This "interview" was conducted with Julio from Frontrunner on 23-Aug-2010 Thanks Julio
Thanks Julio that you have found time to give answers to these questions,
Hello Dreessen, thanks for your questions I'll answer all with pleasure.
From which country / town do you come from?
- I'm Sao Paulo city - Brazil
how are you doing? Where are you currently?
- I'm fine thanks, I'm living on Brazil now.
Could you briefly summarize Frontrunner and what you guys are about?
-The purpose of frontrunner is make EBM old-school music such as found in late 80's,
the belgian and Canadian school mainly.
Julio what noise do you make in Frontrunner?
- I make all: Synthesis, Sampling, voices, sequencing, including the artwork. I had a help when I was living in Japan, but today just me.
How's the start of 2010 been for you thus far?
- Slow. I did some remixes but I'm learning about new synths and computer software.
Other incoming projects?
- For the time being not, just doing new tracks for the upcomming album Control Damage. I'm planning to release a CD from my studio (Toxx-o-drome) with tracks of frontrunner, machination (my industrial-noise project), night visitors (my idm-ufo stuff project) and maybe goa trance tracks from my project Sedonia.
If people don't know what you and your music are about where have they been!?,how would you describe yourself?
- Electronic dancefloor agressive anti-pop music, without that excessive noise distorted rhythms or melodic future pop stuff, just the pure EBM.
If you could play a show anywhere in the world where would it be?
- My wish is playing in Europe, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Portugal, England...
What day jobs did you guys have while you were putting the band together?
- I work as computer programmer.
What is your music background? Who are you and your bandmembers? Tell your story
- I started to listen electronic music with the acid house wave in 1988 and techno pop bands such as New Order, Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk. Soon I listen dark music like Bauhaus, Alien Sex Fiend, some dark-wave and post-punk projects, after this I discovered EBM with Front242, Klinik, FLA, Bigod20, Skinny Puppy...
What do you do when you're not partaking in band activities?
- Listen music, watching movies and reading technical audio magazines.
Back to your roots, how did you first come to music?
- I always listen music, and I love electronics. I just mixed the two things.
If you weren't a musician what would you be?
- Really I don't know. I never minded.
When did you form Frontrunner? What inspired you to make music together?
- The first wish to form frontrunner was in 1990 together to a college friend,
but only in 1995 I got the necessary equipments to make electronic music.
What are your top ten favorite Electro / Industrial / Ebm / Electronica Club Songs of all time?
Front242 - No Shuffle
SA42 - Overture
Klinik - Go Back
Ministry - We Believe
Skinny Puppy - Neuwerld
FLA - Neologic Spasm
Leaether Strip - Strap me Down
Armageddon Dildos - The Hunter
Vomito Negro - American Dream Killer Machine
Binarcode - Anorexia
Do you keep up with how the record has been selling? Is that really important to you?
- Really it doesn't matter to me. My wish is just spreading my music around the world, the way no matter.
Who is your favorite band at the moment?
- two bands: Cryo and Autodafeh.
What band or bands would you like to tour with and why?
- UMM, cause the language and style compability.
Is touring a pleasure or a necessary evil?
- For pleasure I guess.
What would you be doing right now if you weren't in Frontrunner?
- Probably listen some electronic music.
And that's how you came up with the name of the band? How did you come up with the name Frontrunner?
- Frontrunner was a name of the first computer language/software I've learned in 1990.
If people don't know what you and your music are about, how would you describe Frontrunner?
- Powerful european EBM late 80's music, not the anhalt of today, nothing against, just different.
How did you come up with the title "4body" (Frontrunner latest EP)
- Just for the musical content of EP, i.e., electronic music for the body.
How do you feel to hold the finished cd in your hands?
- Satisfied
What are you currently listening to on your mp3 player? What artists have you been listening to these days?
- New material from Vomito Negro, SA42, NordarR, Leaether Strip, FLA, Autodafeh, Ad:key, Frontal, mainly EBM and some electro and Goa Trance.
Do you spend a lot of time on remixing other artists tracks or is it something you do when you have some time over?
- In the last year I spent a lot of time remixing other bands, around 8 remixes. In this year I have less remixes to do.
Is your family pretty impressed with what you've done?
- Yes, surely!
Have you recorded any previous cd`s or posted any audio files on the Internet?
- Yes, I have the "Terror Begginning vols. 1 & 2" for download and in cd issue too.
what type of recording process did you use? who produced your recording?
- Actually I make all the recording and producing process in the computer, digitally, nothing analog.
What are your views on the current state of this Electro / Industrial / Ebm / Electronica scene in Brazil in terms of creativity and audiences? And the scene in other countries?
- Here there are several project of electronic music and industrial, some with fine quality
and creativity but the audience is not so good cause the people here don't like very much of electronic music.
Differently of people from Germany, England... here the musical preference is accoustic, latin music.
What new music inspires you when you are writing? 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?
- I'm inspired mainly by the new synthesizers. I adapt they into Industrial-EBM style, so I could keep the same feeling of the old-school EBM using new technologies.
How did you sell your CD’s/Audio Files? (Consignment? Live sales? My space, iTunes,Distributor?)
- Today only via internet, but we are looking for a label and a Distributor. Almost all the digital sellers also have my work.
Since the music industry is more open now to purely electronic music has this made things easier for you?
- Really I didn't find any advantage in nowadays with the advent of purely electronic music.
So what are their main influences as a band at the moment?
- Several things: Dark Japanese terror movies, Conspiracy Theories, noir movies, electro and ebm cult bands, old technology mixed to upcomming technologies, religion.
Do you see the Internet as a benefit for bands like Frontrunner? Does the growing possibility of someone downloading your material, rather than buying it, worry you?
- I'm not worried about downloading mp3 music, but I think there's a boom of several plugin/computer based bands with poor quality that's a prejudice For the electro scene,one you have choose more and more to found good EBM music.
How do you see the future of download / Copyright in area of goth-Electro / Industrial / Ebm / Electronica music ? What are the best ways to develop it in your mind ?
- I guess the future of downloading music is going to be free. Several bands don't sell
their cd's/mp3 so, it's hard to say but I think the music is going to be free more and more.
What about all the big festivals? Summer Darkness in the netherlands? Mera Luna in Germany Familientreffen in Germany and Wave Gothic Treffen in Germany and many more?
- I don't know very much but I think they are essentials to keep and disseminate the EBM music in Europe. Here is South America we don't have any festivals...in North America too I guess.
what is the key to making music from Frontrunner and what inspires you to keep growing as a musician?
- New technologies, new world events, almost everything are inspirations to make my music.
If there was one thing you want people to know about your band what would that be?
- We are doing not for money, just for fun.
Please let us know about your upcoming plans, some new releases you like to confirm here
- I'm working to release a new album of frontrunner, Control Damage, and I'll released one mp3 or two before this album.
It has been a pleasure to interview you on your musical activity,Well,any last words to your ebm-industrial fans?
- Thanks man and thanks for all the people who listen and enjoy my music and EBM!
Do you think the music industry is dead?
- It's hard to say but today we see artists and band more and more closer to the their fans.
Where would you like to see Frontrunner three years from now?
- A great pure EBM band.
What was it like the first time you heard one of your songs on the radio ore internet ore clubs? who was the DJ that played your song?
- We were played by several DJ's here in Brazil since 1996, but one of the first international radio show to play frontrunner was Cyberage Radio, in the same year. They help a lot to disseminate frontrunner in USA.
And, finally, what does the next twelve months hold for the band?
- Hard work and learning.
By the way do you like my questions? tell me what you think about it! ;-)?
- Yeah, I like it much, thank you very much for the questions and sorry for the delay!
Last question before I’ve gotta go! What bands would you like to tour with if given the opportunity?
- FLA, Front242, Vomito Negro, SA42, Dive
Thanks alot for your answers! We wish you furthermore great success Any final thoughts for the people out there?
- Thank you much...Go Ahead!
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