Click Interview with Funker Vogt: ‘We Hold Up A Mirror To Humanity’
Funker Vogt
Dark-Electro band Funker Vogt was born almost 30 years ago. Core member and operator Gerrit Thomas has already worked with several singers, but for some reason the group always continues with a new singer. The newest album “Final Construct” released by Repo Records saw Bastian Polak (Intent:Outtake) joining the German formation. The album sounds in the fullest Funker Vogt-tradition; somewhere between Dark-Electro and EBM with a slightly more melodic touch on top. In my opinion, a strong production that shows that this legendary group is far from exhausted. I talked about the latest work with Gerrit and Bastian. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)
Q: The new album “Final Construct” seems to be another turning point in the long career of Funker Vogt. After three albums singer Chris L. was replaced by Bastian Polak so how did this change come about and how did Bastian’s presence change and/or influenced the overall approach and production of “Final Construct”?
Gerrit: We produced three great albums with Chris, but as he started again with Agonoize we reached to a point where working together was no longer possible. I don’t want to go into that in more detail. In any case, we knew that we weren’t finished yet, we just needed a new singer. I already knew Bastian from vocal recordings with Intent:Outtake and the two Fusspils-11-songs, so it made sense to get him on board with Funker Vogt. He’s just a perfect fit. Because I knew what he was capable of, I was able to compose a little more boldly, because you simply don’t have to make any compromises with him.
In this respect, he helped to make the album more extensive and melodic than usual. I also wanted the sound to be very original to Funker Vogt, because in my opinion a new singer brings enough innovations with him.
Q: I personally experienced “Final Construct” as one of the hardest albums in years; a bit like featuring the brutal energy of the early years with the experience and knowledge you gained over the years on top of it. What is your own perception of this work?
Gerrit: Hm, I personally don’t think it’s that hard. On the contrary -there’s still a lot that can be done in that way! As I said, the album should sound as close to Funker Vogt as possible so that our fans aren’t confused when everything is suddenly completely different. I think that you’ll hear a few experiments and unusual things on the next album. But for this album, a new voice is enough of a change.
Bastian: As the new singer of Funker Vogt, I have of course made it my mission to do everyone justice and I think we have found a good way, on the one hand sounding more modern, but also like the old albums. I think “Final Construct” has everything the listener could have hoped for. Hardness, melody, profundity, but also time to take a deep breath 😉
Q: That brings me to ask you how much of the ‘young’ Gerrit Thomas do you still recognize in the approach, writing and production of “Final Construct”? And what are the biggest differences/evolutions compared to this new work?
Gerrit: Well, I would say that I still like the same kind of atmosphere in my music as I did 25 years ago. Only today the technical possibilities are much bigger and I know what I’m doing now…;-)
Q: Lyrical wise I think “Final Construct” seems a bit like a reflection of our contemporary world and all its misery. Can you be a little more specific about the content and how do you face it as human being?
Bastian: The world currently provides us with enough fuel for our music and our socially critical lyrics. However, many people keep thinking that we’re in favor of war, but that’s not the case and we’ve made that clear again on this album. We hold up a mirror to humanity, appeal to their reason, but also sing about solidarity and confidence.
Q: I think you always must have favorite songs and others where you might feel like everything was left out. What about “Final Construct” and can you make a kind of final balance sheet about this production? And do you think the latest album is always the best one?
Gerrit: Yes, we also have our favorites on every album. For me this time it’s “Rain Of Ashes”, “Tiefer”, and the club mix of “The Signaller”. In my opinion, all the others turned out great too, so I can’t say there’s a single one that doesn’t fit or should have better be left.
For me personally, the latest album is always the best one immediately after its release. Of course, I know that this is not always the case. To be able to judge this neutrally, you need to have a few months’ distance from the latest production, sometimes even years!
Bastian: I have already written the lyrics of many albums in my music career and I have to say that “Final Construct” is one of the best. For me, each of the 19 songs has something special, but my personal favorites are “Death Seed”, “Zinnsoldat”, “Die Leinen Los” and definitely “Im Auge Des Orkans” because it stands out a bit from all the other songs.
Q: Funker Vogt is now active for nearly thirty years! What were the biggest challenges you faced during this impressive career? And do you sometimes feel like you have gotten the most out of it or do you still face new challenges and dreams? And if so, which ones?
Gerrit: Well, there were some setbacks due to the changes of singers that we had to deal with -and obviously we did so! Even though there are always a few people who recommend that we should better stop or rename the band when a new singer comes along, we stay true to our line and keep going on! That’s the ideology behind Funker Vogt. We would be questioning everything we have practiced for 28 years if we gave up. Following the well-known 242 motif: ‘Never Stop’!
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