Distain! »Liquid«
Interview with Sebastian von Wyschetzki (1996)

Distain!-Album [li:quid]

Your debut album Cement Garden was quite 80’s oriented, but on the new album Liquid there are also other modern influences audible on the tracks like “Rosa Blania” or “Infinity”. From what do you base your musical ideas on?

Our influences are varied, most important is that we try out new things and don’t remain in the same place. One can say that we’ve got our own style but retain the freedom to combine new elements to our sound. We’re basically inspired by whatever appeals most to us.

Is it still timely to write songs today with melody and a structured chorus?

Absolutely! Especially now while so many new music directions like Ambient, TripHop or Jungle have ignored singing or a classic song structure, more and more people are looking for an alternative. This development is heard in other music styles such as Hip Hop for an example.

Some critics say to the Synthie-Pop scene that there isn’t anything new since Depeche Mode. Is Synthie-Pop music in 1996 really out of date?

I don’t think so, actually the opposite: As the hunger for memorable and thoughtful melodies continue to grow, I think the time for a Synthie-pop Comeback has become quite serious. Of course it must be inspired by modern influences and not just stemming from the roots of Depeche Mode or Yazoo. When you realize that music styles are mixing and flowing over into other areas, Synthie-Pop should also be allowed to progress and break out of the concept people had set to it. I mean, we’re just about to enter the next millenium! (laughs)

Would you call yourselves a “Boy-Band”?

If in respect to the Beatles this term could be used then perhaps, but we are most definitely a band and not just a fabricated pin-up product.