Crimson Moon: How did the band get started?
Mach Fox: In 2011 I was experimenting with sleep deprivation and music making…which led to a song called “Zware Machine Police” and I released that as a solo Mach FoX track. Shortly after that I was inspired to expand on the theme from that song and I came up with a song called “The Zwaremachine” which was about a biological entity that would overtake the earth. Since I was using sequencers and hardware electronics heavily at that time I decided I would like to perform live as a trio with the addition of electronic percussion and synthesizers to compliment the programmed and sequenced parts. The name was chosen from that initial track of the same title and we performed a couple times a year between 2011-2016 until I began writing the album “Be A Light” which was the full length Zwaremachine debut release. In 2017 as I was writing and arranging those songs I was performing more live sets while I was experimenting with band members to find the right combination for the current touring band.
Crimson Moon: What kind of music do you play?
Mach Fox: Minimal Hypnotic Industrial Body Music is a term I use to describe our style. I wanted to expand on the terms Industrial/EBM and give a bit more description about what we were doing that sets us apart in those genres. I fiercely try to have Zwaremachine be unique while still giving a strong nod to my roots and early influences. On the new release Conquest 3000 I also use the term electronic rock band so that our music can be more accessible to music fans who might not be aware of the electronic music sub-genres like future-pop, dark-synth and cybermusic.
Crimson Moon: How has the band response been?
Mach Fox: We had a great response and many favorable reviews from our first album “Be A Light” and it was noted that fans of Skinny Puppy, Front 242, and The Klinik would connect to our music by many writers. We started touring in 2019 with the goal of putting together a great live show and I think that venues and booking agents have seen the crowd response as positive regarding those shows and festivals we did. With the current release “Conquest 3000” we had the goal of widening our audience and finding fans outside of the smaller underground genres of industrial and EBM music and that seems to be something that is working as we are getting some good feedback and reviews. The fact that many DJ’s from around the world are still play listing songs from the 2018 debut still means that we have made an impression and that seems to be growing with the new album that has faster tempos and was mixed specifically for DJ’s and loud club PA systems.
Crimson Moon: Where did the band name come from?
Mach Fox: There was the initial tracks titled “Zware Machine Police by Mach FoX and “The Zwaremachine” by Zwaremachine that became the first official Zwaremachine song and inspired the band name. I was releasing music on several net labels from around the world at that time and was interested to find a name that would reflect that on some level. I used “Zware” which means heavy in Dutch and combined with “Machine” from English to make the name and it fit well also because all of the equipment and electronic machines we were using for live shows at that time was quite heavy to haul around.
Crimson Moon: Introduce the band members.
Mach Fox: Vocals/Synthesizer
Dbot: Bass Guitar/Vocals
Dein Offizier: Drums/Percussion
Mach Fox: Both Dbot and myself (Mach Fox) live in the USA and Dein Offizier lives in the Netherlands.
Crimson Moon: How many albums/CD’s have you released?
Mach Fox: We have 2 Zwaremachine full length albums released by Phage Tapes, a “Special Edition” re-release of our debut album on Sliptrick Records, an EP released by Brutal Resonance Records along with several singles that are self-released. All of our independent releases can be found here:
https://zwaremachine.bandcamp.com/
Crimson Moon: Tell me about some of the songs on the latest CD?
Mach Fox: For “Conquest 3000” I already knew I wanted to involve others in the writing and producing of our second album not only as an experiment in expanding our sound but also to get away from the band being seen as a solo project driven by myself. I wanted to include sounds and production techniques I might not typically choose. I asked my friend Planktoon (Sweden) to co-produce some of the songs since we had been producing music together for Mach FoX band over several years and he had also been making some really great remixes for Zwaremachine recently. He worked on 5 of the songs from the new album with us and they were the ones that Zwaremachine bassist Dbot wrote and sent to me as instrumental demos. Planktoon then worked on different instrumental sounds from those demos in his studio and I was able to arrange and edit those files he sent to fit my vocal arrangement which I had for the songs. The other 5 album track instrumentals were written with D.Corri (Ireland) and originally released as the “Ripping At The Fabric” EP in May 2020. For the “Conquest 3000” versions of these songs we added bassist Dbot and drummer Dein Offizier to better represent the live band sound and those tracks were re-mixed and remastered with the additional instrumentation for the album. You can find a breakdown of who co-produced/co-wrote each track on our bandcamp site or in the liner notes of the CD digipack.
https://zwaremachine.bandcamp.com/album/conquest-3000
Crimson Moon: Who writes the music? Lyrics?
Mach Fox: For the Zwaremachine debut album “Be A Light” and most songs up until “Conquest 3000” I was the main writer/arranger and producer. I still write all the lyrics but since I wanted to explore writing music with others the songs written for this second album were a musical collaboration with several others – Dbot (Zwaremachine bassist), Planktoon and D.Corri. Most of those lyric ideas for the songs we wrote and produced with Planktoon were inspired by the titles of the instrumental demos that Dbot had presented and they already had sci-fi themed titles which sort of pushed me to write lyrics and arrange those songs as a concept album. I originally had about 12 of those songs from Dbot finished as demos in summer 2019 and as we forwarded them on to Planktoon it was evident that not all would become Zwaremachine album tracks so we focused on the 5 that we wanted to finish for this album with Planktoon. The other 5 songs on this album that were written with D.Corri and were a rough and spontaneous collaboration where he had sent some short music ideas and loops that I could heavily edit and arrange into songs. I added some hastily written and often improvised vocals and we quickly had 5 tracks we decided to release as an EP. The band members heard those tracks from the initial EP release and liked them enough to consider for the live set so we decided to add their instrument tracks and include new mixes for the album versions.
Crimson Moon: And where do the lyric ideas come from?
Mach Fox: Most come from science fiction, cyberpunk and horror themes which have always been a major influence on my lyrics for Zwaremachine. In my early teens when I got into punk bands I was suddenly informed more about politics, social injustices and corporate greed so those themes also became prevalent in my writing to some degree over the years and unfortunately many of the subversive sci-fi themes I touch on are becoming a reality today. Sometimes it’s also a certain sound or vibe in a track that can inspire lyrics off the top of my head… I consider the world of sound for Zwaremachine to be dark and gritty so I also try to match that tone with my current lyrics.
Crimson Moon: Has the Covid Pandemic impacted the band at all?
Mach Fox: Yes. Since the bassist and I live in USA and our drummer and manager live in the Netherlands it hasn’t been possible to rehearse and tour together or even perform live streams. We did do several Zwaremachine live stream performances as a duo with Dbot and myself and we had video of Dein Offizier on the screens behind us! But that was just not the same energy as our live concert appearances. In January 2020 just before the pandemic I was able to spend some time in the Netherlands recording Dein Offizier on drums for the “Conquest 3000” tracks. We have continued to write and record together in our home studios and can collaborate by sending music files back and forth…but the feeling and inspiration of working in studio as a band to get the right energy and feel has been something I struggle with. On the positive side…we were able to make several DIY videos with our manager/booking agent Kitty Sommer/InpoetNWC. It was a challenge to film and edit those as we are in different countries but at least the internet was not shut down with a virus and we could work together and even find some locations to film in both the U.S. and Netherlands that could be stitched together for a seemingly cohesive video on songs like “Conquest 3000” the title track from our latest album.
Crimson Moon: Do you have any side projects?
Mach Fox: I am currently working on a couple projects outside of Zwaremachine that are nearing completion and releases will be announced soon and I also do remixes for other artists and bands as Mach Fox.
Crimson Moon: What is the music scene like where you guys are from?
Mach Fox: There really isn’t much of scene for live electronic bands and the genres that interest me in my area. Zwaremachine exists very much outside of the local music scene here in the Midwest USA and we don’t put much effort into booking shows locally. We prefer to concentrate our efforts in Europe where our music is much better appreciated and supported. The industrial/EBM genre in the US is mostly derivative and based on retro sounds and styles with many experiencing those genres as a first wave…so it may grow with time. I am all for giving a nod to the past and Zwaremachine has our share of retro elements but I don’t want that to define our style and hope the scene here can become more open to those who put in an effort to be original.
Dein Offizier: In the Netherlands the scene is very small. But living close to the borders of Belgium and Germany there are lots of clubs, venues and festivals to attend.
Crimson Moon: Who are some of your musical influences?
Mach Fox: In regards to direct Zwaremachine influences and inspirations – The record label Wax Trax and many of the early industrial/EBM and electro-industrial bands of the 80s/90s like The Klinik, Dive, Front 242, Skinny Puppy, Fad Gadget, and many of the Ministry side projects. I am also a visual artist/VJ so I really appreciate bands like Clock DVA, Severed Heads and several other bands that take time to dress the stage and present compelling visuals to compliment live performance. Skinny Puppy is one of the strongest examples of that kind of performance. In general I am a huge music fan from a young age and still love well arranged and produced songs from many genres and bands outside of the electronic music scenes. I still want to be challenged by a production but underneath I want to be moved and hooked by the arrangement and writing whether its lyrics, production or musical hooks.
Crimson Moon: What is the band like when you play live?
Mach Fox: The main reason for Zwaremachine existing is to perform live shows.
I think one of the best things we offer is our sincere performance and a fierce energy. We each retain our individual personality on stage and bring that into the performance to become a united force of sound. While we perform I can strut over to Dbot and headbang with him while he churns out a driving or funky baseline and then go to the other side of the stage and pose with Dein Offizier while he pounds his war drum with authority. There is sometimes a feeling of danger and sonic intensity that we want to carry over into the crowd.
Crimson Moon: Have you guys ever played in another country?
Mach Fox: Yes. We have been fortunate to book several festivals and gigs in Belgium, France, Germany, and the Netherlands and we are looking to be back in central Europe in 2022 if we are able to travel. The electronic music culture in Europe seems to be more in tune with the musical style we are presenting but we still plan to do some club gigs and tour in the US when that time comes.
Crimson Moon: How has the fan response been to the band?
Mach Fox: It has been great! We are gaining fans in the US and have a loyal following in Europe where most of our fans and support comes from. Several DJ’s from around the world are including our songs in playlists and for clubs and streaming sets and we are thankful for that support also. We have been working on the promotion for the “Conquest 3000” album and since we do all of that ourselves we are finding that it goes a bit slower, but that response has been great and we will see more reviews and features soon.
Crimson Moon: What made you want to be in this band?
Mach Fox: I started playing guitar and performing in bands while in my teens and never considered much else as my main passion in life. Later when I moved into more electronics and sequencer based music that I could write and perform solo or with rotating live band members I decided I wanted to present live performances with lights, stage sets and even some costuming aspects so that the crowd was given a truly unique performance even if it was homemade and low budget. In 2017 I decided Zwaremachine needed to become a band I could release records with and tour with so I took it more seriously and tried to find the right combination of live band members…My intention was to become known as a great live band.
Dein Offizier: Mach Fox saw some videos of me in my former percussion band and was impressed by my performance, my energy and my drumming as tight as a drum machine. He asked me to join him for his Electro Tanz Tour in Europe. We met, had one rehearsal and concert in France on the very same day. After this rehearsal Mach considered me a band member and of course I accepted the invitation.
Crimson Moon: If you weren’t in this band would you still be involved in the music industry?
Mach Fox: Yes…I would write and produce music with myself and others or do something on the visual side of the industry. Remixing and production is also something I enjoy and continue to pursue currently. I am also a VJ and video artist so being creative with something related to the music would appeal to me. With several years of playing and touring I think I could also help tour manage bands…but that is not really the fun creative side of the industry.
Crimson Moon: As a musician what advice can you give to fellow musician just starting out?
Mach Fox: Find something unique you can offer in the style or genre you want to work in. There will be a million others trying to do the same thing so try to find that quirk or special thing you can offer and really lean into it. That just might be the thing that can set you apart in this sea of independent musicians and bands.
Crimson Moon: What does the future hold for the band?
Mach Fox: We are still promoting our second full length album “Zwaremachine – Conquest 3000” and trying to get that out to fans and DJ’s on all platforms so it can be heard(PLAY IT LOUD!). We mixed this album with DJ’s and dance floors in mind so we are hoping you can hear these songs in clubs soon! We have been tentatively looking at booking our first post-pandemic live shows for 2022 so we hope to share stages with some friends and play for you! We will also be producing more videos for the current album and recording more new Zwaremachine music for release towards the end this year.
Contact them at:
https://www.facebook.com/zwaremachine
https://zwaremachine.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/zwaremachine/
https://twitter.com/zwaremachine
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvS_3mzep7wfJ824cfz1fBQ
inpoetnwc@gmail.com
