The following article was published in N-SPHERE Omega.
Following their concert at Brave Exhibitions in London this June, we sat down with Die Selektion to discuss their influences and current projects. Formed in Stuttgart, this young band that combines the live fierceness of early DAF with glacial synths and emotional trumpet melodies, is bound to make an impact on the minimal wave scene.
How did you guys form the band?
Luca: I’ve known Hanne since we were six, we went to school together. And then we met Max three years ago, at a concert. My old band with Hanne split up and that’s when we decided to form a new one, called Die Selektion.
I’m sure this is something you hear often, but why did you choose this distinctive instrument, the trumpet?
Max: (laughs) Everybody asks us this question and always have the same answer: we didn’t think of it. Hanne played the trumpet and we decided to give it a go.
Do you have a musical background?
Max: I’ve been making music for a long time, I tried many different things. I also play in a noise-rock band called Die Nerven or making techno music. I didn’t stick to just one thing.
Hanne: I’m the only one who studied music, I studied the trumpet.
What other projects do you have?
Luca: Max plays in a noise-rock band called Die Nerven. And it’s a kind of a techno/electronic project, like he said. And I’ve been working for a long time on a dark folk/neo folk project, called Death of Abel.
Hanne: I’m involved in a classical music project, I play in an orchestra.
Do your colleagues in the orchestra know about Die Selektion?
Hanne: Yes, they know about it. We play modern music in our orchestra and I can see parallels with our band. But basically all music is based on classical music.
What bands do you listen to currently?
Max: I really like the new album from Agent Side Grinder. Also Xeno&Oaklander. And I’m really into a German noise-rock band called Mutter.
Luca: For one or two years I’ve been listening daily to Death in June and Current93 as well. These two bands are currently my favourite bands.
Hanne: Well, I still listen to bands like Motörhead, but I still like the minimal wave stuff, like Xeno&Oaklander.
And in terms of the aesthetics of the band, who’s in charge of the visual aspect and what’s the concept behind it?
Max: We like to keep the focus on the music because they’re too many bands and take music to the background. We just want to keep the design and the appearance very clear and simple so that people can concentrate on the music.
In terms of new bands or bands that you played with, who do you admire?
Hanne: For me the guys from Berlin, Schwefelgelb. They’re quite young and their music is new and somehow similar to what we do.
Have you been compared to them?
Luca: Yes, but I don’t mind.
Max: I don’t know why people have to compare, but they have to. It’s quite difficult to find a band that is similar to us.
And you are often compared to DAF.
Max: Yeah, but the main influence from DAF is their energy, the stage presence.
Luca: And the idea behind it. In the early 80s, they wanted to make punk music with synthesizers. I wouldn’t say that we want to make punk music with synthesizers, but the point is to create powerful electronic music.
So it’s very important for you to create a powerful live experience. In terms of stage presence, who do you admire?
Max: I think Agent Side Grinder have a really great stage performance. There are many bands that make great music, but they’re stage presence is bad. There’s this band that that have amazing live performances, but I don’t really like their music. I think it’s called Future Islands.
Luca: I saw John Maus play in Berlin. It was just twenty-five minutes of playback music, but it was great, the energy was incredible. He goes completely mental and crazy.
What are your next projects?
Luca: We’re playing more and more, in Russia, Austria and so on. And we’re planning to do a second album.
questions by Simina Neagu
photo | Die Selektion. Kai Fischer. Courtesy of the artist
Full article here.