NITZER EBB - Exclusive interview prior to their five upcoming German gigs during 10/11 - 2006

NITZER EBB - Exklusiv-Interview vor den fünf Livekonzerten 10/11 - 2006

Shortly before NITZER EBB's forthcoming 5-gig mini-tour of Germany in October/November 2006, we were given the opportunity of an exclusive interview with the frontman Douglas McCarthy. The main talking points were: how it felt to be back on stage as NITZER EBB after 10 years, new material, and the upcoming gigs in Germany. For fun!

Im Oktober 2006 ergab sich die Gelegenheit eines exklusiven Interviews mit dem Frontmann von NITZER EBB, Douglas McCarthy. Natürlich ging es dabei um die zurückliegenden ersten NITZER EBB Auftritte seit 10 Jahren, das in Aussicht gestellte neue Studiomaterial sowie die nun kommenden Konzerte in Deutschland, aber lest selbst....

(Um es ein wenig angenehmer zu gestalten, sind die Fragen auch in Deutsch formuliert...)

HORN: Doug, what was it like to get back on stage with NE after a 10 year break? I was at the gigs in Antwerp and M'ERA LUNA, and already noticed some slight differences in your style - to me you're settling nicely back into to your old ways?

[Doug, wie war es für Dich, nach 10 Jahren Bühnenpause mit NE in diesem Jahr wieder auf der Bühne zu stehen? Ich sah das Konzert in Antwerpen und zuletzt Hildesheim (M'ERA LUNA) und konnte da schon einige Änderungen feststellen, Deine Bühnenperformamce geht für mich immer mehr hin zu alter Stärke mit NE?]

DOUGLAS: It has been very exciting, surprisingly so in fact. When we first conceived of the idea to play together again it was going to be for a limited amount of shows, mainly festivals, but offers from smaller venues were coming in and we felt confident that they would be a good idea not only for us, but for the fans too. As it turns out they have been enormously enjoyable to play and, evidently, to watch.

HORN: Doug, you have chosen your live outfit very much along the lines of the early days, jodhpurs, riding boots, shoulder strap, which looked great at M'ERA LUNA, as well as being a bit provocative. In the initial NE concerts you dressed as in your F/M gigs, so why the change? To identify more with NE?

[Doug, Du hast Dein Liveoutfit nun wieder sehr an den der Anfangszeiten orientiert, Reiterhosen und -stiefel sowie Sturmriemen, was auf dem M'ERA LUNA z.B. doch sehr eindrucksvoll, aber auch provokant war. Wie kam es dazu, die ersten Konzerte warst Du ja eher noch wie zuletzt bei F/M gekleidet. Ist es auch eine neue größere Identifikation hin zu NE?]

DOUGLAS: It was purely down to timing. We were rehearsing in LA before the tour started and it was a bit hectic. I thought I would be able to get everything I wanted for my stage clothes here (I'm back in LA now) but couldn't. So then I had to get things done back in London which proved to be irritatingly slow and 8 hour time difference, explaining all the sizes etc. and the clothing simply didn´t get made in time the initial shows.

HORN: Many people think that NE is one of the precursors of Techno, and in many clubs of that type NE is played a lot. How do you feel about that?

[Viele Leute denken, daß NE einer der Vorreiter des Technos sind, in diversen Clubs dieser Musikgattung werdet Ihr desöfteren gespielt. Wie seht Ihr diese Entwicklung?]

DOUGLAS: I would agree. I have known Derrick May for a long time, and I have run into Jeff Mills a few times. These guys along with Kevin Saunderson and others pioneered Techno in the 80's in Detroit and all of them have cited NE as a massive influence, so I know for a fact that we were. I feel immensely happy about what we have contributed to electronic music, even if Techno has spawned some hideously evil offspring.

HORN: Rumour has it that NE will release a new ep in the coming months? Is this true? Will it be in the old aggressive style? When is it likely to come out? When can audiences expect to hear the new songs live? Do you have any plans beyond this ep? A full album maybe?

[Gerüchten zufolge wollt Ihr bald eine neue EP herausbringen - wird diese im alten, aggressiven Stil sein? Wann darf man mit der Veröffentlichung rechnen bzw. wann hören die Livebesucher erstmals diese neuen Lieder? Gibt es weiterführende Pläne, z.B. ein neues Album?

DOUGLAS: Well we are all in LA right now having just finished the second leg of the tour, and after a short time to recover we do indeed plan to get back into the studio to write new material. Kourtney and Bon (yes she will be in the studio with us) have already spent a bit of time working together, but this will be the first time for all three of us which is damn exciting for me.

SHANE: Have you any plans to re-master the old albums, or do any of your own remixes of the older stuff?

[Plant Ihr, die alten Alben überarbeitet neu zu veröffentlichen oder auch neue eigene Remixe der alten Sachen zu arrangieren?

DOUGLAS: Not sure what Mute's plan are about re-mastering (they have all the original tapes from "Isn't it Funny" on), but they do have a few older remixes that have never appeared on anything, so we may be able to slip them out at some point.

HORN: Kourtney Klein is drumming live for you, very impressively. How did this union come about, and will she also be present in the studio, or just part of the live setup?

[Kourtney Klein unterstützt Euch live eindrucksvoll an den Trommeln, wie kam es dazu und wird Kourtney auch im Studio dabei sein, oder bleibt sie eine reine Liveergänzung?]

DOUGLAS: We had been looking for a drummer both in London and LA for a bit, but no one suitable was springing to mind. Then we started talking with a drummer who, although he's in another band, thought he could spare the time to do the tour, but it became a bit too complicated and we were back to square one. Then a fiend of Bonís name Rev. John suggested Kourtney, who was then invited to audition. Unfortunately for Bon, this process had to be done entirely by him as I was in London, though fortunately for Bon Kourtney made it easy by being just what we needed. Not only could she play, she also gave us an opportunity to reshape the way NE are seen. As I said above, Kourtney will be part of the recording process.

HORN: Doug, where does F/M fit into your plans now? Is NE your main focus?

[Doug, wird es für Dich nun parallel mit F/M und NE weitergehen oder wird eine Band bevorzugt?]

DOUGLAS: Terence and I have recorded a new FM album, but have been holding off mixing it because of the obvious time consumption of NE. I hope we can get it out early 2007, which then give us a chance to tour before the release of a new NE album. That's pretty much my attitude and as long there's not too much overlapping of projects, then I have concentrated on whichever one was active at that point. So it's not really a case of a main focus, just focusing on whichever one needs it.

SHANE: Bill Leeb from FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY mentioned in an interview recently that you all hung out at Mera Luna, and that you spoke of a possible project together. Is this really a possibility?

[Bill Leeb von FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY erwähnte kürzlich in einem Interview, daß Ihr auf dem M'ERA LUNA zusammengehangen habt und dabei Pläne aufkamen, ein gemeinsames Projekt ins Leben zu rufen? Ist dem wirklich so?

DOUGLAS: I'm sure through an alcohol haze utterances of all sorts occurred.

SHANE: You've had a great reception from fans everywhere, but is there anywhere in particular that stood out?

[Ihr erfahrt überall positive Resonanzen von den Konzertbesuchern. Gibt es herausragende Reaktionen?]

DOUGLAS: We have been staggered by the consistency of our audience. Even smaller shows, in terms of attendance, have been just as emotionally charged as the packed out ones.

SHANE: Have you played any non-electro festivals this year, like you did in the old days (Reading Festival etc.)? What was the reaction?

[Habt Ihr dieses Jahr für Eure Begriffe electroferne Festivals gespielt, wie es in der Vergangenheit vorkam (Reading Festival etc.)? Wie waren dort die Reaktionen?]

DOUGLAS: No, not really.

HORN: Thanks for the interview and all the best for your future plans and the upcoming gigs in Germany!

Many thanks to: Douglas, Sconan, Shane, Winit & Peddy from NEUWERK!

Info: www.nitzer-ebb.de / www.nitzer-ebb.com / www.nitzerebb.de / www.blackpaintingcrew.com / www.neuwerk-music.de

Impressum                    © by General H`06