Julien-K – 06-02-2012

Interview with: Julien-K
By: Nina Mende

How did you celebrate Christmas and New Year’s? (if you celebrated it at all)
Fu:In Vancouver my hometown, with friends and family; what could be better?
Ryan: I spent NYE with my girl, my brother, and his new family. my nephew is insane, and I love him more than anything. it was great. He is insane, and my mother tells me that i was like him when i was young…. which means I was fucking out of control. I like that.

Do you have a New Year’s resolution? If so, what is it?
Fu: I’m not really into resolutions, but 2012 is the year to go out and play and promote “We’re Here With You” to the world. That’s not a resolution, but its the singular focus of the year.
Ryan: I agree with Fu wholeheartedly. We are not fucking around. We are playing for keeps. This year is going to rule.

What do you think of iTunes Match?
Fu: It seems very useful. I have always wanted access to my whole music library, wherever I am, just to be able to hear something that I’m thinking of at any moment. Looks like I can finally do that.

Now that you have built (and of course are still building) a fan base throughout Europe,
how do you keep in touch with your fans?
Fu: We come back often and touch them.
Ryan: Facebook. Systeme de Street. Julien-K.com. Amazon. iTunes. TOURING. We are here with our fans. we come often. They can count on us.

Why should your fans join Systeme De Street? How does it differ from other street teams?
Ryan: We’re not traveling salesman – we don’t need to sell a “different experience” for our street team – our fans know our music and know us. We simply have a different relationship with our fans than many bands. We are actually in touch with them. I cant create a sales pitch to describe it. We actually personally KNOW our core fans. we hang with them when we are in their town. they know we give a fuck about them. that also means that if you are in our fan club (our street team) and you actually become our friends, that is very special thing – it means you are trusted and that we can count on each other. Our fans are active and they work to support our efforts, and that is why they are amazing.

What can we expect of the new album?
Ryan: It’s one of the best records of 2012. period. We did a great job, and many bands will try to copy what we did on this record. We simply outdid ourselves, and most of our competitors. Its on another level sonically, and our songwriting and melodies have grown immensely. My singing is probably my best work to date. Amir brought guitar back in the coolest way I can imagine. The guitars are as good as classic Clash or U2. The programming is simply COOL. It’s not trying too hard – it just rules in a sophisticated way. The programming is like Kraftwerk, if Kraftwerk actually did drugs, drank whisky, and had fun. There will be a great many acts trying to recapture or duplicate what we did on this album. but by then we will have reinvented the wheel many times.

What were the influences for the new album?
Amir: Before starting any project I create a playlist of music for the band that I like to call the “style council”. These songs help us define the direction and production for the album. For the new JK album we went back to the 70’s & 80’s and also listened to a healthy dose of current Electro & Indie bands.

What is your personal favorite song on the new album and why?
Ryan: Thats like choosing which of my children i love most – thankfully for you i dont have any children, so fuck it. I have no idea what that feels like. I love “Palm Springs Reset”, because its is so new and so different for us, and “I’ll Try Not To Destroy You” because it is so different from where it originally started and i LOVE where it ended up. I LOVE “WHWY” and “BIB” because of the vibe and the guitar tones – the guitar playing!!!!! I love it. It fucking rules.

Tell us about the video “Breakfast in Berlin”.
Ryan: Well, its really fucking cool. Have you seen it? lots of people like it, and I think it starts to paint a picture of what were doing. I think you need to see this video to understand where were going with this record and this song. This video will help you understand – and it will cure cancer.

How many copies of the “SDS Sessions V 1” are out there (since it is a limited edition)?
Ryan: 2 million.

Can we expect more vinyls like this one coming up?
Ryan: Yes. We figured out how to do it …. finally. So yeah, we will do it more often, and do it faster and cooler. we want to create unique media (and products in general) for our fans – and we think anyone who owns a record player, or a vintage piece of HiFi gear will love new, cool vinyl.. its fun! and that’s what its about..

Tell us about the new drummer. Did you decide for one yet?
Amir: Frank Zummo from Street Drum Corps has been a longtime friend. A few months ago he was asked to do a performance for the Orange County Music Awards, and he invited Julien-K to do a special version of “Cruel Daze of Summer” adding him as 2nd drummer and DJ Thrifty Lips, a DJ with whom Frank works. When Elias gave us his news, Frank came to mind first, as we have already experienced his professional and personal style. We nevertheless put ourselves through the audition process and, as it turns out Frank came out on top.

Will Elias be back?
Amir: We are leaving the door wide open.

Is there anything left that you want to tell our readers?
Ryan: Yes. Wake up. Support music you love. Don’t be a passive fucking bump on a log. Get active. Be young. Think. Create. Talk. Engage. Have some great food – drink some interesting liquor. Travel. Have an adventure… make that adventure a Julien-K show…. connect!! Dont be lazy! make shit happen! Dont make excuses.
In todays world… more than ever in the history of this planet – you can get anything you want, and be anything you want. Fucking DO IT. We’re here with you.

Thank you for your time.