INTERVIEW WITH VIIR OF BIOMECHANIC®
by AbortedLife of MyGothicHeart

AL:  What made you decide to form a second band?

VE:  I needed to branch out and explore other music. My roots are Goth (Oxygen Law), but I can't just do one kind of anything. There is a side of me that loves Dark Cabaret and Dance music and Biomechanic® allows me to do that. I wanted to do something completely different musically and visually from anything I'd done in the past.

AL:  Please update us on your current line-up.

VE:  Biomechanic®'s current core line-up is guest vocalist Dana S., myself on synths, samples and electro percussion/lead vocals. EJ Emmons (producer) and I do backup vocals.

AL:  What has been going on with your former outfit, Oxygen Law?

VE:  Oxygen Law is on hiatus while we do Biomechanic®. I still record ideas for Oxygen Law and have every intention of continuing with the project.

AL:  What are your musical influences?

VE:  Bands that are heavy influences for Biomechanic® are Skinny Puppy, Front 242, and Front Line Assembly. My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult's pre-1990 discography has been a major influence as well. "Kick" was particularly influenced by sample-driven songs like "A Daisy Chain 4 Satan" and "A Girl Doesn't Get Killed By A Make Believe Lover 'Cause It's Hot." Laurie Anderson, Visage, Gary Numan, Wendy Carlos, Vangelis, Grace Jones, Fad Gadget and even Manhattan Transfer are also major influences. "Fembots in Las Vegas" was influenced by the pioneering synthesizer-driven work by Giorgio Moroder. I try not to be "influenced." Inspired, yes. Influenced, no.

AL:  What obvious changes have you undergone in terms of the songwriting and recording methods used?

VE:  There is very little difference regarding the songwriting and recording methods as I tend to record (put down tracks) as I'm writing. I write in-studio. An idea for a melody comes, then I play it into Nuendo and work from there. It's a complex layering process. One track gets layered onto another; one idea gets layered on top of another and a song is born. To date I write and play all of the music. It's laborious and tedious. A hell of a lot of work. Not at all recommended and not at all how music was intended to be written or performed.

AL:  How would you describe your trademark sound?

VE:  Biomechanic®'s trademark sound is..."unexpected." Biomechanic® is completely electronics- and sample-driven so our sound can be anything we want it to be. We do everything from Dance, Dark Cabaret to Vangelis-inspired Blade Runneresque music noir. I never want people to know what to expect from us. Biomechanic® is uncompromising experimental electronic music with an edge.

AL:  Does the track "Missed" indicate more mellow songs to come as opposed to your other upbeat electronic side?

VE:  "Missed" is evidence of what Biomechanic® is really all about. We're not about dance; we're not about comedy although what we've put out so far could be construed as exhibiting elements of both genres. One day during an intensive recording session, Dana went to lie down and recharge. In the interim I sat down at the piano and played a free form Arabian/Middle Eastern song off the top of my head. The next thing I know Dana's in front of the mic improvising the most beautiful East Indian and Middle Eastern vocalise. We both have a deep love for darker, other-worldly music. We will definitely be bringing that to Biomechanic® in future.

We consciously released two dance singles ("Kick!" and "Get Up") back-to-back. We wanted something radio-playable and dance club-playable right out of the gate. The adage that you have to hit people over the head for them to notice you is basically and unfortunately true. At the same time this doesn't mean you have to go about music in a blatantly juvenile or imbecilic fashion. We're taking Biomechanic® into ethereal and experimental realms. It's really just a natural progression of how artists work. Everyone involved in the project, including EJ, is too evolved to stay in the quagmire of mindless Pop forever and I really don't understand people who do that at all.

AL:  "Kick" is obviously a highly political song. What can you say regarding this sensitive matter?

VE:  "Kick" is strictly a political song, very uncharacteristic of what I've done in the past. "Kick" is an anomaly, artistically speaking. Biomechanic® is not a political band. We do not subscribe to any particular political faction. We're hyper-conscious of what's going on in the world but we're certainly not a politically-oriented band. "Kick" was probably not the best kind of single to debut with as it might give people the impression we're politically focused. In the simplest terms "Kick's" subject matter was time-sensitive and that time-sensitivity mandated the song to be our first “single.” In all actuality the forthcoming "Get Up" CD will be Biomechanic®'s first single.

AL:  How much time do you normally spend in your song-making process?

VE:  It depends completely on the song. It can take anywhere from 1-3 days to get a draft down which is worked on intensively to produce a finalized version. It takes an exorbitant amount of time to do even one song and if anyone tells you differently they're lying, or totally green. Anyone involved in true recording knows what it takes to put out just one song. The work is excruciating. The time and effort is unimaginable. The experience can be, and usually is, hell. Nothing ever goes as planned and nothing ever gets released on time. It can take anywhere from 3-4 weeks to 3-4 months to do one song. Again, it varies from song to song, but realistically that's the timeline.

AL:  Where do you extract your underlying themes?

VE:  The underlying themes for the songs are always mandated by the music. The music always comes first. The lyrics come later. Once the music is written, I listen to the song over and over and lyrics and themes develop out of that process. The music drives an emotional response and that response drives lyrical themes.

AL:  Are you satisfied with the overall turnout of your music thus far?

VE:  We are very happy with the turnout of the music so far, but again, the kind of music we've done to date is not really representative of the direction we're taking the project now and into the future. The unit is still very much in the process of finding itself. Biomechanic® is moving into uncharted territory and the process is quite exciting. Everything is process. Everything is development. Everything is evolution.

AL:  Noting how you do the main vocals in Oxygen Law, is there a likelihood of doing a duet with Dana S.?

VE:  I was going to do backup vocals on "Missed" but that got scratched. Dana's got that ground covered. Her voice is so strong she would totally drown me out [laughs]. Dana doesn't need me to sing with her [laughs]. She's been classically trained in voice and can sing anything from Broadway, to Pop, to Jazz, to Opera. There are some hints of operatic elements in the vocalise sections for "Fembots" and "Missed." We intend to explore more in that direction, putting strong operatic female vocals over heavy amorphous, etheric synth orchestrations, which is very different from the material exhibited on our first two singles. We want to experiment with a more unstructured, fluid dynamic. EJ really wants Biomechanic® to move in that direction and has been a prime instigator for that from the very beginning.

AL:  When can we expect the first Biomechanic® album to be available in the market?

VE:  We were initially trying to get “Exogenesis,” the first Biomechanic® album, out for 2008 but it's going to come out in 2009. The “Kick!” video set us back. There's still a tremendous amount of material to go through (another CD single with remixes and the rest of the album) and as we're making progress there's still a ways to go. We don't want to release half-assed work. We want to do the best job possible. It's the quality of the music that counts, not the quantity.

AL:  Is there anything on that new record that will come as a surprise to your avid fans?

VE:  Now if I told you that it wouldn't be a surprise would it? [laughs]. There will be some tracks on the album that may raise a few eyebrows. I have a feeling Biomechanic® is the type of project that people will either love or hate. They'll either love the album or they'll want to lynch us [laughs]. I don't think people will be apathetic. The material certainly isn't middle of the road. We intend to push boundaries and strive to bring to light material never heard before.

AL:  Do you already have plans being laid for a tour?

VE:  We've discussed concepts for live shows. Biomechanic® has had two concrete offers to play live, one for Club Party Monster and The California Institute of Abnormal Arts, and there was a tentative third option for a Halloween bash in downtown Los Angeles which did not materialize. Budgeting for the entire CPM event disintegrated, and we had to respectfully decline (postpone) the CIA venture as we're simply not "there" yet as a cohesive live entity. We would love to play CIA. The California Institute of Abnormal Arts is a beautifully disturbing venue, right up our alley so to speak.

AL:  What other bands out there would you be interested in sharing the stage with?

VE:  We would love to play with Burnt Fur. They're an exceptional band and their approach to music is very much in concert and in tune with (puns intended) the kind of music that Biomechanic® does. I've been conversing with Patrik of Burnt Fur and we have actually discussed playing live. The general consensus is that both bands would complement each other nicely. Another band would be Marsheaux which I absolutely love. Other bands...who knows. We'll play with anyone who is serious about music--real music written and performed well and played by human beings.

AL:  Any more cues on the future direction of Biomechanic®?

VE:  We'd like to do some experimental Jazz, electronically-oriented of course, and I'd really like to seriously move into Dark Cabaret. That's always been in the running for Biomechanic®, Dark Cabaret and Electro Jazz. Experimentation is the operative word here. We never want to do anything "usual" or "expected." Nothing bores me more than the usual and the expected.

AL:  Your parting words.

VE:  Thank you, Gerard, for a wonderful interview. Enjoyed it very much. All the best with MyGothicHeart and the rest of your myriad Web-based projects. (Do you ever rest?) Peace.

top