You began working on “Conquest 3000” in 2019. December of 2020 saw the title track of the album released. What were your plans for the album and what were you trying to do differently with this release than what you’ve released in the past?
Mach Fox: The first album Be A Light was mostly a solo effort for the writing, recording and production so I had already decided I wanted to try working with others on the next album and since Planktoon had done some really great remixes from that album I approached him about producing the songs for the next album with me before anything was written.
With the addition of Dbot on bass guitar in late 2018 I knew we could expand our style and sound and I wanted him to be more involved in the direction of the songs for the new album so we decided to work on some demos together that we could hand off to Planktoon for further production. Dbot provided me with instrumental demos which all had inspiring titles that drove the lyrics into a bit of a story I could weave into a concept album so that was when the theme of the Conquest 3000 album was born.
In the summer of 2019 as we worked on those demos we also added Dein Offizier on drums and I knew that I wanted the album to be much more of a band effort with the live band featured heavily on these recordings. While I was writing and editing the recordings that would become the new album I realized I could still hold onto the minimal hypnotic elements I had already established for the band even as the new sound was developing. My intention and priority for Zwaremachine was always to be known for a live band and have our albums reflect our live performance sound while we give a nod to certain genres but also try to make something unique. I also made the decision to do the final mixes and mastering for this album at a professional studio to see what others could bring to the process.
You took a trip prior to the pandemic to the Netherlands to record drums as that’s where your percussionist lives. Why did you want to be in person for this rather than connecting over the internet?
Mach Fox: The decision was made mostly since Dein Offizier had no way to record his drum parts and send files. I also wanted to be present to rehearse and work with him on those parts for the album tracks as we recorded them together in the same room. Sending files can work for some collaborations but I find it rather difficult to work on the writing process that way and just prefer to be in the same room as much as possible for the immediacy of ideas and feedback.Sliptrick Records re-released “Be A Light” on June 9th, 2020. You had planned shows to support the re-release. Unfortunately, the pandemic hit and that was cancelled. Was this a major moral downer for Zwaremachine? If not, how did you fight through it?
You released “Ripping at the Fabric” on our humble little label. However, the songs are being remixed and remastered for release on “Conquest 3000”. What made you want to rework these tracks? What did you do differently with them?
It was a great honor to release that EP on cassette and digital as the first release for your Brutal Resonance Records label but we also felt the songs deserved a bit more exposure and thought they could fit well with the newer songs as well. We also found that DJs were adding tracks from that EP to their sets and with the new mixes we made we were able to make sure they would get some extra attention for the large PA and dancefloor impact.
I'm not in a hurry to pump out more releases before something we release has proper time to get out there and be heard and seen performed live and resonate with people. Since we release most of our stuff independently or on smaller labels that can take some time and by giving those EP tracks a fresh mix we could present them to a wider audience on the new record.
You have also released a second single off of the album, titled ‘Zero Containment’. However, it has only been released as a video on YouTube for the time being. Do you have plans to bring it out as a digital single with remixes attached?
You have some remixes planned for the album, but none have been noted yet. Can you tell us who we can expect to appear on the album? Or is that all a secret as of right now?
During the pandemic, you did a couple of livestreams in 2020 and 2021. Were these well received? Now that the world is opening back up, are you going to continue to do live streams?
For our livestream sets I decided to stack up a bunch of CRTs which we had been using for tours and live shows and added some flat panel screens and lighting to make a stage set in my small studio. Over the course of several livestreams I was able to make many improvements and I'm proud of the sets we streamed but also noted that it has not fully represented the explosive way we can perform live as a trio when we can all interact. In the playback of the stream I can notice I am not fully engaged as I would be if we were on stage in front of a crowd as I'm constantly keeping an eye on the audio recording, switching cameras, lights and video.
We got great feedback and comments about those sets and appreciate all the great hosts, DJs and bands we performed with. If you saw and liked any of those livestream performances we did, you will really enjoy our set in a venue or at a festival with a large PA system so talk to bookers in your area now to get us to your city!
I heard that you’re working on a new project but there is some secrecy surrounding it. Can you tell us anything about it or are you keeping it locked away tight?
I am excited for this project as it's a bit of a chance for both of us to step away from our main bands styles but still show our own influences and introduce a new sound to fans of both bands. I even had to get out the guitar for some tracks as we worked on a bit of experimental rock electronic together. It also sounds a bit dangerous and tense so look out for this one!
What else do you have planned for 2020 and 2021? Do you have any other EPs, singles, or remixes planned? Any live shows?
Mach Fox: Right now Zwaremachine is concentrating on the release of the Conquest 3000 album which comes out JULY 17th via Phage Tapes and discussing some ideas for videos to shoot for that release. We are still waiting for international travel to open up before we plan on any live shows or tours and it's hard to even say if the next shows will be in the U.S. or Europe first. We will be sure to announce any of those plans on social media when confirmed!
I have also been doing some remix/edits and production for other artists and will continue that as well as working on several unreleased Zwaremachine covers and tracks.
Lastly, I’d like to thank you for your time. I wish you the best of luck with the new release and I leave the space below open for anything I may have failed to mention.
We made music for ourselves from day one and we are still doing the same thing.
Skinny Puppy, Jan 01 2004
Steven Gullotta
info@brutalresonance.comI've been writing for Brutal Resonance since November of 2012 and now serve as the editor-in-chief. I love the dark electronic underground and usually have too much to listen to at once but I love it. I am also an editor at Aggressive Deprivation, a digital/physical magazine since March of 2016. I support the scene as much as I can from my humble laptop.
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