Featuring Jan from Tanaros Interview by Ruud Dreessen aka ebm-industrial.nl 18 december 2009 19:43
1- For the first question will be - do you know the Netherlands?
Of course I know the Netherlands. I live only about 35 kilometres away from Winterswijk, so it's no travel around the world ;-) Sometimes my family even go shopping there.
2- Do you follow the electronic music scene, do you have any other favorite bands?
Sometimes I follow the electronic music scene, but I'm not always pleased with it. Okay.. mostly not. I have not much favorites bands in this Genre... Most Bands just made good albums in the past or never made good albums, just one or two songs. So I really don't want to mention some bands here.
3- Greetings Jan could you please shortly introduce our readers your music project Tanaros Please fill also a biographical resume about how,when and where...give us a more background information?
Sure Thing. Tanaros was founded on 27.08.2006 where I wrote the first song, called “Das Feuer”. It was not very good because I nearly didn't know anything about making music. But I tried to learn more and practiced a lot.So I collected the first songs and combined them to the first demo “Todesvision im Flammeninferno”. It was never released, because of the really bad production.But I got better and one year after the founding of Tanaros I created the first Album “Caught by Darkness” and created a myspace page. And the people liked it, so I did more like the “Servant EP” in early 2008 and the second Album “Suicidal Note” in August 2008. They were also very well received and Tanaros got bigger and bigger.The latest release were the “You gonna Die! EP” and the “30 Gräber Knochenmehl” Split with the Dark Ambient Project Narkotika-Rus.AND I am working on a new Album, so be prepared :-) It will be darker than ever before.
4- How did you start to make Electro / Gothic / Alternative and what is Gothic for you?
I just got some cheap software and startet messing around, because I wanted to do something creative. But soon it was more than just messing around and so I started the first “songs”. Not very good, but it was the beginning of something better ;-)
Gothic is for me to be open minded.. Honesty and tolerance – no superficiality and arrogance..It's nothing about fashion and trends.
5- What and who are some of your influences in Electro / Gothic / Alternative?
It's hard to say what my influences are.. I listen too much music, not only Electronic stuff. But you cannot recognize them as an influence. I just try to do my thing, sometimes this may sound like some other Band but that's no aim from me.
6- What are your top ten favorite Electro / Gothic / Alternative Club Songs of all time? Who are you influenced by? What would you consider your favorite cd's?
Well, I don't go to clubs, but of course I can give you a top 10 of my favorite Electronic Songs. (Random Order)
:Wumpscut: - Torn Skin
Nurzery [Rhymes] – Du!
Cephalgy – Teile mit mir die Einsamkeit
X-Fusion – No Fiend to Exorcise
Solitary Experiments – Delight
Unter Null – Sick Fuck
The Crüxshadows – Cassandra
Spetsnaz – Perfect Body
Suicide Commando – Conspiracy with the Devil
Trümmerwelten – Right Now
But at the moment i'm listening more to Black or Death Metal stuff..
7- Do you have a favourite track and album?
I didn't have just one favorite track.. there are too much good tracks out there.But at the moment “Bunkertor 7” is kind of my favorite album.
8- So tell me a bit more about yourself, such as musical?
My name is Jan, I am 21 years old and I am a musical amateur ;-)
9- By the way do you like my questions? tell me what you think about it! ;-)
The best questions I got until now ;-)
10- What is the main idea, the message you want to leave to people who listens to you? What is your motto?
That's a very hard question.. I think this is different in every song.. sometimes I want to sing about love, sometimes about manslaughter.But in both cases I want to hit the listener with the feeling I try to create. It's not important for me if you can dance to a song.. it's more important that you can feel it.
11- What’s the name of your band? What’s the origin of that name? Have you changed the band’s name before?
The name of my band is Tanaros, which was the Gaelic god of fire in old Britain. And yes, I changed the Name. At the beginning this project was called Anagnorisis, which is Greek for Recognition. It was a stylistic device at theater plays in the Greek ancient world.But another band had this name before me, so I had to change it. I chose Tanaros because fire was always a topic in my Lyrics for this music project.
12- where did the concept come from? and whats planned now that your album is finished? or anything else you're working on? Tell us a few words about the concept of this?
The concept of Tanaros changed a bit from the beginning to now. First it was a Industrial Rock act (in the Demo time), but I dropped this concept soon and wanted to do more dark and just electronic music [Caught by Darkness Album]. After that I wanted to do some faster and more aggressive songs..[Servant EP, You gonna Die! EP] but I got tired of it to.So I started going back to the roots mixing dark electro plus Industrial rock [Suicidal Note].Yeah, I wanted to try everything ;-) But I didn't change the sound that much, that you couldn't recognize it's Tanaros. It's always quite easy to hear.Now I'm back at Dark Electro without any guitar riffs and the songs are slower and darker than ever. I think this is the way I want to go, everything else doesn't make sense to me at the moment.
13- When's the new album coming out?
I can't tell you know, because we are just at the beginning of the songwriting. Maybe we are fast.. maybe we are lazy bones.. who knows ;-) I didn't!
14-How is the current promotional tour going for supporting this album?
I have no promotional tour going on. It's planned to release the album as a professional CD-R limited to 50 copies only. So just for the real fans :-)
15- What do you think of a modern Electro / Gothic / Alternative and about ,Electro / Gothic / Alternative scene?
I'm honest. I really think nothing of this scene, because it really sucks. Well that's my opinion, you have to live with it.
Just to much fashion pussies and trend victims.
16- Our usual question - what is Electro / Gothic / Alternative for you?
It's music where I can handle some fucked up things in my live. It's quite like a therapy.
17- What was your best live experience so far?
I never played live, yet.But I don't want to see most live electro concerts, because mostly it's not really “live”.. and I don't like to dance.
18- Please list the name, age, school, and respective instrument of each band member
Jan Ricker, 21, student of information-technology, Lyrics + Vocals + Synthesizer.
I am the only “real” member but a friend of mine helps me with this new album, cause he has some nice hardware synthesizers and I really like that sound. But he wants to stay in background, he has also his own project where he does some rhythm 'n noise and Industrial stuff, so completely different ;-)
For a while I had a female singer, but I don't know if this cooperation will be reanimated.
19-What are your views on the current state of this Electro / Gothic / Alternative scene in Germany .in terms of creativity and audiences? And the scene in other countries?
Well, the scene itself has nearly no creativity, because everyone wants to sound like someone else.That's a real pity.I hope this Techno and Hardstyle trend will stop soon. At the moment this scene is nearly dead for me.
20- you have very nice numbers`.............. tell me about lyrical compositions what you can tell about the done work? How does your music creation process work? How do you create a song?
First, Thank you very much ;-)Well the lyrics have mostly two sides: They are very personal or they are fictional stories. I like both. So mostly when it's about killing and torturing I hope it's a fictional story ;-) I write about things that run through my mind – like stuff I experienced or stuff I watch at the TV or something... there are no rules at writing.First I make the music.. then I write the lyrics.. and the I scream in my microphone!
21-What genre of music do you consider your work to be? Who are your major influences?
My work is Dark Electro. Very atmospheric and dark. Don't care if you can dance.Influenced by every music I hear.. but you can't hear it ;-)
22-Since the music industry is more open now to purely electronic music has this made things easier for you?
Well not really.. The people mostly want music to dance.. I don't. So it's harder to get on famous compilations and stuff. BUT let's wait what the future will bring.
The new album will make a few steps forward, I'm sure.
23-So what are their main influences as a band at the moment?
Haha, you really want to know it, do you? Okay, my main influence is ROSE KEMP!
24-What is currently inspiring your material as an artist? tell me all about the Electro / Gothic / Alternative scene of Germany?
It's snowing right now.. maybe it makes my music even colder ;-) I said all necessary things about this scene. Dead.
25-Do you think that people from the music press didn't expect you to grow up musically?
I think the music press ignores me, but I really don't care.If you listen from album 1 to now and don't hear that I evolved then you should cut off your ears.I will never say that my music is the best and most innovative music that exist. I'm not that blind.But I like my music. And you are invited to do also. If you hate it, do it, but shut the fuck up.
26-what is the key to making music from Tanaros and what inspires you to keep growing as a musician?
Everyday life is the key. I need Tanaros to survive and not going crazy.I want to make the perfect Tanaros song. I will try to do it my whole life.. and I will grow with it.
27-How do you see the future of download / Copyright in area of goth-Electro / Gothic / Alternative music ? What are the best ways to develop it in your mind ?
I don't think that no one buys the albums because they can download it illegal, I think no one buys the albums because they are really shitty!Make better albums.. and people will buy it. And of course you have to go with the internet, use it wisely for you and not against!
28-If there was one thing you want people to know about your band what would that be?
Damn.. you got some questions ;-) I want to let them know that music also can be good if you can't dance to them so well. There are more important things, like you can hear in my music.
29-Please let us know about your upcoming plans, some new releases you like to confirm here
New Album, I hope I can release it in 2010! ;-)
30-It has been a pleasure to interview you on your musical activity,Well,any last words to your ebm-industrial fans?
You have some good questions, too so it was a pleasure for me.Well, don't follow fucking trends, be open minded.
Thanks for all the people who support me throughout the years! I would be nothing without you :-)
31-and what is next on Germany agenda?
Well, I think Christmas :-) I hope Carina will be happy about her present. Hab dich lieb mein Mäuschen :-)
32-thanks for your time! great work on the albums and good luck with everything.any How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD?
you will find a blog there and you can download ALL releases there, for FREE. Have fun with it and feedback is always appreciated :-)
33-Were you asked to play or did you have to ask for a slot?
I don't want to play live right now.. but no one had asked me, too.
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