Tuesday 8 February 2011

Anhalt EBM on the rise: Interview with Nader, the man behind Old School Electrology Vol. 1

Oldschool Electrology Vol. 1 has been a massive anhalt and oldschool EBM project, building up slowly and moving towards the release date, step by step. As Nader, the man behind the project has been calling it: it slowly takes dinosaur steps (huuuuge strong dinosaur legs with BOOTS on, that is). At the time that this post is being made, 11 copies remain to be pre-ordered (in the beginning there were 100) and once it reaches 0 it will fund the final releaze. Information about the pre-ordering and the massive track list of the 4 CDs can be found on EAR page, which is the label behind it. In case you are wondering why OSE Vol. 1 is so special, all of its tracks are exclusive and specifically prepared by the bands for this release. That means new, unheard material from more than 70 bands from the anhalt EBM elite and dark electro.

Therefore it is perfectly fitting to ask Nader a few questions about his work on OSE Vol. 1

1TJ: How did you come up with the idea to create such a big collection of Oldschool and anhalt EBM/dark electro? What motivated you?

Nader: Hello Ramunas, thanks for the cool interview! You’re a staunch supporter of the old school scene and I’d like to commend you for your unwavering commitment to promoting Anhalt EBM. My first compilation Grandchaos “In Sedens” DCD was a precursor to OSE. The XXL Remix EP got overwhelmingly positive reviews and many electroheads encouraged me to take my old school mission to the next level & assemble a 4-cd box featuring all exclusive tracks & exclusive remixes by classic electro acts and mega-talented neo-old school bands. It took me 4 years to wrap up OSE

1TJ: One doesn't only get 4-CD's worth of exclusive and never before released tracks, you put alot of effort into the physical appearance of it as well?

Nader: It’s my undivided devotion to old school electro that kept me going. I’m very fortunate to have an amazing team and I’d like to extend a big thank you to Chris Lewis (frontman of the amazing dark electro act Red+Test) for his magnificent illustrations, Michael Renfield (aka Soillodge) for his awesome formatting and design, and last but not least, Brian Hazard (Resonance Mastering) for his top notch mastering. OSE has turned into a concept project and customers will capture the full essence of old school electro once they grab their copy.

1TJ: The whole process wasn't easy. What difficulties did you meet?

Nader: It was a very time consuming & frustrating project. I had to follow-up with each and every band and make sure that Brian is fully satisfied with the wav files. As the old saying goes, no pain, no gain

1TJ: How did you pick the bands for such a huge collection?

Nader: I’ve drawn upon my extensive knowledge of the old school/neo-old school scene to assemble this monumental project.

1TJ: It says Vol. 1, so will there be more collections in the future?

Nader: I sure hope so!

1TJ: What music do you yourself listen to?

Nader: I’ve a wide taste in music, but I mostly listen to complex, multi-layered dark electro, old school EBM, minimal electro/analog synthpop, italo-disco and techno.

1TJ: Where do you think the anhalt EBM scene is going?

Nader: Anhalt EBM is definitely gathering pace and I hope OSE will reignite interest in old school electro

1TJ: Do you have any new anhalt EBM favorites? I.e. bands you would want to include in a new collection? Perles from the underground?

Nader: I’m a HUGE fan of Astma, Ondska, Pact of Warsaw, Neukampf and Oldschool Union (all featured on OSE Vol. 1). We’ll see what the future holds for volume 2.

1TJ: Only 11 pre-orders remain until you can finance the release, and it seems the wait is almost over. Where does it go from here? Will there be possibilies for digital purchase? Any other plans?

Nader: 11 more steps to reach the 100 pre-orders target and I’m glad that we’re inching closer to the finish line. It was an agonizingly slow process and I’d like to thank each & every OSE customer for their patience and support! The project wouldn’t have been possible without you. As you may already know, OSE is an outrageously expensive project. Right from the very beginning, I was determined to release a luxurious dream box and I was so crushingly disheartened with the astoundingly low pre-orders. I know for a fact that thousands of casual fans want to illegally download the box-set the day it comes out and that’s why I had to set a 100 pre-orders target. The rationale behind this move is to cover part of exorbitant expenses and avoid a hefty loss. Come to think of it, I know it’s insanely crazy to release a hard copy only collector’s box in the age of illegal downloads.

1TJ: Any final words to the anhalt EBM stompers and the whole scene?

Nader: Please support bands and labels. Illegal downloads are really killing the music industry

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