Interview by Anderson Carlos

1-Please, feel free to introduce Notstandskomitee to brazilian people?

Notstandskomitee is my soloproject which is founded in 1991. My other great project is my band DAS KOMBINAT which works since 1989. We make minimal electronic music but this is only a part of our electronic culture. We create visual computer arts too, much with Internet http://members.aol.com/block4k7 virtual reality and 3D animations.

2-Do you have any idea to give up Notstandskomitee when you become old, or it's something you want to do until your last days on Earth?

No, I had never that idea. Becomming older is a permanent process so it is nothing particular which could change my plans. Making music and art is the main part of my live, so it will last until my live stops.

3-Notstandskomitee has any kind of influence like movies, literature,
music...?

Today we live in a informationsociety, feeded up with sounds, words and images, no way to escape, so my music is for sure not without influences. Even when I go shopping I am disturbed by muzak in the malls and when I come home, I perhaps program a song against it, so this rubbish already influenced me.

4-What about the gigs? How it use to be? How is the public reaction?

Notstandskomitee is a soloproject and I can't perform the music live on my own. So I concentrate only on the singing and impersonate the thoughts behind the whole idea. The music comes from DAT, supported by 3D computeranimations shown on a videoscreen.
The german audience are very stiff, they don't like to show much feedback so you often think that your gig was very bad, but in the end they say it was great. I prefer playing in France or Belgium, they are much more enthusastic and have no problems to show it, they like to dance to it.

5-We know that is hard to live trough music, so what is your
occupation(job)?

In my live there is no borderline between art, live and job, all belongs together. In my job I also have a lot to do with computerprogramming and design.

6-What do you think about the future of Mankind?

Very bad thoughts I must say. The technical developement is so good and will rise more and more, but the ethics are so low! The differences between the poor and the rich will increase very much and will lead in social desaster, even in such wealth countrys like Germany. There are only few people which earns all the money without sharing it and it becomes worse. It could be so nice but we are far away from it.

7-Your Machinery?

I use digital synthesizers, samplers, computers and analogue synthesizers. I got not as much equipment as other musicians, all machines are well chosen, giving me special possibilites which the others didn't offer. There are different synthesizers available which synthesize sounds in different ways, so it is necessary to have them to program with these kinds of synthesis, not to have much voicepower to create rich symphonies, I do a kind of minimal music.

8-What part of this planet succeeded most Notstandskomitee releases?

Germany, because of our poor possibilities of distribution. Of course you can order the releases from everywhere but we can't promote it worldwide, a real pitty but we don't have the money and possibilites for doing so. But I think it changes with the WWW which could connect the whole world, or those whocan afford it, so I hope, that computers will getting cheaper. But on the other hand the WWW is planned by the rich to turn the emplyoment market into world wide slavery. They are going to make huge web databases in which you have to feed in your skills and you have to compete with third world people which can work at lower rates. I don't want to blame them, don't take me wrong, but this results that we have to pay first world prices and earn third world money. Its good when the third world, exploited by the rich countries, is getting better. But this databases means particulary that the wealth companys are getting better!

9-Tell us a little bit about the industrial scene of Hamburg.

There is no special, dedicated scene here, only different ones which are interested into industrial. Its for example the art, independet- and free jazz - scenes. We all come together in the Höer-Bar and our Klangtest, an industrial dance event, both done with very low budget and with a lot of idealism.

[Thanks a lot for all your time and patience, Malte!! We surely desire only the best luck for you!!!]

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