poemproducer / interview for fluid magazine

From: agf <agf@poemproducer.com>
Date: So Nov 16, 2003 18:26:00 Europe/Berlin
To: maciek sienkiewicz <ms@recognition.pl>
Subject: Re: interview for Fluid magazine

maciek:
Ok Firstly I'm a bit curious about your 'eastern' past. You know, we are almost exactly the same age and while you were raised in DDR, I grew up in communist Poland But I think Poland was a bit more 'free' at that time, with more information/books/illegal prints coming from France or Britain How come you got in touch with culture (poetry, music, literature) other than 'official' culture of DDR?

agf:
i had really good teachers. even they were brainwashing us more or less
we still read all the great writers and philosophers even in scool
then partly my family was almost radical communist but had all the russian
writers ... in series and hardcover in the book shelfs... my parents let me stay
and my grandparents house up from 9 during the holidays
and they had this little room under the roof where i could be alone and
have soooo many books to read... my closest cousin was interested in
lyric and so i started very early read her and others poems and also
write myself... so when i became 9 i was literally walking with books in my hands
through my luckily quite independent life...
when i was 13 i became shortsighting cause i was reading under the bed sheets

so back to ur question. i didnt much come in touch with western entertainment
until 89 ... some...john lennon and yoko ono... i loved most between 12-16
but also the DDR musik had a special way to be subversive and
in between the reality... when i started to see the system critical and revolute
along my teenage age (the cure. prince. was biggest thing with 17) i listened
lots of OST ROCK and identified with that and the desires they expressed

lyric and poesie was big in gdr
i guess because there was less other stuff
like computer games. videos. musik

maciek:
And what was the process finalized with "Westernization Completed", as
far as I understand your statement of 'assimilation' in 'western' (i.e.
EU) culture?

agf:
yes. new operating system installed
ready to work now. ready to act. ready to be more active
in a social or political context.

maciek:
I bet you were writing poems from your early teens What influences will
you regard as obvious for that time?

agf:

ddr lyric

neues leben
temperamente
literaturwerkstatt

in east germany. there was for everything just ONE choice
available... so that means NO choice

today you have between 20- 50 per thing
no matter if its salt/ stylemagazin/ or cars

maciek:
When did you start to learn English?

agf:
1993 in london
i moved there
and i remember staring at the tv and not understanding any fuckin thing
in our days its normal for me to get informed in that language
... i am really happy about it... that i made it

language is the most !

maciek:
Well, we're writing emails in
English, but we're German and Polish I started probably at the age of 4
or 5, but had my proper practice probably about the age of 19 or 20
what about you?

agf:
i think my english is better now... (especially understanding and speaking than writing ;))
but also because its my main language now
i spent more time with english then german...
mostly i even think and dream in english

maciek:
Is using English as a tool of artistic expression a sign of completed
westernization? Do you still feel Eastern in any way?

agf:
well maybe ...

but i wouldnt mind to do some russian stuff too
i learned 9 years russian in scool
and i love the language
i have russian hiphop
and i try to get in touch with russian MCs to work with

i love languages
they open things into other worlds

mh... i guess i feel 10 % east german 10% european
50% human 30% cybergirl/ internet is my home

that means basically quite non identified

maybe it needs still time to except to feel deutsch
or something

maciek:
To what extent your work is random (in terms of gathering words or
expressions as well as sounds and rhythms)?

agf:
depends... sometimes i write a poem or song in an hour
on my own... in a asia restaurant

also. i collect nice words. challenging sentences.
faszinating expression. disturbing syllables

and use them as sample base

but it takes me weeks to make the thing work
its harder then just write it ... but its more surprising

i love random. its a cool technik to begin with

maciek
What turned you into using software instruments instead of (guitars etc)
Are you still into programming? Max/MSP etc?

agf:
i got bored of sounds i heard before
in the same contexts...

when i hear a combination of guitar and bass and drums i heard before
its nothing to me... hard to enjoy

but i am not a friend of entertainment anyway

max/ msp. i use a patches designed for my use but coded by others

maciek
Could you tell more about the development of this laptop supergroup
you're a part of? Funny thing is that I was promoting Kaffee Matthews
concert in Warsaw, in 96 I think. Any recordings? How's the work?

agf:
its still pretty much in the process... we want to take advantage of our different backgrounds and histories and ages
and maybe do some subversive... political work... but also in a sonic way hopefully challenging
wont be much dance music ;) i guess

http://www.lappetites.poemproducer.com/

maciek:
Weird question. but I have to ask it: are you (or were you) aware of
DDR pop music of mid-70's? It's strange, but I have quite a big
collection of Frank Schobel, Chris Doerk, Regina Thoss and all sort of
stuff and I must say that a LOT of the arrangements, with some strange
sounding early synths, are WEIRD. What do you think 'bout this stuff?

agf:
damn sure i was aware. you COULDNT ESCAPE. my mother loved that shit
... i think its quite sick ;)))

but i know its cult for certain people... memories. like country... whatever

i am not a retro type of person

i am a pioneer and i am fast ;)

and what is YOUR definition of 'songwriting'?

i dont have one

...and, last two questions:

is language a virus?

no

what is love?

i guess its the most necessity and challenge
mankind has to struggele with and learn how to do it
and maintain it...

thanks very much
agf