DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER (Eng.)
– Hello Fuchs, thanks for taking the time. You will soon unleash your «The Greatest of the Best», which will be your first «best of» album. How are you feeling about it?
Good, it was a lot of work and created with love and passion.
– Before getting into your upcoming compilation, I would like to start a bit with the band’s beginnings. How and why did you form the band? Would you mind giving a run down on your activity during these years?
I could write a book about it. The CD comes with a 48 site booklet; liner notes to every record, unreleased and new photo´s, tabs and notes, a complete time line with all the important stations in our carrier. The Band was founded by Skeleton and me. We started as an angry horde of kids after a while it becomes more serious and the head takes over the belly. The Band stands for freedom the freedom I never had in my previous Bands. We shock, we rouse and we want to give hope. The mankind is running in the wrong direction and the next revolution is long overdue. We are too many people on this world and we have to abolish capitalism. We have to go back to a radical ecological lifestyle. We should stop hating our children, the next generation. We try to be more than entertainment.
– And how could you describe the band’s sound? As you have always mix really different styles in your music.
The life writes the songs. I grew up with the extreme bands from the early nineties. It was my musically socialization and is still my root. But I learnt that good music and good musicians are everywhere. Music is emotion and if it touches me, it’s good. My biggest influence is travelling. Since 15 years I do longer trips around the world. Last year I was in Brazil with only 5 kg luggage and travelled from south to north, drove up the amazing Amazonas and wrote all the lyrics for Moral& Wahnsinn.
– First of all and already getting into «The Greatest of the Best», why did you think it was the right moment for your first compilation album?
The idea came from Japan. We will release the future albums also there but at first they wanted a “best of “. For old fans as for me as well it is a nice collection with a lot of information and for new fans it is a possibility to enter the Reiter universe.
– I read you and your fans selected the songs featured in this album; would you mind elaborating a bit on this process?
It is not true. We have a strong relationship to our fans but we decided witch songs are on the record.
– With such a vast musical career and discography; do you now think there are some tracks that could have been overlooked or viceversa?
Of course and the selection was long and agonizing each one of us fought for his favorite songs. Each of our records is a self-contained work, and somehow you feel as if you chopping off arms and legs of your children to put them together again in a different way. Maybe the new little bastard is even equipped with super powers, but the seams will always be seen. I’m concerned, it would have 8 «Best Of».
– For example, I see you haven’t included many tracks from your latest «Moral & Wahnsinn»; maybe is still too recent?
A “Best of” stays a “Best of”. It can only short overview about our carrier.
– Many bands release a piece of this kind when they’re finishing an era or/and starting a new one; is this the DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER’s case as well?
Maybe, the only constant in live is change! In the past I did most of the stuff, now it’s different. We experiment a lot. After the touring for” Moral&
Wahnsinn” we rented a houseboat to jam and relax. We drove over lakes and rivers, played in front of little village societies and wrote some very special songs on acoustic instruments. This may take a part of the new record. The next step will be that we are locked in the jam room try to write music and surrender of excess. That’s how we work now.
– Anyway, can we expect anytime soon a new studio album? As you have always had plenty studio activity and, though your last studio album so far came out earlier this year, it seems like you never run out ideas.
We dont have a cache in which we have to squeeze everything in. We can be creative! I still feel the artist in me not service provider.
– You’ve been around for over 15 years now, and you are one of the two founder members remaining. How do you now think has been your evolution both as individual and artist? How has DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER influenced you throughout the years and viceversa?
If you’re a thinking, feeling creature, you are influenced by your surroundings. Other people write diaries, I write songs. You are here to learn, to explore emotions, to make experience. If you are the same person with 40 as with 20 there must be something wrong. DAR and I as a person are inextricably linked.
– And music-wise, what balance do you now do of these years of existence for the band? What have been the best and worst moments so far?
Every day is adventurous improvisation theatre in the life of a band. You can have the best and the worst moments at the same time. Once in Ukraine at the border to Russia. Our tour manager was missing because he was in prison. They told him you have to pay ore you will never reach Krasnodar (the City). Ok he did it, as we came to Krasnodar there were other police guys and the same again. After that we met the local promoter and he told us the club “ Kalaschnikow” doesn’t exist anymore it burned down yesterday but it’s not a problem the show will take place in another one. The club was a wet cellar with nothing, no back-line, no mixing desk, no light and space for maybe 30 people. It was absolutely impossible to give a concert there. We were disappointed and wanted to stay in the hotel but the hotel was a brothel. We travelled 3000 km for nothing and still had to get money from this bastard. One of our Russian guards bought some bottles of vodka and told us “I will check this for you”. At the next day we had the money. I ask him how you did that. The answer was “Russian business”.
– So finally, what are your near-future plans? What can we expect from you from now on?
In April we start a European tour witch will guide us also to Spain and for the next one and a half year we will tour our asses of. The new record is planned for 2013.
– That has been all from my side, thanks once more for asnwering to our questions. If you now want to add any final words; last lines are all yours.
All the Best
Fuchs
