Just read the Neil Landstrumm interview on Cognition Audioworks. Thanks Andrew for alerting me to the additional features/interviews archive page - http://cognitionaudioworks.com/read.html
I read & listened to the Drexciya interview a few weeks ago. I'd never seen anything like it, and very interesting insight into some thoughts, particularly with regard to it being a big world, big enough for all music - and not to worry when people don't like your music as there'll be someone out there that does. I've experienced this with things I make because someone can really dislike one track that another person can give a big thumbs up for. Interestingly, a few people here in Aberdeen have said they really like my Polar Expedition track, which is dark and I wonder if that's an Aberdeen techno kind of thing.
I collected a whole lot of Drexciya releases around 1998 as I was blown away with the strength of the sound. It was proper electro. I hadn't heard enough of it. He says something about people doing more of the trance-like electro, and he sets himself apart from that. There's a strong Detroit techno influence to it. I look at stuff by Anthony Rother and tend to agree with that point, but I love the Hacker album. The ringtone on my phone is the beginning of Datenbits. That's all heavily influenced by Kraftwerk, and Drexciya is much more unique.
That interview with Neil Landstrumm is very interesting. Reading it I couldn't help but feel Burial could have been beaten to that whole cut & paste and degrading images concept that's also popular in techno these days. A truly artistic musician, thinker and pathfinder. I was interested to here a more recent interview with him on a podcast by Sunil Sharpe recently. At least I think it was that podcast but I couldn't find it when I looked for it again - as if it had been deleted. Maybe I got that mixed up.
Neil Landstrum: http://cognitionaudioworks.com/nl.htm
