Featuring PreEmptive Strike 0.1 Interview by Ruud Dreessen aka ebm-industrial.nl Date:7-12-2009 23:59
For the first question will be - do you know the netherland? What can you tell me about the origin of the name PreEmptive Strike 0.1.
Of course we know the Netherlands but unfortunately neither of us has ever visited your country but I’m fairly certain we will in the future. The name was chosen for various reasons. I have always been fascinated with the concept of a preemptive strike, which is an attempt to repel or defeat a perceived inevitable attack or invasion. We liked the facts that the name could be applied to the sci-fi thematology that is a intregal part of our lyrics and image. Furthermore, when we started in 2002 it was a term very relevant to geopolitics at the time with the Bush Doctrine in effect.
Could you please shortly introduce our readers your music project PreEmptive Strike 0.1 Please fill also a biographical resume about how,when and where... PreEmptive Strike 0.1 was founded in ..... give us a more background information?
We first started in 2002 when we worked on a hard, guitar-driven industrial project. It didn’t really get of the ground so we decided to turn our focus to something else. That’s when PES 0.1 was born! When we started we wanted to combine the harsh Dark Electro/EBM sound with powerful melodies and sci-fi themes. Our first success came in 2006 with our signing with Infacted Recordings and our debut release entitled 'Lethal Defense Systems'. Unfortunately, we were forced to remain inactive for almost a whole year due to military obligations. We began work again in early 2007 on our next album ‘Extinction Reprogrammed’ which was also released in North America by COP. Since then we have been hard at work on our third album, while also completing numerous remixes. It’s been a very busy few years for us.
What and who are some of your influences in harsh Dark Electro/EBM ?
Well we like bands such as Numb, FLA, FUNKER VOGT, SUICIDE COMMANDO, DECODED FEEDBACK ,E-CRAFT, SITD but also bands from other genres for example metal (RED HARVEST, HAVOC UNIT, RAMMSTEIN, MINISTRY, SAMAEL) but also some psytrance music.
What are your top ten favorite harsh Dark Electro/EBM Club Songs of all time? Who are you influenced by? What would you consider your favorite cd's?
Very difficult question but I will try to give you a list. Here we are:
1) PLASTICITY : FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY by far compared to the others...!
2) MOTHER TENEBRARUM : DECODED FEEDBACK
3) MILLENNIUM : FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY
4) SHITHAMMER : NUMB
5) WITHOUT A GOD : HOCICO
6) HELLRAISER : SUICIDE COMMANDO
7) ELECTROCUTION : E-CRAFT
8) INTERNATIONAL KILLER : FUNKER VOGT
9) STUKAS IM VISIER : FEINDFLUG
10) EVOLUTION : DECODED FEEDBACK
I would say that all these tracks influence me!
My best cds of all time:
1) MILLENNIUM : FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY
2) TECHNOPHOBY : DECODED FEEDBACK
3) DEATH ON INSTALMENT PLAN : NUMB
4) FUNKER VOGT : EXECUTION TRACKS
5) MINDSTRIP : SUICIDE COMMANDO
6) EGOISM : STERIL
7) UNSOCIAL THEMES : E-CRAFT
8) ANONYMOUS : TYSKE LUDDER
9) SANGRE HIERVIENTE : HOCICO
10) ELECTROCUTION : E-CRAFT
Tell one secret about PreEmptive Strike 0.1 that you have never told to anyone?
This is an interesting question! Something I’m sure nobody will know except a very few people who received our first demos is that when we started we had a combination of both distorted and clear vocals. I think we only did this with 3-4 songs but quickly abandoned the idea as we decided it didn’t work well with the sound overall.
What is the main idea, the message you want to leave to people who listens to you? What is your motto?
We don’t have a message. There is nothing personal and no reflections of the world around us in our lyrics. We never deal with social issues, war, feelings, serial killers or the other popular themes in this scene. Although we take what we do seriously this is primarily about having fun for both of us! We don’t feel the need to make social statements or comments on current affairs and geopolitics in our music.
"Extinction Reprogrammed"where did the concept come from? and whats planned now that your album is finished? or anything else you're working on? Tell me why this title "Lethal Defence Systems"? Tell us a few words about the concept of this?
They are tributes to the sci-fi films of the 50s that we love and all the concepts in the lyrics are based on sci-fi or horror cinema and literature. Each track tells a story and the samples are chosen to match. A lot of the inspiration for the lyrics comes from 1950s B-movies which we are big fans of. But also from Italian horror films and from the writings of authors like H.P.Lovecraft, Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Machen, Philip K. Dick, William Gibson, Harlan Ellison and many, many more! A lot of what was once considered science fiction has now become real. Ideas first seen in the works of Jules Verne, Isaac Asimov, H.G.Wells and others are now part of our everyday lives. The borders between fiction and reality are always changing as is the distinction between man and machine and what it means to be human. These are the concepts we want to explore.
Tell me about the label Infacted Recordings / COP International..
Torben Schmidt is a great guy and Infacted is one of the most active labels in the scene. We couldn’t pass up an oportunity like that! Also, the fact that Vasi Vallis got in touch with us on Torben’s behalf was a major factor. We are very content there and plan to stay there always. COP International licensed Extinction Reprogrammed for release in the US. We are very excited about this and we feel this is a good chance to gain a foothold in the US.
What do you think of a modern harsh Dark Electro/EBM and about Gothic scene? What are your views on the current state of this electro scene in Greece.in terms of creativity and audiences? And the scene in other countries?
Unfortunately, the dark scene in Greece has very slow growth. We could almost say it’s stagnant though it saddens us to say so. There are some really great projects from Greece which have been making a name for themselves lately - Iambia, Siva Six, Virgins OR Pigeons and Marsheaux to name just a few. Groups like us and the ones mentioned above are better known outside Greece. You have to make it abroad before you are taken seriously here. This is a serious blow for the groups which don’t have a strong home fan-base to support them like groups from the rest of Europe or America. I don’t know if this is the state of affairs everywhere but we get the impression that the scene is becoming less and less about the music and more and more about fashion and image. We started this band out of sheer love for the music so we find this disappointing. Hopefully there are enough faithful out there still!
Our usual question - what is harsh Dark Electro/EBM for you?
For me? Everything! I can’t imagine my life without it! I buy hundreds of CDs every year and I feel proud that I am involved in this scene. I think that the day that I abandon this genre will be the day I die!
What was your best live experience so far?
Although we have played at some major festivals like Dark City and WGT, for me personally our best live experience is playing in smaller clubs because this way there is more direct contact with the audience. It is easy to make a connection and make the audience a part of it so it isn’t just us putting on a ‘performance’.
How does your music creation process work? How do you create a song?
Usually I start with a rough version of a track (basic basslines, riffs, pads, sequences), then Jim takes over adding samples, drums and percussions, then back to me, etc. So it takes about a month before we complete a track and send it to our producer, Dimitris Ntouvras from Iambia, for the final mix. We can work on our tracks intensively and pay closer attention to detail. Of course, you can never be entirely satisfied. You can always hear little details you want to change or things you think you could try differently. I think there is always room for improvement and for trying different things, improving production skills etc.
Complacency is the enemy and we are our own worst critics!
What do you do to chill out?
I like to watch movies on DVD or listen to music of course! But generally in my free time I go to the gym and I do very hard body building. Also, I never miss my favourite team’s football matches!
Do you think that people from the music press didn't expect you to grow up musically? Please let us know about your upcoming plans, some new releases you like to confirm here.
If they don’t expect us to grow then they will be very surprised! We feel that harsh EBM has gotten a bad reputation as one-dimensional. We have mad it our mission to dispel this myth. We have just completed work on our new album which will be named ‘Kosmokrator’. Here you will find influences from genres like techno, trance and metal, traditional eastern percussions and instruments, guitars, break-beats, female vocals and chants, all incorporated in the structures of harsh EBM. We want to push and stretch the boundaries of the genre as far as they will go.
If there was one thing you want people to know about your band what would that be?
We are passionate about our band and we can guarantee you that we will be harder than ever in our future releases. We are never going softer!
How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a website with sample songs?
You can find us here:
You find all the latest news as well as samples of our work on these profiles. And don’t be shy! Leave us a comment.
It has been a pleasure to interview you on your musical activity,Well,any last words to your ebm-industrial fans? Thanks for your time! great work on the albums and good luck with everything.
Thank you for the interview and for your support!
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