MARKUS DRAXLER INTERVIEW: Stefan: Since when does the band exist and can you please tell us something about your beginnings? Especially we would be interested what is the reason for the band`s name... PÜA: The band has a complicated history but I will try to explain it as briefly as possible. In 1997, Remy and I were part of a noise band called Slave Cylinder. The band was made up of varying members, usually friends of ours from university, who all brought a very different approach and sound to the band. Because we were all into so many different kinds of music, we found that the songs we were writing under Slave Cylinder varied widely and ran the gamut from ebm/industrial, to power noise, to ambient, to gabber, to idm, to digital hardcore, which we came to feel was confusing for our audience. The people that came to see us play our harsh noise, for which SC was known, and smash televisions and play our oil drum set didn’t really know what to make of our electro-industrial songs that were peppered throughout the performance. Over time, as people in the band began developing side projects, we formed Slave Indvstries, a collective and DIY label for all of our band members, and we started to split the songs up by sound so that SC was purely a noise band. We had so much music under the name Slave Cylinder that giving songs to other projects didn’t hurt the performance at all and, in many ways, made it a much more solid show. From that split, came quite a few of the groups that are on Slave Indvstries today. My solo project that was borne of that entire mess was PÜA because I tended most to write very feminist and political songs to digital hardcore music. I very much love breakbeat and gabber and drum and bass which I think is reflected in the music. Remy, too, has a passion for digital hardcore and so together we formed PÜA. The name came from a friend, a photographer by the name of Geoff Wilson, who gave me the nickname “Phallus Über Alles” because I am very punk and very feminist. It was a kind of tongue-in-cheek nickname, referencing both the Dead Kennedys and a very ironic interpretation of the phrase. To say “penis over all” or to call me, as Geoff did, “Super Penis” was terribly ironic and ultimately it stuck. Stefan: What was idea, reason or influence to play such kind of extreme music? PÜA: Well, as I said above, Remy and I were (and are) huge fans of digital hardcore music and, coming from a noise background, probably tend to much harsher sounds than we would have otherwise. I think also our broad appreciation for all kinds of music heavily influences the sound so that we each bring an eclectic mix of musical preferences to the band. I think we would sound much different if we were trying to mimic a certain band or style of music but, as it stands, we love the complexities of digital hardcore and probably use our musical backgrounds to approach it in a unique way. Stefan: Did you have big problems to find a label for your music? PÜA: I thought that I would have trouble with it because this was the first time that I attempted sending a demo out. I love being a part of Slave Indvstries but we both felt that PÜA was suited to something larger. I sent our demo to five labels and approached it in much the same way that one would approach applying to college. I did not want to try for any really large labels as I dislike the compromises they generally make in the pursuit of money so I chose one label that was very friendly to unique bands but that I considered a long-shot. The rest of the labels that I chose to send to were mainly female labels, two that I would love to be on but that may not want me and two that I thought were pretty sure bets. Fatal was the one that I most wanted to be on and they were the ones that responded to my submission. I was in heaven! Stefan: What in your opinion are the people who listen to your music? Or are there any special groups, a scene or something like that you want to reach with your music? PÜA: I like to think that PÜA has a lot of cross-genre appeal so I hope that I do not draw fans from just one particular genre of music or scene. I am finding that we appeal most to women, which makes me immensely happy, and the fact that they are women who listen to such a wide variety of music means to me that our message is really striking a chord. I love the fact that men are not also alienated by our music, which was a huge concern of mine. I want the music to stand on its own as something respectable and innovative and have our politics come second. Though conveying a strong female message is extremely important to me, it is far more important to me that people find PÜA enjoyable and moving. I suppose it remains to be seen who exactly become PÜA fans as this is our first foray into the larger music world. I’m excited to see what faces turn up at our shows in the future. Stefan: Do you have any problems with live gigs? To reproduce the sound of the CD without using just computers, or to find locations to play? PÜA: We haven’t really had any trouble so far. We’ve been playing PÜA live for several years now and before that with Slave Cylinder we used a very similar live set-up. We also use a computer live as an instrument to trigger samples and do live sequencing and sometimes that and a synth and a few other electronics are all that we use if we are playing a really small venue or with other laptop musicians. We also play with live guitar and bass because we know how important it is for the audience to really feel as though they are getting a performance and choose to use them when we are playing with more traditional live bands. I think that the ability to play totally electronically or with more live instruments makes us extremely flexible and allows us to fit with bands from many genres. I am very adamant about having an engaging live show and would love to add a live drummer. Both Remy and I play drums but we’re tied up with other roles in the band. It would be pretty difficult for me to do lead vocals and play such fast beats at the same time. We have had some trouble finding locations to play but only in that the local bar scene that is open to rock bands are not usually open to harsh electronics. Still, there are places that will have us and we’re not above playing anywhere so long as we get to play. Stefan: Are there yet any dates in Europe or Germany confirmed? PÜA: Not as of yet but we are looking at the late Spring or early Summer 2005 to tour in Europe. How long we stay will depend entirely upon demand. Stefan: Which reactions do you expect about this CD and the sellings? PÜA: We’ll be happy regardless of how many CDs we sell so long as the people that hear us really like us. We could sell 5 CDs but if all 5 of those people are really supportive then we’ll consider it a success. There is nothing better than playing shows with enthusiastic people in the audience and that’s what we really want out of it, the ability to reach a broader audience that will really get into the music. Stefan: What do you expect from Germany if you should play here sometimes? PÜA: So far I have been very impressed by the reactions we’ve received from people in Germany to PÜA. I’m hoping that when we play we will be met with a very warm and supportive audience. I can’t wait to play there and to travel around. We love to travel and the last that I was in Europe, I found it to be an incredibly comfortable place full of very open-hearted and kind people. Stefan: What are your plans for the future? PÜA: Another album, for sure. We’re releasing a remix CD of two of the songs from the album (Brawl at the Boys and Girls Club and Cockpit) in the coming months. That will be a fairly small release with a comic book insert. We’ve got two videos in the works for Cockpit and Hey Bill. That should take us into the tour season which we would like to fill with a tour of Europe and the US. Stefan: Thank you very much for havings answered these questions! PÜA: Thank you for the interview! END GO BACK