From cognition Sent Sat, Oct 30th 1999, 18:06
thanks to everyone who responded to my email about drexciya. here's a rough translation of the original feature in german in de:bug magazine into english. anyone on the lists who can translate german into english and who can repost this below with corrections? I've put the untranslated words like so: [untranslated] *?* and especially wondering what the paragraph about dopplereffekt vs. drexciya says as the translation doesn't make much sense. thanks. andrew duke :) Back from the Abyss Drexciya Detroit was always a secret and brought this secret into electronic music, so that it could remain differently its and. And one can see at any time to Detroit and will state that all gossip of an end of the fundamental ideas of electronic music, which were always ideas against the subject is not only nonsense, but it also people gives, which will ensure that it can remain nonsense. It never really interested, who Mike bank was, who UR is or red planet, even if some these things were gradually uncovered, gladly benefitful, and ever more photos emerged. It became above all ever more insignificant except for few exceptions, which left usually the city. Drexciya is and remains one of the obscurest, most mysterious projects of Detroit. The concept of a world, in which everything takes place under water. You will know. A E-Mail with Hotmail.com was until recently the only contact, which we had. And as Hotmail was chopped, we almost would have required themselves, we would have read its Mails, around something to find out over the " most mysterious duo of Detroit " (Eshun). One does not make it nevertheless then, the interview dates failed naturally only times, and even people, which only one kilometer live far away, talked about " him " only as submerged. " He`s bake into the Abyss " (PrismFX, Detroiter artist and Coverdesigner). Just as suddenly and unexpectedly he was then nevertheless again there, had a telephone number, constantly changed between I and we, the " real " and Drexciyas world, which logical-proved for him not separate to let and was also to be separated not have, and quite more normally, above all very nice humans, exactly like one that had actually expected. De:Bug: How does one come to such different Labels as Rephlex, UR, and safe deposit? Drexciya: One can say it perhaps in such a way: We float. If one structures a relationship with humans, then one may her upright her further develop, can one while keep, but then it can be that one moves elsewhere. We move against the rules, and that is the one thing, in which we believe to proceed against the rules. Not to do, what tells us someone to do and not what shows us someone as only way. To express that we feel that there is another way. De:Bug: Who should say to one, what one has to do? Drexciya: The industry. Like Frank Sinatra already said, it made it in its way, and that is exactly what we also say. We DO it our way. If we deal with other record Companys, then we are occupied with other fragments of the Business. Surely, one can say that 75% sell label their disks within the same area to that, but remainder there are these 25% also. And in this way we create ourselves a larger territory. De:Bug: Did you ever come to Europe? Drexciya: No, but I plan it. For the year 2001, which will be the 10te year that I make Drexciya. You could say that it is as in one our Songs, " The Species From The Pod ". It needs 10 years, in order to out-breed something, and if it slips then, it manifests itself as quite different species. We those water tested, if we found a passage, then we here and there a disk released, then again stopped, are again decreased/gone back to the laboratory, into which, have cave wintered. 2001 the time will not be, in which we can travel, but goes now I anywhere. There is too much work in the laboratory. De:Bug: Do the TRACKS come on " Neptune's Lair " from different times? Drexciya: Yes. We try to make with our music something for everyone 360 degrees, so that, if someone does not like a TRACK, he can find perhaps another good. Whether musicmusic music or Listening does not interest, us. We make music, in order to please the [gehoergaenge] *?* of humans, because I want to keep the tradition upright, with which I grew up. At that time and heard the people made music, which made them lucky. It did not concern Ego problems or cash. De:Bug: What for music was that? Drexciya: I heard everything. Of new Wave, Punk, [skirt] *?*, Techno and HipHop, or which it at that time was, Afrika Bambaataa, Newcleus and so, and it gave the P to radio of ALL star, George Clinton, Jimi Hendrix, the B52`s, Wham, everything. Here in Detroit probably new Wave and HipHop radio were most important. The musical talent of this time put much energy and work into the music. It did not concern to press a few buttons. And just as hard we want to operate on us. De:Bug: Is it possible that you are exactly the same assumed in Detroit like here? Very low profiles, unknown, somewhat mysterous? The people see you nevertheless on the road. Drexciya: No, not really. I keep myself very covered. We belong to no Posse, we not too often go to parties, and if, then rather times, briefly inconspicuously, care us not for this " show who you [bist] *?*" thing. I may not it pushen this page. I do not have it also. It is more important to me, if the people can feel, for which it goes with Drexciya. That does not have to do anything with the fact that one would have to often see me. I want to please with my music and perhaps with the visual impressions, which she creates and which they will accompany. Animated videos make, in order to show better, for which it goes with Drexciya, because Livevideos are perfectly impossible, finally would have one, in order the real feeling of Drexciya too to get, a line into my heading to put. De:Bug: Who is your partner actually? Drexciya: You know that I that gladly legend, but well, it is not Doppler effect. When we put Drexciya one while ago again times on ice, in order to make Research, it decided to make its own project and to it also nothing is false. But we keep the two things very strongly separate. Perhaps I operate a daily also solo, but but I am now not yet ready. Drexciya can develop only with us for both, because alone that results in simply another sound. De:Bug: Would the concept of the water be still so important, if you operate alone? Drexciya: Let it me say in such a way. Water is the strongest item on this planet. If one would melt the polar caps, then we would be completely flooded, nobody could that stop or as much for water evaporate. We would be dead all, became somewhere [rumfloatenrumfloaten rumfloaten] *?*. It is the strongest, most dangerous, most beautiful, [zarteste] *?*, aggressive item, which gives it. And that is it, for which we are. We are aggressively, easily, calmly, can be beautifully, achieve roughly, ugly by force and all these things with music. Water is also this place, at which there are no problems, which make it here above arduous so. We try to keep this force away from Drexciya. Drexciya is actually peaceful. Therefore we return also again and again to this calm, peaceful, jazzy, ambient page of the life. The military view of the things, which is very strong with UR, is for us rather like a reservoir. But after the reserve we come again and again back to Drexciya, in order to be, which we are, civilians. I met many people, those, if they hear our TRACKS and the title in addition, to understand and to feel be able, from where we come. We always designate our TRACKS, after we make them. Titles give a further dimension for the TRACKS. If we make pieces, it concerns thereby always also one moment, which we catch. It is made all live in in or for two Takes. If somewhat static noise is thereby, then that gives a signature to the whole one. It can never get remixed. That is important to us, because we would never let someone remix a Drexciya TRACK. We would not make it times. Destroys the music, and what music should be. I hate it. And I see that things occur there, which I despise. Remixes are an agent of segregation. It different mix made for different " races ". Why can't there only be one for all, how it was in former times? Music is to be for everyone. They try to separate us thereby. The music industry. And the people do not talk times more [drueber] *?*, all R. Kellys and Whitney Houstons, them know it probably not yet times. They do not think about it, like the Remix will be used and for what. On the so-called black radio in former times everything ran, but now only " black music ". That separates us mentally, and so it is not to be. And I will not participate in this plan of the industry. De:Bug: But segregation came at least beforehand. Drexciya: Yes, there was always segregation, but we had tried to loose-will her. And to certain way they introduced it again. At that time the people really met. By the music. And they heard everything. De:Bug: And that was also immensely important for the music history of Detroit. Drexciya: Exactly, it brought things in course. It was more fun. And the people were more calmly, safer. Now is many more one-sided all. Tunnel vision. There is no more other taste. That is not good. De:Bug: What can one make against it? Drexciya: I can do me only [raushalten] *?* there. Participate not in it and me refuse. The others must received, which occurs and stops, to go through. Perhaps the people will wake up, in a type Snowball effect. De:Bug: Will it again so for a long time last up to the next Drexciya disk? Drexciya: No, that is now the peace before the storm. One can hear it. It at the titles see. If you are really intelligent, and I like that at the people, which like Drexciya, it am all philosopher, intelligent people, then you will hear, what will occur. We must actually say to it nothing. Drexciya listeners can give us the Lyrics. De:Bug: Which you think of the change, which it gave some time ago with Underground Resistance, when they suddenly emerged with High Tech radio as a type new focus everywhere. Drexciya: I actually cannot talk about it. I keep myself away rather from all. The reason for it is that I do not want to take over the Vibes of others. There I am surely own. But if you are much with someone together, then you take over its type, its movements and words. I do not want that in the music. I do not try to pursue also, which occurs in music. That gives me energy and freshness. I try, me naive in certain way unite to things opposite to keep. I [white] *?* it, do not have to know it, and I do not want to know it. The only one, which I must know, is whether you well are, and you, whether I well am, and that one will help oneself, if not. -- Cognition/Andrew Duke's In The Mix mailto:xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxx.xx http://techno.ca/cognition 1096 Queen St #123 Halifax NS Canada B3H 2R9