After their final concert of their European tour, JaME spoke with the members of Euthanasie again.
Euthanasie did an extensive tour of Europe this December. The tour started in Russia and ended in the Netherlands, where we once again had the opportunity to speak to the three members of Euthanasie after their concert.
They were tired after such a long tour and some of the members seemed a bit ill, but they were still enthusiastic and took the time to answer our questions.
You've done a very long tour, starting in Russia, travelling all across Europe, and now you've played the last concert tonight, in the Netherlands. How do you feel now that the tour is over?
#449: I want to continue to play, for a long time. I think it was a good experience. At first it seemed nobody was enjoying the live, but after we began to play, the crowd seemed to really get in to it. There was a good atmosphere. Next time we can do many more gigs, I think.
It was a really big tour, wasn't it?
#449: Yes, with 16 concerts.
What has left the biggest impression on you during this tour?
#449: The first concert, when we played in Russia. We couldn’t guess how many people would come... Couldn’t guess how they'd feel about our music. But they welcomed us and accepted our music. So I was very surprised and glad. That was what left the biggest impression on me. (laughs)
Andro: Concerning the Dutch event, it was good. It definitely left a big impression on me. We had a contact person with the organization that set up the event and we wanted to play here. The other bands were also cool, it was nice to play on an event with more groups.
It's nice when we have an one-man concert, but I also like it when there are other bands too and a bigger audience, like on this event. Today there were lots of people in the audience, it was great. Today's event was really important to us.
N@o: I'm tired. (everbody laughs)
Andro: Is that your biggest impression? They asked for your impression, what is it?
N@o: It was my first time here in Europe and the whole culture, the culture of all the countries impressed me. And I liked the scenery, every country was different and it was great.
Did you do any sightseeing in Europe?
#449: We had a very tight schedule, but a few times we squeezed in a little sight seeing. In Russia, we went to a very old subway. And in Bordeaux we went to a wine factory (laughs) and tasted the wine.
Andro: We went to the sea, the Mediterranean Sea.
#449: And we went to Budapest, in Hungary.
In a previous interview with JaME you mentioned that you chose the name 'Euthanasie' from a book (by Ota Mori). Did you think your band name would cause a problem in Germany? We noticed that you used the name Anrakushi’ in some countries.
#449: Yes, in Germany, Luxembourg, Poland and Austria.
Andro: 'Anrakushi' is the Japanese translation of 'Euthanasie'. We couldn’t use the name Euthanasie in Germany, as the word has negative connotations, and the media wouldn't use it. We talked about it, and wondered "what about Anrakushi?" We thought it was good and so we went with it. That's why we used 'Anrakushi' in Germany and some other countries.
How important is the appearance of the band for you? Why did you pick this particular style of dress to express yourself?
#449: We feel that our music and attitude are entertainment. Music, lives especially, are entertainment. So it is important to us as a rockband to have a good appearance during lives. Stage costumes are an important part of the overall presentation and give the songs something extra.
Did you make your costumes yourself?
#449: No no, (laughs). We bought them.
What inspired all of you to start making music? Are you all self-taught, or have you been taking classes?
#449: I took music theory lessons, privately. But I can’t use it at all (laughs). So it's mostly by myself.
Andro: I've been performing in a club, on stage as a vocalist. I took singing lessons for two years, which taught me how to sing. But the experience itself, the lives itself are better and are great practice.
N@o: I took lessons for six months, after that I did it by myself.
Andro and N@o, the two of you started the band together, and later you met #449 and he joined. How did you meet him, and why did you ask him to become a part of the band?
Andro: Through the internet (everyone laughs).
#449: I joined Euthanasie because...
Andro: Garbage and Rammstein are our common favourite artists.
#449: I felt Euthanasie was interesting - not just musically, but in other aspects. They believe in themselves. I had never tried anything like this, and it seemed like a great opportunity to improve my song writing skills, so I joined.
You live in England, right? Isn’t it difficult to work together?
#449: Yes, but it was just for six months. We weren't able to arrange or create new songs in that time, but we always kept in contact with each other.
On your website you mention that you are looking for a drummer. Don’t you think that by recruiting a drummer, your sound will change a lot?
#449: Yes, but the basics won't. We make electro, techno, digital style music. So if a drummer joins as a support member, it won’t change our basic sound. But during the gigs it will be more exciting and we can make a wider variety of sounds. It will be great.
Andro: An electric drummer will join us, but only for shows in Japan.
Most of the time industrial music is pretty dark and hard, but Euthanasie has a kind of cheerful sound to it. Why did you decide to take that direction?
#449: I don’t think we are an industrial band, we make all kinds of electronic music. For example, ambient, EBM and digital hardcore. We are influenced by many kinds of digital music. Our main influence is Japanese music, especially 80's Japanese music. So that gives us good inspiration for songs.
Andro: I’m the vocalist and of course I want to sing beautiful melodies, so that everyone can sing along. The melody is very important. I come up with catchy refrains in my head.
N@o: I love pop music.
What advice would you give to other Japanese bands that tour Europe for the first time?
Andro: Two weeks is enough (everyone laughs). Any longer is too much. One month is too long, so two weeks is best.
What are your plans for the future?
#449: We'll release our first full album next year. And we'll do either three or four more European tours. Because our main target is Europe, then the world, we'll definitely be back again.
Do you have a final message for your fans?
N@o: Arigatou gozaimasu
Andro: MySpace is great, and I want to become friends with everyone there, but our account is not available. I can only read and approve friend requests. I can’t write and send messages. We might change our band name and make a new account. It's not decided yet, maybe next year.
#449: This time the tour had 16 concerts, please write us a message if you’ve been to one of the concerts. I want to know what you thought of it, so please write us.
Thank you for the interview!
