haujobb

The artwork on all of the haujobb releases I've seen has a very distinctive look and appeal.  Who comes up with the cover concepts and how important to you is the presentation of the band via the artwork?
We do it ourselves. The main reason for that is that it is our own music that we have to represent. Presentation by the artwork should be important for every band because it’s a big partof the whole thing. It points out the identity.

When did the idea of haujobb first come to you?  What were you doing with music before haujobb?
There was a point when we were so bored by the music we listened to and at the same time so fascinated by the possibilities of modern technology, that we had to use it and which way would be better than to do our own music then? It all started in ’92 I think.

Although I liked the idea behind the ":wumpscut: vs. haujobb" mini-album, it seems to have divided a number of people who like either one band or the other better.  How do you feel about the "remix wars" concept?  Were you happy with how the CD turned out?
Our opinion is similar to that of huge parts of the press. Both bands or projects could have done better. We’re not sure what the reason could be for this but we’re sure that those tracks are not 100%. On the other hand this remix idea is based on experiments and this is what finally happened. So it’s not that bad. Rudy is great guy, very nice!

You've done remixes for Front Line Assembly on their last two singles.  How did that come about?  Was it fun to work with FLA and their material?
It was an idea of the label so they just gave us their material and we worked with it. It was like remixing for any other band. Interesting but not very exciting. Later we met them in the studio of Marc Verhaegen (Klinik) and did some sounds for the last Noise Unit Album. But..... you can’t say that this was somehow impressive.....more the opposite.....

Is it more challenging to do your own material or re-mix other artists?
Of course it’s more challenging to do our own material because you have more or less exact visions of your own sound. But working within certain borders, like remixing, is very interesting too. All in all, it’s both music and that’s what we want to do primarily.

Is it important for you to keep haujobb's music purely electronic?
Not really. In fact we like the sound of "real" instruments, especially drums. By listening to that kind of sounds, we learn very much about sound in general which helps us (e.g. editing samples). At the moment, we experiment pretty much with "natural" sounds and "human sequencing," especially in terms of drumming.

I noticed that you have two extra people for live shows. What kind of set-up do you use live?
The two people you mean were a drummer and a guitar-player. The last time, we left the guitar and involved a bass-player, still used real drums and electronics. On the last tour with Covenant and Steril, we had some gigs with eight musicians on stage. A second drummer (of Steril), a guy of Covenant with electronic adds, saxophone, guitarist, bassist and so on. A total freestyle!

Seems like a lot of bands go to the same sources for film samples (Hellraiser, Aliens, etc.) Where do you usually look for good samples?
We are now reached a point where 99% of our music are samples. So almost our whole music is done by one sampler. It doesn’t matter which sample sources you use. It’s important what you do with them. To us every record is a sample source, if we want . We also like to work with an ordinary radio for example. But nobody will ever be able to define what sources because of our drastic editing of the samples. It’s about a year ago that we took samples from a film.

How does your popularity in the US compare to Europe and elsewhere?
We already sold our first releases in the USA but now it’s better of course. In the states, we think there exist more specific interest for Haujobb than in Europe and the sales are better, too. That’s the reason why we like the States so much....

Are plans still underway for a US tour?  Whom with?
After we had to cancel the tour this summer we know nothing new about it. But one thing is for sure. We’ll do a US Tour! Perhaps Spring or Summer ’98.

What do you draw your inspiration from for haujobb's lyrics?
Everywhere. It’s from books, films and music but also from life or just commercials....  Some preferred authors are Lem, Gibson, Lovecraft.

What do you feel is the most significant social change to occur so far in the 90s?
Certain kinds of music are sometimes able to bring social changes which are caused by changes of the consciousness. In the 90’s, it is the techno-culture, a depersonalization of art and music. But it’s not so drastic. Some say that the internet will change the way people communicate and have contact with each other but nothing has really happened so far.

How would you compare Solutions For a Small Planet to Home & Gardens?  What do you see as the biggest changes to haujobb's sound over the course of time?
Homes & Gardens is the only record on which we wanted to do a certain style of music. The following releases belong to a search for something new and own. Solutions.... and it’s remix album Matrix is the peak of this search. The changes to our sound depend on our growing skills in sound-production and our curiosity.

How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it?
We use to describe it as indescribable...