Allgrena
ALLGRENA's music arises very spontaneous...

Quite traditional beginning, but you can imagine how much we know about your project... So, what is ALLGRENA? It's historiography till today and so on. Was there something you could name as the immediate inspiration turned you into the music? Is your band a studio- one or you also give live-performances? (etc. etc. etc everything you think is important to mention)

The name ALLGRENA is an invention from me, consisting of 2 words ALL for ALL and GRENA for the colour green, which stands for me for nature, earth. ALLGRENA exists since 1990. From the beginning on, I always worked with experimental sounds From 90-94 ALLGRENA indeed presented a neo-folk program with musicians from the band ROZENGRACHT, at some concerts in Lower-Austria. Since 1994 I worked solo, only in the industrial way
Sometimes I get help from Johannes Nendwich (ex-ROZENGRACHT member), playing clarinette and percussion. The music arises most of the time spontaneously in the studio, or at places which help to create a good sound! (canalization of Vienna, bunker and gasometer towers in Vienna!) At the moment ALLGRENA presents live performances only in the electronic way (live mixing + visuals). Concerts with real instruments are in preparation

English translation for your last CD title 'Tonrder' is 'Sound Wheels'... There are no additional messages to be found except the music. Dark, slow and hard One should guess by himself where and wherefrom these wheels move or which powers set them in motion - could you give us any hints?

Where ALLGRENA's music comes from, I can't say! I can't name you any concrete influence! ALLGRENA 's music arises very spontaneous! Certainly there are influences in the musical way, but not consciously

Btw, what means that cross with strange headless bodies on the CD surface and inside the booklet?

The cross is symbol for the human drama! The turning of the figure stands for motor driving

I am quite curious in the term 'Industrial Trance' you use to describe your music. Do you pursue any practical ritualistic aims with it? Are you interesting and at which level - in ecstasy, shamanism, etc?

I'm interested in shamanism, death experiences, yoga But I don't pursue any ritualistic aim with ALLGRENA!

It seems and your works confirm this too - that the most radical tendencies in modern industrial and post-industrial music-scene are linked with it's archaicization, partial return to primordial roots and principles. How can you explain this phenomenon?

For me industrial always has the taste of old factories, destroyed machines, decay, dirt, scrap of a throw away society.. If industrial projects now use primordial roots (symbols, mythological instructions), so I think, it's an answer, once more, against the material, modern word!

One of the modern Western ideologists, Jacques Attali described the music as prophecy its styles and economic organization are ahead of the rest of society because it explore, much faster than material reality can, the entire range of possibilities in a given code. It makes audible the new world that will gradually become visible Does the new world really become visual (or imaginary at least) - for you? Could you outline it?

I think with music we can try to look behind the things... We can have a presentiment of a world behind the material one But a new world creating? In the sense of mind? We have to outwit our bodies!

Your track had to appear on a compilation (is it already out?) between BER BLUTHARSCH, ALLERSEELEN, NOVY SVET and ALLGRENA Could you emphasize what you have in common with these bands in aesthetics and ethics?

Yes, the 7 compilation 'Wo Die Wilden Kerle Wohnen' is out! I think all 4 projects are really different in their mind and music! NOVY SVET is interested in dadaism, DER BLUTHARSCH in the war phenomenon, ALLERSEELEN in German and other mythologies, ALLGRENA in trance

Also, can you point out (and describe if possible) more interesting and perspective projects from Vienna and Austria?

ROZENGRACHT I played percussion there for a long time ROZENGRACHT works strictly conceptual and static in the area between industrial and electronic music, with several guitars, bass, voice, clarinett and still-percussion. At the concerts ROZENGRACHT always used the element of fire!

Allgrena

Are you keen on politics? Which events attract your attention at the moment? In particular, what is your view on Jrg Haider's party success and the international campaign against your country?

I think the reasons of the success of Haider are certainly a kind of dissatisfaction of the people in Austria against the other parties, and a hostility to foreigners, which exists in Austria. Tha campaign has been stopped, the FP still exists, Haider isn't party chief any more (officially), but at the end nothing will change in the FP till Haider exists

Your cultural and ideological credos?

I'm interested in Buddhism!

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Originally the interview was published in Russian in STIGMATA magazine. The interview was done by Nihil. Enjoy.
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