Published by Davide Pappalardo on December 7, 2018
Radioaktivsts is a supergroup featuring members of Haujobb, Rotersand, and Seabound. Their music ischaracterized by “dark pop” and electronic elements, conjuring elegant noire atmospheres and danceable sounds. We are going to interview Daniel Myer and Krischan Wesenberg about the project, it’s sound, and it’s meaning.
First off, thank you for this interview, and for your time. Let’s talk about Radioaktivsts: the project was born some years ago, but until now you only released two singles (“Pieces Of Me” and “I Want You”) for two different installment of Dependent Records’ compilation Next Level Electronics. “Radioakt One” is you first full-length, a work promising us intelligent song structures, noire atmospheres, evocative vocals and danceable moments. Would you like to talk with us about it?
Daniel: Of course, thats what we´re here for.
Krischan: Music and art are means of communication anyway. so if we can add some context by talking as the ones who are responsible for the music we are gladly doing so. those promising and catchy labels were put on us, kind of a necessity to try to give a first idea what our music might sound and fell like when you listen to it. as nearly all musicians/bands we also feel that those labels are too big and too small at the same time.
Radioaktivsts is a kind of supergroup, featuring Daniel Myer of Haujobb and Architect, Frank M. Spinath (Seabound, Edge Of Dawn), Krischan Wesenberg from Rotersand, and Depeche Mode’s connoisseur Sascha Lange, who played drums for indie/shoegeaze band Chromosome 86’s album “Swerve Through The Moments”. How did all these different influences and elements contribute to the album?
Daniel: Perfect, if you listen to it. Each individual brought its own expertise and talent to the product.
Krischan: all those differences resulted in a lot of time needed to merge them, bind them together in a consistent form and musical style that still reflects the individual characters and ideas of us 4. as you state, all of us have been musically and culturally involved in great number of projects, everyone with slightly different experiences, expectations, workflows. making this album was a remarkable experience for me to overcome my own cliches, leaving my safe zone and long established forms of creating music and a relief to slowly feel a common ground rising which is more than the four of us simply doing music together, something growing in between that lead to an entity of tis own we are all contributing to.
Is there a main theme behind the album, or some topics which are very dear to you? What does “Radioakt One” tell us?
Daniel: I leave this answer to the singers.
Krischan: Sascha and Frank and their lyrics are self-aware and sensibly reflected. both have the talent to draw nearly impressionistic pictures of situation, conflicts, states of mind that Daniel and me tried to catch in the music carrying their lyrics. s there is no main theme or concept behind radioakt one, no obviously topic as a hiding place for us. i personally feel that this is a part of the common ground i’ve mentioned above that we searched and wanted to create an album which is kinda pure and soulful even if there are four characters involved in it, with all of their individual experience, background and history.
What did you want to achieve with “Radioakt One”? Do you think it gives us what you wanted to express with your music, what you had in your mind?
Daniel: For me its a relief, that the album is finally finished. I started to write the music quite a while ago and I wanted to work with Krischan for a long time. I am friends with Frank for even longer and we never wrote any music together, so it was about time for this to happen.
Krischan: As i mentioned before we wanted to create music that is clearly radioaktivists with its own soul, own character and not something which is mainly relying on our other bands and musical activities. it feels to me like we achieved that. but as i am part of radioaktivists i can’t judge it from a neutral perspective.
What about the recording process? Was it easy to menage so many different minds, ideas and inputs, to work together in order to create something going beyond the sum of its parts?
Daniel: It was quite easy. We live in a time, that makes collaborative work quite simple. The only problem was time.
Krischan: for me it was easy and difficult at the same time. the technical/collaborative part was easy. managing time and the social aspects of a new founded baby is challenging. for me the result justifies every second, every frustrational moment which was inevitably involved.
Let’s get technical: please, tell us about the equipment used for the album, and the songwriting process. How does a Radioaktivsts’ track come to life?
Daniel: I just used my portable “Studio” which is my Macbook Pro and the Presonus Studio One DAW. Krischan uses a lot of outboard gear I think.
Krischan: it always fascinates me that Daniel is able to work on the road. he is using his laptop like an instrument and can directly transform his impressions, feelings, a situation…into music. i am unfortunately unable to make music like this. i need some time to let a feeling grow, wrap my head around it before i can generate music out of it. and having a studio in a fix place that i am familiar with helps me to catch that feeling. i am sharing the studio with four other muscians/producers, each on in his own room with his own equipment. so we got a kinda nice collection of vintage gear here besides the computers we are working with. mainly i use vintage synths to fiddle around with it, record them and keeping them as something i call “emotional field recordings” as they carry specific memories of the moment when i made them. so if i work on a song which carries a certain emotional aspect i can browse through this collection of bits and pieces to see wether the atmosphere of this song can connect, resonate or matches with some of that musical/sonical snapshots i’ve collected. we’ve included a list of used equipment in our artwork of the CD. i am afraid its not complete.
What are your influences? Any artist you would like to cite, or album, you were inspired from during the making of “Radioakt One”?
Daniel: I am constantly travelling and listening to all kinds of music. Everything inspires me to write and create music.
Krischan: as Daniel i have a broad spectrum of music i like listening to. everything of it is a source of inspiration. everything we experience in general is a possible source of inspiration.
Are you planning to do live concerts, in order to promote the album?
Daniel: Yes, we are talking about a couple of shows already.
Thank you again for this interview. Anything you would like to add for our readers?
Daniel: Thank you for taking the time and listening to our music.