A doyen of European industrial, Albin Julius has been certainly having a good time lately. The opportunity for this interview comes at the time when the new album "Joyride" is about to be released and his legendary musical venture is celebrating 20 years of existence. And thus you can read what is the new Der Blutharsch album about, what is Albin Julius planning for the upcoming anniversary or what immense collection of synthesisers is contained within his studio. A big thanks goes to Jan Kruml for making this interview possible.

1. Greetings! Let’s start with classic question: how’s been your year so far? If you were to name the five most interesting sensory experiences of 2015, what would they be?

Hm....welll...at least I can name 3: first our anual winter trip - this year we have been to Cambodia and Laos. It was amazing. We love Asia a lot and this was really a great journey, especially as Angkor Wat is one of the places I wanted to visit since a child! Then of corse musically some stuff happened as well. We finished „Joyride“ - which hopefully will be released in 2 weeks after 6 (!!!) months of waiting for the vinyl and we also finished "The Wolvennest Sessions" which hopefully will see the light of the day 2015 still.
Also we are at the moment recording a new album and a collaboration with our friends White Hills (plus have 2 more collaborations in progress - more about this later). I think 2015 is a great year - keep fingers crossed as we have still 3 months to survive.

2. Your upcoming album “Joyride” is due soon. It took quite some time to release it, since it was recorded in the beginning of 2015. What is the main reason behind this delay? Did you want to release it on all formats at the time?

Exactly. And the main reason is because of ridiculous long delays in vinly production due to the revival of vinyl which on one hand is a good thing, but on the other hand also not so good for small labels. But obviously some new pressing plants are opening soon and then hopefully the production will get faster and easier again. Lets see... but yes..I hope Joyride will be out in 2 weeks..in time for my birthday. At elast..some hope still remains!

3. I must say „Joyride“ is great and complex piece of music! As a listener I can feel a bigger emphasis on the electronic instrumentation and also a greater „song-oriented“ attitude towards compositions. If you have to characterize the main difference between the „Joyride“ and your previous works, what would you stress out?

Difficult to tell, especially for myself. I never really think about what we do. Mainly it just happens. This time for me the main difference is that Marthynna did all vocals and lyrics and I really love the fact! it makes it very unique for me as she did (and still des nearly every day) surprices me somehow. Its an intimate thing too. Also I feel Joyride marks a change..the lineup of DB now is reduced to "the core" (Marthynna, Jörg B and me) supported by various friends and I really like this. Musically just see it as a follow up to the path we did choose some years ago when we changed the style and left towards new territories. Its a nice ride..still. lets hope we will have some good roads in the future as well.

4. „Joyride“ was also shaped by a wide of panoply of guests. Could you approximate the gang and their imprints?

Its some friends again this time helping us - to name them - as they did a great work again:

Dennis Lamb - Saeculum Obscurum
Matt Howden - Skrben
Nikola Babić - 7 that Spells
Niko Potocnjak - 7 that Spells/Jastreb
Alan Trench - Orchis/12000 days
Marc De Backer - Mongolito/Dog eat Dog
Dave W - White Hilus
P - Stormnat
t Nicholas Tesluk - Changes

they all did add an important part to Joyride and its great to see how their input melts into the music.

5. You release an album every year, you have a plenty of collaborations, EPs etc. What the hell is your secret of productivity? :)

Well...I think not every year..but at the moment we really ARE bussy. One reason is that music for me is really important. its like someone needs air to breath I need to do music. Also its very easy for me as I have a full equipmed studio in my home so I can easily go down whenever I feel and mostly I feel it on a regular base. Its easy for me as I have many friends who collaborate so sometimes even I have no real inspiration someone sends me an idea and I only have to hook up. Or vice versa - I have a nice little basic idea and send it to a friend..he ads a little bit and its like a kick in the arse. Sometimes I think I should do less and I try hard to keep myself out of the studio - but it seams impossible. But well...actually...I do music for my own pleasure and because I have an inner need to do it. But its nice to see some people like what we do.

6. Your material strikes me as a best fitted for jam (and your life concerts confirm that). Is that the way of creating a new material? Do you meet up and jam till something comes up? Or anybody brings some initial ideas first? Could you describe the whole process of creating a new material?

Haha. Well. Mainly its that I prepare a basic track. Might be a drone, a rhydm or a beat, sometimes a riff or whatever. Mainly we record in (we call them O.S.) - overnightsession,. means Jörg comes for lunch, then we have dinner together - some drinks and some other candieslisten to music and after we go down into the studio and just start recoding. It mostly feels like jamming arround but as I often have basic tracks ready its quit easy. Most work then is the production - the mixing etc that takes most time and this work I really enjoy.

7. Could you briefly describe your current studio equipment? Your sound has pretty evolved since the times of Moon Lay Hidden Beneath The Cloud and I bet your gear followed the same path. How has your studio setup changed during the years?

Ouh. Well..loads of old toys. First I have to mention that I do not use any computer in my studio. I record on 3 harddisc 16 track machines but via a Soundcraft Ghost 56 track desk - analog. Besides I use a few keyboards - like a Moog Voyager, an GRP a4 (Killermachine), Roland SH09, a Mellotron, Vafisa etc...I think meanwhile I have 19 keyboards/synthesizers. and various drummachines (CR78, TR 808 etc)Also I use old FX machines (Spaceecho with real tape, an old huge AKG plate Reverb) etc. I do not like complex machines - I like simple machines where I just can play - turn knobs and get a result. I hate to edit - thats also why I do not use computers. I work with real cutup technique as well. Its not a question of "religion" or "analog via digital" - for me its just the way I love to work and feel comfortable with. When a bit imbalanced during working in the studio I know my machines. I know (or sometimnes I don`t) which knob to turn for which result. I do not want to have a monitor and then edit with a mouse etc. Also I work in very dark atmopshere....mainly only lava lamps and insences - to create a nice atmopshere - in my temple you see @ Photo asttached.
Actually I think you could do same with computer..but I also LOVE the imperfectionism of analog gear. I have some old stringmachines and soemtimes they are strangely detuned due to temperature which adds a nice uncontrolable touch.
This all sounds huge now..it is..somehow...I have 2 rooms in my house only for music - with real drums, Piano, Timpany and Harmonium in the second room - but also you have to think that I am doing this since 25 years now - so this is the effort of building up the studio over this time.
But its good...I can really go down whenever I feel and do not have to pay a studio with an engeneer who maybe doesn`t even understand what we are doing....

8. I am really looking forward to your collaboration with Urfaust. Can we expect a collaboration similar to your work with Aluk Todolo or the Vienna aktionist Josef Dvorak? How do these collaborations usually go? You meet and jam or share music via some cloud device?

With both - Aluk Todolo and Fuckhead (for Dvorak) we just swaped songbasics. So every band reocrds basics and sends it to the other to add - at the moment we record with White Hills for an album collaboration - its the same way.
So.I think with Urfaust we will also use this method as it guarantees most personal freedom for all involved..but we will see. Right now record a new album for next years 20iest anniversary of DB - end of this year we wills tart with the basics for Urfaust.

9. A lot of people also still bears in mind your transition from martial/industrial sound towards more instrument-oriented “neu kraut” psychedelic rock sound. Do you remember the moment which sent you on this path? Was it a specific musical inspiration? Some mind-opening experience?

Not sure. i have to say that I always have been very open towards all kinds of music and still am. Since a teenager I love Velvet Underground, but also listened to Bowie then or Joy Division and many other bands. Earlx Pinkl Floyd was one of my fav bands then and still is.. Also I was lucky to grow up in an aere we had a great venue back then.so I could see and discover bands like Gun Club, Fad Gadget, The Fall, Motörhead, Donovan and andand....and this I think was a good lesson. Theres a lot of good music. What exactly made us change? No idea really. I think important for the step was to have Jörg joining the band and having a real guitarplayer and being able to do more guitar-oriented music. I think its a journey and somehow feel we don`t even know where we are driving towards. But its a nice trip still.

10. You are a very keen traveler. Do you get musically inspired on your journeys as well? Do you take a recording device on your journey, buy local music etc.?

Of corse. I LOVE to dicover different cultures and also their music. I also do fieldrecordings which I use for our music. In Sri lanka and also in Thailand I did some good recordings you can hear on past albums. 2 cover artworks have been photographed there.
This April we wanted to travel Irak and I was really looking forwards to discover some bands there - but as we got booked for Radburn exactly then we swaped and will do Vietnam instead. I already have some contacts to local musicians and I think we will discover good and kinkcy stuff. The best if you travel is keeping your mind open and learn from and about different cultures. This is very important for me - its a good way to open up. Ie I really love arabian rhydms..I think some turkish percussion patterns are the best drum patterns ever done. Also one big plan - still - is to record with a Romanian Gipsey brass band - I think this could be really exciting. Well. I have to say - I am quit open towards music. It would be sad if I wouldn`t.

11. DER BLUTHARSCH will soon celebrate it’s astonishing twentieth year of musical existence. How does it feel? When you decided to do a solo album all those years back, did you have any idea how long will this musical journey take? Also, can we expect something special for the anniversary?

Well. Actually I never expected to be arround for 20 years when we started. The forst DB initially was planned to turn out as a TMLHBAC album but the Idecided to do it as a seperate project. The plan was to release the picture disc and then a 7 inch and then stopt he album, but it tunred out as it is - of corse. Some plans are probably not ment to function. Actually...we just continued as it was easy then for us and - well - thinking about doing DB since 20 years - is IS crazy. But its also good. Also looking back and see how things changed and evolved and most - that its still lot of fun to do music. Even more now - to work with really great other artists I love and like their music. I think thats the real benefit from it - at least for me.
Fot the anniversary we will release a new album and do some shows - one @ Roadburn festival and we try to get a few more show together for next year. Lets keep fingers crossed.

12. Thank you very much for your time. Any last words?

Misbehave and enjoy!