Interview: VZOID – Interview January 2023

Hello VZOID and welcome to Brutal Resonance. Let’s start off with my favorite introductory questions: What are three of your favorite albums of all time and why?

VZOID: Skinny Puppy – Rabies because it is journey from heaven to hell and back. No other album made that kind of impact on me. It is an album without any low. Every song is catchy and the melodies are sweet and cold. The album sounds quite different to any other SP album before because of Al Jourgensen’s guitars and production especially on “Rodent” and “Tin Omen”.

Frontline Assembly – Caustic Grip. What a fantastic record of EBM tunes. This is the first record with Rhys Fulber and a big change in sound. In opposite to Gashed Senses and Crossfire, which was about sounds and atmosphere, Caustic Grip where these fast, heavy tracks, EBM shouting and sample madness. What Frontline Assembly divides from other EBM bands at that time were its doomsday vibes and sample orgies. I was 16 when I bought this album and went to the fantastic concert in Munich’s “Nachtwerk”. Nearly all Caustic Grip tunes where performed. 3 hours of sweat and pleasure.

Revolting Cocks – Beers Steers & Queers, everybody knows this album, even people from other genres, but it’s also quite different from the usual Industrial track. It’s like Hardcore meets EBM, including the unique sounding Chris Connelly and Ogre of Skinny Puppy as the guest vocalist. What I love about this Cocks record is these simple rock songs, industrial instrumentation, punk voice and attitude, and twisted lyrics.

Prior to VZOID, you were in a band called FOG. How did that help shape VZOID? Were you in any other projects beforehand?

VZOID: FOG was the earliest incarnation of VZOID. It was a project where I shared duties with Oliver Farrnbacher (songs/composition) and Stefan Lindner (guitars). It was a very early period of time because we had to learn everything from the start and this was pre-DAW. Today it is so easy to setup a studio. Then we had an Amiga with “24” software and an Akai Sampler, Roland- and Yamaha Synth. Our first recording was on tape and our sound was a nightmare. But we got better in staying focused and working on our issues. When I formed VZOID in 2012 I already know how to program synths, how to structure and write songs and how to record and mix. In 2012 I could concentrate on sound design and composition. This helped me to avoid creating these skills from the start.

Where does the name VZOID stem from? What does it mean?

VZOID: The name VZOID was kind of an accident. I played around with words and was stuck in the phrase “Zoide” which means “animal like”. I added an “V” and that’s it. I thought a lot about the issue that you can’t spell it properly without a silent “V”. I made the decision that this is not an issue. It is a feature because people would think about it and find their own answer to what it means and how it is spelled.

If you had to describe VZOID to the average person, what would you say?

VZOID: If you are interested in hard electronic tracks, dark themed lyrics and fierce songs then VZOID is the right for you.

In your press release, you said that your EP and album ‘Perceptron’ and “Immersion” did quite well. How do you measure your success? Through streaming numbers? Sales? Social media interaction?

VZOID: Besides my own pleasure creating these songs, I measure success to have people who say how they love the song or if a DJ said she/he/it plays the songs in their club because it’s their favorite track. But I also fall for everyone who subscribes to my email-list. I’m also curious about streaming statistics to see what song people like more than other. I’m not the one who says this isn’t important. Of course statistics count. But what I not do is to change my music style or my compositions because of anybody’s votes or comment.

How do you create a song. Walk us through the process from the very beginning.

VZOID: The first thing is to program all sounds for a drum-set in NI Maschine. I do a lot of layering to create these sounds. I add a fundament of bass and atmospheric sounds. Then I switch to Protools and make a first mix. From there I complete the song with the rest of the instrumentation, the guitars and record and mix the vocals.

Your latest EP is called “Trauma”. What is the EP about? Do you explore your own trauma within it?

VZOID: “Trauma” implies pure pain. It is an extreme form of mental pain and suffering and it is such a strong word. Mental pain in any form is a well-known companion. For me it means going through depression and psychosis. I went through many states in my life but in 2007 my life changed completely because of a paranoid psychosis. But “Trauma” isn’t just my personal trauma, it is also the trauma of our earth and society. Our world is dying, our population is too high, we hit the 8 billion mark in November 2022. The word is running out of resources. It doesn’t matter if you believe or don’t believe, it happens now. These themes are included in the lyrics of “Trauma” and many more – like self-evolution and transhumanism.

Out of all the tracks on “Trauma”, which is your favorite and why?

VZOID: My favorite track is “Ende”. I like the trashy and melodic intro with the bee’s like synth arpeggio which reminds me a bit of SP’s “Deep Down Trauma Hounds”. The lyrics “Ende” speak of the earth’s trauma and the song closes the album. It just fits there and the song catches you from start to end.

What are your plans for 2023? You already have the EP out. Will you be releasing anything else or playing live shows?

VZOID: After my promotion tour to “Trauma” I’m speaking to people about a CD and cassette. And I’m already creating new songs for a next full-length album because there is quite a gap between “Immersion” and “Trauma”.

Lastly, I’d like to thank you for your time. You may use the space below to mention anything I may have missed.

VZOID: I’d like to thank everybody who streams or buys an download, but the most important to me is: subscribe to the email list on the VZOID homepage.