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Q:
People are really great in categorizing music and inventing new musical
genres. In different reviews I have seen Zhark tunes labeled as apocalyptic
electronics and industrial breakbeats. Do you think this description
fits? If not how would you describe your sound? A: Actually, I usually hate to categorize music, but I feel comfortable with those two labels which have been used to describe my sound. Q:
Aaron Funk aka Venetian Snares, an artist who has released on Zhark once
told in an interview that his mother was a punk so he was confronted with
non-mainstream music in very young years. Did you have similar stimuli
during your childhood and adolescence? A:: I wish I could say I was raised by wolves, however I grew up with a supersitious, and ridiculously patriarchal upbringing which is attributed to the Roman Catholic religion. My adolescence brought me in touch with punk music, because of the hate I felt for the system in which I was raised. The rest is history.... Q::
Being 18years old you turned your back to your hometown Detroit and the
techno scene you had been part of for years and left for New York where
you started producing on your own What was the reason to leave hometown,
scene and your comsumer role behind? A: Hecate: The Detroit techno scene was, and still may be, a very macho scene. When they saw that the "baby" of the scene wanted to stop being just a fucked up raver, and actually start producing (I wasn't interested in DJing at this time) I came across resistance from a lot of the men who had their own studios. While still in Detroit, I read up on gear magazines and books, bypassing the assholes by teaching myself. I went to NY for a year of art school, and during that year met Patrick Stottrop (Anm des Verf.: Techno-Produzent DJ-Kareem), and we started working together. Q:
In your previous interviews you stated that it really was quite difficult
to start producing music as a female as nobody took you serious then.
Some 7 years have passed since. Do you think the situation has changed? A: Hecate: Well time flies, and now it has been 7 years of dedication to sonic exploration. I can't say that things are better now because of the actual situation being different and more geared towards women. In fact, the only reason why I have alot more allies and respect is because I have stuck it out through some very rough times in this scene, and still have a vision and inspiration for my music. That is more of a personal thing than a gender thing, which actually means more to me at the end of the day. Q:
New producers usually encounter huge problems with getting their tunes
released. Was the foundation of Zhark just a pragmatic solution or a step
taken to secure artistic independence? A: We started Zhark because we wanted our own base to do what we liked, without having to appease any label owners or music managers. At the time we had no idea what we were getting into, however at this point I am very content knowing I have 1OO% control of what comes out on my labels. I love being able to help out new producers, while having a home for my sounds and visual creations in the mean time. Q:
If one takes a look on the music business in general it quickly becomes
obvious that female producers and label-owners are a very small minority.
Do you think that this male dominance still is the result of a traditional
role scheme or just the consequence of the lack of interest or fear of
the technical aspects linked to producing music. To my point of view most
women simply don`t want to quit the role of a mere music consumer. A: You are definately right with your assumption. The HWF was an experiment to see what the underlying problem was concerning this lack of women in music, and through my own experience it occurs that it is mostly the laziness and apathy of these women which is the main problem. Consuming is the easiest thing to do, if you have the cash....The whole music industry, and in fact my own "scene", is still run by men but I have proved through my own actions that it is not impossible to fight this, although it does take alot of time, patience and passion for doing what you believe in. Q:
I once read an article describing the whole field of hard experimental
electronic sound as "white male music" and although I haven`t
been at much events featuring this kind of sound I have the impression
that this might be true. I remember attending a Fuckparade Afterparty
in Berlin I realized that you was the only woman in the whole place. How
does it feel to be such a "phenomenon" and do you have problem
with getting accepted? A: As far as I remember each Fuck parade party I played at, there were always women in the audience, however at both events I was the only female performer. That type of situation is unfortunately usually always the case at the shows I am asked to play at. Naturally, being the only woman playing, I do not find problems being accepted, actually it is just the opposite....Most men I hang out with love to see a woman who is excited by hearing her own sounds through a loud sound system. Q:
Most of of your tunes sound very dark, eerie, even apocalyptic. Is this
emotional sound or just very dark sound-sculpting intended to be free
of any emotion to render a special touch of horror. A: Emotion is probably the main ingredient in my music. Although I don't know anything about music notation, I have been able to find fequencies, rhythms, and structures that convey both specific things I am feeling and even uncover things which dwell deep in my subconscious. Q:
Talking about producers one tends to think of people spending days and
nights locked in a studio stuffed with tons of highend-equipment. Does
this clichee fit in your case? A: Depends on what you think is tons.Yes, I do spend many hours in front of machines, especially at night. How else do you think I can make all these releases? Q:
Where do you usually play your music and what kind of audience is attracted
by your gigs? A: Once again, hard to generalize.... This year alone I have played after a thirty piece Orchestra, in a totally dust ridden cellar in East Berlin and outdoors in France to over 8OO people as well as many other various venues. There isn't one category of listener I make music for, just like the fact that I don't create only one type of sound. Q:
How do people dance on your music? A: Last time someone asked me that, I think i replied that it is usually a mix of speed and ketamine induced staggering and spasms...I think that is probably still true. Although one time a woman came up to me and started taking off her clothes, which is welcome in most cases.... Q:
In addition to running Zhark-London you`re also the head of the sublabel
called The Homewrecker Foundation (HWF) which is a platform for all-female,
all-electronic releases. What led to the foundation of this label, which
is, referring to the manifesto, intended to "demolish traditional
female roles"? A: At the time I was working alongside another girl, Siobahn, who was coming from a more intellectual feminist perspective...We decided to pull our resources together to form an environment for women who were interested in harsh sounds, but lacked the information, support and equipment to realize their passions. I have never fit into the "traditional female roles" but have seen them steal alot of energy from women who end up as walking dolls. We were totally idealisitic in the foundation of the sublabel, which is beautiful in its pure form, but is next to impossible to maintain, if only for the fact that it means you have to find other women on the same level. Q:
The last year has seen a remarkably growing interest in the musical underground.
Rock bands and electronic artists almost completely unknown in 1999 have
made their way straight to the covers of the international music press.
Zhark and HWF are underground labels. Where is the border between commercial
success and profit-oriented sell-out and what`s the industry`s role in
this "game". A: Just because a band is on one or two covers for a month, doesn't mean they are superstars, although they would hate to admit that. The music press NEEDS faces and music which are disposable. They feed off artists and "underground trends" and repackage them as the hot new thing until there is another replacement. Some artists yearn for this type of acceptance by the mainstream press and that is what seperates me from them. As always, the industry tries to pick certain individuals from underground scenes to elevate to "pop"status, and by this destroy the credibility of a collective or networking community.In the end, most artists (sellout or not) don't even make that much money for an extended time, so whats the point of signing that contract in the first place? Q:
You`re one of the people responsible for Datacide, a magazine which takes
a close and critical look on "the grey area between politics and
music". Is there a connection between your music and world politics
today? A:
Since we use different networks of distribution and veer away from the
usual methods of promotion, Q:
You`re an certified media designer and musician. What`s your opinion on
media and their importance today and in the future? A: I think that the American Film Industry is at its LOWEST point in history. In addition, the mainstream music press is edited by a mafia of ignorant fuckers who dole out plasticine puppets to the waiting masses. The corporate music and media industries make me sick. The best thing though is now that technology is becoming more accessible, many people are able to broadcast their own news and music and films through the internet....for a good example of this check out http://indymedia.org and http://c8.com. Q:
What can we expect from Hecate in the months to come? A: I am moving to America in a few weeks, and going on tour to California for a month. After that I will be working on my solo music, as well as a new project with Abelcain. Many new releases coming out in the future which include the following list which should all be out by the beginning of the year. *Still
Raven O1 by Supernal (new hecate side project) and last but definately not least.the FINAL release on the Homewrecker Foundation going out with a bang with the debut of Raquel De Grimstone (new R. Kozak solo vocal project) "999 is the Number of Grimstone" 7" besides
that, lots of remixes going around between Hecate, Abelcain, Cdatakill,
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