Recently Alec Empire found some time away from his hectic schedule to be interrogated by Matt Bleak / NTR about the early days of Digital Hardcore / Breakcore, his thoughts on the current Breakcore scene and also about recent projects of his! So, Without further ado...
NTR : Hey Alec, thanx heaps for taking the time to do this interview!
First of all, the early days of DHC (Digital Hardcore)..it seems like there were a lot of similar things going on in different parts of the world at the very same time. We had Bloody Fist in this country and there was DHC in Germany and stuff going on in other parts of the globe also. So who got in on it first? A lot of people can't seem to agree on where what we now know as breakcore originated...did you invent breakcore? Or was it just a global phenomenon that simultaneously started in various parts of the world?
AE: Breakcore was done first by us. Clearly...We made the decision in the winter 1991/92 to step away from Techno and speed up breakbeats up to 170 BPM. Another goal was to push the limits in terms of programming those rhythms. The crazier the better. For us it was a political thing because the 4 to the floor bass drum became a symbol for mainstream dance music and was absorbed by the neo nazi movement. They started using techno to make their ideas seem more modern and get kids interested in fascism. They even declared techno as the 'true German music' which of course is stupid but in this environment we had to distance ourselves. So we wanted to use breakbeats which were rooted in Afro-American funk music in the late 60ties and 70ties. Also they symbolized the civil rights music and radical political groups like the Black Panthers. We believed that music can carry a lot of hidden information and it has a political effect on people's minds, the way they think. The Berlin based sound system 'Bass Terror' did the first raves with this style of music. Empty warehouse spaces, run down houses in the former East of Berlin. Force Inc Records in Frankfurt pushed the sound. First Breakcore record came out in Spring 1992 "Alec Empire - SuEcide Pt.1", some people say that "Alec Empire - Yobot EP" was the first, it came out a few months earlier...in my opinion this EP demonstrates the step into that direction and it is somewhere in between hardcore breakbeat, Detroit techno and breakcore. Atari Teenage Riot played a lot of music in that direction live, but the first record was released much later, early 1993. But I got to say that Bloody Fist was putting out great stuff, and in my opinion it never mattered as much who was 'first', it is about moving into the future and making exciting music. People need to give Bloody Fist and all the others big respect because all of the different labels and producers were so important, especially because they built their own scenes in each country.
NTR: One of the things that originally attracted me to DHC and Atari Teenage Riot was the ideology behind the music. Do you still stand behind all of the things you said when you were in ATR or have your viewpoints changed since the demise of ATR and now you have branched out into different things?
AE: I still have the same opinion...we still live in the same system which is based on the wrong ideals in my view. So of course time moved on , but the problems just got bigger. I don't feel though that I have to repeat myself and write more songs about the same issues though. But when I find it important to add something, I do it.
NTR: What is going on with DHR the label nowadays? It seems to have gone quiet for a while. Any new releases on the horizon? Any new signings?
AE: The DHR scene died with Carl Crack in 2001. After that nothing was the same anymore. We focus on releasing back catalogue since then. We won't sign new bands.
NTR: What do you think about the current breakcore movement? Do you listen to much breakcore at all these days? Any current breakcore artists or acts that you find interesting?
AE: I feel very loyal to the scene but think that nothing really tops what we did back then. The original idea was to have this intense physical music...if one does breakcore with a laptop, it's not breakcore...it's somebody faking breakcore. Breakcore must be done with hardware samplers and ANALOGUE desks to achieve the harmonic distortion which is essential for this type of music. The most important part of this music which separates it from the rest is the political meaning. If it doesn't stand in this context, it's a waste of time. A problem that the scene has to solve is that real breakcore doesn't work via mp3 because the digital compression of mp3s suck out the energy of the music.
NTR: I understand that you did some soundtrack work for the German movie 'Chaostage'...for people who don't know what 'Chaostage' is all about could you fill them in?
AE: The story of the film is based in Hanover in the 90ties . It's a city in Germany where all punks from the country used to come together and rioted for no reason. Just to spread chaos and anarchy. The film is controversial because the lead character kills a cop and gets away with it. Many critics in Germany didn't like that. There is also a scene where a Neo Nazi is shown who earns money on the side with gay S&M sex, so that scene is very heavy...this fat hairy guy shits on the Neo Nazi, pisses in his face and so on...some people left the cinema when it was shown...I love it when films can still cause these kinds of reactions. There were also actual riots at the premiere because the cinema was sold out and about 200 punks couldn't get in anymore...police came and so on...it all added to the excitement...The film has many of my favorite German actors in it. It was a great project to work on...real fun because the director Tarek is awesome and pretty much gave me a lot of freedom because he wanted someone who could merge punk with electronic, atmospheric music...and that was me...
NTR: So what is new in Alec Empire land these days? New projects? Upcoming performances?
AE: We just finished a two months tour in Europe - it was great...stage invasions, huge moshpits and a lot of noise...Now we have a lot of recording to do...various projects, Nic Endo is mixing her new album, I am finishing the new Alec Empire album...we might release an unreleased Atari Teenage Riot song next year...and of course various other collaboration projects...I am doing something with Dillinger Escape Plan, remixed IAMX, the collaboration with CX Kidtronik will come out in the next months...I am writing songs/beats for The Big Pink right now...we are constantly working...it's exciting!
NTR : Well thanks very much for taking the time to answer our questions Alec and best of luck with all of your new projects!
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Posts
It is petty to proclaim that if you make break core with a laptop it is fake. What an ass. I think laptop is very cool. He lost all rights to even speak of it. You are only as good as your latest album and Shivers sucks and no amount of analog equipment is going to make EYHO good.
ReplyDeleteWhy are you attacking musicians instead of respecting them. I think EYHO is a fake, how about that. Who are you, Jesus fucking Christ off the cross, do us a favor Alec either make distorted fucked up noise terrorist records and stop this EYHO nonsense or shut up.
When Noistruct wrote that Alec Empire is the single worst example of a musical sellout to emerge in the 20th century he is dead on. Alec in your heart you know it is true how can you defend that statement, you do not have a leg to stand on anymore. I just can not believe you like doing EYHO over the hard shit that put you where you are today, when I watched and listened to this whole thing leading up to his present output (EYHO) I felt like Alec was or is a fake or both. I felt everything I bought into (DHR) was a fake and I had been the victim of the worst sellout, of all the people to pull the shit you have pulled. You have neutered yourself and your music. Alec Empire, how could you. DHR scene died with Carl, fine I agree, but you could have still released and created and performed new hard material different from DHR and a new label name but not EYHO direction, you don't care about anyone but yourself. When you compare your hard stuff to EYHO stuff, who is the fake? Maybe Carl would of wanted DHR to go on. For me as a former fan and supporter depression and betrayal turned into anger and disgust, I am so pissed.
ReplyDeleteJust listen to "Shivers", talk about sticking the knife in to loyal fans of your hard material. How can you do it without feeling like a douche bag. According to what you say now you truly did not like the tour you just did because he would rather be doing stuff like "Shivers" and all the rest of the new Alec Empire EYHO minus "Control Drug", sounds like you faked your tour and it wasn’t authentic as it would have been if you truly were into it. Frankly from your comments you just wanted to get it over with, which is not “real”.
Alec was my hero but he gave up his right to talk shit when he decided to pull this bullshit. What a fucking loss and a big fuck you to all the fans and supporters of his hard material, and again I am saying DHR ended with the tragic death of Carl Crack but Alec could of gone on to continue to do what he does best, the noise terrorist/break beat/dark electronics/live electronic master he was, now I am thankful not everyone has sold out and fucking loyal fans over. The laptop comment he continues to make is him splitting ass hairs. He gave up his title and is basically washed up as far as break core distorted break beats/noise/noise terrorist/dark electronics goes. He is out of line running his mouth instead of his machines. I think the laptop is too cool and sounds fine, the majority of people listening do not care about this pettiness and can’t tell the difference nor care, and It is just different. Alec thinks he has a golden pot to piss in. I don’t even listen to any of my Alec Empire hard disks anymore because It doesn’t mean anything anymore, It is not real and sadly that is the truth.
I expected more people to write and comment about this and what has happened to DHR and the way Alec Empire has turned out. I am disappointed.
ReplyDeletewhat Alec said is just plain stupidity. The only ones who can be fooled by him are emo teenagers. That's his target now... All the people who are in breakcore since day one just don't give a fuck about what he is saying like they don't give a fuck what britney is saying...
ReplyDeleteas far as gossips go, alec always had his head up his own arse, no surprise here. About the laptop argument - 1st of all analogue equipment is expensive, so not everyone can afford it, especially the 'punx' Alec loves so much (not everyone is from a rich family like Alec ;>). 2nd of all with the opportunities and control over the sample/sound that today's software give (reaktor, trackers, etc.), the 'scene' wouldn't be where it is now - light years away from alec's breakcore.
ReplyDeleteAs for his other opinions, he simply doesn't know the scene or doesn't care about anything else than he's own dick...
Now look at what Alec is doing........
ReplyDeleteI think most insulting of all is the very cynical ATR reformation and tour...milking cash from gullible kids and nostalgic idiots. Anybody who uses radical politics as a marketing ploy is an outright traitor who deserves to be put against a wall and shot! Alec should delete himself!
ReplyDeleteI agree, he defended EYHO so arrogantly, he was dead wrong about his predictions of where music would go and what people want to listen to and the second he heard about Die Antwoord's success, BOOM!-complete turnaround to cash in on their thunder, the similarities between Die Antwoord and ATR are obvious and he saw the opportunity to cash in. Hanin Elias wouldn't sign on and now that I saw the latest with them on stage at the EXIT show I know why. It is pathetic.
ReplyDeleteSuck my dick "inventor of breakcore" hahahaha
ReplyDeleteThe laptop comment is correct. The sound quality of music made with laptops and software is thin and weak compared to that of analog equipment. I have never liked breakcore because of this. It sounds very silly and fake. I seriously wonder how people can't hear this?
ReplyDelete