“The wait for Jurgen Engler’s Die Krupps to release a new album has been a long one, 16 years in fact, and while the band have been busy playing live with disciples such as Nitzer Ebb, a finished record from them has proven elusive. That’s all over now, everybody, Germany’s preeminent practitioners of the mechanized metal beat are back. By the very nature of their own ethos, Die Krupps are the embodiment of precision menace, they are after all the ones who gave us club anthems like “Germaniac” and “Risk” back in the day. There isn’t any trepidation to what they do, Engler and his cohorts stand tall on this amazing return to form.” [Peter Marks]
How would you summarize this past year on artistic and personal level?
2013 was incredibly busy, probably the busiest year in a long time. I also work for a record company as their house producer, Cleopatra records. I do a lot of productions for them and the year basically started with a production for Nick Turner who used to be in Hawkwind(yearly space rock band). After that production was done I focused on Die Krupps. That was fourth months straight period of working on that album; in between during the day I was pretty much working on productions for the record company, and starting in the evenings I worked 9-10 h on music for Die Krupps album. That did not leave much space for sleep at all, for like four months straight, maybe 4-5 h per day, and then after the production was complete, other stuff needed to be done. We just had a video shoot, and we are preparing for the tour, all kind of logistical things which have to be taken care of. That is basically why it has been such a busy year so far, and it’s actually continuing to be busy because the tour is coming up soon. So MUSIC NON STOP! We plan to do more shows in Summer, we have couple of festivals lined up, like Mera Luna and Amphi, and we will have some more shows most likely outside of Germany in between, like Scandinavia, probably England, France etc., and hopefully Poland too! I remember playing at Castle Party, that was a fun show, and it was great to play there, I enjoyed it very much… the castle is amazing, just beautiful. I pretty much live what I do and I think that is a very important aspect, because it will show if you just do it for fun or entertainment, it doesn’t look real.
What album you listened to most often this year (not necessarily released in 2013)?
That’s tough, because I do so many music production, that there is really not much time to listen to any other stuff. I listened to the new Iggy & The Stooges or David Bowie albums, but generally I just really don’t have time. The only time I have to listen to other music is basically when I’m in the car. That’s the only time when I’m actually not working or doing my jobs. I also listened to the Devo live album (new album of them), but when you hear music all day then the last thing you do is turn on music right away when you leave the studio.
What was the best cultural experience not related to music?
We were in New Orleans this year . New Orleans is always an interesting place to visit, I really enjoyed it, but that was pretty much it in 2013. Because of all the production stuff going on, I didn’t really have much time. I really like to travel and explore the world, hopefully I get to do it next year. My job may make it difficult, but let’s see what countries will be on the tour rider.
What was your greatest disappointment of 2013?
Greatest disappointment is that we basically found out that the NSA its checking on everybody with the consent of the U.S. government, which is something I didn’t expect from Obama. I trusted the guy. I’m sure that that he’s doing his best on many levels, but there are so many forces in congress that work against him and make it impossible for him to do what he wants to do. They prevent him from doing his own thing. But I was shocked and disappointed to hear about the NSA scandal, because I really didn’t expect that, but on the other hand i should have!
How does it feel for you as German person living in US?
Well I don’t consider myself German, I’m a world citizen. I can live anywhere, but I’m very happy where I am, I really feel at home here. I love living here, because it’s a much more free way of life than in Europe. I’m glad Bush is gone, and I actually voted for Obama because I believe he is a good person, one to trust as much as you can trust a politician. Obama was to me like a hero when he appeared for the first time, and when he won and became the first black president, it was really amazing. In Germany since the 80s, bad politics have messed up the country, starting with the 16 year reign of Kohl. But you don’t need to agree with all the politics to live in a country. So like i said before, I’m really happy here, this is my home now. I never regretted that I moved here, and I’ve been living here for very long time.
Did you learn anything particular this year?
Yes, don’t assume people are your friends unless they prove it. Business is business, and most people are not your friend when it comes to it!
Plans, hopes, expectations for 2014?
I hope that the tour will go well. I will also work on a new album soon, which shouldn’t take too long, because I got many ideas that i would like to try and add to DIE KRUPPS music. The new album is musically going to take it a step further, the point is to reach a new level and make the DIE KRUPPS sound more modern, without sacrificing the typical Die Krupps sound. I think it will be done in middle of next year, so we can have another fall release ; so basically one year after the new release ‘Machinists of Joy’. That’s the plan, but don’t hold me to do it 🙂 In general I just want to keep doing what I’m doing, I really enjoy it! I’m looking forward to the tour, it’s always great to play for the people who love your music. It’s an amazing experience!
Photo by Eric Debris
Our “The Machinists of Joy” review
Santa Sangre 