Featuring rich / global citizen | Interview by Ruud Dreessen aka ebm-industrial.nl | 16 Jan 2009
Thanks Rich for finding the time to answer some questions, so tell me a bit more about yourself, such as musically?
Rich:
No worries, i'm not what you would call a naturally gifted musician and i never took lessons of any kind when i was younger.I was an 80's kid, back then, especially in the early 80's, it was cool to be a certain type like a punk, goth, mod, new wave or new romantic and it was also all about how you looked.Things like that were much more important back then than how it has become now but i have tried to keep a good balance between the music and the look.Bands i enjoyed back then and still do were Tubeway Army/Gary Numan, Visage, Cabaret Voltaire, John Foxx, Soft Cell, Depeche Mode etc, etc .....I pretty much dropped out of school because of music and girls right at the last moment when i was meant to be taking those all important final exams.As i was leaving school, my parents bought me my very first synthesizer, a Roland Juno 6 complete with hard case and 60watt amp and i've never looked back since ...Back in those days, that was was a huge amount of money for someone such as my parents to be paying out.
So how did you first get into the Goth/Industrial scene?
Rich:
To be honest, i have never really classed myself as either, people have classed us in that way. i just like anything dark and alternative, it doesn't have to go bang, bang, bang either. It's interesting sounds that catch my ear but if you want a time frame, i'd say at least the last 10 years ....
How did you come up with the name of your band, Global Citizen? Who are the current members of the band?
Rich:
I first wrote a song which was called Global Citizen, which was about an international hit man who would travel the world wherever he was paid to wipe people out, it was inspired by the film 'Leon'.I decided i would like to go and be an international hitman with a different kind of hit! Before then, we were known as Constructive Noise'.
Current members are:
September (Myself): songwriter and lead vocalist.
October (Junko): live keys for last 6 years but just gone part time recently.
Runyaka-chan (Runya): live keys
November (aka Vade Retro): latest member: live keys, a little guitar and backing vox.
Tell us one secret about yourself or the band that you have never told to anyone?
Rich:
It's not really a secret as such but i'm not as scary as i look or make out. People often find me unapproachable but wonder why they ever were so nervous of me when they do get to meet me, i'm actually quite shy myself ....
Can you tell us a little bit more about your personal life, what you do on a daily basis?
Rich:
The music and the scenes attached are becoming pretty much my personal life.I am trying to hold down a day job for as long as i need to but it's getting hard. I'm on a final warning for absenteeism! I work in the provisioning of broadband ....Musically, i'm already working on a follow up album to 'Master Stroke', i'm also working on another friends album and i have about 5 remixes on the go.I also get out to the odd fetish/industrial club quite regularly ...
Some words about you and your music project. Would you like to fill in some biographical details of the forming of Global Citizen
Rich:
As i mentioned earlier, Global Citizen started life as 'Constructive Noise' back in the very late nineties but with different personnel, we were not as dark as we are now or as perverse for that matter but were still very moody.
We self released 6 of our own albums on my own label 'Whoopy Doo Records' and were finally snapped up late in 2007 by our current label 'Rebco Records'. Our first album on Rebco, 'Master Stroke' was released in the latter half of 2008. The earlier self released albums were made in very small numbers are are very difficult to find these days.
How and why did you come about starting Global Citizen? what else inspires you to create? Global Citizen was formed in....?
Rich:
Oops, i appear to have got ahead of you! ;o I decided music was my thing from a very early age, let's face it, i didnt come away from school with any qualifications to do anything else and i've been stuck in dead end jobs like most of us since paying for the music ....Global Citizen came about in the late 90's but there were a couple of bands before that .....Inspiration comes from the synthesizers themselves quite often, from a particular sound for example.I'm also inspired a lot from photography, in particular books by the famous japanese photographer 'Nobuyoshi Araki'.Lyrically my writing has got increasingly darker and more perverse sexually inspired by such images and experiences ...
Ok tell me a few things about Global Citizen How did you decide to form this project, give us a little background information
Rich:
Who's writing these questions? I already did that! hehe ... ;o
Let's talk about your album - 'Master Stroke', where did the concept come from? and what's planned now that your album is finished? any upcoming shows or anything else you're working on?
Rich:
'Master Stroke' was titled after one of the tracks on the album, a song about one of my favourite past times, receiving blow jobs! :) I like the master to be stroked.Most of the other songs are similarly themed, abduction, bondage, rape, and every day sexual acts etc, etc. It's not as shocking as it sounds ...The artwork is brilliant and very suitable to the flavour of the album and was done by my friend at bondaget-shirt. com in Switzerland.
We'll be heading out on the road as much as we can to promote the album this year, especially the UK and europe but hopefully further afield also ...The follow up album is already started and will hopefully all be finished recording wise, by summer.It has two possible titles at the moment, either 'Early Morning Star' or 'Nil By Mouth'.
How is the current promotional tour going for supporting 'Master Stroke'?
Rich:
It's been a little slow over the new year period as i've been doing way too much partying. Things are starting to pick up now though and we'll do our first show for the year at the end of January.Holland is definitely on the horizon, nothing firmly set yet and if you know any venue/promoter that would like us over, send them this way.
How would you describe your music?
Rich:
Like it says on the tin: dark, moody, twisted, perverse electronic music. Full of highs and lows, power in atmosphere rather than relying on a 4 to the floor beat.
Can you give us some insight into the beginnings of Global Citizen as a musical project? What's the history of Global Citizen? How did it initially come to be? Can you give an introduction to Global Citizen?
Rich:
I think you have merged 2 or 3 different inteviews together here, i have answered this already. :)
How do you like Rebco Records? Can you tell us a bit more about them?
Rich:
Rebco Records have been great so far, they're a small London based independent label with a growing roster of bands, very hard working and in it for the love of it and not the money.We're like a family really, all helping each other out in any way we can and working for everyone's success.
Your cd cover is very cool, your look, the design and the pics. I like this style, tell me more about your photo?
Rich:
Hehe, we'll here's another little secret for you, i actually took those photos myself on my mobile phone! self portraits on a 2mega pixel camera phone! They were then manipulated and worked into the rest of the excellent artwork by my friend at bondaget-shirt. com, a very talented graphic artist.I basically saw some designs on his t-shirts and asked him to come up with the design you see before you ...
What are your views on the current state of the electro scene in the United Kingdom in terms of creativity and audiences? And the scene in other countries?
Rich:
In the UK, it's been a bit of a struggle, electro here has mainly focused on retro and electro clash but that is changing. there are more and more dark alternative and industrial clubs starting up all the time and things are beginning to look much better. The audiences are getting bigger and more enthusiastic too.Abroad, the stand out countries would have to be Germany, Holland and even Italy but the old countries on the eastern block such as Slovenia and the like are fast catching up.
We will be paying a visit to all of these this year for sure ....
The Master Stroke album is great. Tell me about the lyrical compositions on Master Stroke, how does your music creation process work and how do you create a song?
Rich:
Thankyou, lyrically i mix fact with fiction. I may be inspired to start writing something by a photo or even just a song title and then fill in the gaps with my own experiences. I have never abducted or raped anyone in my life so you know which parts are fiction! :/ though i have play raped of course ...Although the lyrics are very sexual, you won't find any crass or dirty language and very few swear words. I like to play on words and work sexual innuendo into words you wouldn't normally associate with sex.The album title is a prime example, when you think of the phrase master stroke, you dont usually associate it with sex, you associate it with a stroke of genius or similar. So the album title has a double meaning, on one hand it's saying that the album is a stroke of genius and then you look at the artwork and you see the girl is stroking the master with her tongue and not actually singing into a microphone.
I'm one of those songwriters who write the words first and then the music, a lot of writers do it the other way round.I write the words first, find how i'm comfortable singing them and then work the music around that. It seems natural that way to me instead of trying to squeeze words into the music.I work in a very old school way of recording but with modern technology.I record all the keyboards in as live audio, i do not use midi or a sampler. All the keyboards you hear are recorded into the computer like you would on the old tape machines. That's what i do, use the computer like tape. It gives a looser less robotic feel.I'm also a very lazy vocalist in the studio, i tend to record a rough guide vocal in most cases and end up saying, ok, that'll do. I don't spend hours or even days nit picking over little details, i like things to have that rough edge.
Out of all of your albums, which album would you say is your favorite album? And why?
Rich:
That would obviously have to be 'Master Stroke'.As well as being the first 'official' commercially available album, it was a mix of new tracks and my favourite tracks from before we were signed but given a new twist to sit in with the new material.
Do you agree with all these different types of music in the scene? Everything that has a beat and electro elements is EBM to most people. In your opinion how should an EBM band sound like and what should we expect from you in the EBM scene?
Rich:
To tell the truth i couldn't listen to a track and tell you what genre it fits into, i have no real interest in categories, i just make my songs how i want them to be and not with a particular market in mind.I am however reliably informed that we are not ebm at all and so i don't see us being so unless someone does an ebm remix of one of our tracks. I should stress that i have nothing against ebm, i'm not even strictly sure exactly what you have to be to fit in.
Can you tell us a bit more about your first release 'Master Stroke'?
Rich:
I think i've already laid this one to bed earlier.Except that i forgot to tell you that it's very good!
What is currently inspiring your material as an artist?
Rich:
sex mostly, lots of sex. also fetishism, pics, bondage etc, etc. oh, and Japan ..... and it's fetishes, women and underground sex industry.
What are your thoughts about the Internet as a tool to reach fans?
Rich:
The internet has opened up the world to everyone. All the good music out there as well as all the bad stuff.
It's still hard work to get noticed but at least the opportunities are there. We were actually signed from our presence on Myspace ourselves so i have to say it's a good tool.
How did you come up with the name of your band, Global Citizen? What is the key to making music for Global Citizen? and what inspires you to keep growing as a musician?
Rich:
As mentioned earlier, i originally wrote a song titled the same and adopted it.The key? hmmm. i'm not sure i have a key, the door has always been open. I've always found it easy to orchestrate/construct noise .....I write about the oldest trade in the book, sex, so as long as that continues to give me a hard on, i will continue to be inspired!
What ideas, movements and personalities would you say were crucial for the definition and development of Global Citizen as a creative entity?
Rich:
Blimey, now that's getting a bit deep! I tend to find going out and buying a brand new synthesizer and having a fresh palette of sounds along with looking at lots of pics of naked Japanese women tied up in all sorts of positions is all i need! :)
If there was one thing you want people to know about your band what would that be?
Rich:
Hmmm, that's another quite difficult question.We stand out amongst the crowd, come along to one of our shows and you will see what i mean. We are not run of the mill or stereotypical, i may joke about stuff but we are serious contenders. We are different to most other acts out there and we are sexy.Come along and get hooked.
Tell us a little bit more about what you do in your spare time?
Rich:
Spare time is fast becoming a thing of the past, i have so many different projects on at the moment i have to force myself to have a break. The odd fetish or industrial club is all i can squeeze in at the moment.
What do you think of the intermingling with the electro, Darkwave and EBM scenes? While electro is your main musical pallet, what other music do you listen to?
Rich:
Imm not really concerned who mingles with who really as far as scenes go, it makes for a wider audience after all and that's what we want to reach.And as far as listening to music goes, if i like it, i'll listen to it, it does not have to be electro.That's left you none the wiser i'm sure ....
How long have you been in the music industry and how has it changed over time? Now I have to ask,what's the inspiration for the Global Citizen story?
Rich:
I've only been taking myself and my music seriously as with any potential over the last 7 or 8 years. i almost gave up back in 2005 after a series of burglaries left me with nothing but i got myself back together and since then i've only been looking ahead.Technology has changed dramatically over the years and along with the drop in price of the technology, it has become a lot easier for the musician to get things done themselves.I still use this technology as if it were 30 years old though and record everything manually ....I guess the reason i'm here doing what i do today, has to be down to Gary Numan and the way he introduced the synthesizer to the masses. Yep, it's all his fault ....... i'm pretty sure about that. We even grew up in the same area and went to the same school, though i was a few years behind him.I remember hearing 'Are 'Friends' Electric?' on the radio over and over, i loved it and not knowing about synthesizers back then i used to go and sit out the front of my house pretending to play it on guitar using my tennis racket. It wasn't until i saw Tubeway Army appear on Top Of The Pops that i realized it was not guitar at all, this amazing sound was coming out of lots of boxes with knobs on! The combination of seeing all these machines and the stark imagery of Gary and his band on this performance was too much, i had to be like that too.
Tell us a few words about the concept of this album.
Rich:
That's easy. Sex. And sex sells.
How did you come up with the name Global Citizen and what is its meaning?
Rich:
See earlier question.
Please let us know about your upcoming plans, any new releases you would like to confirm here?
Rich:
I'm working on the next album, have almost completed 5 or 6 songs and we'll be out and about performing anywhere we are invited, so get those requests in.The new album will be out in the latter half of the year. Whether there will be any singles i don't know, not sure they're worth doing any more.The new album will again be co-produced by myself and Mr. Strange from the brilliant band 'The Shanklin Freak Show' whom i'm sure you will be hearing a lot about also this year.Songs already penned for the album are: 'Early Morning Star', 'Kimochi ii', 'Tomomi And The No-Panties Coffee Shop', 'Whilst You Were Asleep' and 'Don't Make It Slow'.
Can you tell us something about your beginnings and why did you begin to make music? Why various electronic styles? Tell us about your unique style of music and who are your major influences? Where do you typically get your inspiration for songs like Bukkake Smile, Chikages' Happy Hole, Tea Time, My Lovers, Naughty Naked Nude, Lady Killer and Come And Find Me?
Rich:
From a very early age i realized it was going to be music or nothing. Music is life as they say. I couldn't live without it and it's been hard to live because of it.You could say it's wrecked my life and other peoples along the way but it's all coming good now.I didnt set out to make or merge different styles, i just do what i do and other people put it in categories.
The biggest influence on me would have to be the synthesizer itself. I love them, i dont really properly understand them but i love fiddling about with them and seeing what weird and wonderful sounds i can make come out of them.
I like to make them scream for help ....
The inspiration for most of these songs were images, either in my head or in photograph.'Chikages' Happy Hole' though is actually a true story about a Japanese girl who used to work in the pleasure industry.She worked in this place called the 'Lucky Hole' where male visitors would visit cubicles made of plywood. in these cubicles there would be images of women drawn on the wall with holes in the mouth and genital areas. The male visitor would stick his little man through these holes and girls on the other side of the wall would pleasure them.There was a documentary made and shown on Japanese tv which took the viewers behind the scenes and showed the faces of some of the women the customer never usually saw. Chikage was one of these women and became well known, even famous, after she was shown in this programme and people started coming to this place and asking specifically for her. She asked for a pay rise because of all the business she was pulling in and when she was refused, she left and opened her own version called the 'Happy Hole'. and so, 'Chikages' Happy Hole' is her story ....
I like most of your album but mostly (Something Else, Bukkake Smile and my favourite on this cd is Come And Find Me) What's the song "Come And Find Me" about?
Rich:
'Come And Find Me' was actually fiction based but could be connected to i guess any of the important relationships i've had in the past that have been and gone due to silly little mistakes or disagreements.
Are you working on any current or future projects?
Rich:
Yes, the second album, a friends album and a few remixes.
How do you like the United Kingdom? What's the scene like there?
Rich:
The UK is my home and has been all my life. It's ok i guess but i'm not sure i want to retire here.I hate being taxed on everything.London is a city though that everyone should visit at least once in their lives.The scene is getting better by the week and is beginning to look quite positive thanks to a lot of people putting in some very hard work, my label boss included.
What is the future for your music?
Rich:
The future is in the publics' hands, I'll sure i will always keep making it regardless but people will have to keep buying it for it to survive in the long run. The music industry is changing dramatically with the advent of digital media and cd will soon be a thing of the past.We have to find new ways of making music pay because if people continue to stop buying it, people will stop making it and everyone will have to put up with listening to back catalogs ...I urge people to start supporting the music again before it's too late!
What was your favorite place to play a concert in?
Rich:
That's another difficult one because i love performing and always enjoy them. I guess i would have to say it would be one of the shows where we have had to win the audience over as that is more fulfilling when you play a crowd that has never heard of you and win them over, especially when they are not what you would call your usual audience.For example, last year we played the Bulldog Bash, a bikers festival, attended by 30'000 bikers, hells angels and metal heads over 3 days and 2 stages.We were the only electronic band of any sort on the bill for the whole weekend and they placed us in a prime time 8pm slot on stage 2 on the saturday. We were very worried but the crowd totally went for us and we were forever stopping to pose for photographs for the rest of the weekend.
When things like that happen it makes it all worthwhile and worth taking the risk.We did the same just a few weeks ago in a small venue in Wales in front of a load of teenage emos and metal heads.When we turned up at the venue and saw the place already heaving with these kids, we looked at each other and went oh shit! but again, they took to us and even called us back for an encore.Two very worthwhile and adrenalin fueled shows. Of course there's nothing like a Global Citizen friendly crowd cheering your every move and word either, a great feeling.
It has been a pleasure to interview you on your musical activity, Well, any last words to your ebm-industrial fans?
Rich:
You're welcome and many thanks. I'd like to thank everyone who takes the time to read this interview and hope to see some of you out there on the road sometime.Thank you all for your support and best wishes to everyone in 2009!
Thank you very much for the interview. It was a pleasure and I am looking forward for your next album. All the best mate
Rich:
Many thanks.
Any famous last words for your fans that read this?
Rich:
keep it dark and perverse! :)
Do you have any final words or requests? any last words for www.ebm-industrial.nl
Rich:
Thanks for having us and being such nice hosts! :)
Last question, some final words to our readers to conclude this interview?
Rich:
Best wishes to you all for the new year ahead.Make sure you say hi when we stop by.
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