Interviews - Maven - Nitzer Ebb

Maven - Nitzer Ebb - Bon Harris - Interviewed by Darrel Hughes.

Nitzer Ebb was a band that set the standard for creative alternative electronic music. With the albums That Total Age (1987), Belief (1989). Showtime (1990), EbbHead (1991) and Big Hit (1995), Nitzer Ebb created a pioneering style of electronic music called Hardbeat that influenced industrial and dance music scenes worldwide.

Today, Bon Harris the genius behind NE is ready to make impact on the musical world again with his new project MAVEN.

DH: When and why did you move to the USA?.

BON: I moved to the US around 9 years ago. I moved because England was becoming increasingly claustrophobic for me. Creatively, financially and spiritually.

DH: Why and how did Nitzer Ebb end?.

BON: Nitzer Ebb ended sometime during the Big Hit tour. On a basic level, it ended because of the process of evolution. Change is inevitable, and in most cases a good thing. It was aided and accelerated by commercial and creative issues.

DH: What musical collaborations have you been involved in since your work with Nitzer Ebb?.

BON: Since Nitzer Ebb, I have been involved in production, remixes, commercial composition, and my own project. I have worked with The Smashing Pumpkins, Marilyn Manson and Bush, amongst others.

DH: Which collaborations did you find the most rewarding or most creative?.

BON: All collaborations are rewarding, because you meet new people, and gain insight into how they work. I've enjoyed and learned from them all.

DH: Do you have any plans for new collaborations?, and what makes you decide who you work with?.

BON: I am always open to new collaborations. Idealistically, I decide to work with people who I respect on some level or another. On a practical footing, I have to pay the rent. In reality, they often ask me to work with them and all of the above factors come into play.

DH: Since your work with Nitzer Ebb on the albums; That Total Age, Belief, Showtime, Ebb Head, Big Hit, how would you say your approach to making music developed?.

BON: My approach to making music has developed by taking an interest in more conventional composition, and working backwards to where I started. Being open to a larger range of influences. Really the biggest development is within myself. You hopefully develop as a person, and that is reflected in the music.

DH: What studio(s) have you been working in?, do you have your own?.

BON: I have been working in various studios around LA and, of all places, Utah. Manson has a setup which he is kind enough to let me use, and I have my own, semi mobile setup as well.

DH: Explain how your home studio set-up is configured to your requirements?.

BON: My home studio is set up to be compact, modular and portable. I move around, and work with other people a lot, so I like to be able to break down and set up at short notice. I like my gear to be able to fit in a Taxi. It's centered around my G4 Mac-Pro Tools, an S5000 sampler, and my ever present Nord Modular Synthesizer. That's the basics.

DH: How do you look back on your work with Nitzer Ebb?, and which releases-tracks do you like-dislike most and why?.

BON: Basically I'm happy, and occasionally proud of my work with the Ebb. As a whole I'm happy with all the albums, because I know what we were trying to achieve, and overall I think we did it well. On each album there are some tracks that aren't as strong, but I can live with those. I think the albums that I'm personally more attached to are Showtime and Big Hit, mainly because we were aiming to tackle things that most "electronic" bands were not at the time, I think both of those records were quite original. Of course Total Age is a biggie because it was the first, and you have to be fond of that. Overall, all of them still sound fresh and, importantly, undated in my opinion.

DH: How was it for you to be on tour as Nitzer Ebb?.

BON: Touring with Nitzer Ebb was one of the treasures. I can say that some of the best times in my life were on those tours. It was a particular moment in time, and we were lucky enough to be on the spot to enjoy it.

DH: Do you miss performing live?, what was the best and worst times on the road with Nitzer Ebb?.

BON: I miss performing live very much, and as soon as it is possible I will go out with Maven. The best time for me, was the US Violator tour with Depeche Mode. The worst was the end of the Big Hit tour.

DH: Will you have a new approach to performing live as Maven?.

BON: I'll have to have a new approach with Maven live because I'll be singing. I still plan to have a very energy driven show, with a strong electronic presence. I still like the 3 piece live unit.

DH: Do you feel that your vocal ability has developed?.

BON: My vocal development continues to surprise and delight me. It is also a source of potential anguish and humiliation. Overall it's very good for my soul and general demeanour.

DH: At what point of the creative writing process do you decide if a track will have vocals or not?, which comes first the lyrics or the composition, or are they born together?.

BON: At the moment I have no instrumental tracks. Almost always it's the lyrics that come first, and they dictate the mood, tempo and style of the song. Sometimes it's a particular subject that I want to write about, but nearly always the lyrics come first.

DH: What kind of song theme's do you write about these day's, if any?.

BON: The overriding theme in my songs is that of reality. Quite often harsh reality, because that's been my observation. It's a risk you run of making an overly dark or depressing album, but normally when I'm happy I don't reach for a synthesizer, I go to the beach, or to the movies with a cutie. I make music on the rainy days, because it makes you feel better. When I'm happy I listen to other people's music, who are far better than I am at capturing that emotion.

DH: What are the best conditions for you to compose?.

BON: The best conditions for me to compose are a tidy room, a good bill of health, and a clear mind. Heartbreak helps too, and rain, sometimes post alcohol is good, but not always.

DH: Describe your working methods?.

BON: I'll normally psyche myself up for a while, distract myself anyway I can to put it off, and then finally start sketching out an idea to see if it has any integrity. That's normally apparent fairly quickly, so I'll map it out as far as I can, and then move on.

DH: Are you still in contact with Flood?, would you work with him again?.

BON: I speak to Flood occasionally. I'd work with him again in a heartbeat, anytime, anywhere.

DH: Are you still in contact with Douglas Mccarthy?.

BON: Douglas and I just started emailing each other after a long period of non-contact.

DH: What do you know or think of his new musical collaborations with Recoil, Empirion, and his own band based in Detroit called Caballero?.

BON: I think Douglas has done some good stuff with Recoil. I haven't heard what he did with Empirion, but I love that band, so I'm sure it's good. I haven't heard any of the Caballero stuff.

DH: Are you still in contact with Joolz Beeston?, what did you think to his band Shining, and his recent work with Dkay.Com and C-Tec bands?.

BON: I haven't kept in touch with Joolz. That last time I saw him was at the Astoria on the Big Hit tour. I'm not familiar with his work these days.

DH: What inspires you to write-compose lyrics-music?.

BON: Generally, a desire to comment on my observations of life inspires me to write, sometimes with a little vanity thrown in, sometimes with a little financial necessity thrown in. It's what I love to do most away from the bedroom or dinner table.

DH: What direction(s) is your music evolving into regarding style-genre?.

BON: I think my music is evolving into a more structured form. I guess you could say I'm writing songs now. I strive for a balance of conventional and unconventional instrumentation, and I like to keep it as simple as possible, understatement always works for me, less is more.

DH: Have any recent artists-bands influenced you in anyway?.

BON. The artists that I work with are an unavoidable influence. If you sit in a room for 12 hours a day with Billy Corgan or Marilyn Manson, you'd be an idiot to be impervious to that, any artist for that matter, you are bound to be intrigued and curious as to how similar or different you are. Other than that, there's not much happening that really grabs my attention.

DH: What other artists-bands do you like or listen to?.

BON: I listen to a broad range of stuff from all eras and genres. Consistent ones would include Bowie, Eno, Iggy Pop, DAF, Magazine, Killing Joke, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, James Brown, Kraftwerk, Ike Turner, Fats Domino, Tricky, Oasis, Radiohead, Debussy, Eric Satie, Tchaikovsky, Thelonious Monk, Patsy Cline, John Lee Hooker, Depeche Mode and Glen Miller.

DH: What do you think of the UK club scene and the upcoming and established dance bands in it, and the UK glossy dance magazine media attention it now has?.

BON: I'm fairly out of touch with the UK dance scene. I only know what I know from business friends and visiting DJ's. I think it's good that dance music is now a legitimate part of our musical heritage. I like the freedom, and energy of that scene. It's not as tired or ego driven as a lot of music is. Despite being a fairly large money spinner, it seems to have retained a lot of its roots.

DH: Do you plan to generate a more prominent presence on the internet with Maven?.

BON: I plan to generate a lot more presence generally with Maven.

DH: How do you feel about promoting your music on the internet?, the pros & cons?.

BON: I feel that the internet can be a great asset to motivated, self starting artists. It can be a great help in many ways. The main thing is that you are empowered, you don't have to wait, you can do it now. The down side is that it's that easy, therefore a lot of crap finds it's way out there, and you get over saturation. The intellectual property issues are potentially fatal if you don't watch your back. I look at it as a modern day fanzine at the moment. It seems the only websites that are changing the world are those that seemingly give people something for nothing, increasingly at somebody else's expense. I think the mindset that is emerging from that is sad and dangerous for creative freedom. Like everything, it has it's pro's and con's.

DH: How involved are you with the official Maven website?.

BON: I am fully involved with the Maven website, as much as time and circumstances permit. Basically it's all Simon Granger and I, we have no one else to blame. We have to communicate long distance, and we both have fairly full schedules, so it can be very slow and frustrating. Doing it with zero budget doesn't help either.

DH: NovaMute Records are releasing a new Nitzer Ebb Shame 12" featuring remixes by Derrick May. Can you explain how this came about and what you think of the remixes?.

BON: The Derrick May remixes were done sometime ago and were never released for some reason or another. So they sat in the Mute vaults, until NovaMute wanted to release them. I haven't heard the mixes for ages. They were pretty good if I remember correctly.

DH: In all the time you worked with Nitzer Ebb was there many tracks-remixes that didn't get released?.

BON: There were some Ebb things that didn't get released, but not many. If it didn't see the light of day, it probably shouldn't have.

DH: What became of all the Nitzer Ebb music-sounds-sample data for your studio-live equipment?.

BON: I still have most of the equipment and disks-sounds and so on for the studio and live stuff. I think most of it is backed up somewhere or other.

DH: Have you ever updated-remixed any Nitzer Ebb tracks in the last couple of years?.

BON: I haven't done any work on any Ebb tracks since I remixed Kick It.

DH: What material have you recorded for Maven?, when can we hope for it to be released and via what label?.

BON: I have written about 80% of the Maven record. A lot of it is recorded, and tracks are in varied states of readiness. Some are finished, some need more work. I am hoping to finish the whole record, but that may not be viable, and I may have to release an EP initially. I have no label as yet, some are interested, but I always assume that I'll largely do it myself, unless somebody else steps in. At very least it will be released via the website, supported by live tours.

DH: What impact do you think the new Maven material will have compared to what Nitzer Ebb did for the alternative electronic industrial scene?.

BON: I don't think you can predict what impact you will have. We never knew what the Ebb would do. I think that if you feel you have something to say or contribute, then you have to stand up and say it. How it goes from there is anybody's guess, and if you feel you said it well, then it doesn't really matter anyway.

DH: Has anyone made or making new remixes for you?, from where and when will they be released?.

BON: I am looking for people to re-mix some Maven stuff. A band from Chelmsford, called Monochrome Man, have done a remix of The Candidate. I am talking to some other people, but nothing is definite yet.

DH: Are you working with other musicians for Maven? what is there role?.

BON: I have been working with several musicians. Most of the time it's been doing guest parts in the studio. I'll eventually have a couple of other regular people to do the live stuff. The studio all depends on how I get along with people. At the moment I'm pretty self sufficient.

DH: What vocalist(s) are you working with for Maven, how did you come to work together?.

BON: I'm doing all the lead vocals for Maven. I had a girl called Linda Rowberry do backing vocals on one song. We may do more together. I've actually been helping her with her stuff as well (music, not vocals). She's a classically trained pianist with the voice of an angel. Other than

that, it's been just me.

DH: Why did you choose Maven for a band name, what other name(s) did you nearly choose instead of Maven as a band name?.

BON: I liked the definition of the word Maven, it seemed to suit what I was after in a tongue in cheek kind of way. I nearly had to consider another name for legal reasons, other than that I haven't really thought seriously about any other names.

DH: Do you plan any T.V. appearances or radio interviews in support of Maven and any forthcoming new releases?, etc.

BON: I'll do whatever promotion is necessary when the Maven stuff is released. I've already done some internet stuff in support of the Candidate web release, and I like doing interviews, so yes, I imagine that will happen.

DH: Do you have any tour planned or in the pipeline?, is this something you consider?.

BON: I plan to tour at the end of this year. I'm still in the process of putting the live band and show together. Hopefully it will be ready by the fall.

DH: What is happening these day's with your deal with Mute Records?.

BON: I am currently out of all deals with all of my old labels.

DH: Have you any other deal(s) or involvement(s) with other musical companies?.

BON: I have no involvement with any other music companies, apart from Second Vision, my management company.

DH: What does the near future hold for Maven?.

BON: The short term future holds a lot of work for Maven. The record has to be finished, the live show needs to be prepared and rehearsed. The website is ongoing, I still have an unreleased video for the Candidate, and so on. There's always plenty to do.

DH: What else have you been doing outside of the world of music?.

BON: Outside the world of music I have been exercising, reading books, cycling, painting, watching movies, walking, cooking, occasionally snowboarding, drinking, swimming in the ocean and generally enjoying the California weather.

© 18-05-2001 - Copyright Darrel W Hughes.