TWF MAGAZINE INTERVIEW
FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT - DATED 01/05/2006
1) Gosh, it's been a while since the last release - what have you been doing in this time?
Andrew: Drinking champagne and flying around in gold plated helicopters. Not really, we've been living our lives holed up in David's laboratory conducting evil sound experiments and working on our new album. It took a bit longer than expected, but is all the better for it. Once you hear it you'll know why! We're not lazy, just perfectionists. Every track is sonically original in it's own way and had to be just right.
David: Creating the music of Freudstein is time consuming, successful songs must be allowed to grow and mature. We have been experimenting with song writing, production techniques and synthesis to make sure our new album is a major advancement from our first.
2) And wasn't 'Mass Market Misery' supposed to be out in 2004 ;) ?
Andrew: Like all good bands we love going over our budget, studio time and deadlines. Next time we'll try and outdo Brian Wilson's 20 years in the studio to complete 'Pet Sounds'. I know we can do it if we really try. Might break the label, though.
David: It is worth the wait. There is also plenty more material written since then that is not on Mass Market Misery that will be coming your way soon...
3) OK - Enough taunting about the absence... on to the actual release... we'll start at the beginning, can you explain more about 'Return to the Old Forest' and the influences and ideas that went into that?
Andrew: We're both very much influenced by horror films and horror film soundtracks. Return To The Old Forest is the sound of us luring the listener into the forest and the cinematic world of Freudstein. Visually I've always thought of that song as an alternative track to the opening scene from the Dario Argento film Suspira. The forest is also a good metaphor for being lost in the wilderness with just the dark and our fears to keep us company. As an opener it makes sense in the fact the album comes full circle, like a Mobius Strip and after one listen your back in the forest where you began. There's no escape.
David: Imagine the start of your journey into the album... the crooked trees grabbing at your clothes as you push your way through the undergrowth. What awaits you? The mood is reminiscent of a soundtrack, but it is not time yet for the full on horror that awaits. You must be drawn in before your punishment begins! We were once reviewed as 'I don't know whether to dance or kill myself'... this track plays on the sounds of different genres blended together to introduce the listener to the wide variety of sounds and styles they can expect to hear. Is the album going to be dancey, heavy, atmospheric..?
4) I'll admit, I don't own a copy of 'Mondo Freudo' - some of the readers might, some might not - for those that do - how would you explain the main differences and developments between the two albums?
Andrew: Mondo Freudo was the sound of Freudstein coming to life. It's pretty dark and eclectic in it's disregard for any one genre style and has everything from cold wave to dark wave to punk and techno with us and a variety of guest singers. Whereas with Mass Market Misery we intentionally set out to create something more cohesive, more conceptual, more horrific. This is the perfect meld of one sound and our personalities - no more guest singers! We both sing on this and give a voice to our emotional and political worlds. I guess it's a kind of awakening from the world of 'Mondo Freudo' that we're now stuck in the real world and it's a pretty scary place to be. Especially inside our heads.
David: Mondo Freudo was us doing whatever the fuck we wanted... as is Mass Market Misery. The main difference is on our 2nd album we have tried to build on what we see as the success of the first album. We are very conscious that we are to avoid getting 'one sound' like so many bands out there, but also felt we needed more focus for the second album. We have concentrated on trying to make all the songs 'A' sides if you will. All the songs have been played live for quite a while, and have had time to grow. I have been learning a lot about production and engineering. Everything has been taken to the next level from the song writing to the intricate levels of the production.
5) Also, what influenced the decision for a sequel to 'Filthy Little Whore'?
David: The Filthy Little Whore songs are a trilogy based on a vivid dream I had many years ago. The moment I woke up I knew I had to keep the memory of the wretched main character alive somehow... how better than in music.
I saw her lying in an asylum bed surrounded by flames. She showed me what had happened to her within the flames, within the body of an impaled infant turning on a spit. No joke... the scene was hallucinogenic in the extreme, the flames were burning all colours and the room was rotating. I have always had vivid and horrific dreams... this one was more like a communication from someone, maybe from hell.
Her name is Emily and she was around 20 years old in the dream... if you have heard 'Filthy Little Whore Pt 1' on Mondo Freudo you will know the relationship with her parents was not good as a child. Part 1 tries to make you understand where she came from. The song was sung by a friend's daughter for us and we had problems convincing her parents about her performing the dark lyrics, but I don't think there was any lasting damage.
In 'Filthy Whore Part 2' you will learn about what happened after the ghastly incident in part one, and where she ended up. I hope you will feel some of the horror of her situation. The spoken intro was recorded by 'The Bat' from Poland, I think his accent is beyond belief for this narration. I really hope people see the black humor in the 'Filthy Little Whore' trilogy... All my favorite music borders on over the top... its a fine line to tread. Part 3 will be the most horrific of all...
6) And, how would you best describe the heart of the album, the 'Robots' trilogy?
Andrew: Robots is a tirade against the institutions that remain unquestioned and bind us to a life of servitude. Just look where it's got us - our reliance on politicians, capitalism and fading carbon fuels is set to cast us into a hell of our own making. Some 50 years ago Charles Darwin predicted this but no-one listened, saying "the fifth revolution will come when we have spent the stores of coal and oil that have been accumulating in the earth during hundreds of millions of years...". It's happening, fact. But who knows maybe people will take a stand against their own countries fighting over the remaining scraps of world resources and reclaim their lives and their rightful world. We'll see...
David: When people say 'don't be political' I find that ridiculous. Everything is political... being 'non political' is the most political position anyone can take! Politics has been hijacked and deliberately turned into something that turns people off. You are not meant to be interested in it. What we have in England is a very serious situation where there is no longer any difference in the main political parties... we might as well be living in a fascist one party state. Everything is run by the corporations, political parties are now just there to give the illusion of democracy. We are living in what has been termed 'a necessary illusion'.
The robots trilogy is trying to shake people up and wake them from their apathy. Our official role in society is that of a slave. Work - Consume - Die. That's it. You are nothing more than a robot. I say FUCK THAT. I want to be alive, a human being. Every day I walk down the street and I feel sick inside, if this is the best way of living humanity can manage we might as well just commit mass suicide. 90% of everything you see and read is pure bullshit. It takes a great personal effort to take the time to really think about how the world is run and in whose interest. Everyone wants the easy life and ignores the facts staring them in the face. War is normal, not some terrible event that 'has' to happen every now and again. Starvation of millions is fine... that is the system we live in. It is YOUR system. The only question you need to ask is what are YOU going to do about changing it?
7) And is 'Sister Sleaze' about anybody in particular?
David: I will let Andrew answer that.
Andrew: I'm not at liberty to answer that - the names have been changed to protect the innocent! But, let's just say Sister Sleaze was written firmly tongue in cheek and was never have meant to have left my bedroom, er, I mean, studio. I like to think of the song as our answer to Sex Dwarf by Soft Cell. I guess it's like a lot of personal things that by being in a band, people get to hear it by default.
8) Being a journalist I'm lazy enough to ask, is there any other tracks on the album you'd particularly like to talk about? If so, tell us about them!
Andrew : A lot of the tracks are far more personal than on Mondo Freudo, and I think that reflects how much more comfortable we've become as writers and performers. With the first album we hid behind guest singers for the most part, which made it feel more like a collective. This time it's just us and is all the darker and more aggressive for it.
David: There is not much joy on this album. There is much dark humour, but not much uplifting glow stick waving happy faces. I suggest your readers buy it from our web site www.freudstin.co.uk and write to us with their opinions :)
9) Unless I'm mistaken you recently played your first gig of 2006, what was that like?
Andrew: Pretty destructive. It was in our home town, Brighton. At every gig We try and push the genre boundaries a little with new songs, mixing dance stuff next to heavy guitar stuff. Each set is so wildly different, with each of us swapping instruments and vocal duties that people really get their money's worth! There aren't a lot of bands out there daring to challenge the audience and themselves. Most bands just have a slightly different guitar tone and the 'right' clothes and forget about the music.
David: Good fun! I even got to give out some horror DVD's in the 'interval'. Our gigs are always fun, we want to try to enjoy ourselves even more than the audience. Sometimes we might get a bit carried away... I think I ended up reading 1984 over industrial noises on the spur of the moment... strange things can happen. I always try to involve the audience, but I went a bit far trying to tie up Psychophile with the mic cable mid song. Got a telling off...
10) Now you've got MMM out, what are your plans for the remainder of 2006?
Andrew: To go into therapy and rehab at least twice. But no, seriously, we want to get the music out there and for people to hear why we've spent so long making it. Most bands never get past the 'difficult' second album and fold, but we've done it and we're here to stay. Look out for us on the live circuit and festivals.
David: World domination. We are appearing in some big Japanese and US magazines, along with a new Polish radio show in the very near future. We will attempt to play as many gigs as possible in as many far away places as we can.
We also have a remix and out-takes album nearly ready to release. It features remixes we have done of other bands inc Swarf & Chaos Engine. It also has some amazing remixes of tracks from Mass Market Misery by some really great bands.
11) Obviously I like the release, but how do you think the rest of the scene will receive it, especially after such a lengthly absence from recorded material?
Andrew: As for the 'scene', we've never really been about fitting in, our music is too varied. We're not part of the cheesy EBM thing, thank god, so at least we're not trying to make music by numbers – an Ibiza beat with cheap synths and pseudo angry vocals about nothing!...Every new band sounds the same and it's all so emotionally detached and fake. Someone should put it out of it's misery - Mass Market Misery, a case in point! I rest my case.
David: All the best albums take a long time to record. I think their heads will explode with joy at how original and musical it is. Whatever anyone says, this album is like no other I have heard.
12) And do you expect any invitations for big events from it?
Andrew: Yes, we're really excited about people and promoters hearing the new Freudstein material. So, the ride has only just begun.
David: Yes, but we have nothing confirmed as of yet. Keep an eye on our web site for more details.
13) I understand there was a few decisions about which label to release this record on - how did you decide which one to release it on in the end?
David: Our old friends at Wasp Factory made us an offer that made a lot of sense. We are also going to be using our own web site as a centre of promotion from now on, and have a members area that you can log on to for rare and special tracks.
14) Anything else to add...?
Andrew: Yeah, do whatever you can to listen to the truth behind media 'events' and ask yourself who benefits and why? I mean the media bombardment people pay for every day with their so-called lifestyles in the pursuit of empty values that have had their day. For example, the combustion engine was invented 100 years ago and they're trying to sell me it just because the aesthetics are 'sexy' (isn't everything in advertising) that it's still 'new'. A bit like those car adverts that show people driving through the countryside, enjoying it, when really they're the fucking problem. They're the one's killing it. Oh, these heady days of double-think would make Orwell weep.
People should open their eyes and take a long hard look at the world they've accepted and be ashamed. It's time for change. Go out there and find out things for yourself and see what's really happening, see what information you haven't been told: the internet is a good place to start and documentaries such as 'The Corporation', and 'End Of Suburbia' are required viewing. Don't tell us we didn't warn you in 5 years when we're all on the precipice and there's no turning back.
David: The next time you go to an 'alternative' club night, if you hear a new tune the DJ is playing, don't run to the bar. Stay and listen... if there is to be new energy in 'the scene' it is going to take new bands and new sounds... not the fucking sisters of mercy temple of love for the millionth time.
The world is a very dark place at the moment, but try to keep a sense of humour or you may go insane. It is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. Don't be afraid to face the truth, and question everything.