MF You’ve said before that a song begins with a title. Chronicles of a Fallen Love is a strong title to build a story through music. What is the story behind the song?
BB: Greta and I have fantasised a lot about the story behind that title; it was very exciting to imagine it together. The harmony of the song has led us to imagine something very deep and sad. After three days in the studio we had concocted a strong vision that resulted in the amazing lyrics that she sings on the song, both a sweet and a sad harmony. The drop came as a result of the emotions surrounding that perceived anger from a fallen love.
MF: Chronicles of a Fallen Love is a rare Bloody Beetroots’ track in that it doesn’t instantly register as your trademark sound. It feels like you approached this song from a different perspective. What have you done differently?
BB: Well, if you listen to Romborama and all my productions from the past 5 years, you can find a lot of similarities. But the distinct sound I think you are referring to – which is the Bloody Beetroots’ sound – even though it has been identified in a certain way, doesn’t and won’t ever shape my sound palette.
Perhaps the difference lies in Greta. I’m not a great lyricist, but it seemed right to me to express love with words. There was no one better than Greta who could have done this for this record. Music is music: it shouldn’t be locked in a cage.
MF: An innovative move allowed fans to download the sheet music of Chronicles of a Fallen Love and provide their own interpretation of the song. What was the response like? Were there any entries that challenged your own composition?
BB: The response was great. I was particularly amazed by a version done by a Belgium jazz band. A lot of people used software to translate the score to midi files, which made for a lot of funny and very incorrect versions… They cheated…I really wanted people to play it with real instruments, actually listen to and understand the music.
MF: Bloody Beetroots are experienced in the realm of Australian festivals, in particular Big Day Out. What is your new vision of the live show for the 2013 Australia tour?
BB: The Big Day Out has provided the project with a deadline and a launch date customised for the incredibly vibrant Australian live culture. This is why the new Bloody Beetroots’ LIVE show will be introduced there and will preview big music, stage design – we’ll be rotating the musicians who perform on stage to keep it interesting and different – sound pressure, and new technologies on the mask. We’re pulling out all the stops for this one.
MF: You labelled Church of Noise as “a cultural/musical movement”. What musical/cultural change can we expect from the next full-length release?
BB: The new album is exactly what you’re mentioning here: it is a cultural journey that moves the focus to a re-reading of dance music with a heavy influence from contemporary music, all from my point of view. There are so many incredible collaborations, some are quite unimaginable, even to me.
MF: Common inspiration from anarchism brought you and Dennis Lyxzen together in an unlikely collaboration. What are the core ideals that you share that keeps the collaboration alive?
BB: Malatesta was the key person who brought Dennis and I together to make the Church of Noise journey. There are many similarities between Romborama and The Shape of Punk to Come. Dennis contributed a lot to give what I can say now was the last chapter of Death Crew 77 a whole new energy. Without his contribution I would not have been able to further develop my vision of the new Bloody Beetroots LIVE and also expand on the Church of Noise community, which will be relaunched in early January 2013.
MF: Dennis Lyxzen was a powerful addition to the BBDC77 lineup. He only recently tore Australian venues to shreds on tour with Refused. What does Dennis Lyxzen add to the live show?
BB: He is a part of history that was missing in the new live show. I guess you could say it has come full circle. Don’t get me wrong, he has created a new lease on life for Refused and really strengthened those concepts, and I have enjoyed watching him open that up to new generations.
MF: Will Dennis Lyxzen be featuring on forthcoming material for Bloody Beetroots?
BB: I think so; we wrote a lot of things together.
MF: Your connections with punk run deep. How do you feel that punk is losing its relevance in contemporary society?
BB: I have a great deal of respect for punk> Its culture is a strong part of my musical roots. But I think punk music has lost its contemporary edge because it’s no longer really able to speak to the masses. Punk was a phenomenon, and that’s how it became accessible to the general public and really made a difference.
Nowadays, social phenomena change so fast that often you cannot even see them happening. I think this is the reason why punk music should be revisited. It brought through a whole theoretical way of thinking and a destructive energy to that; it changed the dialogue. It feels like there is a lack of cultural revolution through music; this power and energy which punk created is lost.
MF: You have been quoted as being interested in working on an exclusively punk production. What productions outside of Bloody Beetroots are you working on right now?
BB: Creating this new artist album has left me without any time to work on other projects, which in some ways is good because I’ve been concentrating so much on finishing it. I’ve got a few surprises for the future though…
Bloody Beetroots – Big Day Out Sideshows:
Saturday, January 19 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney, with special guest Peking Duk
Tuesday, January 22 – Tivoli Theatre, Brisbane, with special guest Peking Duk
Thursday, January 24 – Palace Theatre, Melbourne, with special guest Generik
Check out all the other Big Day Out 2013 sideshows here.
