| We played the first big shows at Japan's
Fuji Rock Festival. Some of the guys I used on the record will
not be able to tour constantly, so I called up some friends.
I had Charlie Clouser from Nine Inch Nails on synths, famous
Japanese noise legend MERZBOW on drums, Gabe Serbian from The
Locust on a second kit, and ATR's NIC ENDO on synths/keyboards.
Nic is in fact a permanent member in the band and is responsible
for all the special effects, sounds, noises, and the "Third
World War" 14 minute apocalyptic finale of the last song
"New World Order." We left the place in ashes. Kids
went totally insane and they didn't even know one of the new
songs! So CD1 is like driving an expensive car very fast and
crashing against a wall.
CD2 is the opposite. It's not songs, it's
very "far out" electronic music without any vocals.
The concept is, "A cycle that never ends," you find
the beginning of track one at the end of the CD, so you can
loop the whole thing, and it goes around and around. It's
a downward spiral. It's very personal. The making of this
album was very complex and each CD took over a year to record.
With ATR we used to have 8 tracks or less, here I had up to
120."
"I was born in West-Berlin in 1972.
I grew up in a city with a wall around it, occupied, a warzone
that inspired David Bowie and Iggy Pop and many others. I
was born into this intense atmosphere. And it is a part of
me, no matter where I go in the world. Of course I started
in punk bands, then for a while in the early nineties I made
underground techno records, up to 100 Eps for DJs. This is
where I learn how to produce. I had to have the right ideas
very quickly to survive. We used to make a record a month,
they didn't sell enough to chart, but we did so many, that
we made quite a lot of cash. Then I started ATR in 1992 and
left the dance scene behind. It was a political move to fight
Germany's upcoming nationalism that led to the racist attacks
in parts of the country. We soon realised that this was a
European problem.
ATR is 100% about politics, in my own work
I also deal with more personal issues, things that happened
in my life, and so on. Even if I don't separate that approach
from politics, I had to make that step because I felt that
people might understand my views better if they know what
goes on in my life. It's exciting, there is a real fresh new
wave of enthusiasm at DHR about this record."
Digital Hardcore's first releases arrived
in 1994, and within four years the imprint had secured worldwide
distribution, opened offices in London and New York and set
up subsidiaries for experimental offerings (DHR Limited),
music by people under 20 years old (LESS THAN 20), Hanin Elias'
Digital Riot Grrrl Label (DHR FATAL) and the revered progressive
electronic music imprint Geist.
Alongside this feverish level of band and
label activity, Empire continued his own journey through sound.
During the early '90s he released a clutch of EPs and five
full-length albums on the Mille Plateaux label that showcased
his own evolving sample-based compositions. While ATR were
embraced by fans of progressive and avant garde rock - from
the renowned BBC DJ John Peel, who was an early champion,
to the Beastie Boys, whose Grand Royal label released the
first ATR records in America - Empire's solo and remix work
built him an enviable reputation among European electronic
music aficionados and the American industrial/rock audience.
And it's this duality; this ability to be at ease in both
camps that has led to the creation of Intelligence and Sacrifice.
"Some people don't know in which "category"
to market my album. It is indeed two albums combined into
one, for the price of one. I see this as an advantage these
days. Times are changing, the barriers between genres are
fading. This album will reach many people and I know that
one of the two CDs will introduce something new to them."
"Some people won't know to which audience
my album will appeal, it is indeed two albums combined into
one, for the price of one. I see this as an advantage these
days. Times are changing, the barriers between genres are
fading. It's quite possible to enjoy both Nu Metal and experimental
electronica. This album will reach many people and I know
that each of the two CDs will introduce something new to them.
In many ways, it feels like this is my first
real album." He has a point. This is the first time the
two facets of Empire's musical output have been put together
in the same place, and, in a world where music as abrasive
as that of Slipknot or Staind can find itself topping sales
charts world wide, this may not simply be Empire's finest
hour, it will also surely become his most widely accepted
recording to date. Constantly ahead of his time, Empire may
at last have found that the rest of the world has caught up
with his expansive and extreme form of creativity. Don't get
left behind.
www.digitalhardcore.com
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