Severe Illusion

Tell us and our readers a little bit more about Severe Illusion.
- "Severe Illusion is a duo, formed originally 1998, but have this set since 2000. We play electronic music. We have just released our debut album 'Discipline is Reward Enough' on PAF/Totalitär. Last year we released a MCD our own label called 'Discover Without Reflection'."

Have you been in to your own projects in the past?
- "I have mostly spent time on ambient noise stuff under names as Gilorton, Karl Spöke and nowadays as the name Knös. We have both a background in punk, but we think the punk is way too conservative. But after all, so is the electronic music."

Explain your text row "Death penalty is an option".
- "If a society shall work all citizens must take all rules and regulation seriously. It is also necessary that all citizens understands the whole community is every persons responsibility. Therefore the society must react united and with full power against them who not takes this responsibility. When you stand for a choice when an act could be the last, you think again. Pain and fear is basic instincts to prevent the individual to make bad things."

From were do you get your inspiration? Lyrics and music.
- "First of all we don't get any inspiration from today's electronic music. We think the best electronic music was made before 1991 or so. We don't listen to that much old electric either, but we prefer it. The lyrics mainly come from Canada."

Explain your album name 'Discipline Is Reward Enough'.
- "All people's happiness comes first and last from themselves. If you don't want to do anything to feel good, you won't do it either. If you don't want to take responsibility for the world then someone else will, and then the world will not be like YOU wanted it to. Just those with the energy and the courage to act will live a free life. The others are doomed to live a life that others have given them, and they don't deserve better."

Tell us about your new album 'Discipline Is Reward Enough'.
- "Ten tracks. Kind of good, we think. We recorded the album in nine days, and we were kind of amazed when we heard the result. Our former MCD 'Discover without reflection' is a kind of dance friendly thing, and we thought the full album would go at the same direction. But instead we noticed we have started to do slower and darker tracks. But we are still satisfied."

How does the future seems like for Severe Illusion?
- "We will play at The Subspace Encounter in Malmö the 16th of August. After that we will be touring in Germany and Czech in September. After that we will probably do some gigs here and there in Sweden during the autumn."

How would you describe Severe Illusion as a live band?
- "We are not what the Swedish audience recognize as a electric band. All our instruments make sounds and we don't just stand still like many other bands. Further on we are four people at stage nowadays. We have during the autumn played with Alexander Palmestål from Pistol Disco that play keyboards and since the spring Mikael Enqvist on drums. We try to sound loud and much."

Any last words to our readers?
- "No."

This interview was made 2003 and initially published on Neurozine.com