Interviews - Dance Or Die

Dance or Die - Gary Wagner - Interviewed by Darrel Hughes.

Gary Wagner (vocalist - lyricist) and Andreas Goldacker (machines) formed Dance or Die in 1988. Their collaboration was to bring a harder edge and darker prospective into the alternative electronic dancefloors. Their debut 12” release ‘Move’ in 1988 was the birth of their individual style.

Since then the band has continually evolved via singles and the albums; 3001 (1991), Psychoburbia (1992), Everspring (1995), Dehumanizer (1998). Dance or Die have become the brightest stars in the German alternative electronic scene with their outstanding music. Their sound is majestic, dark, serene, melodic, hard, complex all at the same time, their compositions are of the finest you will find anywhere, with a vocal that once heard is never forgotten!.

Their songs find the band covering a multitude of lifestyle scenarios, emotional dramas and sci-fi concepts.

With a new album titled "Schlafende Energie" set for imminent release on the German SPV's Synthetic Symphony label, which will also be released in a limited edition with two bonus mixes from Das Ich and Aliens Electric, I took the opportunity to interview Gary Wagner the enigmatic front man of Dance or Die and their progress to date!.

DH: What musical collaborations have you been involved in since the release of Dehumaniser?.

GW: I am playing in an industrial rock band and I also sing for a trance project named Sediment 4. But I am actually most involved with Dance or Die.

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

GW: Nothing really except Dance or Die.

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

GW: If I like the music and am able to sing on that stuff, I’ll do it.

DH: Since your work on the DOD albums; Psycoburbia, 3001, Everspring, Dehumaniser, how would you say your approach to making music developed?.

GW: It’s getting better every year, some ups some downs but anyway, we forget it when we start a new album.

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

GW: We have an electronic studio in Ferbellin near Berlin.

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

GW: We’ve got new samplers and hard disk recording (Pro Tools). But mainly we use the good old Korg synthy.

DH: What is it like to be on tour as DOD?.

GW: Post apocalyptic cyberpunk with lots of stage diving and low lights.

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

GW: We always play live, if there is no tour we play in little villages. We went over to the Yankees this year. America is terrible, but the fans rock. Sweden is amazing, Rostock is shit because of the LSD in the beer.

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

GW: Yes of course, I was a Gothic Adreano Gellentano at first, now it’s only me who is singing.

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?.

GW: First the samples and the loops and a rotten demo CD. Then I write lyrics and melodies for singing. At least you have the production.

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

GW: More about the travel into your good believe, sounds strange but it works.

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

GW: To be really stoned.

DH: Describe your working methods?.

GW: Roll a joint, sit back and start thinking.

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

GW: Ancient books, philosophy (Nietsche) and sci-fi films.

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

GW: Back to old school darkwave.

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

GW: I like Death in June and The Young Gods, that’s an inspiration.

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

GW: Old Bauhaus, and plenty of good old Gothic and Posipunk stuff I listened to when I lived in London 1983-1984.

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?.

GW: I would be happy when the old stuff comes back, I’m fed up with all these Beatles copies. I quite like big beat and triphop, my favourite is Underworld.

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

GW: Definitely.

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

GW: I am not a computer freak, but the rest of the band are involved.

DH: How involved are you with the Official DOD website?.

GW: My keyboarder is web designer.

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

GW: Schlafende Energie on SPV record label Synthetic Symphony, released in June 2001.

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

GW: Yeah, there’s one remix by Nigra Nebula and Das Ich. Gonna be released after the new album.

DH: Are you working with other musicians for DOD? what is their role?.

GW: Falgalas and Fehling were working for some songs but mainly it’s me and Ango.

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

GW: Friends we met, Claudia is singing on Worm, Cecillia on Free. So we try to have the singing alternative, just for a change.

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

GW: Dance or Die is a concept. It’s from Do or Die of the Vietnam veterans. But in this context it sounds much more positive.

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

GW: It’s difficult to get on the radio or tv in Germany for that kind of music. I like watching tv, but I would say tv is propaganda.

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

GW: We have to tour after the release, but we also play in little villages and tiny clubs. We definitely will play abroad.

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

GW: No why?.

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

GW: New music, new albums, new ideas, to keep the thing rolling.

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

GW: I am acting in films, as a gangster, got shot, deal with drugs, mainly the bad extra parts or side roles in films. The others are web designers and Ango works as a producer of other bands.

© 09-05-2001 - Copyright Darrel W Hughes.