Interview with Brian Uzna on "Combat Shock"
Hi! How are you? Where are you?
I am sitting in our appartment in Frankfurt, mixing. I have tried to work on all of my projects this year - and bring them to a conclusion. Unfortunately, I only managed to finish "Combat Shock".
_If I am well informed, hiphop was your first (musical) love. When did you start to get interested in experimental electronic music?_
That's not entirely true. I started toying around with sequencers at the age of 13 (back then using an amiga 500). I met a guy doing social service who motivated me to push records and handed me my first software. Still, the single-most important influence has got to be my brother, who already played electronic music to me when I was still a kid. When I was 15, I got interested in sampls and began collecting them. Four years later, I moved to Frankfurt, bought me some equipment and really let off steam. The first projects were indeed hiphop. But as I recorded with "bands" as well, I was able to gain experience from many different fields.
Slowly but surely, my interest for experimental songs intensified and so did my ideas for this genre. Some friends also playded their part, providing me with tons of abstract electronic music (thanks to SHEEPNOT).
Frankfurt is more commonly known for its hard, straight techno. How come this didn't rub off on you?
I did try a lot, but I somehow stuck to experimental music over the last three years. On top of that, it's a compensation I need to work out certain feelings. I do have some ideas for more straight projects, but now is not the time. There will be a few technoid mixes on the Remix-CD - along with a lot of experimental stuff.
The acts of the WARP-label certainly play a part on „Combat Shock“. On the other hand, you are not afraid of melodic elements and clear harmonies. Why did you integrate these aspects?
I just love samples in connection with handplayed melodies. I also want my pieces to sound like collages - one should not be able to understand their meaning right away.
How did you realise these melodic and harmonic sequences? After all, you're not a skilled musician...
Learning by doing. I often collect ideas at the keyboard and then play them. But quite a lot has simply been edited or recorded with live instruments, thanks to some musician-friends.
Many debuts bring together music from a long period of time. Does "Combat Shock" fit this description?
The songs on "Combat Shock" were realised over the last three years. Some phrases and ideas however even derive from before that time. The only thing that kept me from moving on more quickly was my involvement in too many projects. I was also working on two different Brian Uzna concepts. Only after a while could I decide to go for "Combat Shock".
Can you tell us something about the video that was done for one of your tracks?
You might call it a "Recycling-Video ", because two films by a friend of mine (Raul Gschrey) were cut for the video to SAFARI MOVEMENT. It's the first video of at least three for the CD.
There are some great tracks on „Combat Shock“, still the overall feeling is extremely cohesive and tight. Was there maybe a basic concept?
"Combat Shock" is extremely ill and dark - with some exceptions, of course. Its main inspiration was the movie by the same title. The title track on the CD even contains some samples from the picture. But, as you mentioned, above all, its a collection of individual tracks.
Did you get an opportunity to present the album live?
I don't unfortunately have much time to play live a lot. I also lack some necessary equipment. It's not my main focus for the future, either: Rather, I want to build up a decent studio, since I work out everything at home and I want the quality to be right. I do love to perform at exhibitions, because I play a lot of atmospheric pieces and develop soundscapes. From time to time, I integrate some songs and phrases of mine. Mostly, I am accompanied by a musician.
As a sort of passtime, you lately accompanied a reading. How did that happen and how did the public react to it?
Things like these happen spontaneously. I was asked if I were interested and immediately felt like doing it. I think it went over quite well and people liked it. I will get a recording of the evening and might perform some editing on it.
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What inspires you music-wise at the moment?_
I am too involved with my own music to really know what's going on. I love to listen to old stuff. Apart from that I like Joseph Nothing, El-P& Definite Jux, Autechre, Psychological Records, Björk, Worlds End Girlfriend, ..... etc.
What do you expect of 2005?
Album + Remixalbum on einzeleinheit. Tesla´s Album "STURM", Gregpipe´s Freestyletape "SPANISH FLY", Deftik´s Album, "SYMBIOSE" - Maxi and possibly Uzna´s 2nd Album. On top of that, a Solo Cd by Phillip von Wangenheim (Piano 3rd part A WORLD FULL OF SORROW) and a Live-Jam Cd, which all really only need to be mastered. And SHEEPNOT - I RESIGN, who is also featured on "COMBAT SHOCK". They're all friends of mine releasing their debuts in 2005 .
