Testify

Interview by Marc Urselli-Schärer


Chain D.L.K.: The most usual question to start an interview is "tell us about your story" so I won't ask you this... What exactly drove you to establish the Testify and why did you decide to make music? Is there a particular thought or philisophy or aim behind your music?

Myk: It was the gnawing dissatisfaction with what we did before that we founded Testify in late 1992.

Chain D.L.K.: Your first album has been entitled "01" so why the hell didn't you entitle your new one "02"? As far as I know David Bowie, Prince and Pink Floyd did something like that... Do you like these artists? What are instead your main musical and non-musical influences and how much do you feel their inspiration in your music?

Myk: We were not totally sure which number follows after 1, and this might be due to the mental lacks of all Testifylers - and moreover this is our main inspiration: our own mental weakness

Chain D.L.K.: Another question about album titles... Your brand new album is entitled MMMYAOOOO. What does it mean? Would you like it to become a kind of tribute to the renowed internet search engine Yahoo or is it simply the mewing of your grandmother's cat?

Myk: No, nothing of all that: MMMYAOOOO is the Scream For Relief.

Chain D.L.K.: What can you tell us about the new album? Which are the main differences (apart from the title :) of course) among the two albums and where would you stylistically place your remix-MCD "Ballroom Killer"?

Myk: The new album is a very important masterpiece of Rock History, in the league of "Sgt. Pepper" - and it sold even more than that Beatles-bit, harr And "Ballroom Killer"? That was weird shit, with the exception of the Keith Auerbach-stuff.

Chain D.L.K.: The above mentioned maxi-CD also featured a couple of remixes by Ministry engineer Keith "Fluffy" Auerbach. Please tell us, how was it to work with this guy? Why the nickname "fluffy"? Who did the other remixes on that release?

Myk: We never met Fluffy personally. We just sent him tapes to be remixed; and we ever wondered about the development of his name. The other remixes were made by the mentally deranged that we are.

Chain D.L.K.: What is your relation with guitars? Do you prefer live guitars or sampled guitars?

Myk: Our sampled guitars were played live by our guitarplayers - but only for some seconds, and then we would sit down again and drink some German beer. That's very comfortable!

Chain D.L.K.: Your music is very powerful and aggressive yet with a strong electronic soul and has been labeled as "a new step of computerized metal". Do you like this definition? If not, what is to you the most suitable one?

Myk: I'm bored by definitions, I never invent one.

Chain D.L.K.: Have you previously been electronic musicians now using guitar sounds too or are your origins to be found in the metal scene?

Myk: The members of the original Testify celle come from Electronic Fields - The Fair Sex - and the guitarplayers are Metal scene-offspring.

Chain D.L.K.: You are currently running other musical projects, aren't you? Can you tell us just a little about?

Myk: All Testifylers have their own little musical projects - but only me has released some stuff recently: Nice Gods Bleed, and weird shit is that, the total breakdown of all mentalsanity I fear.

Chain D.L.K.: You have been toruing with the Armageddon Dildos for Europe. How was this experiece? Do you prefer touring in Europe or in the States? is the live event important for you or would you prefer to stay in the studio?

Myk: Both phenomenons ruin my health, wreck my nerves --but indeed the autumn gigs with the Dildos were quite OK.

Chain D.L.K.: You are releasing your album on the Van Richter records label? Do you like and are you satisfied with this label, and do you like the other bands they're releasing, and, finally, what is your relation with them like?

Myk: I think that Van Richter people must be enthusiastic idiots - believing in phenomenons like Testify, what a ridiculous waste of effort! I wouldn't do anything for wrecks like Testify, believe me! Personally I'm quite fond of especially Sielwolf, but I only telephoned with one of them for one time - wondering of course what a strange label Van Richter must be - to work with us, har.

Chain D.L.K.: Van Richter's manager Paul Ambramson said "Be aware of the snarling voices....they might catch your brain to control your next nightmare!!!"... What voices was he referring to?

Myk: I really can't figure out what he meant by that.

Chain D.L.K.: Are you willing to "testify" the end of the millenium, the end of the world or something like that? What are you going to "testify"?

Myk: After this interview the answer comes not as a complete surprise: We testify our own mental insanity, before the whole world - what else?


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