[kj] article/review in german VISIONS mag

[countessghoulita at aol.com]

 Very good job, Marcel, and really interesting interview! Thank you!

 

CG


 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Marcel <spooman at freenet.de>
To: gathering <gathering at misera.net>
Sent: Fri, Oct 8, 2010 12:46 pm
Subject: [kj] article/review in german VISIONS mag


            Hi there, 
    this is from the german alternative rock magazine VISIONS.
    Sorry for the shitty translation, my english has seen better days.    The only thing I can say in my defence is that some of it sounded    already pretty awkward in the german original. :-)
    I'll scan the thing when I get the chance...
    btw, does anybody know what he got the grammys for?
    
    Marcel
    
        
Killing        Joke – Visions 211 /10.2010
    
Nature        has the last word
    
Three        decades of Killing Joke – and something special        for the anniversary: The first album by the original members in        28 years. With        this one the old heros are reaching new heights – Absolute        Dissent is the most        thirring in at least a decade. In the interview band-boss Jaz        Coleman describes        the journey to a monster turned into music – and explains why        the world is in        for apocalypse soon.
    
Jaz,          no matter if one likes or dislikes you (the band), no matter          if it’s a strong          or a weak KJ-period, one thing’s always the same: There is a          subtle feeling of          dark matter (sic) in your music, like claustrophobia turned          into sound. Why is          that?
    
When        we’re together in a room something happens. These        boys are my lifelong education; there is nothing in my like        that’s not        connected to them. I’ve spent more time with these three guys        then with my whole        family.
    
All of        us wouldn’t exist without Killing Joke, there        would be no conscience.
    
This is        not a band, this is a way of life, a        worldview/view of life. Everybody who has recorded an album with        KJ speaks of        it as a traumatic experience. We literally go through hell every        time. And that’s        what you hear on the finished record afterwards; something that        you’ve described        as claustrophobia quite fittingly. It feels similar to me,        however it’s more of        an inner claustrophobia than an outer claustrophobia.
    
As          if you’d rather run away from yourself?
    
Not run        away, but to gain more distance. It’s such an        inner pain to go through it every time, you’d rather be an        observer of the        process and not a person concerned. At the same time I know:        It’s only because        I go through it the music that we’re looking for can be created.        But it fucks        us up every time.
    
No          idea how to change that?
    
No idea,        no. We don’t know how it evolves, but it’s        there. We’re shouting at each other until we lose our voices,        throw around        stuff and get to the borders of our capacities. With this comes        what we call        the “unforeseeable”. Not one KJ album even begins to come close        to the concept        I thought about beforehand. Obviously this band is also about        the constant        destruction of all of your beliefs and ideas.
    
No          way to compromise without intern struggling?
    
No, that        doesn’t work for us. Especially this time I        wanted to focus on - and follow a few things, to stick to some        ideas. One had        been to have the better part of the album with precomposed        structures. I had        written about ten of those as a basis beforehand. Now there are        two structured        songs left on the album. The rest of them are jams. The        unforeseeable has occurred        once again. As a matter of fact all the songs that we think of        as being the        strongest in our career have been the result of such jams. It        seems that we are        on top of our game when we achieve a collective spontaneous        combustion (sic) of        our egos and personalities. Into disaster without preparation:        That’s the way        KJ-music emerges.
    
Desaster          is pure chaos. Your music on the other hand brings structure          to chaos – where does          the structure come from?
    
We have        two antipodes whenever we work creatively: At        least one of us takes the revolutionary point of view, another        one the reactionary        one. That’s not planned or a conscious decision, these parts        aren’t always assigned        in the same way. But there are always these two points of view        about a piece of        of music. When we manage to combine them we get a song. When we        don’t -  we get noise, nobody has uses        for. The        structure comes from these contrasting opinions that we have to        find a common        ground for.
    
Well,          it remains amazing, how stabilized you keep your agressions          even beyond the age          of 50. So you’re not getting milder?
    
Not with        KJ. It’s the audible face of all that is evil        and dissatisfied within me. It’s the channel that allows me to        get rid of my        demons, without having to hurt others.
    
What          exactly is pissing you off, that it brings out your pure          aggression.
    
There        are a lot of battlegrounds /unnerving topics for        me. It only takes a picture of the Rockefeller family in a        boulevard magazine        to ruin my mood in a catastrophic way for days. Or the profit        report in the        quarterly period of one of these banks, that have just cost us        billions. Or a        picture of african landscapes that have been contaminated by        Oil-barons. Hardly        a day passes without me coming across something that drives me        crazy. It’s this        unbearable injustice of the distribution of chances within the        human race.
    
And this        mindless destruction of the basic        fundamentals that’s growing faster and faster.
    
Another          fighter for these values is the writer T.C. Boyle who has          turned to fatalism by          now once said: There are simply too many people on this world          to save it. We          are bound to fall down.
    
That’s a        scenario – it’s realistic, but too hopeless        for me. I represent the thesis that there will be apocalypse in        the near        future. Not a religious one, but a natural one, that will reduce        mankind at least        by half. That’s our chance to start over, so to say the hardest        form of a purging        thunderstorm.
    
Off        course it won’t be easy to bury 3 to 4 billions of        corpses at once, but those who will survive will come out        purified – most of        all morally and ethically. They will then understand that you        cannot force the        existence of a race against nature. Nature always has the last        word. 
    
Is          it correct to assume that you are able to stand all of this,          because you find          your peace of mind in classical music by now?
    
Yes,        that is correct. It reflects the other side of my        personality, it’s the realm where I can express all the beauty        and the sublime        I experience. Just because of that it is such a very different        world, that I        can’t draw any parallels to my work with KJ. Both of it is music        and that’s        about it. Apart from that these two worlds have nothing in        common. Still – I don’t        necessarily need classical music as compensation. My        compensation is the humour        I find in KJ. It’s the blackest humour you can imagine. More        black than black.        That’s what builds me up.
    
What          advise do you have for younger people on how to create          socially responsible          art?
    
I wish        for more anarchy and uprising in the younger        generation – not only in the arts, but in general. This        generation is still        under the influence of the last effects of the blooming world        economy, that        doesn’t exist anymore. This safety of wellbeing and education        has made them        sleepy – while their chances are a lot worse than those of their        parents. They        haven’t realized that yet and I wish that the young rise up        before they are        forced to do so. Because then it’s usually too late, society is        much too deep        in shit. The last time the world saw a situation like this the 2nd        WW broke out. And we all certainly don’t want a 2nd        Hitler as an        alleged savior from the crisis, do we? So – rise up and take        care of yourself,        before others do it. Interview: Sascha Krüger. Shitty        translation: Marcel
    
A        classic: Already as a teenager Jaz Coleman won        numerous prizes for his violin-playing and enjoyed classical        training. Later he        studied arabian music and lengthily studied Klezmer- and        Maori-music. Through        this occupation with world-music he returned to classical music.        At first he        interpreted the work of the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Led        Zeppelin or the        doors with symphonic orchestras in the nineties, before his        first own symphony        was staged with the Prague symphonic orchestra in 1999, for whom        he remains the        composer in residence and conductor until today. 2001 saw his        first Opera “The        Marriage At Cana” in the Royal Opera House in London. By now he        has received 4        grammys for his classical work and works with the big orchestras        of the world        on a regular basis as well as soloists like Nigel Kennedy, Sarah        Brightman or        the Kroke Trio. Coleman writes operas, symphonies, chamber        music, pieces for        choir and solo-pieces, but also filmscores.
    
Review:
    
For        their 30st band anniversary KJ came together in        their original lineup and present themselves less compromising        than ever.
    
Mellowness        due to coming of age is not Jaz Colemans        kind of thing. Beside all his projects, the choir- and orchestra        arrangements,        compositions for others, books and soundtracks the        charismatic-excentric fan of        experimentation still has enough wrath to present an album with        his band, that not        only captures all facets of three decades of Killing Joke, but        also displays        the ongoing relevance of the Brits in a modern and varying way.        There are        influences of all periods of the band to be heard on Absolute        Dissent: the raw        Postpunk from the early days, Pop/Wave disco-tunes like in the        late eighties,        the industrial-Metal and Alternative-Rock, with which KJ have        paved the way for        countless bands in the nineties and that has the biggest part        here, too - and        with the final Ghosts of Ladbroke Grove there’s also a Dub-song.        The rich        guitar-work of Geordie Walker, who beside Coleman has been the        only constant        member of KJ has to be stressed once again: sometimes        extensively supporting        the strong choruses like in the title-track or in Fresh Fever        From The Skies,        with simple and concise hooklines in The Great Cull or        staccato-like monotony        in Depthcharge that reminds of Fugazis Waiting Room. Coleman        adds all kinds of        singing, he sounds like Lemmy Kilmister or John Baizley of        Baroness at times,        and then comes across with innocent melodies and delivers some        the most catchy        Choruses of his career. Cult-status sustained – and that with an        average age of        50. 9 of 12 possible points – review by Arne Jamelle
    
The        review sounds more like 10, 11 or 12 points to me,        but these guys are known for their greediness concerning points.
    
    
  
 
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