Interview - Black Sheep Ezine

Black Sheep EZINE Interview
http://www.blacksheepzine.com

Black Sheep: You recently had 2 new songs featured on the Futronik Structures Vol4 and Interbreeding 2: Industrial Mutation compilations entitled "Lifeless" and "Cascade" respectively. Are these tracks a good representation of the direction you are heading? Was it an honor that "Cascade" was the closer for a compilation that had 32 excellent tracks? 

Kindel: First of all, thank you very much for doing this interview with me. The Black Sheep Ezine is an awesome publication and I am priveleged to be included on it. 

Lifeless and Cascade are an excellent representation of the next Liquefaction album. Just don't be led to think that that's the only direction we're going :) 

It was definately an honor to be included on both the Futronik Structures Vol 4 and Interbreeding 2: Industrial Mutation compilations...at any spot. They are both great releases and I am very grateful that Liquefaction was included on their track lists. 

Black Sheep: Is it true that you don't have an electro/Industrial music-upbringing? Can you describe how you first got into performing music, and how you got to where you are today? 

Kindel: Well, my parents didn't listen to electro-industrial, it's something I found along my musical journey. I listened to a lot of electronic music growing up. The very first CD I ever bought was Deee-Lite. I still have it too. Kinda funny. Not exactly the stuff I'm doing now. I got into Enigma and Opus III at an early age. I liked a lot of the 80's new wave stuff. My favorite band of all time is Pink Floyd so I'm obviously fond of rock music. I started writing songs when I was about 6 or 7 and then realized I needed to have some sort of accompaniment so I used what I had available to me which was piano and guitar. I started taking piano lessons when I was about 5 but I stuck with guitar for the most part because of it's portability and constant availability. I've always made music and even hummed when I was a day old. I had music that needed to come out and so I have used every method that was available to me. I did a lot of folk-rock stuff initially since I always had a
 difficult time keeping bands together and I could create entire songs as a starving solo artist. I traveled around a good portion of the world playing at bars and coffee shops. Sometimes with bands but most of the time solo. I've only been aware of the underground electronic scene for about the last 7 years. As soon as I was able to start creating electronic myself, I dove into it full force and haven't looked back yet. I've thought about recreating my old music as electronic and it's still up for possibilities but I'm enjoying growing with the instruments I have available to me now. 

Black Sheep: You collaborated with a lot of successful electro acts on your debut album CHRYSALIS, namely ESR, DIVERJE, and AGHAST VIEW. Could you describe the collaboration processes with each band? 

Kindel: I don't know...With some of them, the music was available to me and really caught my attention. The lyrics were already there..I didn't have to search for them in my head..I could hear them with the music..the only thing that was missing was them actually being there..no one had sung them yet so I took it upon myself to do it. They went right along with the project that I was already working on so they were included on the album. I worked back and fourth with ESR directly on a couple tracks which was really cool. It's interesting but when I look back on all of my songs, I'm not really sure where they came from. It's as if they were already there and somehow I captured them in one complete picture. Music is like light or energy...it's everywhere, it just takes specific vessels to be brought to life. Like anything born, it's just meant to be there by whatever means it takes for it to be. It finds it's own way. 

Black Sheep: What are some of your future goals for Liquefaction? Have you been pleased with the deserved success that you have received in such a short time? 

Kindel: Any success is great success. Everything that has happened thus far has exceeded my expectations. I'm thrilled! As far as future goals.. Very simply..More music, more albums. DSBP has another compilation coming up this spring; Cybonetix 2003. Liquefaction has reserved a spot on there with an unreleased industrial-power track. I am nearly finished with the second Liquefaction album..The working title is "Emerge." I'm hoping and anxious to see this release out early this summer. 

Black Sheep: Are those pictures of you on CHRYSALIS? 

Kindel: HAHA! No..nope. Too bad though, I would have loved to have mooned everyone. The idea was to have an angel emerging from a cocoon or "Chrysalis." Not the easiest task in the world but I am very happy with the artwork on "Chrysalis." DJ Insect is a fabulous artist and he did a wonderful job with it. Have you ever noticed how so many artists have a picture of their face on their albums? It cracks me up. I'm a huge art fan as well as an artist myself. I appreciate the new and interesting designs as cover art. I see enough faces everywhere else. I think the cover should kind of introduce the album in some way. When you see someones face staring back at you, you can pretty much understand the purpose of that album for that artist. Anyway, it's predictable and redundant. 

Black Sheep: What other artists of the "new breed" of 21st electronic music are you enjoying, or a fan of? 

Kindel: You know what? I listen to The Cyberage every week which continuously blows my mind with new and amazing artists. I'm so intimidated by throwing out names just because everytime I do that I tend to leave out the best of my favorites list. I love all of the DSBP artists. I have heard some incredible new albums this past year that definately deserve some good recognition such as Boundless's "Perpetual," Penal Colony's "Unfinished Business," Testube's "Corporation," Symbiont's "Broken Silence," ESR's "Corroded Fragments," Aghast View's EP "Drifter," Ionic Vision's "In Between," Futronik Structures vol.4 compilation, and Diverje's latest album "Amphibian." 

Black Sheep: How is it being with DSBP as your label, when they really do not have much experience in working with a female electro-industrial artist as yourself? 

Kindel: Oh, yeah, it totally sucks...LOL just kidding. I couldn't ask for a greater label. DSBP is the best. I like being the only female right now. It's comfortable for some reason. Girls tend to be more competitive than the guys sometimes. That's probably just because we're fairly out numbered as musicians by the guys and being a female musician is rare and distinctive. I think that there is a pride as well as a territory issue that kind of goes along with it. It's not talked about but I believe it's there in a friendly light. There have been other female artists that have worked with DSBP for various projects. DSBP has never been an exclusive all boys club or anything. I think we promote Liquefaction as "The female band on DSBP" because we can and because DSBP is always opening their doors to a broader audience by keeping their roster new and diverse. 

Black Sheep: Can you explain the concept behind the album "Chrysalis", as I can see there is some storyline there? 

Kindel: Yeah, I could. I could say what it means to me and explain every purpose and meaning but I feel like I explain myself with my music so I don't feel any need to explain the music. Interpretation is such an important aspect of all art. I'm more interested in hearing other peoples interpretations. Otherwise I might as well be telling my life story. 

Black Sheep: What do you feel are the critical problems facing the electronic/independent musicians to get known and sell their albums these days? 

Kindel: Competition and lack of support on some levels. Practically everyone that is into electronic music, has a band. It has become extremely easy to make music using computer software and it has opened the door for a lot of people who maybe never would have been able to make music otherwise. Whereas I would never want to discourage anyone from following their dreams and passion..It's almost as if the scene has become some sort of cesspool and now we're all in there gasping for air and any bit of promotion or recognition that we can find or afford. People love to profit from peoples dreams. Merit is always second best to the almighty dollar. 

Black Sheep: How long did it take to create the "Chrysalis" album? Where was it recorded? 

Kindel: It took me about 2 years to put Chrysalis together. There were a number of tracks that never made it to the final product. Everything was recorded at the DSBP studio. 

Black Sheep: You also do alot of studio production, mixing, and mastering for your own work and also Diverje's - "Amphibian"... What have you learned from doing it all on your own? 

Kindel: I'm always learning. I have a lot more to learn. I just work with what I have and do a lot of experimenting. I love mixing and mastering almost as much as making music. I'm not exactly a pro and never claimed to be but I get to do what I love and that makes me happy :) As far as my collaborations I have to give the credit back to the guest artists as they have done some wonderful work mixing and mastering from their own studios. 

Black Sheep: Your album is very diverse and very broad in musical scope. Do you think that this detracts people because most of them cannot handle a diverse album and want everything to sound the same? Or is this an advantage? 

Kindel: It's an advantage. 

lol..How could it not be? Maybe I just see things differently?? When I go to a movie..I get so annoyed when I have the entire movie predicted 15 minutes into it. It sucks! I love it when maybe I'm expecting one thing and instead I get something completely different that I never would have thought of. When the bad guy turns out to be the good guy and vice versa. When there's a sad or psychotic ending rather than the traditional and "safe" happy one. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy a good happy ending but it's so much cooler when I didn't even expect that there would be a happy ending. 

Say you're going to go on vacation. You finally get to go on vacation, no worries, no problems, just a nice relaxing retreat...Are you going to go downtown to a place you see EVERY SINGLE DAY OF YOUR LIFE!?? or are you going to want to go somewhere you have never been before and see something you would never see in your daily life to experience something that is brand new? I think music is the same way? Why listen to something that is "safe" and predictable just to be secure in your little comfort zone when you can step out and trully experience something brand new and apart from the monotonous or redundant same ole. How many bands can you think of that you can already predict what their next album is going to sound like? A lot of bands generally have some kind of signiture sound..and that's great. Most of my favorite bands are that way. I think it's a professional way of doing things. I just don't ever want to be one of them. I can expect that my vocals will always have the same
 general sound seeing as I only have one voice but I think as long as I can keep my songs diverse and seperated from each other, then I am still productively creating. It's just the way I enjoy doing things. I would feel so sad if I could only do one kind of sound. I would feel claustrophobic and almost silenced, when music doesn't need rules..I don't have one emotion every moment of the day, I don't eat the same food for every meal, I don't watch the same exact TV show episodes over and over and over. How can you suck the marrow out of life when you're too busy tracing foot steps? Maybe an audience doesn't like to be unsure of what happens next...maybe they enjoy the comfort and security of knowing that when they put on a Kenny G album that they're going to hear smooth jazz. They're not going to have to deal with crazy unpredictable surprises. That's fine..that's something he can offer his audience. I hope to offer the comfort and security that when my audience listens to my album
 for the first time...they won't know what to expect except that I'm going to take them on a journey. If they can trust me enough to guide them through it, then hopefully they can walk away with a new perspective or a new place to escape from the same ole or maybe just a new album they can listen to and enjoy for what it is. Music for me is an escape. If I can make people think and feel on some level then I feel like I have accomplished my goal as a musician. 

Black Sheep: Any plans to collaborate on the next LIQUEFACTION release? If so, with whom do you want to collaborate with? 

Kindel: Um.. Yeah, I'd like to add some remixes to this upcoming album. Definately from ESR and Technoman SF. They are both fabulous musicians that worked with me on my last album and I would love to see them again on my next. Other than them, I haven't had any offers but I'm totally open for collaborations and remixes.

Black Sheep: Do you have any personal goals for 2004 or resolutions you would like to share? 

Kindel: Putting out the next album. That's is the only goal on my mind right now. 

Black Sheep: I liked your rant on Black Sheep zine a lot! It's rare to hear a woman of such conviction! Do you have anything that you just want to rant about now? Please use this space to do so... 

Kindel: LOL.. Thank you :) Of course... I'm always ranting. Always up for a good challenger as well. Here's one of my more tame rants with the interlude of "someone elses opinion;" 

Is it cool to be trendy? Trendy people are any people that dress a certain way or buy certain things that they see other people buying or telling them to buy and they buy them so that other people will except them and think that they are cool. Trendy equals conformity... conformity is throwing away personal ideas and images in efforts to fit in... doing things in order to fit in is following the herd... people who follow the herd are sheeple... sheeple make the rich richer and judge the non-conformists for not conforming... people that conform show lack of self confidence and worry about what other people think therefore basing their own self worth on the thoughts and ideas of other people instead of their own. 

Is this a good thing? Whereas certain conformity and unity can be a good and positive thing such as morality, work ethic and hygiene, society constantly produces changing ideals of what makes people worthy and exceptable on some of the most shallow and vain levels. 

"Arent you being judgemental by labeling people as trendy?" 

Um...judgemental, probably. Labeling, no. They label themselves. I'm just using their own terminology for the analization. But good point. I never thought the word "trendy" was a good word but a lot of people like it and even use it to effectively sell their products. I think that rather than being judgmental, I am questioning the world around me. I think it's good to do that. If we just excepted everything we see in the world as a weakness or wrong and never spoke up or tried to introduce a new perception or another option...well, we'd pretty much be where we are now, just a lot worse. 

Black Sheep: Your favorite song of 2003? 

Kindel: ummmm.. "Stronger" by Diverje 

Black Sheep: I hear that you like "Comedy"... So what's your favorite "comedy" of all? 

Kindel: Hehe..that's such an awesome question. I love to laugh and do it as much as possible. I definately enjoy Cyberage Radio. Tommy T never fails to make me laugh. All the charachters on the show are hilarious. It's humor and incredible music all in one extraordinary weekly show. I think my all time favorite comedy movie would have to be Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and their Bogus Journey sequal. Favorite comedy show would have to be Mork and Mindy. Whatever happened to that show? That needs to be in reruns...and Connan O'Brian, The Young Ones, That 70's Show, Mad TV and Saturday Night Live (On good nights). Comedians...uh.. Tom Green, Robin Williams, Adam Sandler, Gallagher .... Bill Cosby. The list doesn't end there. 

Black Sheep: We wish you lots of luck and continued success on your next album, as well as with Chrysalis. Do you have any parting words for the fans? Thanks a lot for doing the interview! 

Kindel: Thank you very much! 

I'd just like to thank everyone for all of their support, for picking up the CD and the DJ's for all the great spins. It means the world to me. I wish you guys the best of luck with the Zine. Thanks again for your time and interest in Liquefaction.