Get To Know Them: Zwaremachine
The Get To Know Them series is a collection of articles serving as an introduction to artists that we have, are currently, or will be working with. This time we talk with the trio behind Zwaremachine, Mach Fox, Dein Offizier, and Dbot. When we first announced the record label, Zwaremachine was one of the first bands to approach us and ask, "How can we work together?" Well, that conversation turned into the amazing EP "Ripping at the Fabric". Critically acclaimed by fans and reviewers alike, the EP is an electro-industrial tale of cybernetic fate. You can stream / purchase the EP below while you read the article!
01. Who are the members of the band, what do they do, and where did you all meet?
Mach Fox: Myself (vocals, synths, programming), Dbot (bassguitar, vocals), and Dein Offizier (drums). I met Dbot (Bassist) in the local electropunk scene in the mid 2000's. I had just released the first Mach Fox album and was looking for members to fill out the live band for performances. Dein Offizier was recruited just before the start of the Elektro Tanz Tour 2019 in Europe. Since the first rehearsal on the same day we met and having our first concert together in France that night, Dein Offizier became an official band member. He’s actually living in the Netherlands which sometimes is a challenge. But the internet is a great means to keep the Zwaremachine going for example by sending demos and video footage recorded separately in the Netherlands and the US for our forthcoming video entitled 'Conquest 3000'. Everything comes together even if we are far apart.
02. Where did you get the name of your band from? What is the inspiration behind it?
Mach Fox: I had been releasing music on digital labels from around the world and the idea of combining english and other languages to form a new band name seemed like cool idea. We also performed live with hardware equipment which was quite heavy so the name fit as Zware means heavy in Dutch.
03. What are three of your favorite albums of all time and why?
Mach Fox: Alien Sex Fiend's "Ignore the Machine". Now this is some crazy stuff. Blew my mind and I loved the dub delay on the vocals and the weird unsettling mixes and edits make them special to me...Death disco all the way. I really like the whole release that I had called "Alien Sex Fiend – The First Compact Disc" released in 1986.
Fad Gadget's "Collapsing New People". The 12" single was a real eye opener to industrial / early synth music for me. With clanging metal and and pulsing synths it captured dark melodies very well. I'm sure I have heard this song more than any other in my life. It never gets old and has such a great hook and choices of sounds. The lyrics also seemed dark and mysterious. Who were these new people and why were they collapsing? I was intrigued and still am every time I hear this. I will listen forever. Frank Tovey had such a cool singing style and intonation. I have to admit I tried to sing like him in the past, almost crooning.
PTP's "Show Me Your Spine". Nicely distorted vocals and industrial gated guitar sounds and synth stabs and it sounds like Art Of Noise had a hand in it. I just recently learned that was Ogre on vocals. I got into this track much later from Ministry's "Side Trax" CD released in 2004 but had heard some of these side projects when originally released. It was released originally in 1987. This is the sound I still reference for tracks today!
Dbot: Exemia's "Robocorpse". This is one of my go-to long distance driving albums. Great energy, fun, and absolutely kills.
Ulver's "The Assasination of Julius Caesar". Fantastic evolution of my favorite wolves. It's got great songs, great vibe, and killer vocals. It is a huge stylistic change from their previous releases but it also makes perfect sense in their discography. I admire artists and bands that can explore new sounds while retaining a recognizable identity.
Besarin Quartett's "II". An elegant, nocturnal sonic tapestry. The soundtrack to my favorite movie that I have never seen.
Dein Offizier: "Nova Akropola" by Laibach, "Broken" by NIN, and "Front by Front" by Front 242.
04. If you had to describe the sound of your band to someone who has never listened to it before, what would you tell them?
Mach Fox: Minimal Hypnotic Industrial Body Music.
Dbot: Grimey, minimal, hypnotic cyberindustrial.
Dein Offizier: On stage, the live line-up with bass guitarist Dbot and percussionist Dein Offizier adds this extra energy to our 'Minimal Hypnotic Industrial Body Music'.
05. If you could meet one person, dead or alive, who would it be?
Mach Fox: Fad Gadget / Frank Tovey. His music has inspired me always and would be great to chat about his work and life.
Dein Offizier: Pete Burns!
06. What kind of gear do you use to record your music?
Mach Fox: I use hardware AND software to write and arrange the songs. The recordings are then edited and mixed using software. Zwaremachine was always intended to be a live performance band so writing and arranging the songs on hardware sequencers and drum machines made sense. I wanted the album to sound like our live performances as much as possible.
07. What do you think the future of music is going to look like?
Mach Fox: Maybe there will be a future where loud and live concerts can take place again. That is where Zwaremachine fits best. Since one of our members is in the Netherlands and two of us are in the United States we are having a difficult time with getting together to record livestream sets right now in 2020. If these virtual concerts continue we will keep trying to offer something unique in the visual aspects of our performance. Maybe clubs will offer streaming events in future. But it just won't be the same without the sounds filling the venue full of people and giving us the energy we crave on stage.
Dbot: I think that music will continue to explore and challenge boundaries, especially as musicians are able to collaborate and make great work with artists all over the world via the internet. Finding new music is easier than ever these days, one can't help but be inspired. Music isn't going anywhere.
Dein Offizier: Music in the future will even become more of a reflection of reality. Nowadays with this COVID-19 pandemic the shiny happy people realize the world isn’t such a nice place anymore. From now on there will always be that dark-side destiny. Music will accompany that!
Jan 22 2021
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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