Defeat talks to Wicked Spins Radio
Defeat talks to Wicked Spins Radio
Great British electro, industrial, EBM mastery is the only true way to describe the amazing Defeat. Personally I have been a fan of Defeat for a while, two amazing gents making amazing music and even doing it for a good cause. So if you haven’t yet heard of Defeat then its about time you did, let us tell you more by letting the music speak for itself. Wicked Spins Radio is happy to present to you an interview with the immensely nice guys from Defeat.
WSR – Thank you for giving Wicked Spins Radio this interview, can you tell our readers a little bit about yourselves?
Gary – We met as teenagers at school back in the 80s and found we had the same sense of humour as well as taste in music, and started writing what were essentially pop songs. I’d always liked synth-based bands like Depeche Mode, but it was only until Ant introduced me to the likes of Nitzer Ebb and NIN that I got the industrial “bug”.
Ant – Yeah I got into EBM and discovered the Industrial Genre through the 90’s with Ebb, 242, FLA and NIN. My personal knowledge of the scene is those early bands and the bands that we have met through the UK scene since we were signed in 2012. Being a lifelong DM fan I still love song-based tracks but do love dance tracks too.
WSR – How hard has it been trying to get yourselves signed, what has been the reaction from the places you have contacted?
Gary – We’ve actually only approached a few labels at present, but the overriding feeling is that for now we’ll be self-releasing our own material. If labels approach us in future that’s great, but doing it ourselves means we’re not answerable to anyone. We, like so many other bands these days, are effectively a cottage industry anyway. Everything – writing, recording, mixing, mastering and producing CDs we do ourselves, so adding promotional activities to that is the only “extra” we need to do. Luckily, there are people out there who can help us with that.
Ant – In all honesty I think Steve gave us a great start at SDR and when it was gone we didn’t react quickly enough in getting ourselves back out there. And Gary is right – when you write songs rather than just the “oontz” based tracks it’s hard to move some people in the way we would like emotionally. Having said that – our recent outing at Beat:Cancer in November we had so much praise and the crowd were amazing. We are just busy people away from the scene and need to get out there more with gigs, releases and promotional exposure. So thanks for this interview!
WSR – Do you think the current scene in the UK is vibrant enough to support more industrial bands?
Gary – I certainly hope so! A lot has been made of people saying “the scene is dead”, but it certainly didn’t seem that way to me at the Beat:Cancer show we had the honour of opening last November. If ever there was such a thing as Ground-hog Day, I’d want it to be that day. Support for the big UK-based scene festivals like Resistanz seems to go from strength to strength, and our challenge is to break into that area. The problem I see right now is there are lots of great local venues we could gig at, but they’re geared towards rock music, and outside of scene venues like Slimelight, there doesn’t seem to be an appetite for the kind of electronic music we play. I would love to be proved wrong though.
Ant – Yeah like I said, you need to be out there to get noticed. The atmosphere at the Beat:Cancer proved the scene is not dying. I think this scene reflects every music scene. But it is obviously harder with what is still an underground scene where there are only certain venues that will accommodate you.
WSR – We have lost certain bands recently like Straftanz, their reason was the scene itself being full of idiots and back stabbers. Is this something you have come across?
Gary – There are some who complain of Facebook for the sake of complaining, but I have to say those I have come into contact with personally, either via Facebook or in the flesh have been great. There’s drama in every scene, and I try not to get involved.
Ant – I read through social media and laugh at some of the dramas that go on. But it’s no different from any other genre or walk of life. Artistic people are emotional people so dramas will ensue. And we have not been around long enough to know much of the history of such dramas so its not our place to judge.
WSR – Also a lot of bands have become let’s say lighter and more mainstream, what are your views on this?
Gary – If that’s what they want to do that’s fine. Personally, I don’t think we’re that “heavy” sounding ourselves to be honest, although I suspect others may disagree. A lot of industrial is very “commercial sounding” to me musically anyway – it’s just the style of vocal delivery and lyrical content that sets it apart from other genres
Ant – I think there is a kind of Industrial Snobbery. I hear a lot of new stuff that with slightly different production and better backing could easily force itself into the mainstream. But I wouldn’t dare compare these releases to “radio – friendly” pop or rock stuff for fear of alienation! But the dancier stuff especially that I’m seeing is on a par with any normal club track but the ‘industrial’ tag means it wouldn’t get the airplay.
WSR – Since you formed in 1995 what have been the high points and low points of Defeat?
Gary – Certainly the high point for me was being “discovered” by Steve Fearon and being signed up to SDR. Steve is an absolute legend (and you can quote me on that), and introduced our music to an audience we would have had no hope of reaching by ourselves, as we just didn’t have any contacts. Before then, we’d recorded rough demos which I felt were never good enough and played a few local gigs to (very) small crowds. Without Steve’s belief in us at the time I doubt we’d be having this interview to be honest. Another high for me is definitely the friendships I’ve struck up since 2012. There are too many for me to call out here without this sounding like an Oscar speech. Needless to say, you all know who you are. Low points? I suppose from a purely selfish point of view, the closure of SDR as a label would be the one that sticks in my mind.
Ant – Low points – not getting out there soon which makes us the old-boys among our new peers!! High points – release-wise I’d say seeing our debut EP, Outbursts! in print and available through sites like iTunes. The digital age means that we will pretty much always be out there. In a live setting I have to mention our last outing at Beat:Cancer again. It was by far our best performance and it didn’t go unnoticed which made a lovely change.
WSR – What has kept you going so long as a band?
Gary – Immediately after we formed Defeat in 1995 from the ashes of our previous endeavour, we were on hiatus, as I went off to get married and have kids. Were got together sporadically to do stuff, but we both had our stuff to deal with.
Ant – Well as Gary says we had a hiatus for many years but I always knew that we had a hardcore bunch of songs that would always be good. And we have now pretty much got them all out there. What really clinched it for me to start all over was that back in 2012 Gary was suddenly sending me amazing new demos and he is so prolific that it would have been a waste not to get out there again. Next thing we know we are signed, meeting new people of a like mind and being introduced to the scene. And we have an amazing working relationship – I have no musical talent whatsoever instrument-wise, but when I get a song in my head with the lyrics I write, Gary is the only person who knows how to extract it. We have our own unique way of talking and working in the studio and until we are both happy nothing gets finalised.
WSR – How important has it been to you to be a part of Beat:Cancer?
Gary – Indirectly, cancer was what kick started us into restarting the project properly. When Mark (Haigh) first announced Beat:Cancer I contacted him saying I wanted to be part of it. I told him why, and we were on board and have been on board since.
Ant – The amazing tracks that Gary was sending me back in 2012 was due to his sudden feeling that life was too short to stand still. That was because of Cancer. It effects everyone directly or indirectly and is probably one of the only charitable causes I would ever champion. And for those who think the scene is dying? – well you should have been there in November. The work Mark is doing and the support he is getting is incredible.
WSR – Have either of you been effected by cancer in any way?
Gary – In 2011, I lost my mother to cancer. I had returned from holiday and got a text from my brother saying mum was in hospital with diverticulitis. So I went to see her and she told me they’d found cancer on her liver, which is usually a secondary cancer, meaning she had cancer elsewhere in body. Six short weeks after that hospital visit, I was with my mother when she died. She never stood a chance, as the infection she had at the time meant she wasn’t even strong enough to withstand any chemotherapy. Had that not happened, we’d never have kick started the band again, as I remember a little voice inside me say “seize the day, life is too short.”
WSR – You have done a few remixes lately, which excited you the most to get a chance to do and which has made you the most proud?
Gary – My favourite remixes I’ve done to date are probably Avarice In Audio’s “The Cassandra Complex” and Cease2Xist’s “WIYGN?”. Gerry of AIA approached me about doing a remix and I heard the track and just fell in love with Jade’s operatic vocal and practically demanded to remix it. I think that’s clear on the remix as it is quite prominent. The remix for Cease2Xist came about during the mastering session of the EP. Dayve Yates asked me to master the EP, and mentioned he was looking for a few more remixes for the release. I loved working with Dayve and hope to do so again in future.
Ant – That is Gary’s domain. I’d love to have a go myself but don’t have the skills – yet! What I love about Gary’s remixes is that the Defeat sound is in there. And I think people are starting to appreciate his huge attention to detail in his mixing and remixing.
WSR – At the end of 2014 you offered your entire back catalogue of music free to download, just how many people took you up on your free download offer?
Gary – We had around 50 or 60 downloads in total. A few people even bought everything, even the stuff that is always free, which was great. The idea behind doing that was to try and pull in new fans, although I’m not entirely sure how successful it was on that score.
Ant – It was a self-promotional tool as I felt we may not be signed in near future so we may have to pull in more interest. Unfortunately, the reality in this genre is that without any backing it will cost us to get our work out there. The figures were reasonable so it seemed to work.
WSR – Thundercats, Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles and Transformers, the cartoons of my generation that I enjoyed. So what cartoons were your growing up fodder?
Gary – Battle Of The Planets was a favourite of mine, and I liked Ulysses 31 as well. And I still love the old Warner Brothers cartoons – the artistry of those old cartoons is amazing. They’re always good for a laugh as well. These days, I’m into “Family Guy”
Ant – Well I’ve been known as Skeletor and Penfold at various times in my life so there’s a clue!! Danger Mouse was number 1 for me. I remember watching a bit of the Masters of the Universe but cannot say I was a fan of cartoons. I do love more modern animation like The Clone Wars (that’s gonna upset a few Star Wars fans of my generation!) And obviously Family Guy!
WSR – When I was 4 I had a ZX81, leading on to my trusty Spectrum. But besides all the technical know how I gained I could never master the programming of a synth despite my best efforts so I became a vocalist, how did you learn the instruments you use?
Gary – I’m naturally interested in how things work technically – it’s almost an obsession. I could probably find my way around any synth, analogue or digital. The only exception being FM synths like the DX7. They are bastards to program.
Ant – I also owned and used my ZX81 to death – don’t you wish you’d kept it now! As I said before that is Gary’s domain. But I would say that when we used our trusty W30 I would give Gary ideas of how to get the most out of it and over the years what we got from it was amazing. I’m basically the official lead untangler first and vocalist second!
WSR – I’m a typical Yorkshire man (No not thick in’t arm, thick in’t head :D), I drink so much tea I’m sure I was born with a pint pot of Yorkshire Tea in my hand. Is there anything about you that makes you a regionally typical person? If not what are the common myths about people from your area?
Gary – Well, we’re both Essex boys by birth, and I certainly try to be the antithesis of anything typically “Essex” in nature, whatever that is (whether I’m successful is another matter entirely :D). The stereotypes of Essex are boy racers and women that wear too much fake tan. That aside, Essex has given this country Rik Mayall, The Prodigy, Depeche Mode and Nitzer Ebb, so it’s not all bad 😀
Ant – Well in our early recordings you can hear my accent coming through, which I hope I have now ironed out. I’ve actually spent most of my life in Hertfordshire now but its all London overspill areas so haven’t gone too far. Give me a bit of alcohol and the Harlow attitude comes out apparently!!
WSR – Thank you so much for giving Wicked Spins Radio this interview, is there anything you would like to add?
Gary – Just the usual really. Drop by our sites, give us a listen. Like us on Facebook. And if you ever come to see us play live, don’t be afraid to come up and chat to us.
Ant – Yeah much of the same really. Give us a listen. Take a few minutes out of your busy lives to listen to our back catalogue. This scene will never grow if you don’t give people a chance. We are a bit different but you never know we might surprise you!
All photos by Mills Bratash at Mills Bratash Photography
https://www.facebook.com/Defeatmusic
Interview by Phlis
