KINETIK INTERVIEW FOR “SEQUENCES” - OCTOBER 2000 -                please use browser 'back' button to return

This interview originally accompanied a feature on Kinetik in issue #24 of the electronic music magazine “Sequences”. The full interview is reproduced here along with the various typographical errors originally present in the article now corrected.

Many thanks to Carl Jenkinson for his intriguing and thoughtful questions.

Q. YOUR CONCERT IN BATH EARLIER IN THE YEAR SHOWED A GREATER AMOUNT OF PROFESSIONALISM THAN YOUR CONCERT AT EMMA#4 IN 1997. IS THIS AN AREA THAT YOU’VE WORKED HARD ON IMPROVING ?

Colin Jordan : I wouldn't have necessarily said that we were more 'professional' in any way at Bath. Whenever we commit to doing something live, we always try to be as 'professional' as we can so that we can put on as good a show as possible. We're always aware that maybe people have travelled a good distance to see us and we don't want to let them down.

Andrew Slegt : We always spend a lot of time and energy trying to get it right for a live performance. This is essential as, from a geographical perspective we do not live on each other’s doorsteps. So when we get together as a Kinetik trio, it is important for us to come together with some sort of blueprint as to what format our live performance is to consist of.

Since the EMMA#4 concert we have been trying out different possibilities as to how we can make the staging of our performances and image more streamlined and less time consuming either when setting up or taking down.

The concert in Bath is one of several this year which we hope to promote under the title of Elektronika 2000. So, a new century and new equipment to help us play and project our new material has meant that the live setup is now looking and sounding very good. In some ways we have lessened aspects of our live setup and increased in others, especially the data we now control and the way we are now able to interact during the performance.

Shirleyann Davies : We always put in a lot of work before our gigs, but because we had made things as 'fool proof' as possible, by 'modularising' our equipment, I think we all felt a lot more relaxed that night. I, personally, was determined to enjoy myself !

Colin Jordan : One thing that we have been working hard towards since EMMA, is trying to "modularise" our equipment so that it's as easy to set up / dismantle as possible. There's still a little way to go, but we've already made great progress.

Comparing the look of our set-up between the two live events, you'd notice there's quite a difference ! We've also been working on ideas to help improve the quality of our live sound, particularly in the area of vocodered vocals.

At EMMA, because of the amount of artists playing that day and the fact that everything was running very much behind schedule, we weren't able to have as much time to set-up and sound-check as we'd have liked. It was very much a case of "well we've set everything up as best we can - let's keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best !". In the event, a few minor technical problems occurred, but we were able to sort these out quite easily. These things always happen when you use a lot of EM equipment live - even at Bath !

Q. SIMILARLY, ARE YOU TRYING TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE KRAFTWERK INFLUENCED SOUND INTO SOMETHING NEW ?

Colin Jordan : It's inevitable that as a band develops and evolves through the years, the sound will change somewhat as well.

Shirleyann Davies : I actually don't think we sound anything like Kraftwerk, but because we started off playing Kraftwerk material, I think we will always have that label to some extent. I feel that our sound is very definitely OUR sound, and everything we do ends up sounding very Kinetik.

Colin Jordan : It would be very unrewarding and probably boring for us if we were to just produce identically sounding Kraftwerk - cloned music for the rest of our days ! Even back in the days when we were still doing Krafwerk material, we would often completely re-arrange or play with the structures of the songs. Our philosophy is that whatever direction our music develops in - it's still "Kinetik Music". People should not expect us to be the "Next Kraftwerk" or whatever (however flattering that may be), as we're obviously not !

Andrew Slegt : The similarities are obvious in some of our work. That will remain and in some ways this is a flattering comparison. At the end of the day we are definitely not striving to be another Kraftwerk, but the way in which we think and create our unique sound is always going to have a Teutonic shadow, but I don’t honestly think that this is the case in what we try and communicate. The sound of Kinetik is our own.

Q. YOUR RECENT WORKS, THE “I.S.D.N. E.P.” AND “RE-GENERATIONS” DOUBLE ALBUM BOTH FEATURED REMIXES. IS THIS SOMETHING THAT YOU INTEND TO GET INTO IN A BIG WAY, BOTH REMIXING OTHER ARTISTS AND HAVING THEM REMIX YOUR MUSIC ?

Colin Jordan : To me, a remix of a Kinetik track is an opportunity to experiment a little and maybe have some fun in the re-arranging process. Possibly re-using some ideas that you'd previously discarded for whatever reason or just being a little outrageous ! Why would we want to give someone else all the fun, especially when we're perfectly capable of doing it ourselves ? When you give your material to someone else to work on, you inevitably relinquish control over it. There's no guarantee that you will like or approve of the remix that's been produced.

I'm in no great rush to start remixing other people's music for the same reasons. I'd also much prefer that we were working on new Kinetik projects instead !

Shirleyann Davies : 'I.S.D.N.' was the perfect opportunity to keep all the band happy, as there are elements in the EP that we all like. I wouldn't have a problem with other people re-mixing our music, in fact it might be really interesting to hear what a 'fresh ear' does with our tracks. Sometimes when you are recording a piece, you get so 'brainwashed' with it you eventually can't 'hear' it properly - I'm sure other musicians have found this. What I DO have a problem with though is wholescale sampling......

Andrew Slegt : Mixes and remixes are quite fun and we are finding these to be another direction in which we are able to explore the different talents we have at our disposal. ‘I.S.D.N.’ was a geat way to look at a well rehearsed song whilst wearing different lenses. I hope we will continue to diversify and find the time and energy to create many colours from our sonic palette. I must admit that having your songs remixed by an outsider may give you a different angle and is certainly worth thinking about. On the other hand, I would really like to have a go at remixing some other artists and putting a Kinetik flavour on some well-known artist’s work. This would also be an exciting challenge. Just imagine if we were let loose on a rock band or something MOR and we were allowed to put a distinctive EM edge on that song. When it comes down to it, what we do as Kinetik comes first and involving ‘third party developers’ has not really been part of the plan.

Colin Jordan : The remixed material on the 'I.S.D.N. EP' and 'RE-GENERATIONS' releases were just experiments in alternative approaches to our existing material. They should not necessarily be seen as the the future direction of the band.

Q. HAS YOUR UP-TEMPO, DANCEY STYLE LED TO BOOKINGS AND EXPOSURE FROM OUTSIDE THE EM SCENE ?

Colin Jordan : No. I'm personally not keen to see Kinetik regarded as a band producing the type of dance music that's currently fashionable in the Club scene. My own personal opinion is that a lot of it (though not all) tends to be too repetitive and very unimaginative. (I'm sure Shirleyann will wholeheartedly disagree !!!). I wouldn't find the sole production of this type of music particularly rewarding.

Some of our music and arrangements may be percieved to fit loosely into this genre, but other tracks of our music most certainly do not !

Having said that, where we have produced up-tempo "dancey" music (your phrase - not mine !), I'm satisfied with the way we've produced it. I feel we can and should find middle ground between this musical style and keeping our own existing band style of arrangements and musical ideas. In other words I don't feel we should compromise too much just in order to suit the current fashions in Dance music. If we produce music of this type, it should always be because it's what we all genuinely want to do rather than just trying to be "commercial".

Andrew Slegt : It would be nice to be recognised for a variety of differing styles and not be classed as a single entity. We love to experiment with our noise and it’s good to try out different things.

Perhaps some people who listen to what we do have their own ideas as to how they percieve our music. Some may think of it as hard-core EM or some as 80’s techno. We don’t really give ourselves a style, we just play what we feel like. It’s not a career for us, just a mutual pastime. We all have our own lives and careers and the three of us get together from time to time and create Kinetik music.

Colin Jordan : We tend to alter out set list and musical styles depending on the type of venue we play. If we were to play a club for example, I very much doubt that we'd play a slow more ambient track like "Haven's Lament". It just wouldn't suit the occasion at all ! Similarly, were we to play a venue more suited to a EM type act such as a planetarium etc, we'd probably reduce the amount of high tempo dance type arrangements in our set. It works both ways.

Shirleyann Davies : I agree with what Colin has said, you fit your music to the audience you get on the night. However, I would love to do more 'dancey' stuff, but it would have to be very much OUR sound, there is no way you will ever hear Kinetik play repetitive and unimaginative dance music.

Andrew Slegt : Thankfully, as we are now more widely known and accepted and there is a growing number of people out there who appreciate what we do. This in itself is rewarding for us and more so this year, as it has been noticable how our sounds have reached individuals far and wide.

Q. THE “RE-GENERATIONS” RELEASE YOU MENTIONED EARLIER SEEMS ALMOST LIKE AN AUDIO DIARY OF THE BAND, FEATURING EXTRACTS FROM INTERVIEWS, REMIXES, LIVE TRACKS AS WELL AS THREE NEW SONGS. WHAT WAS THE REASONING BEHIND THIS RELEASE ?

Colin Jordan : It was really the amalgamation of several different projects combined. Before the EMMA 4 performance, we had considered the possibilty of releasing a four or five track live EP of certain tracks taken from the gig. However because of some technical difficulties apparrent on listening to the live recording, we decided that only about three tracks were suitable for release. We had also considered an idea of releasing a whole album of remixes based on material from the 'Refined' album as well, but progress was going slowly on this.

After an interview by Radio Derby's Ashley Franklin in 1998, it occurred to me that using extracts of the interview would be a very nice and coherrent way of merging together these two projects for a CD release. We were all keen to emphasise that we were still committed to producing new material, so we added some new short linking pieces for some of the album tracks. We each decided to write a track for inclusion on a second accompanying CD as well. Some of this material was based on ideas we'd had for previous concerts or projects but had not until then been able to find the time to develop these ideas into finished tracks.

Q. LOOKING BACK, WHAT PERSONAL MEMORIES DO YOU HAVE OF THE EMMA GIG ?

Colin Jordan : The whole thing really was one big adventure for us. We all felt it was a great honour for us to have been invited to participate, so we were keen to do our very best. We made a video diary of some of the rehearsals, the journey to Derby, staying in the hotel and setting up for the gig. Watching this video footage now always raises a smile and helps us to remember some of the priceless moments we had. I'll leave it to the others to flesh out some of the the other details, but for me I guess one of the most memorable moments was on the morning of the gig when we came onto the stage for the first time using the stage lift. Suddenly there we were on the same stage where I'd seen Klaus Schulze perform only the year before. Back then I'd never had guessed that Kinetik would be performing at the very same venue in a year's time !

Shirleyann Davies : A lot of it was great fun, a great adventure for us. We were all very nervous though - in fact I was so nervous my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth all the way through the performance ! I remember being worried that Colin and Andrew were going to have heart attacks because they looked so stressed and pale. I remember vividly sitting in the dressing room beforehand and listening to Andrew sort out the lighting in fine detail right up to the point that we went on stage. I also remember it felt great when we had actually done it and were sitting backstage having a beer or three with our friends.

Andrew Slegt : A lasting memory will be some of the antics of a few individuals who will remain nameless, but I shall mention the fact that the security guards at the Assembly Rooms in Derby are very thorough and it was definitely a case of Museli-Non-Stop at our post-gig breakfast in the hotel. Seriously though, it felt like we were in Pod Number 10 going up the stage lift to Thunderbird 2. I was a bit nervous when the microphones went a bit haywire during our performance, but when we switched on the bass for ‘I.S.D.N.’, you could feel it shaking the building - excellent ! Looking back, we were all grateful for the chance to play at EMMA.

Q. GOING EVEN FURTHER BACK TO AN ASSOCIATED TOPIC, HOW IS THE ORIMULSION ACTION COALITION GOING ?

Colin Jordan : The OAC was formed to try and stop the burning of the controversial fuel Orimulsion at Pembroke Power Station. Kinetik participated in a concert organised by the OAC to promote the cause. It was in fact Kinetik's first ever live gig and was released on the limited edition live 'Burning Issue' CD. The following year the Sea Empress oil tanker hit the rocks nearby, spilling crude oil on our local beaches. This really put the tin hat on it as far as the power station was concerned. They had originally planned to ship in Orimulsion using single hulled tankers. The results of a similar spill would have been horrific and there was no way that the public would now stand for it. Eventually the plans for Orimulsion burning were refused and the power station has since closed and is awaiting demolition. A shame in a way, since the power station was part of the inspiration behind the concepts of our first studio album 'Refined'.

Shirleyann Davies : Thank goodness that Orimulsion never went ahead, I'm sure the added air pollution would not have done anyone any good.

Andrew Slegt : Now it has finally been halted, we can now breathe a bit more easily.

Shirleyann Davies : It is just a pity it took an oil disaster like the Sea Empress to put a stop to it.

Q. COMING BACK TO THE PRESENT, HOW DO YOU FEEL THAT YOUR STUDIO DEBUT ‘REFINED’ HAS DONE 3 YEARS ON IN TERMS OF ACCLAIM AND SALES ?

Colin Jordan : 'Refined' remains our highest selling CD, and generally it was received in a very positive way. Listening to it today, I still think it stands up very well, especially considering the technology and working methods we had available to us at the time.

Of course, when we listen to any of our work we are always thinking "well maybe we could have done this here instead, or perhaps we should have mixed that track down differently". Perhaps I am too much of a perfectionist ! Of the last pressings, we now have only a few copies left. Once these have been sold, one idea we have had recently is to re-issue the album as a "special edition" perhaps slightly remixing a couple of tracks (making them closer to our original intentions) and including some extra contemporary material from our archives which was written and recorded during the 'Refined' studio sessions in 1995 - 1997. We shall see...

Andrew Slegt : It is quite a natural reaction to listen back to to the older songs and think how we could have done things differently. That’s actually the reason why the ‘Re-Generations’ project became a reality and we may do more work like this in the future.

As far as reactions from listeners are concerned, there have been friends who really enjoy things like the bassline and chorus of ‘Kinetik Energy’, the emotion of ‘Haven’s Lament’ and in some cases the lyrical content of ‘Sounds of Industry’. That’s very rewarding when people actually listen to what you have accomplished and react in such a positive way.

Q. GIVEN THAT YOU PUT A STRONG VISUAL ELEMENT INTO YOUR LIVE SETS, IS IT POSSIBLE THAT YOU MIGHT RELEASE A VIDEO USING SUCH IMAGERY ?

Colin Jordan : We would have to gauge the demand for such a product. If our Kinetik friends would like to see such a Kinetik Produktion, they should tell us ! If we were to do this say, as a VHS or maybe even a CD ROM, we would obviously want to make the end result as polished as possible. It is only recently that we have made contacts with some friends who perhaps would be able to help us achieve this.

We have experimented in the past with producing video footage, but I have always felt that our results were not satisfactory enough to be released into the public domain. Partly this is because I personally find the VHS medium with its 'unstable characteristics' and unreliability very unsatisfactory. I've longed for something better to come along for many years !!!! Once a recordable version of DVD is widely accepted and affordable to everyone I'm sure many people will be a lot happier. Video as an art-form will be of a much higher quality (artistically and technically) and easier for people to produce. It is only a matter of time before the digital age becomes even more universally digital....

Shirleyann Davies : It would be nice to release a video of live performance one day. However, the sound and image quality would have to be excellent.

Andrew Slegt : I can forsee quite a few hours on the cutting room floor if we were to release a special Kinetik video, but it may be possible to do something like this one day, especially considering the technology available today. I’m not sure it will be a widescreen blockbuster but we would have to be very happy with the end result before we gave it out for public viewing. There is some rare live footage from some of the concerts from the past five years and there could be a possibility to include some of this as part of a special video package. It might be an idea for us to do a video which could be similar in style and content to ‘Re-Generations’ - a mixture of live and studio treated material.

Q. IN EUROPE THERE IS A BIG MARKET FOR KRAFTWERK TRIBUTES/COVERS PROJECTS AT THE MOMENT. WOULD YOU CONSIDER CONTRIBUTING TOWARDS SUCH A PROJECT IF IT HELPED IN GAINING YOU FURTHER EXPOSURE ?

Colin Jordan : Under the incarnation of 'Elektro Kinetik', we performed Kraftwerk material live at conventions in the UK during the early nineties. Looking back, I now see this was a very useful apprenticeship during the early days of the band's development. We gained a working discipline which has served us well ever since. However, I must stress that this was exactly that - an apprenticeship. Nothing more, nothing less. We have since moved on to explore different electronic pastures. Of course, Kraftwerk have been enormously influential in the whole field of electronic music, so it is inevitable that some influences have found their way into our music - especially considering how the band started out, but I would hope that some fans of Kraftwerk would find something to appreciate in Kinetik music while still recognising that some aspects of our music are now very different. For us to go back towards producing Kraftwerk material however, I feel would be a very retrograde step for us to take. I'm sure the other members of Kinetik would agree with me on this. We have far too many ideas of our own (and too little time !) to want to think of regurgitating anyone else's. If other bands want to do this, then fine. I wish them all the best of luck !

Shirleyann Davies : Starting off performing Kraftwerk covers was both a good and bad thing for us.... it was good in respect that it gave us experience in playing live when we didn't necessarily have much in the way of material ourselves, but a bad thing because we will always be compared to Kraftwerk. Personally, I don't think we sound anything like KW, and this is a good thing ! Kinetik has it's own sound...... and with a wide range of tracks we have composed ourselves and are happy to play. There is no way I would ever want to do KW covers again, I find it more fun to play our own stuff !

Andrew Slegt : “It’s more fun to compute” or so the famous saying goes ! But we now find it much more important to do our own programming rather than having to copy or emulate the style of a well respected famous German quartet.

There is a heap of ideas and sounds which we are able to do on our own. In fact I think we can now say that Kinetik has moved on into its own territory. It would be flattering to be asked to contribute to a high profile tribute or release of Kraftwerk songs, but I think that, as a band Kinetik would decline such an offer and our aim would be to concentrate on our own product. It is great to think that our sounds would appeal to a Kraftwerk audience, but it is more important for us to be recognised as Kinetik.

Q. WHAT PERCENTAGE, ROUGHLY, DOES EACH MEMBER CONTRIBUTE TO THE KINETIK SOUND AND WHAT STRENGTHS AS INDIVIDUALS, DO YOU BRING TO THE KINETIK SOUND ?

Colin Jordan : Mmmm, a difficult one this. We all contribute to the Kinetik sound in one way or another. Even if one of us isn't actually playing on the finished recording (not very often) he/she will have contributed ideas and helped shaped the final result and the music is always the better for it. There's no Kinetik track that's been solely produced and shaped by only one of us.

Andrew Slegt : We all come to the studio with a plateful of ideas. Technically, we all tend to be the eyes and ears of each other, a good example being the ‘Re-Generations’ EP. The three of us wrote individual songs (which was the original idea) and then we all put each other’s songs together lyrically, technically and musically.

Colin Jordan : I guess that each of us has individual strengths that we bring to "the Kinetik sound" : Shirleyann has a strong classical musical training. She's also a great fan of current Dance music and I guess it's inevitable that some of this influence finds its way into our music. Shirleyann also plays wind synthesiser which also helps to give Kinetik music unique characteristics.

Andrew is always great fun and is a constant source of new and interesting ideas. His commitment to Kinetik is outstanding. It's often him who helps things run smoothly - especially during live performance. Much of the humour present in our approach to our music is often down to him. I tend to handle most of the production work. It's usually me that engineers the recordings and mixing process. I also tend to do a lot of the actual 'donkey work' in the studio preparing the music on the sequencers etc.

Andrew Slegt : Here’s a little insight. Sometimes Colin and I will carry on throughout the night and improvise until the early hours, much to Shirleyann’s concern. Usually we come up with some surprising results and other times we end up falling asleep at our ribbon controllers. Perhaps we will have to program the sequencers to give us a wake-up call in the morning!