View Single Post
Old 10.21.2009, 05:14 AM   #25
Genteel Death
invito al cielo
 
Genteel Death's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 8,744
Genteel Death kicks all y'all's assesGenteel Death kicks all y'all's assesGenteel Death kicks all y'all's assesGenteel Death kicks all y'all's assesGenteel Death kicks all y'all's assesGenteel Death kicks all y'all's assesGenteel Death kicks all y'all's assesGenteel Death kicks all y'all's assesGenteel Death kicks all y'all's assesGenteel Death kicks all y'all's assesGenteel Death kicks all y'all's asses
You used to have the reputation of someone who parties hard, but these days, it seems like you hardly party. No pig masks and colourful outfits anymore, but black and white Youtube videos.
Oh believe me in Berlin I still party hard, I just spent a week at the Incubate festival in Tilburg and it was one long party there. I think it was just time to switch the program for myself and show people that despite all the hack ups and destructive music I used to make it was always possible to make something of sadness and beauty. It’s nice also to prove some people wrong who constantly said over the years that all I have done is detune a pop song, that period when I was doing that it was important to use new tools and push copyright laws. Now everybody is doing that, it’s totally normal and accepted as a style. I was watching that documentary ‘RIP-A remix manifesto’, I mean V/Vm was the ultimate in Ripping It in the late 90’s, nobody ripped more. Of course on the film there is no mention, most of the main people on there were influenced by V/Vm but it’s kind of been erased as they still trade on that style which is kind of tired now but more popular.




 
You release your music and run your label as a one man company.
Yeah it’s all been run by myself since 1999, it’s the future way of working where you control everything, old models are out dated now you just need to be able to adapt and move fast. I have been on the outside of everything for a while now but prefer it that way.

I’m from Belgium. In the Belgian media, there’s kind of a New Beat Revival right now: there are New Beat parties again, and New Beat compilations. They even sell the New Beat badges again. But strangely enough, when I google the internet to find out what this was all about, the third article is the ‘Belgian New Beat’ page on the V/Vm website. Why were you so fascinated by New Beat?
It’s great New Beat is coming back over there, I remember it first time around, going out in Stockport and Manchester and hearing this dark music. It’s strange, when I did the New Beat pages it had almost been erased online, it’s the forgotten music. It influenced so many people in Britain that style to make music of their own.

Did you ever visit Belgium at the time to go to New Beat parties?
I never got to Belgium at the time as I was too young, but in ‘89-‘90 there were some great parties with that music and it was so new, totally underground. Manchester totally responded to the style and even released some of the music, Rhythm Device’s ‘Acid rock’ for example was released by Eastern Bloc and was one of the biggest tunes back in the day. Great energy and good times in the clubs back then.

Were you ever in Boccaccio in Destelbergen (the so called ‘New Beat temple’, at the time, jb)?
I did make it to Destelbergen when I was making the New Beat audio, it was a cold winter’s night and I went with an ex-girlfriend and we got super drunk on Duvel in the only open bar much to the amusement of the locals. It’s a super quiet place now, but an important one in the evolution of electronic music.




 
Why did you move from Stockport to Berlin?
I had to get out of England as it’s just not good over there these days, it’s a real depressing grind. An opportunity arose to move to Berlin so I took it. A lot of people move here, it’s a very transient city which brings its own problems. I guess it has the advantage of the big city but you still don’t feel like you’re in a city. It’s relaxed here compared with England so it makes sense to be here now though it’s not an ultimate destination. I’m eager not to return to England but will have to see where and when I will go somewhere else. I’m settled here for now, but things can change quickly.

The first time I saw you playing live was in a friend’s living room in Tienen. This concert was very much over the top. Very hilarious. If I remember well, you fell off a stair that night and even broke your foot.
Yeah, the old V/Vm shows could often descend into chaos, the one in Tienen was a classic, I ended up rolling down a flight of stairs and dislocating my kneecap. I went to hospital after in Liège, my friend who played me also sliced his hand open, so we were in casualty till 4am and flew back at 6am. They had to carry me off the plane in Berlin, three shows only on that trip, and I couldn’t leave my third floor flat for three months after... No wonder I don’t do many of those shows these days.

Last summer, I bought a second hand DVD at a flea market because I really liked the title. It was called ‘The fearless freaks’. Apparently, it was a documentary about The Flaming Lips. Anyway. Do you see yourself as a fearless freak?
I try not to have any fears musically. For years people and musicians laughed at me when I was giving audio away, from back in 1996, online. Now they all do it. They also laughed at the work I did abusing copyright for a long time and then in the end they all dabbled in that too. Now with ambient I guess it’s uncool but it will come around again. For me I just go where I find some energy where music and life are concerned. I was lucky to grow up when I did through some amazing musical times, if I was 10 years younger I would have missed out on so much innovation.

And my final question: did you ever get contacted by people who think you are nude model Kirby Leyland?
No but maybe I should contact her when I next visit Britain.

You really should.


-- Joeri Bruyninckx (20 October, 2009)

http://www.digitalisindustries.com/f....php?which=429
Genteel Death is offline   |QUOTE AND REPLY|