"David Bowie inspired a bunch of clones with bad hair" - Milk Milkovitch

S] Where does the inspiration come to merge electronic and rock influences now in 2010?

Milk] Willful self indulgence? It wasn't a conscious decision to be honest. Even if you only like mainstream rock, there's just as much electrickery and devices going on behind the scenes as there is rock energy and machismo in dance music. Or I could blame my parents. They had vinyl by everyone from Black Sabbath to New Order, The Chameleons, The Sisters, The Stranglers, The Jam, Leonard Cohen, Jimi Hendrix, The Kinks. But growing up surrounded by a bit of everything, you forget that's not everyone's experience of music. People still have these rules, thanks to the mainstream media. You're still supposed to like one or the other aren't you? It's tragic that it's still seen as 'wrong' if you like rock and electronic stuff. Then you find out that your favourite bands are into all sort of music and you see the light. You start listening to bands that some people don't even think are 'real bands'. I think we just really like noise as much as sound, as much as music. And there's a hell of a lot of fun to be had when you put the emphasis on beats, bass-lines, noise, and treat the guitar as sound effect not just a riff machine. We like trying to get guitars to make sounds that most guitarists wouldn't even dream of.

Lee] You know how it is - the mainstream is so far behind what's really going on and they're scared of taking chances. It's why the underground scenes are still thriving and the mainstream industry is basically fuc***. Poetic justice for once.

Milk] People don't have to wait for the NME or some smug TV presenter to tell them it's okay. Who cares if Lame Lowe says their taste in music is bad. Look at metal, industrial, goth, electro, punk and hip-hop. The mainstream press hated these things when they first started up. But eventually they have to accept it's what people want to hear.

Lee] A lot of the stuff we like isn't just about music but about creating a space. I feel that post-punk and industrial, 90's and 00's dance music - all these different scenes made the same mistake - it became about looking at a band or a DJ on a stage, hero worship, as opposed to it being about listening to music, creating a space to get lost in and having fun with friends.

Milk] Bands like New Order were mixing rock and electronics without pushing it in one particular direction. That was a long time ago and it's like we're still catching up with the aftermath of punk. So it's just wrong that the mainstream is still lusting after pretty posh boys with a 60's guitar sound. What is that about? New Order wanted to be a metal band but circumstances put them in the position of almost accidentally making something new. It's great that they figured out that they had nothing to lose and opened up their sound rather than just trying to carry on being Joy Division. The Prodigy - who'd have thought they'd end up going from techno-cheese to stadium filth? Napalm Death - how many members went on to do really experimental things, industrial, post-rock, even trip-hop sounding stuff way before any of it became mainstream. I want to know what's going on right now. There must be a ton of people out there doing mad new noises. I don't think you can compare people like Pendulum, they just seem a bit 'Bon Jovial', or 'Deaf Leper', and you know it's basically about the money. It's a cash-in it's not a cross-over. So it's not enough to expect praise just because you embrace technology, especially if comes out the other end sounding like your average rock band.

S] You are often tagged as a “goth” act – how do you feel about the association?

Milk] I don't mind what people call us. We've been called worse things. People who like old-school goth and punk seem to get what we're about. Old punks seem to like us too. That really means a lot to us. I guess our sound is a bit too eclectic to be classed as modern goth or industrial but the scene has been really welcoming and supportive of us and they don't mind that we sometimes wear blue jeans and sneakers. They're not afraid of bands who don't have drummers or have unconventional line-ups. We like drum machines, bass riffs and fuzz guitars. And, so do they.

Lee] Bands like The Banshees, The Cure, Bauhaus, The Sisters of Mercy - people still love to hear that stuff because it was honest and pretty brave - they were trying to do something new and different at the time. They obviously had their influences - Bowie, Roxy Music, Suicide, Stooges, but they moved on with those influences and made their own sound. It's sad that they get ripped off so much - and it's pretty obvious when they do get ripped off because their styles are so distinctive.

Milk] Personally, I can't stand Bowie. When people go on about how great he is they're really saying how innovative people like Robert Fripp and Brian Eno were. Is it Eno's fault that goth happened? Or. is it Fripp's? That swirly guitar sound, angular guitar riffs. We love all that. But just because Cocteau Twins grew up listening to Bowie doesn't mean I have to like Bowie. Fripp and Eno inspired people to go out and buy or even build their own phasers and fuzz boxes - Bowie just inspired a bunch of clones with bad hair.

Lee] I'd rather be classified as R&B! We're quite soulful in a way. On the other hand, I do like a skinny guitar riff with a load of delay, and the aesthetics of a decent smoke machine. It's all about black jeans, boots and nailpolish over white trainers any day.

S] Are there any standout acts in alternative music at the moment in your opinion?

Lee] I do like some avant-garde rock stuff - Little Specks Of Blood Lust Blood are a great band from down south - sort of electro-metal. Anarchistwood from London do the whole Dead Kennedy's, Black Flag, 80's hardcore thing but in a really intelligent way, and with a lot of sex. But I'm just as excited about people like Estelle.

Milk] Anybody that's doing something other than the same old two guitar, bass, drums and male vocalist thing gets my vote. I like the way Crystal Castles drive people nuts when they play live because they're fairly unconventional but people still love them. In London there's a band called Blindness who are doing something like a female NIN. They've got real presence and bring a bit of style to that kind of dirgy industrial glitter beat thing. Their guitarist is amazing, she used to be in Curve. Their singer has one of those classic female post-punk voices. She works really hard and she helped us put Mekano Set together. There's also a guy called Jack Cooper who does the most amazing electro-crooner songs about mobile phones and hangovers. Imagine Iggy Pop doing comedy-industrial. He's amazing but he doesn't seem to be gigging at the moment.

In Birmingham there's one or two guys like Mutate and Alan Neilson (who organises Elementary Records)  sticking to their guns where there's no scene that supports them. The established things like Supersonic and the arts scene round Brum doesn't support what's really going on from what I've seen of it. It's good to know that there are people like that out there, and it's great that they are so supportive of us as well. So it's cool that there is a sense of community out there, but no particular sound or not just one location. I'm coming back up north again before the end of the year and I'm curious to see what's happening these days.

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites