2006-11-16 | Katarzyna NINa Górnisiewicz and Brian Backlash | e-mail interview

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NINa: Is Fanoe your real last name or just a stage nickname?

Klaus Fanoe: FANOE is in fact an island in Denmark and the surname of Klaus. We didn't want to invent any spectacular band name. There are allready to many...

NINa: Your first album called Empire Dirt was released in 2005. Will the new album scheduled for release in 2007 also be an industrial rock effort?

Yes the new album will continue where 'Empire Dirt' stopped.It will be more complex, there will more analog electro sounds and strange noises and grooves. I am very happy with the new material until now.

Brian Backlash: 'Empire Dirt', your first record, was intended as a solo vehicle. Now that you're equipped with a lean, mean live band, will their talents make a contribution on the next record?
Yes the band will perform on some tracks which we are going to record end of 2006. I am looking forward to this whole new experience. We are also planning to record 2 'Empire Dirt' songs live and maybe add one as a bonus track to the new album since our live sound is sometimes very different then on the album... We will see....

Brian Backlash: Do you have any tentative titles for your upcoming record?
Actually no... but maybe 'Further Up the Spiral Again' or 'The Pope is Part of the Dope Show' are good ideas... :-)

Brian Backlash: A lot of bands in the industrial/ebm/goth genres today are more style than substance, paying more attention to their clothes and their hair than the art they're supposedly making. Fanoe seems to have a more straight foward approach, and you're not afraid to use guitars or not get decked out in PVC. What's the most important aspect of Fanoe, to you?
We don't want to be a freaky horror fashion show. If we will ever have huge success then it will be because of the music and nothing else. None of us is a pretender and we only do things which are authentical to us. Well it's obvious that today a lot of bands have success not because of their music but much more only because they look "good". But to sell ourselves to something which we are not is no option. So in short: The most important aspect of Fanoe is music and to be authentical.

Brian Backlash: How did you first become interested in playing electronic rock music?

Two reasons: 1: Electronic music allows you to work independently from other musicians using sequencers, and gives you all freedom to experiment with sounds. 2: We are all into rock music since we were kids. There is no space for hip hop or trance music in our lives.

NINa: You supported the icon of so called gothic rock band The Sisters of Mercy, in 2005. Did you have a chance to talk to SOM's leader Andrew Eldritch?
Yes Andrew told us to relax since this was our first official public concert and that we should stop throwing chairs and bananas from the backstage down to the street.

NINa: You wrote me in an email: "In Switzerland we got all the banks, money, cheese, mountains and first of all a lot of work. People here they only know work, insurances, banks and heart attacks. Also people in Switzerland have one of the highest suicide rates in the world." Does Swizerland differ much from Japan these days?

Yes we do cause we often jump in front of trains while the Japanese use to jump down from buildings.

Brian Backlash: Fanoe is based out of Zurich, which during the 90's was known in America as a hotbed of needle usage and heroin overdoses. Do drugs still play a role in the underbelly of Zurich's culture? Has Fanoe gone unscathed by the drug epidemic?

Zurich has still very liberal drug politics but the open drug scene has moved to the streets now. Sometimes we walk thru the parks in Zurich and hope to step on a used needle to get a little shot for free. No honestly we are all clean now (almost).

NINa: The only band coming from Swizerland who I can recall and who gained success is The Young Gods. Is Swizerland supportive for industrial rock scene?
That I can't really answer. I don't think it's pretty different than other countries. But what I know is that the french part of Switzerland has a great underground scene and that the bands down there work together while I sometimes got the feeling that the bands here in the german part are solo fighters and don't give a shit about the others...

Brian Backlash: Do you feel your music embodies elements of your Danish heritage, or do you feel that what you do is more of an international flavour?

I believe very much that my Viking rough and dirty roots are reflected in our music. Did you know that Denmark was the first country in Europe who legalized pornography? That's something to be proud of isn't it? Anyway we are an international cocktail since Toni is from Italy, Diana is half Italian, half Swiss, and Marco is from Papua New Guinea.

NINa: You visited the USA. What are your views of this country as a native European?

I love the beauty of this country. It has so many faces and the people I met were all pretty friendly. Maybe they should stop eating so many burgers... It's very interesting is that the country still has such extreme contrasts that tears them apart again and again and again. Hopefully in a year things will get better again for the whole world.

Brian Backlash: Your band played the Wave Gotik Treffen festival in Germany earlier this year. What was that experience like for you? What did you think of the other bands you shared the stage with? Did any particular band impress you?

The WGT is such a great unique event that impresses everyone who gets the chance to go there. There are over 140 bands, circus, theatre, movies, friendly dark freaks, good looking girls and lots lots of beer.

Brian Backlash: How do you go about setting Fanoe apart from the thousands of other bands out there? What makes Fanoe different?
We are going our own way and we will do it authenticly. But in the end the music will do the difference. So wait till you here the new album.... and you will know it...

NINa: Have you ever concidered moving the band to a more industrial rock music supportive country like the USA?

Yes. But it's maybe to early now and also a money question.

NINa: Fanoe loves girls. So does your bassist Diana. Why does the society have a positive attitude for the lesbians while gay culture still raises questions?

Zurich is very very gay and trendy city but they are integrated and acceppted here in Switzerland. In Denmark they are even allowed to marry and that's ok I think. But to be honest most of the people, no matter if male or female, would rather look at two girls making love to each other than look at two guys shoving dicks up their asses. So it's maybe the images in the heads of people when thinking of lesbians or gays.

Brian Backlash: You have a very DIY approach to creating and distributing your music. Do you think DIY is neccessary in order for bands like yours to survive?

Today you got so many possibilities to do it all your self. But it takes really too much time. So I am not sure for the future if we can handle it without somekind of manager/company. But I would rather do it myself then to sell myself and our ideas of FANOE.

Brian Backlash: What are some of the advantages of the DIY method over going thru a major label?

Independency!!!

NINa: You are not signed to any label yet. What conditions should be suggested to make you ink a deal?

The label should be known internationally, it should have great network and also be ready to invest some money in a release. But the most important thing is that we have to know that the label stands behind us and will not take influence in our creativity.

NINa: What are your views about people whose habit is watching movies and living in such a false reality? They usually play a role they saw and liked in a movie bringing such an 'actor' into real life, losing friends, couldn't make any stable relationship or find and satisfaction in the real life?

The new technologies gives us both of it. It connects people and isolates them at the same time. What I am really sad about is that the new generation spends more time gaming with virtual friends and in that way lose the connection to reality.

Brian Backlash: I've watched the live videos you feature on your website, and was rather impressed by the musicianship of your live band. How did you all come to work together as Fanoe?
Thanks very much. That was our 2nd concert ever. You should see us now. But in fact we all met in porno cinema when sharing pop corn with each other. Suddenly Diana thought we could play together and Marco started to beat Toni with cool rhythms on the head so I started to scream. That sounded cool and...

NINa: You have interesting views about the Catholic religion. Do the Catholics believe in... an air?

I don't know. I just know that (the) Pope should stop to smoke dope.

NINa: Let's talk about prohibition. Would it make more good to the world if alcohol was banned for consumption?

Some Conspiracy Theories...? The economy is interested to optimize the power of the human resources for their profit. So in the end also alcohol will be banned 'cause it's unhealthy. But the economy knows the people would get mad in this world without any drugs that make them forget and easy to control. So there will be other healthier legal drugs in form of pills maybe...

NINa: There are an incredible number of girls which agree to show their bodies to the world either for money or for free. Is that a global frustration caused by the Internet or has digital technology given women more freedom?
I love girls showing their bodies no matter if this is (on) the internet or on tv or in my kitchen.
Thanks Nina and Brian for this interview and your great work for the industrial music scene..

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