Zwaremachine has been a mainstay on Brutal Resonance for quite some time; their music has always been boot-stomping industrial club fun. That being said when the time came to start our little record label we were more than happy to begin with Zwaremachine's EP "Ripping at the Fabric" (stream / order HERE). The five track release has been received extremely well with fans, critics, and DJs putting the songs on blast on radio shows. The fun doesn't stop there as Zwaremachine has been crafting awesome, hard-boiled music videos non-stop for the songs on the EP. Their latest one for 'What We Are' is decidedly premiering directly below. Check it out and then check out the entire YouTube Playlist for all of the music videos released for "Ripping at the Fabric". Be sure to stick around after the video for an interview with Zwaremachine founder Mach Fox!
Hello Mach! Let’s get an introduction to Zwaremachine and yourself for those who are reading this and don’t know who you are or what the project does. What is Zwaremachine and what do you do?
Mach Fox: Zwaremachine is my Industrial/EBM band from Minneapolis, Minnesota in the USA. I am also a video artist/VJ and release solo music as Mach Fox. I released our first Zwaremachine recordings in 2011 but it wasn't until the 2018 release of "Be A Light" that I began to look for members that could be a permanent part of the line up and tour. From 2011 to 2016 I had different musicians playing synths and electronic drums to reinforce the sequencer arrangements and I was doing vocals, live synth and visuals. I had started the band as a vehicle for my dark electronic audiovisual performances and by 2017 decided I wanted to work on writing a debut album that reflected my influences and my desire to have a great live set. Performing live is the main goal of the band and now with the addition of bassist Dbot and drummer Dein Offizier we have a strong trio to bring the depth of sound and aggression to the stage.
Before we get into the good stuff, tell us some genre influences.
Mach Fox: In relation to the songs on the new EP there was definitely a heavy Wax trax! label influence and so many of those bands and the Ministry side trax projects were an influence. I also find that bands like Alien Sex Fiend, Nitzer Ebb, Skinny Puppy, Portion Control, Clock DVA, Front 242, Klinik and Dive inspire a lot of the music I make and ideas about production along with horror and sci-fi movies being a part of the sound imagery and lyrical content at times.
“Ripping at the Fabric” has been described by you as one of your most definitive releases to date. We’ve been receiving a ton of positive reception from fans as well. What did you do differently in production to make “Ripping at the Fabric” so genuine?
And let’s talk about that cover art. Made by Mark Gerrard, it looks as if Robocop had a bad day and was shot to itty bitty pieces and his remains are a trophy on his hunter’s wall. What is it supposed to be?
Mach Fox: Mark Gerrard and his brother Paul Gerrard have been the artist team working on all of our Zwaremachine release artwork and I feel very lucky to have them contribute not only because the artwork is amazing but I also like the idea of having a consistency to the visual world that is surrounding the band. I very much draw from horror and sci-fi influences and those themes come through the lyrics as well as our artwork. That image used for the EP was already something we had considered for the 'Remain Unseen' single but did not use at that time and we felt it fit the theme of this release because of its aggressive tone and since we had already printed t-shirts and stickers with artwork based on that design which were popular it was easy choice for this EP. We have had many positive words about the cover... you may have to ask Mark about what it actually represents.
There’s a theme to the album about an “International Hero” as the fourth track puts. What is the overall story or concept of the album? And how did you come up with this theme?
Out of all of the tracks on the EP which ones are your favorite and why? Mine is the title track by far.
Though quarantine is going on the States and European countries are starting to slowly open up. What are your plans as far as touring or live shows go? Are you going to be performing via livestream to promote the EP more?
I’ve also read that you re-released Be A Light as a special edition on Sliptrick Records! That’s awesome. But why the decision to re-release the album? Did you alter it in any fashion or just add bonus tracks?
What else does the future hold in store for Zwaremachine? Do you have any other singles, EPs, or remixes planned?
Lastly, I’d like to thank you for your time. I do wish you the best and leave the space below for any further comments. Cheers!
Jun 26 2020
Steven Gullotta
info@brutalresonance.comI've been writing for Brutal Resonance since November of 2012 and now serve as the editor-in-chief. I love the dark electronic underground and usually have too much to listen to at once but I love it. I am also an editor at Aggressive Deprivation, a digital/physical magazine since March of 2016. I support the scene as much as I can from my humble laptop.
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