when did you start converter and what inspired you to?

i started converter sometime in early '98. i had wanted to start a project aside from pain station for a while, so after i recorded the last ps album i got right to work. i was introduced to some ant-zen releases sometime in '97 and hearing them really got me inspired to get to work on converter.

is there a special purpose (maybe kind of a message) to your music? what do you want to express with your music?

absolutely nothing at this point. i just like to make noise and that is the basis of the inspiration behind converter.

if i am not mistaken you are the first non-european band on ant-zen. what does that mean to you? how did you get in contact with them, are you content with the cooperation?

i think it's a great honor that stefan had enough faith in my material to go through the trouble of setting up a deal with an american project. i first got in contact with stefan by email, asking him if i could send a demo. since it was ant-zen's material that inspired me the most to finally start my project, i thought ant-zen would be the perfect label to release converter, if he was interested. i'm not only content with the cooperation, but i'm thrilled. stefan is an amazingly cool guy and i'm so happy to be able to work with him. his approach is very refreshing compared to many of the materialistic labels, like the ones we have here in the u.s., who seem to have forgotten that music is an art form. like with shock front, stefan had these extra heavy steel covers and inlay cards cut to be used instead of a printed booklet. they had to be thin enough pieces so they would fit into a jewel case. then the cover art graphics and text are on stickers, stuck to the metal plates. they had to be inserted into the jewel cases and it sounds like it was probably a real complicated thing to create and put together, but stefan took the time to have it done. like all of the other ant-zen releases, it's as much a visual work as it is an audio work. the response to the metal plates has been great so far.

i always thought power noise was more like a european phenomenon. is there kind of a "scene" (or artists that do comparable music) in the us? is this kind of music played in the clubs as it is here?

yeah, i think there is a growing scene in the u.s. now. there have always been lots of experimental and noise bands bands, but the "power noise" scene really seems to be taking off recently and projects seem to be popping up all over the place now (look out). then you have labels like possessive blindfold who do a lot to support the movement and who license and release almost solely power noise material. it's great to see. i just hope it doesn't end up another flooded market here.

any records that impressed you lately?

hmm... these will be old by the time this goes to print, but tom waits' "mule variations" is great, imminent starvation's "nord" is excellent, noisex's "rotation u.s.a." is very cool too.

how about you as a private person? what do you do for a living, what are you interested in etc...

well, at my day job i do typesetting/layout for a direct mail company. i hate it, but it keeps me writing angry, aggressive music. ha... as for my interests, music is at the top, of course. i'm a fan first, musician second. i really don't have any hobbies so if i'm not working on music i'm usually hanging out with my wife jenny just watching tv, rented movies or boxing matches and drinking good beer. if there's nothing on tv, i'll just sit and stare at the walls drinking beer. good beer (mostly german, of course) is always part of the equation! haha...

what equipment do you use?

an ensoniq asr-10 sampling keyboard. nothing more.

how do you compose the music?

i push the "write music" button on the underside of the keyboard. it does all the work while i go grab a beer from the fridge. nah, seriously... i'm not really sure. i mean, i typically just sit down and sample until something i sample inspires me or triggers an idea and then i go from there. it's a very simple process. not always simple to come up with an idea, but my basic method of writing is pretty straightforward.

i had the impression you might start with the rhythm programming first since converter seems to be very rhythm-orientated and the music sounds so dynamic.

well, it depends on the track. some tracks start with a more atmospheric sound or a loop and then i go into the rhythm programming. but i think you're right, in that most of the time i start playing with rhythms and percussion sounds first and go from there.

which band/musician impressed you most since the time you started to listen to electronic music and why?

that's a nearly impossible question. i can't honestly say that any one band or musician impressed me the most, so i wouldn't feel right naming bands. i go through phases of what i listen to and in changing styles, there's usually a band i come to that just blows me away. i think this has happened often enough, but not as much as i'd like it to.

would you like to tour? if yes, who would you like to tour with if you could choose?

yes, i think i'd like to tour europe or at least play several shows. i think it'd be a great experience. if i could choose who i toured with, i'd probably want it to be someone who does something similar to the converter material, so noisex would be a logical choice... maybe pal or any of the other ant-zen projects. otherwise, i'd be open to touring with anyone in the genre.

what's your opinion about recent trends that industrial/power noise-acts try to include modern influences like techno elements, drum'n bass-stuff etc. into their music? do you think that these trends will continue to exist or maybe even get stronger?

i think it's likely that these trends will continue to grow. i imagine it will probably keep evolving, though, and turn into something completely new and different. i think some of these combinations can be very interesting if done right. i think it's a step in the right direction because these bands are taking indutrial music to places it's never been before. hopefully that will open some new doors to new sound experimentation.