Sielwolf


Cast your minds about, if you will, into the realm of theoretical physics. Imagine, if you can an end to the universe - a time when atoms become so excited, so agitated, so unstable - the universe implodes: an incomprehensible measure of matter turning in on itself. Now imagine the noise that would make (if noise travelled through a vacuum).

interview by Haydn Black

Imagine that was an allegory for the faltering world of modern music. Imagine that music has reached a point where it is almost indistinguishable from pure white noise. Imagine music is no longer the manipulation of notes, but of pure sound. With such music talent would be easily distinguished in the manipulation of those tones. The masters produce definable works, and the followers just walls of indescribable noise.

Sielwolf are some of those masters.

Cast your minds back to 1983 - the politico-anarchy of the punk movement had become posing and mindless aggression. The heirs of Black Sabbath were ridiculing themselves with 'metal' like Poison and Bon Jovi, and the first wave of experimental/industrial bands had passed on, or moved on. Neubauten had been discovered and were beginning to break in the underground.

In that era Peter Prochir and Petra Tausendpfund were two who had discovered each other and the magic of sampling. Many of their first experiments involved tape loops, acquiring the sounds of others and subverting the discourses into their own. This lay down the broad map upon which the future of Sielwolf was to be set.

Like many infected with the need to experiment, and create, in that era the bleak industrial landscape provided inspiration, as did Kraut rock and horror movies. Their mission statement: "That one mixes all the components and makes therefore something else, something new out of it."

Samples have been an important centrepiece to the bands music. Their first album in 1990 typified this. Some songs were been created by stitching up to 60 samples together, structured around the wire skeleton of modern electronic music. Sielwolf are currently on tour in the US, something they have long yearned to do but never felt they had the profile to undertake. The place, aside from being a huge market for industrial/metal noise, is where Peter and Petra were married.

These days Peter and Petra are joined in the band by Jens van der Glaas, T.L8 and Udo Betz, who have the expressed intention to 'filter the dirt in the sewer' of modern culture, and they've been able to do that across five albums and two continents, scoring review after review praising them for their pummelling, original music.

It would probably be a cliche to tell you dreams play an important part in Sielwolf's creative processes, but they have done, as Petra explains: "In the beginning there was a sampling concept and a personal concept we called 'psycho-hygiene' which means that Magnum, Nachtstrom and Metastasen are very personal albums for us."

These days Petra feels Sielwolf have become darker, introverted - no longer unleashing their anger and aggression upon the world but on themselves. For the most part the lyrics have gone too. "We like to change our concept," concedes Petra.

"We have industrial roots from the early eighties like Chrome, Mark Stewart, old Swans and Neubauten, but these days we're also using new classical music like Varese, Crump and Penderecki and psychic movie samples like Cronenberg," she said.

If you listen to Sielwolf, and your German is up to scratch, you'll find some unusual lyrics. The concepts they convey won't translate well into English because they are very personal, and very unique to the band's style of communication: "We make music to compensate (for) conflicts and our fears. We, maybe, try to integrate ghosts and personal demons better in our personality. Everybody has got dark sides!"

Let's take an example. The track 'Mien Weg Zum Geschwur" is about "a kind of a cancer that develops slowly - it destroys you."

When not allowing the world to share their experiences Peter spends his time listening to music, while Petra is involved in sports and body shaping, challenging the body as well as the mind. Of course one of the greatest challenges in their lives is getting records out.

"One of the worst experiences of being in the band is having to worry if you can bring the next record out because the music business is getting worse for bands like us."

Sielwolf have dealt with a number of labels over their lifetime... their advice?

"Most labels are only after money because its a business for them. My advice is not to take the first label that offers you a deal, its better to be patient and wait until the conditions are all right. It's very important that they let you do what you want."

I caught but with Petra while she was visiting the offices of the bands American label Van Richter Records, while the band were on tour of the states - so what can audiences expect to be pummelled with at a concert?

"We are using lots of sampling sounds and live instruments and we do some art performance sometimes....." she says.

So how has the US tour gone so far?

"Great! We are going to Hawaii, Las Vegas and I've done a couple of interviews. It's enjoyable."

If you live in the US you can probably catch Sielwolf in a major city near you, if you haven't already missed them. If you have, you can shoot over to the Van Richter web site and take a gander at their web-page, and with a 28.8 modem you can even download a couple of songs for your aural pleasure. So there you have it. Is this a glimpse at the future of modern music?

SIELWOLF DISCOGRAPHY

  • 1989 Paralized voice (Parade Amoreux Label)
  • 1990 Sielwolf (Parade Amoreux)
  • 1992 Magnum Force (cashbeat)
  • 1993 Nachtstrom (cashbeat)
  • 1994 Metastasen (KK)
  • 1994 Beweglich animalisch (KK)
  • 1995 Metastasen + Beweglich Animalisch (Van Richter USA)
  • 1996 Sielwolf 4 (KK produced by Mick Harris/ Scorn)
  • 1997 Remixes 4 by Mick (KK)
  • 1997 Magnum Force MCD (Van Richter USA)
  • 1997 Nachtstrom (Van Richter USA)


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