Interviews - In Strict Confidence

In Strict Confidence - Dennis Ostermann - Interviewed by Darrel Hughes.

ISC are one of Germany’s premier alternative electronic-industrial bands. They have a high calibre production chained to innovative music bursting with energy.

Dennis Ostermann gives you an insight to their operations.

DH: What have you been doing in since the release of Love Kills?.

DO: After the ‘Love Kills’ release we’ve been touring a lot through Germany and Europe, released the EP auf "Zauberschloss" and worked on new material for the new album, which we plan to have out beginning of 2002. Also we did some remixes for other bands.

DH: Who would you like to work with?.

DO: There’s some people I really would like to work with, like Alan Wilder, but I think this is impossible.

DH: Since your work on the ISC albums; Cryogenix, Face The Fear, Angels Anger Overkill, Love Kills, how would you say you have developed musically?.

DO: The equipment has grown since then to a small studio, where we can do our own professional recordings. In song writing I think there’s no big difference to the past.

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

DO: Yes we have our own studio but we’ve been also for some songs in the Danse Macabre studio of Bruno Kramm/Das Ich and in the art4art studio with Olaf Wollschläger, which also worked for bands like Yello, Paradise Lost and many more. Its very interesting to work with a producer which can have an objective ear.

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

DO: Working on a digital base, with digital mixing desk combined with a Mac computer, plus all sound sources. At first its a studio for electronic music, but we’re able to record also some acoustic instruments, like drums, which we’re doing at the moment. Its not that comfortable with this, but in the result there’s no big difference I think.

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

DO: Usually its fantastic. Touring is something like being in another world. All things from your normal life are forgotten. But at the end everyone is happy to be home again. And after some days we’d like to go again.

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

DO: We had hard and funny times on tour I don’t want to miss anything.

DH: Are you getting better as a vocalist?.

DO: I hope so ;-).

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?.

DO: First the composition of the song then the lyrics, but sometimes we have the first ideas of the lyrics when we’re working on the song.

DH: What kind of song theme's do you like write about?.

DO: Angels, love, hate, all kind of emotions.

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

DO: I need to be relaxed, most creative thinking I do at night.

DH: Describe your working methods?.

DO: I start with a simple sound or sample and build something around it.

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

DO: My life and the world.

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

DO: I’m not the one who puts our music in category. Everything looks too much in a limit. I think its not important.

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

DO: I never knew how much the bands I listen to had influences on our music. Everything is influence, people, tv, family, whatever, but how much someone else can find it I don’t know.

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

DO: I like lot of electronic music stuff of course plus some guitar bands, like Clawfinger for example. but most important for me was ever electronic style, from industrial to ambient and to pop.

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

DO: I don’t have that good overview about the UK club scene. I like lot of bands from England, but not that much about the scene.

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

DO: I would like to, we’re always trying to improve our webpage.

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

DO: It can be a very simple and not cheap promotion thing, but if you can download a whole album then it makes no sense. I prefer if songs are presented only in 2-4 minutes samples, so the listener can get an idea of how it sounds like and decide if he wants to have more.

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

DO: I have no idea how to program a site, but a good friend of mine knows, so he gets all information’s from me he needs plus pictures, ideas etc.

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

DO: We’ve just finished the demo recordings of some songs and I’m on the production at the moment. I think we’ll have new single out in January 2002 and the album in March, on which label I can’t tell you at the moment, we’re not sure.

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

DO: Not yet, but I’m sure we’ll have some other bands remixes on the new single.

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

DO: We both, Jorg and I, are now again with Steve. a guy who founded ISC with us in the early 90s, but he left the band in 92 and came back now in 2001. He’ll do some rhythms in the studio and live. Then we’ll have one or two female girls voices on it plus a guitarist.

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

DO: I met Nadine some time ago, she told me that she studies classic vocals and we tried to involve her voice on some songs.

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

DO: I can’t remember that good how we choose the name. I think today we’d take another, one more simple.

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

DO: Its a long time till 2002, but I’m sure we’ll do a big promotion thing here again.

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

DO: This year we’re playing some festival gigs only. European tour for the new album will be April till May 2001.

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

DO: We’re working close with the new founded label WTII in the states.

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

DO: Preparing and producing the new album and tour.

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

DO: Eat and sleep, at the moment all my life is concentrated on music. Best wishes and kisses to all who read this.

© 02-06-2001 - Copyright Darrel W Hughes.