Olaf Hund
Posted by Vito Camarretta	Interviews
Jd Beauvallet described Olaf Hund as "the missing link between Alan Vega and Louie Vega". Olaf just prefers to consider himself a Post-Electronic artist. Labels and attempts of labelling aside, Olaf's amazing dry wit was clear since his very first steps in the crowded Electro scene, where he would prefer adding more humour and sadness instead of blending in with the French Touch Movement, so that he might reasonably be considered one of the paladins of "Anti-French Touch Movement", a "concept" he developed by means of his label Musiques Hybrides. His brand new album, a collection of EPs that he wisely entitled "Music Is Dead", balances cynicism, intimacy, rock and glam clichés, a certain irreverence, absurdity, guitars and electronic instruments as well as a gritting sense of decay. Let's get to know him a little bit better….
Chain D.L.K.: Hi Olaf! Are you grieving for the supposed death of music yet? How are you?
Olaf Hund: I'm grieving you're thinking I could be grieving! I feel perfectly well, thanks! Hope you're doing well too.
Chain D.L.K.: "Music is dead"… some might say that's a clichè… what would be your reply? How many times have you heard that? Which one was the most persuading?
Olaf Hund: If "Music Is Dead" sounds like a cliché, my sound doesn't sound cliché. I didn't really realize so much that people clearly sung that. Heard a couple a tunes where they talk about sound's dying but nothing to do with the joyful irony of my last album.
Chain D.L.K.: If music is really dead, let's pick a different subject to talk about…
Olaf Hund: How a violin could die? The music industry has been quite fucked up these past years. But I don't feel really concerned with this. CD sucks and we knew it from the beginning. Happy it's dying. But you know, if records can keep music alive for years as witnesses, then it's dead music anyway. Music is like meat. Ask a butcher if he would sell living meat.
Chain D.L.K.: Well, let's talk about your new album… could you tell us more about its birth? What's the bloody fil rouge connecting all songs?
Olaf Hund: Well, to me, it's about dancing and singing but you can skateboard on this or do the cleaning or drive your car (specially on German highways where there's no speed limit).
Chain D.L.K.: It's quite clear you had a lot of fun while recording the music the and videos… speaking of those funny clips, what was the funniest one in your opinion?
Olaf Hund: I really love acting. Each video was a special experience… So I would say, last video I did with Florent Alias on Joy Division's cover "Isolation" would be my favorite. Should be out in April!
Chain D.L.K.: How's the day as a zombie?!?
Olaf Hund: I would love to be a zombie once a week. Nobody fucks with you. It would be the "get what you want" day.
Chain D.L.K.: One of the aspects I like most of your approach is the fact you let the listener imagine a certain sad smile or an euphoric melancholy… have you ever heard about bipolar disease? 🙂
Olaf Hund: I think I know about this better than you do… I'm joking! Feelings aren't as simple as "nothing's missing when you feel happy" or "everything's lost if you're down". Dramatic sadness or pure euphoria is bipolarity. So I'm not bipolar, but I can laugh a lot in the deepest shittiest situations.
Chain D.L.K.: "The Hund Is Dead" together with music… how do you imagine your funeral?
Olaf Hund: Not with that track, but if someone wants to play it, why not! I wrote this tune for my dog when she died. I seriously can't imagine my funeral yet but I hope there will be people around, some of them will be sad, some others maybe not.
Chain D.L.K.: How did you recruit the singer of "We Love Electronic"?
Olaf Hund: Just friends passing by. I didn't record them at the same time. I also recorded girls on travels. Hanayo, who sings in japanese, is a friend of mine and I taped her at her flat in Berlin. As for the other vocals, the two screaming girls, that's another story…
Chain D.L.K.: I'm pretty sure Talking Heads would like your cover of "Psycho Killer"… why not just dedicate a haiku to a psycho killer?
Olaf Hund: Haha! No answer outside!
Chain D.L.K.: There are a lot of flashy entries in you career under the voice "collaborations"… someone says collaborations can help artistic growth.. well, was there any of them which was not so uplifting in your opinion?
Olaf Hund: I've never approached collaborations this way, but let me think… All of them, none of them! I've been into so many different styles and also working on different projects from circus shows to movies… Nowadays, my exciting musical collaborations are with Black Landlord, Diane Tell and my band!
Chain D.L.K.:What's the worst compliment you received about your record?
Olaf Hund: You tell me!
Chain D.L.K.: Which ice cream would be the favorite one of someone who doesn't feel so sexy?
Olaf Hund: Scream & Jump.
Chain D.L.K.: Another interesting subject for a music magazine in times when music is dead might be… let me think… imagine there are a lot of colored balloons… which one would be the first to be stung by your killer pin?
Olaf Hund: The white one. It's not time for peace. We need clash.
Chain D.L.K.: What about your last holidays? Are you planning the next ones?
Olaf Hund: Holidays, holidays? I've heard about it but… Is that a singer? I have too many projects now to think about holidays but I'm gonna travel very very soon to the land of my next album.
Chain D.L.K.: Are you going to play somewhere before then?
Olaf Hund: Of course I will. My booking agent died as did the music, so just a few gigs…
Chain D.L.K.: Anything to declare before clicking "send"?
Olaf Hund: I'm alive.
visit Olaf Hund on the web at: olafhund.com
Dj Olive Tom Smith
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