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Featuring Michael from WAVE IN HEAD | Interview by Ruud Dreessen aka ebm-industrial.nl |6 februari 2010 13:15

01- For the first question will be - Thanks Michael that you have found time to give answers to these questions,How are you doing?

My pleasure. And I´m doing fine thanks.

02-Hello Michael what noise do you make in WAVE IN HEAD?

Well, WAVE IN HEAD is a one man band. Therefore I´m in the position that makes all noises. If your question refers to genre topics I would describe the noise I create with WAVE IN HEAD as a kind of synth pop between "almost mainstream" and "strange".

03-How's the start of 2010 been for you thus far?

The first weeks of 2010 have been calm. I`ve been on vacations for a week and later on I took part in some meetings. Nothing exciting. Musically I completed an album, which I prepare to be released.

04-do you know the Netherland?

I´ve never spent time there, but I have an imagination of the Netherlands. Like green, flat, peaceful and paved with vegetable. I love the language though I don´t understand anything. It sounds like flat German a bit. And there are some personalities I know like Rudi Carell, Mareike Amado, Hape Kerkeling or Linda de Mol - all famous over here. Cool country.

05-For a lot of people, this is probably going to be their first full introduction to WAVE IN HEAD. So how about you tell us a little bit about how you guys know each other and how the band came together?

I´m still about to get to know myself (just kidding). No, as I said before WAVE IN HEAD is only me. For live gigs I work together with Gerold Basner from Leon Glock who I got to know about ten years ago in Magdeburg. My music was played on a public TV station and he was about to organize his own band and wrote me. He is on a couple of live pictures – the guy with the glasses. Heike Suss and Syrka Riep alternately supported me as background vocalist in the past. Syrka is from my old hometown Magdeburg. She sings in a choir. Heike is the female part of Pleasures Remain, a band from around Heidelberg I`m friends with.

06- Do you follow the electronic music scene, do you have any other favourite bands?

No, I think I don´t watch the scene. Sometimes I listen to some music from other bands and I often like what I hear. Sometimes I even get inspired by it, but mostly I don´t memorize the band names. The last thing I can remember is a CD by Disreflect, another artist at A Different Drum. There´s lots of good music out there.

07-How is your relationship with other electronic bands?

I am friends with or in contact with other bands from Germany. Mostly we don´t work together though.

08- Can you give us a brief run-through of WAVE IN HEAD`s story so far?

I´m a child of the 80ies and I was impressed by the music at that time. Depeche Mode and the Cure came up and New Wave and Synth Pop became popular and hooked me up. I found out that I had the little man in my ears. Melodies occurred to me and I felt an urge to put that into electronic music. First I tried to work with another guy on some songs with easiest facilities just to find out that I am not made to be a band member. 1993 I bought a professional sampler workstation and made some weird songs. 2001 I signed to A Different Drum and released 3 albums and lots of other things.

09- How did you start to make music and what is Gothic for you?

First I sampled everything I could get. Field recording was expensive, so I was limited to the things between bedroom and kitchen. I made songs out of the recordings of several noises, added some instruments out of the factory library and recorded on tape cassettes. Later I had an 8-track recorder and was able to try some more complex things. Gothic has actually nothing to do with what WAVE IN HEAD stands for. Nevertheless I have an emotional access for Gothic music. It expresses darkness, loneliness, death and so on. It also contains a romantic aspect. Like a bad, dark memory. In fact it can be an influence for any other style.

10-What did you guys do for a living before WAVE IN HEAD?

I still have a normal job. It would be great to do nothing but music. So far I didn´t dare it to make a living off of the music. But who knows. Times change…

11- When did you form WAVE IN HEAD? What inspired you to make music together?

The project name “WAVE IN HEAD” fell into my mind in 1993. I was inspired by unusual sounds. I loved the imagination to work with synths. They appeared to be THE key to beam you into a wonderland of unheard sounds. And I wanted to explore that wonderland.

12- What are your top ten favorite Electronica / Pop / Electro Club Songs of all time? Who are you influenced by? What would you consider your favorite cd's?

What a hard question… Let´s see…

1. Depeche Mode – in your memory

2. Kraftwerk – Heimcomputer

3. Visage – fade to grey

4. Human League – being boiled

5. Talk Talk – such a shame

6. Kim Wilde – the touch

7. Soft Cell – tainted love

8. Nick Kershaw – dancing girls

9. Erasure – Stop

10. Yazoo – don´t go

Ask me tomorrow and you`ll get a completely different list. :)

My influences come from everywhere. I started with an inspiration derived from Depeche Mode and others from the 80ies. Meanwhile I am influenced by lots of other artists. Even by ones I´m actually not a fan of. Even noises in my surrounding, words that have been said, stories I´ve been told and other things can influence my music, my approach or the lyrical content.

Regarding CDs – I get bored easily. So I don´t listen to a CD over and over for years. Nevertheless I´m still fascinated by records like “construction time again” by Depeche Mode. I love it when sweet melodies meet hard steel clanks or when calm singing is accompanied by a flood of power.

13- What are the future plans for WAVE IN HEAD?

I will keep on making music. I will improve my production skills more and more. And I will hopefully make great albums. I can´t predict more than that because I only see the next step on my way to what I consider a fulfilled life.

14- Tell me about this record label A Different Drum? Are you a member of any music organizations?

A Different Drum is probably the world´s biggest synthpop label. A reliable partner and for me this label stands for creative freedom. Todd Durrant – owner of ADD – is a nice guy and a supportive friend.

I`m not a member of any organization.

15-What are you currently listening to on your MP3 player?

Embrace by Deva Premal. My wife bought it. It has nothing to do with synthpop though. The latest Nizzer Ebb is playing too.

16- By the way do you like my questions? Tell me what you think about it! ;-)

They make sense :) Sometimes you surprise me with repetitions. Childhood questions are a rarity.

17- What is the main idea, the message you want to leave to people who listen to you? What is your motto?

The mottos of my releases slowly turn from “life sucks but you can survive” to “life´s great if you want to”. This probably reflects my personal development from an anxious and uncertain to a self determined personality.

18- What’s the name of your band? Where did the name come from? Or what's the story behind the band name?

The name of WAVE IN HEAD? Uhm, WAVE IN HEAD? I just combined two of my favorite English terms with another English word and created this strange name. Before I signed to ADD I tried to change it but it was too late. The people wanted me to keep that name. But you know what? I like it as it is because it’s so geometrical.

19-If people don't know what you and your music are about, how would you describe WAVE IN HEAD?

I`d describe it as nice music, electronically made. A mix of the well known with traces of the unexpected. Between moody and dancey. Contaminated with infectious melodies.

20- criminal ballad Demo,time to speak,you and for a special moment 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 titles criminal ballad Demo,time to speak,you and for a special moment Tell us a few words about the concept of this?

All albums were named after one of the songs except “time to speak”, which was supposed to express the beginning of my CD career at that time. I usually see my songs grow up in my studio similar to growing tomatoes or cucumbers. And when I go and cut them off the plant (harddiscus cubasicus vulgaris) and put them onto a CD I listen and decide what name could fit. Or I ask Todd or other friends for a suggestion. You see, there´s no concept. I’m bad at making plans for an album. I just start with something and see the things happen.

Now that my next album is finished I will prepare the release, actualize the content of my website and look for opportunities to play live and so on.

There’s a lot of unfinished music I want to work on soon as well.

21- Some quick fire questions: gitar or synthesizer?

Synthesizer. Synths are closer to what I intend to do musically.

22-band or solo

Solo in studio. Band on stage.

23-How is the current promotional tour going for supporting this album?

There is no tour. WAVE IN HEAD was out of the focus for 4 years, thus a tour is a high risk to lose money. Regarding live activities I keep it going slowly and naturally.

24- What do you think of a modern Gothic and about Electronica / Pop / Electro scene?

I can`t tell much about the Gothic scene. I just see that electronic music mostly happens in disguise of house, trance, and techno apart from a minority of electro pop acts. But still I think modern electronic has all the chances to be heard and to be part of our musical culture. Personally I am aware of a number of good bands and artists within the crowd.

25- What's your favourite track of yours?

Right now it`s “the voice in me”. I guess nobody knows what I`m talking about because this song will be on the next album.

26-What and who gets you excited about music today?

Technology makes me excited about music. You have so many cool tools to get the best out of your tracks that it itches me to use it all. The trouble is I can`t afford to use it all. Not yet. So I make compromises like probably most bands and projects.

27-Our usual question - what is music for you?

The expression of feelings and identity. It`s wonderland and creative playground at once. Music is understood as a soft entertainment. Nevertheless it can change everything.

28- What was your best live experience so far?

Los Angeles 2001! It was an ADD festival. I had never expected such an enthusiastic welcome.

29- Please list the name, age, school, and respective instrument of each band member

Michael – 38 – abitur at the Thälmann secondary high school attached to the Thälmann enterprise (before the German reunion) – vocals, key, programming and production.

30-What are your views on the current state of this Electronica / Pop / Electro scene in Germany.in terms of creativity and audiences? And the scene in other countries?

I don`t know much about the Electronica / Pop / Electro scene in Germany, I`m sorry. All I have heard in the past is there is a change of values. Less CDs are sold. There are less electro - bands touring and another generation of bands is showing up which is more into guitars.

31- 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?

Thank you. I usually don`t start with lyrics. In most cases I start a song with a melody or a sound and then let it grow to a song structure. Some words fall into my mind and define a direction. Then I write lyrics based on the words I have and the feeling of the song and get them checked by Todd. As a native speaker he can point me on things which can be improved or clarified. The last steps are vocal recording and mixing.

32-What genre of music do you consider your work to be? Who are your major influences?

It`s electro pop I suppose. My major influences come from the early Depeche Mode, Camouflage and so on.

33-Since the music industry is more open now to purely electronic music has this made things easier for you?

Not yet. But I see it with pleasure that electronis like electro pop are appearing in the mainstream again.

34-So what are their main influences as a band at the moment?

Recently I`ve heard someone at the radio who was obviously influenced by Yazoo. Most electronic mainstream bands seem to be influenced by electronic dance music.

35-What is currently inspiring your material as an artist? Tell me all about the Electronica / Pop / Electro scene of Germany?

Currently I am inspired by the upcoming field recording attempts. That might be a reason to go back to sampling.

Regarding the Electronica / Pop / Electro scene of Germany I told you before I am not really well informed. From what I am aware we have a living scene in several genres like house, techno, electro and ebm to name a few. Years ago synth pop was more popular due to bands like And One, Wolfsheim, Camouflage or De/Vision. Kraftwerk should be back soon. And Heppner (Wolfsheim) is touring as solo project.

36-Do you think that people from the music press didn't expect you to grow up musically?

I can`t tell what the press expects. This should not be my motivation to go on. I have to ask myself what I expect from life to make my decisions – personally and musically. There is one story though which might be funny. In 1997 I took part with a song in a promo – sampler project. People from the music business evaluated my work and except two all of them were sure I would have no chance to sell CDs. In fact I sold CDs a couple of years later.

37-what is the key to making music from WAVE IN HEAD and what inspires you to keep growing as a musician?

Curiosity. Musically everything is said and done already. Nevertheless I would like to give something personal and unique to the music. On the other hand I regularly wonder how it might sound if I combine “this” with “that” This way I come up with new songs again and again…

38-How do you see the future of download / Copyright in area of goth-Electronica / Pop / Electro music ? What are the best ways to develop it in your mind ?

People will take what they can get for free. This won`t make it easier to sell CD s. But still there are ways to create items people want to buy or to earn money by live events or radio play which might be supported by downloads or web presence in general. In the future you`ll probably pay for every download in a way that makes it easy. Flat rates, bundles…

39-what was your childhood like?

Oh, now you´re going into depth. :) My childhood was happy but not without any challenge. I grew up in Ottersleben, a township of Magdeburg in the east of Germany. My parents were divorced. My sister and I lived with my mom in a house with a spacey garden. From time to time we noticed how hard our mom was working to maintain the house and the family, and sometimes we felt some lack of something here and there. I dug in the garden together with mom and attended the 10 years general polytechnical school, listened to Depeche Mode tapes with friends and made strange plans. I have pleasant memories of my childhood. The cool thing about the socialist system was, you were unable to die from hunger or something. You couldn´t fall hard. This experience made it hard to take responsibility for oneself. When my childhood was over, the socialism was over too and I started my first steps into the “real” wild life.

40-If there was one thing you want people to know about your band what would that be

That I exist. And that I have made some damn good songs already. ;))

41-Please let us know about your upcoming plans, some new releases you like to confirm here

Yes, I confirm I am about to release something new. I will post the news next.

42-It has been a pleasure to interview you on your musical activity,Well,any last words to your ebm-industrial fans?

Thank you. It was my pleasure too. :)

Dear fans, thank you for your support in the past and for your support in the future! You´re great folks!

I can use any help to get heard. So if you like what I´m doing and you may be feel the desire to hear my music on your radio station finally - spread the word (internet, real life, everywhere). Let others hear it. Ask your radio station to play WAVE IN HEAD. Play it at your club or tell others what happened to you because you got in touch with my music.

I appreciate any help.

43-and what is next on Germany agenda?

The next point on Germany´s agenda is to buy a DVD from a Swiss banker, which contains NO music ;-)

My next point on my agenda is the tax declaration for 2009.

44-How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD?

You can go to www.waveinhead.com . There´s a link to Myspace. Or you go to www.myspace.com/waveinhead and listen directly. You can find samples on I-Tunes and watch videos on YouTube (actually I have made only one with Sven Zimmermann, don´t ask me who made the others).

AND: you can buy my CDs via Todd at www.adifferentdrum.com or at Amazon

45-How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?

I’ve been listening to some old songs of mine and noticed the main development was the sound of my voice and the recording quality. The basic approach was pretty much the same. Probably because I hardly make two similar songs. Each song is different in comparison to others. But the main change is that the instruments and the vocals seem to be closer to your ear.

46-How is the new line-up working out?

You mean the song order? That seems to work well.

47-And, finally, what does the next twelve months hold for the band?

I have no idea. Can you ask me in twelve months again?

48-Any last words?

To my non- fans now? Well… Dear others, consider listening to my tracks on www.myspace.com/waveinhead , especially when my next CD is out. It may be you like them. Thanks a lot. :)

49-Thank you for your time Michael Good luck

Thank you for yours Ruud. Good luck to you too