anything else you would like to share with us? Any words of wisdom you have gained over the years, or advice to other musicians?

Mike: I don't want to give anyone advice. To young musicians I would say: Be honest and don't try to copy anyone. it's wasted effort. Thanks for the interview Kim !

the industrial bible :

IB:  Where did you come up with the name F A V?

F/A/V:  f a v is short for "fucking and vomiting". I once read this 
        on a Japanese website and liked the phrase.  When i noticed that 
        there is a drama by Sarah Kane called "Fucking and Shopping", i 
        liked it even more.  The name doesn't have a special meaning to 
        me, it's just a name.

IB:  Was this the title that you always recorded under or was this 
     something you decided on prior to releasing Miscellaneous?

F/A/V: I use this name now for about two years.  It is the first "official" 
       band name i use, so i never released anything under another name 
       before.

IB:  Was your remix of Totmacher you first official exposure to the general 
     public or was Miscellaneous released before that?

F/A/V:  Miscellaneous was officially released in February 99, about a month 
        before the Totmacher DCD.

IB:  How has the fedback from both the album and the remix been?

F/A/V:  I didn't get much feedback for the Totmacher remix yet.  The reviews 
        understandably deal more with the remixes of the more famous bands 
        like VNV Nation, SC, etc. but the reactions on the Miscellaneous album 
        were suprisingly positive, especially the reviews in ezines.

IB:  Do you find that you get more positive feedback fro the US or from Europe?

F/A/V:  I get much more feedback from the U.S. and Canada then from Germany 
        or the rest of europe.  Don't ask me why...  Americans seem to have a 
        preference for German industrial music ;).  As far as i know the label 
        even sells more copies of the CD in foreign countries than in Germany.

IB:  I have heard it mentioned in the past that the European focus on electro / 
     industral music seems to lean more towards the less aggressive / less 
     harsh side.  Being that F A V is extremely hard and abrasive, do you think 
     you'll have trouble getting F A V the recognition it deserves in Europe? 
     Also, seeing as how you get more feedback from North America, is there any 
     possibility that Miscelleneous will get distributed on a label over here?

F/A/V:  There still are many people in Europe that like very harsh music, but 
        in fact the so-called "scene" seems to tend to listen to bands like 
        Wolfsheim, Project Pitchfork, etc. more and more.  Some of these bands 
        also play headliners on really big festivals, get much airplay in radio 
        and tv etc.  I never anticipated having big success with my music, and 
        I don't make music for fame or money, but just for expressing myself 
        and having fun.  Finding a distributor in America seems to be quite 
        difficult.  Daham Recordings is a very small label and it just started, 
        so we have to wait and see what comes in the future.  By the way, i 
        don't consider my sound as extremely harsh...

IB:  When I say 'harsh" I mean in comparison to some of the bands (Wolfsheim, 
     etc.) that you mentioned.  I would almost catagorize your sound in the same 
     genre as Suicide Commando and Wumpscut.  You don't see your music as being 
     (somewhat) in that same style?  In general though it is rather difficult to 
     'pin down' a particular style that would best describe F A V.  How would you 
     describe your sound to someone who is entirely unfamilar with it?  Who might 
     you compare F A V's sound to?

F/A/V:  I know it sounds stupid, but I really don't know a category for my music... 
        I don't have idols I try to copy, but there are bands that influence my 
        output.  I'd decribe my tracks as hectic and agressive electronic music that 
        combines elements of industrial/noise, breakbeat, punk and old-school e.b.m.
        being compared to sc or :Wumpscut: honours me, but I don't think we fit in 
        the same genre...

IB:  I think that it might be the 'hectic' side to F A V that would attract people 
     who do enjoy SC and :W: to your sound.  As you mentioned, there are so many 
     different lements within your music.  A few years ago it would have been nearly 
     impossible to imagine that someone could combine elements such as break-beat, 
     noise, etc into one single piece of music, yet you seem to pull it off 
     wonderfully.  How difficult is it to combine them all and still me the piece 
     sound smooth?  Do you spend a lot of time manipulating each piece to make it 
     come out exactly as you want it to?

F/A/V:  I don't think that combining these elements is difficult.  You just have to 
        be open-minded and you may see that they fit together very well.but you 
        are right, when composing complex rhythmical structures mixed with 
        noise-loops, some melody and distorted vocals, you have to spend much 
        time on the mixing, but it's worth the labour.  Of course it would be 
        easier to use a sampler and the standard sampling cds, create 
        four-to-the-floor dancefloor e.b.m. tracks and try to sound like a band 
        that tries to sound like a copy of a band that pretends to be old Front 
        242, but that's not what i want.

IB:  ..and we're glad....there are enough 242 clones already.  Where do you get 
     your ideas (both musically and lyrically) from?

F/A/V:  Most of my lyrics are aggressive, negative and accusing, some contain 
        left-wing political statements.  I get the ideas for them from the news and 
        from what happens around me.  I usually write them down and record them very 
        spontanously.  For my music there is no standard production script.  Sometimes 
        I just play around with the computer and get an idea, sometimes a melody or 
        beat evolves in my head and I translate it into music.

IB:  Have you ever played live?

F/A/V:  I had two small live performances in my area, but I don't have a 
        real concept for that.  The way i produce my music makes it nearly 
        impossible to reproduce it live, so I just had a cd player for the 
        playback and shouted the vocals.  In the future i'd like to do more 
        concerts, and then I'll also do some live drumming.

IB:  Of the concerts you did perform, how was the general crowd reaction?  
     Were you opening for another band, or playing solo?

F/A/V:  In both concerts I performed before Grotesk, the project of a close 
        friend.  To say there was a crowd would be to exaggerate ;)... There 
        were about 50 visitors at the first performance and about 100 at the 
        second one... but the reactions were quite positive (at least the 
        ones of the people who talked to me afterwards ;) ).  My 
        stage-effect seemed to be quite harsh.

IB:  Ha!  Judging from your music I can see how that might be.  Is there 
     any chance that you'll team up with B-TON-K for a show in the future?  
     How about a collaboration?  Any prospect of that ever happening?

F/A/V:  Hmmm.... I never talked to Karl about a collaboration (and i am wondering 
        why i didn't right now.... ;) ).  I think this might be possible in the 
        future, but as much as I know B-TON-K never performed live and doesn't 
        have much ambition to do so, but maybe I'm wrong...

IB:  Have you ever thought about collaborating with anyone?  If you had your choice, 
     who would you love to get together with and work out a few tracks?

F/A/V:  I'd like to do a collaboration with a Kybernaut, a close friend (out on 
        Flyco/Ant-Zen).  He makes some REALLY weird breakbeat stuff.  We have talked 
        about it, and maybe we'll do something together one day... and if i could 
        choose anyone, I'd love to have a track remixed by Aphex Twin, Daniel Myer 
        and Winterkälte.

IB:  Have you always been a fan of break-beat?

F/A/V:  No, I must admit that I learned to love this style very late, when the 
        big jungle/breakbeat/drum'n'bass hype was nearly over.

IB:  Well, seeing as how that style is still gaining popularity in the states, 
     that may be why you're getting such positive feedback from us!  Are you 
     currently working on new material?

F/A/V:  Yes, I'm working on new tracks and the artwork for a new album.  I think 
        it will be called Tote Männer/Kranke Frauen (dead women/sick men) and 
        should be done in about half a year.

IB:  Will that be released on Daham as well?

F/A/V:  I haven't talked to Karl about that yet, but if he likes the new material, 
        I'd love to release on Daham again.

IB:  So I take it that your happy with Daham?  How good is the distributiuon of 
     Miscellaneous?

F/A/V:  There is no better label on this planet than Daham.  Considering that 
        I was absolutely unknown before the release of Miscellaneous i am much more 
        than content with the albums distribution and the work Daham and NovaTekk do 
        for me.

IB:  Just out of curiosity, what was the track that was omitted from Miscellaneous 
     that was on your self-released demo of the album?

F/A/V:  There were four tracks on the demo-cdr i didn't put on the Daham release 
        (Every Day Industry, Curfew, Der Kleine Tod and a lousy cover version 
        of Einstürzende Neubauten's Z.N.S.).  In return I added H/K, Selection 
        Bias and Fucking and Vomiting.  So these tracks are the newest ones on the 
        album.

IB:  Will these 'lost tracks' ever see the light of day?

F/A/V:  Hmmmm.... maybe.  Maybe I'll work on them again and release them one day, or 
        maybe I'll just put them on my page as mp3s.

IB:  How does the sound of your newer pieces compare to the tracks on Miscellaneous?

F/A/V:  I can't tell yet.  The tracks I have finished yet tend to be a bit harder than 
        the older ones, and the lyrics are better ;).  Leiche, the track on the 
        Rohstoff compilation is one of them, but not a typical one.

IB:  Have you yourself attempted to contact any US labels about getting some FAV 
     tracks released on compilaitons?

F/A/V:  No, i haven't done so yet.  I don't want to intrude.  If someone wants a track 
        for a compilation, he just needs to mail me and we can talk about it.

IB:  I was surprised to receive the 3 promos i did from Daham.  How is their 
     servicing?  Have they sent out a lot of CDs to reviewers / DJs, etc.?

F/A/V:  Karl did all that.  I know very little about the label's servicing, but it 
        looks to me that they sent many promos to Internet media.

IB:  . What does the future hold for FAV?

F/A/V:  I don't know what the future brings... i guess i will just produce some 
        more tracks and maybe some remixes and be quite happy ;). i never make big 
        plans, i live day by day.

IB:  Any final / witty comments?

F/A/V:  Support your local scene! and of course: thanks for the interview 8] !!