Jester: What is it like running a record label as a business, while trying to release and promote your music as an artist?
Da5id: It is extremely difficult. I spent about 90% of my time on business related activities and 10% on actual music.
Jester: What were the circumstances around you forming Sinless Records in the first place?
Da5id: It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. I believed very strongly in the do it yourself ethic. We didn't even bother to send Direct Memory Access, our first CD, to labels. To us, it wasn't really a consideration. We wanted total control over both the production and the distribution of our work.
Jester: What lead to the decision to close Sinless Records?
Da5id: It was based on the realization that the vast majority of my time was being spent on the business aspects of music rather than making music. It was then a matter of deciding which activity to stay with, running a label or being a musician. The decision was difficult but I feel I have made the right choice.
Jester: Do either of you have a day job outside of your music and record label?
Matthew I have a consulting firm called Sound Logic Consulting which specializes in Internet Development and Technology/Business consulting.
Da5id: I am a partner along with Matthew in a Internet service company called Mindstorm Technologies (www.mindstorm.com).
Jester: How did you get involved with Metropolis Records for both distribution as well as signing informatik and din_fiv?
Da5id: It essentially all happened at the same time. I had called Digital Underground, on the advice of a fan, shortly after Direct Memory Access was released to see if they wanted to buy some copies. So I sent them two promotional packages, one for the store and one for Metropolis. About a week later I got a call from Metropolis saying that not only would they distribute DMA but that they were extremely interested in signing informatik.
Jester: When can we expect the new informatik release?
Da5id: We'll definitely be done recording "Syntax" by the end of April although I have been given a specific release date from Metropolis. Yes, it's a long time overdue.
Jester: How will "Syntax" differ in sound compared to "Direct Memory Access"?
Matthew The first album was rather eclectic since we both were not familiar working with each other and had a wide range of musical interests. The new album will be more electronic dance sounding and will show a big improvement in overall production and composition levels.
Jester: Will the video on the CD-ROM portion of "Direct Memory Access" ever be released on another format (VHS)?
Da5id: I don't know, maybe.
Jester: Whose idea was it to film a video? Why that track?
Da5id: We did the video for fun and to help out a friend who needed a final project for film class. The original version was only the 8mm black and white film footage. We then decided to redo it by adding video footage from our only live show to date.
Matthew We felt that track would be an excellent one to use for a video because of the strong theme and the myriad of sound effects that could be used as effective transition/cut points.
Jester: How did you first get involved with writing and
composing music?
Matthew After hearing stuff by Front 242 and other such bands, I decided that there wasn't enough music out there in the genre that I liked and I wanted to add to it by doing my own work. It was also a style of music where I could leverage my technical skills to make up for my playing skills.
Da5id: My involvement with music dates back to the invention of MIDI. I wrote all kinds of music for about five years before ever writing anything even vaguely Industrial.
Jester: Have either of you ever had any type of formal musical training?
Matthew I had piano lessons as a child.
Da5id: I played drums and percussion for about 10 years up until I was 20 years old.
Jester:Do you think your musical training has helped or hindered your ability to write electronic music?
Da5id: Let's put it this way, Matt writes most of the rhythm tracks and I write most of the musical parts.
Jester: How do you distinguish between three projects musically, when they all seem to have such a similar sound?
Matthew The themes and rhythm of din_fiv are much different than with informatik. Also the sound design and effects as well as the overall vibe of informatik is much different.
Jester: Has LogiQ been signed to Metropolis Records as well or another label?
Matthews: No. Metropolis tends to focus more on the industrial genre and although they distribute LogiQ, aren't interested in signing them.
Jester: Will Struktur as a project ever release a full length album, or will it remain more on the back burner appearing on compilations?
Matthews: Struktur will release a full length, but probably not till next year.
Jester: Whose idea was it to start the entertainment portion of the Mindstorm web site, with such favorites as Industrial Trivia and Ask Heidi?
Matthews: I came up with the idea and have run the whole site for several years now. The initial purpose was to provide a more entertainment and communication based website for the under ground community. It has been pretty successful to date and some major modifications and additions are in the works. Check Mindstorm out!
Jester: What is the current status of the Boston music scene? How successful was the Boston Elektro 101 compilation you released?
Da5id: Well, the good news is that the Boston industrial scene has ceased to dwindle. What's left is a small loosely knit collective of resistance fighters. It's kind of like living in De Moines, Iowa but with a drastically higher cost of living.
As for Boston Elektro 101, I was rather pleased with how it was received both locally and nationally. It did both well in terms of reviews and airplay considering my limited ability to promote. It was a great experience but I'm glad its over.
Jester:Will informatik ever perform live again?
Da5id: Things are looking very good for a tour of the Eastern States and Provinces during the month of June.
Jester: What does the future hold for informatik / din_fiv / LogiQ?
Matthew All three projects are still active and new releases are forthcoming for all three. informatik will be the next release and then a LogiQ and din_fiv release will come in parallel as we both work on our separate projects. LogiQ will focus on new styles of Techno.