Buzz Express - Schwein interview - Raymond Watts [BUZZ (July 2001)]
Buzz Express 13
Schwein
A monstrous chaos born from the drinking table
Industrial, gothic, sake and sushi—What did the chaos unleashed by Schwein bring to Raymond Watts, a “veteran of his field”?
Text=Yoshiyuki Suzuki Photography=Rikiya Tanaka Interpreter/Translator=Ryo Uchida
By the time this magazine is published, the domestic tour will already be over, so it hardly needs introducing now, but Schwein is a project comprising four members: Sakurai Atsushi and Imai Hisashi from BUCK-TICK, Sascha Konietzko from KMFDM (who seem to have reverted back to their original name after changing to MDFMK), and Raymond Watts, aka PIG. For those aware that Raymond has longstanding connections with both KMFDM and BUCK-TICK, this combination is hardly surprising, but I don't think it's a bad thing to see artists like PIG and KMFDM once again drawing attention within the Japanese music scene in this manner. While Schwein's potential remains unknown at present, it has undoubtedly provided Raymond Watts himself with a significant and highly effective stimulus for his own activities. Furthermore, a remix collection is planned featuring not only PIG himself, but also Charlie Clouser from NIN, Mekon, and One True Parker, among others, so that is also worth keeping an eye on.
● With Schwein, I imagine you wanted to try something different from what you usually do as PIG? 「Ah, I think that's true. Each member is approaching this Schwein project with a completely new mindset, different from their usual work.」
●What particular differences did you find between your own previous work and recording as Schwein? 「PIG is my own personal domain, but in this project everyone was on equal footing. It had been a while since I'd worked on a project with that kind of dynamic, so I learned a lot. It was fundamentally different from anything I'd done before.」
●When writing songs, did each member bring in something more or less finished and then you all arranged it together? Or did you all work together from the beginning? 「No, neither really. For example, before coming to Tokyo, Sasha and I had made a few backing tracks, and Imai had worked out some riffs. But those were just starting points. After that, the four of us added our own ideas and built the songs like building blocks. It felt like four kids playing in a sandbox, just trying to shape that sand into something.」
●Looking back at the finished work, do you think that chaotic feeling is reflected in it? 「Usually after finishing an album, I'm completely exhausted, never wanting to go near a studio again, never wanting to see the people I worked with again, but this time, I was working under a lot of pressure, so there were a lot of thoughts like, “I wish we'd done this part differently” or “I'd change that bit over there”. It's completely different from how I usually feel after finishing an album. I feel like there's still so much potential, so I'm filled with a desire to pursue it even further. I really feel like it's a project I'd love to continue if I ever have the time again. Mind you, it's not that I'm dissatisfied with the result. It just made me realise there's more than one path I can take. It was like experiencing the joy of making an album with other people for the first time. I think it helped me discover new possibilities within myself.」
●Do you think your experience with Schwein will influence your future activities with PIG? 「Of course it will. It's influenced by everything I've experienced in life, not just Schwein. If there's one thing I learned through this project, it's that when working with others, I shouldn't be so controlling and should give others more freedom. For example, if I were to bring a guitarist onto a PIG album now, I wouldn't micromanage them like I used to, saying “play this part like this” down to the smallest detail. Instead, I'd want to draw out their individuality more, encouraging them to approach the song from a different angle to mine. That's probably the most important thing I've learned through this project.」
●BUCK-TICK are artists active in Japan's major scene, but did you feel any particular significance in diving into that world? 「Nah, not really. See, this project basically got decided over drinks, just a bunch of drinking friends. We'd all be eating sushi around the table, saying things like “I'd love to make music with you” or “Why don't you sing my songs?” And thanks to the record company and management putting money behind something like that, this album came together.」
●So you had absolutely no intention of breaking down the barrier between mainstream and underground? 「Yeah, I know there's a significant divide between Western and Japanese music, especially in Japan, and I think it would be great if our activities could change that perception among fans, even just a little. But personally, I can't create while thinking about that sort of thing. I just want to spread new things to the world. Schwein might have its strengths and weaknesses, but we're always trying to move forward. Since we're members who don't even speak the same language evolving together, there's a risk of major failure, but I believe that on the other hand, there's always something new to discover.」
Translator's Note: To my fellow BUCK-TICK mutuals, who thirst for Schwein articles any time I encounter them by chance. Thank you ❤️
Please do support me via my ko-fi! ☕
