Independent State interview

What do you think about the track Volcano? How does it appeal to you?
I think it's a great track, with good lyrics and a good beat. Actually, I've only heard CAS's demo as we speak, so I'm looking forward to hear the final mix, and I know I'm not going to be disappointed.

Tell us something about the remix process and your thoughts behind the 4 parts of the remix?
The initial thought was to make a remix, or in this case more of a interpretation, that reflected the transitions that we as humans go through in our everyday life and throughout our life. When I read the lyrics I got the sense that it was about to be reborn, to head into the next phase, to start over again, and that was the starting point for me. So I stuck with my initial idea and decided that the track should evolve throughout the song, every part different from the other, but in the same time have a trail of what came before it, you can call it the songs past. So if you are paying attention you will hear that everything is changing throughout the song.

Since I didn't want to get stuck in the shape and form that CAS had created originally for the song, I threw everything out the window and kept only the vocals, and rebuilt everything from scratch. Then I thought that the song was going too fast for the approach I was leaning towards, so the bpm came down from 140 to 120 bpm.

The work on the track was also thought experiment for me. I went back 15 years in time and tried to approach the song as I would have done back then, then I went forward and did a another version with the tools and knowledge I have today. Then it was just a matter of tying these ideas together, and there you have the journey through the song.

Groovy Basslines have been your trademark ever since the Q-department days, how do you come up with them!!?!
I never thought about my basslines in that way. But now when you mention it, they are quite groovy, aren't they?! Well, architecture is an important factor for me, since I always consider the venue that they should attract. I always imagine the basslines to be played live in a small venue, with 300 people dancing and screaming. Some of the songs I produce right now is more suitable for bigger venues, and others would fit an outdoor theatre. People should be able to stand up and dance like hell, it's a paradox though since I don't really enjoy dancing myself and I don't perform live anymore. But there will be live performances in the near future.

To have a trademark, as you call it, can be exhausting and sometimes it haunts you, but it's also something to be proud of. I've tried different approaches during the years, with different synthesizers, different approaches, but it always comes out as a signature dish. Many people have asked me throughout the years how I do it, and to be honest, I don't have a proven solution that I go by. I listen, tweak, listen some more, tweak, delete everything, start again, tweak, listen. It's kind of an art.

What are your plans for the near future? Any releases or so coming up?
For the last years I have been keeping a low profile regarding music, but I have gathered about 15 songs that I think are quite interesting. We will begin to record vocals during next month, and release them during this year or the next one. The timeline isn't fixed as we speak, since the new songs is composed in a way that allows you, if one wants, to experiment more than usual with the vocal parts. I will also re-release some songs with q-department and there will be some remixes of old and new material.

Listen to a sample of the Independent State/Khybermensch remix of "Volcano" here: http://soundcloud.com/chaosallstars/9-chaos-all-stars-volcano

Home: www.khybermensch.net