The “road tour” concept was used for “Repo!” after its original theatrical release. But was it something planned or considered all along, or did the idea come about as a reaction to the initial response?

Due to horrid early reviews, “Repo!” was given a very limited theatrical release and was heading straight to the bottom of DVD bins.  The filmmakers and I knew that the project needed to be experienced loud, in theatres, and with a late-night audience (it’s an industrial opera for Christ’s sake!).  The Repo Road Tour was our way of getting “Repo!” in front of that audience.  The tours were so successful they proved to us that you don’t need to follow traditional distribution models to find an audience for your movie, especially if your movie’s as untraditional as “Repo!” or “The Devil’s Carnival”.  With “Devil’s”, we decided to lead with a tour, giving folks a cinematic experience that can’t be downloaded.

Was “The Devil’s Carnival” conceived specifically for the screen, or does it have roots in live performances like “Repo!” did?

We knew from day one that “The Devil’s Carnival” was going to be a film.  That said, the aspect of live performance is an important part of the world.  The movie features singing carnies, and what are carnies if not live performers?  The live performance aspect is definitely a huge part of the Road Tour experience as well.

This is being referred to as the first part of a series – ideally, where do you see it going? A regular series of tours? Feature films? Web series? TV? etc.

In a perfect world, if the tour’s a success, I’d love to release a new episode every few months and then tour it, making “The Devil’s Carnival” an ongoing concert/film event.  I love the idea of a music driven serial where the songs and story grow over time, almost like the issues of a comic book.  This approach would also open the door to having a rotating cast of rad actors and musicians.  As an audience member, I would want to see this, and I don’t believe there’s anything like this on the market.

From what I understand, this is a short film supplemented by Q&A forums and screenings of ‘Repo!’-related ‘bonus’ material. How long is the film exactly? What were the motivations for using this format as opposed to making it a full-length feature?

The first episode of “The Devil’s Carnival” is just over an hour.  It features twelve original songs and has tremendous production value so I don’t think short film is an accurate descriptor… at least not compared to any short film that I’ve seen.  “The Devil’s Carnival” feels like a cross between a movie and a concert, and the entertainment surrounding the Road Tour screenings will make every evening on the tour an event.  We’re not trying to fit “The Devil’s Carnival” into a box so it’s a hard project to label, but short film is definitely too narrow (and small) a sticker for what we’re up to.

I see that many of the cast members also appeared in “Repo!” Would you say that any of the characters were written specifically with the performers in mind?

When writing, I generally try to find the character first and then worry about who might play him or her.  In the spirit of independent art, we brought “Repo!” alumni into “The Devil’s Carnival” because we like working with our friends, insofar as they are right for their particular roles.  If there are future episodes, fans of “Repo!” can expect to see more familiar faces popping up in “The Devil’s Carnival”.  But there are also a lot of exciting new faces, like Emilie Autumn, Ivan Moody from Five Finger Death Punch, Clown from Slipknot, and Sean Patrick Flanery from “The Boondock Saints”.

Are there plans for a soundtrack release? Any idea as to how long after the tour we can expect a DVD release?

The future of the film and the series is wholly dependent on the success of the tour, so if you find what we’re doing intriguing, I invite you to get your tickets and experience “The Devil’s Carnival” firsthand: http://thedevilscarnivaltour.eventbrite.com/.  The soundtrack will definitely be released prior to the tour.  We’re looking at the 3rd of April.  Details will be released shortly at www.TheDevilsCarnival.com.

Be sure to also check out our interview with Terrance about “Repo!” as well as cast member Ogre interviewed in 2008 and 2011.

Having re-united in 2010 for live shows and a one-off single (“Don’t Stop Me”/”The Gun is Good”), Orbital have announced a new full-length album for release in April 2012.  It’s titled “Wonky,” and a track from it, “Never,” has been posted for free streaming and downloading.

Orbital will be touring in April in support of the new release; for more info visit their website. Be sure to check out the interviews we’ve done with Orbital in the past:

Orbital interviewed in 1993
Orbital interviewed in 2002
Orbital interviewed in 2004

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Could you explain a bit about how The Sexbots came about, both musically and conceptually?

“Basically, what had happened, was that I had a number of beatmakers/producers spontaneously approach me and ask me to do vocals for basement projects. They were at a point in their lives where they couldn’t do the band thing- wife, family, mortgage, and no time for band practice- but they couldn’t stop going into their basement and making these tracks that they always had wanted a singer for, that no one was hearing, and they couldn’t really push themselves. It was a way of gathering all of these in a way that could actually be promoted- rather than 10 different bands that never performed, it was all under the umbrella of The Sexbots, with myself providing aesthetic direction and continuity. Another way of putting it is that it’s the Royksopp/Massive Attack formula flipped. Instead of having a different vocalist on each song, I have a different beatmaker. This was really a surprise to me when it happened because I have a history of performing in very experimental indie bands, but a few people took a chance on my voice and it snowballed.”

Do you see video as an integral creative part of the project, or more of a promotional tool?

“Here’s the part where I start to sound like one of those hipster types… I call myself a trans-disciplinary artist because I feel that what I do has more to do with looking at the world with a certain aesthetic sense, than having any skills. And just applying that to what I do. Video isn’t part of a grand marketing scheme – it’s just I love telling stories and making videos is a way to tell a story with several contiguous layers. I have crazy ideas that, at this point, no one else would let me do for their songs. It’s that I happen to have songs and this persona lying around, so I use them. Low-budget video making is like making dinner – you see what’s in the cupboard and you make it happen. If I had a singer-actress friend who would let me do these things to her – like taking a bath in body paint just so that it can be played in reverse, or getting locked in a trunk for a snuff film, I would – but I’m the only person who allows me to do these things. I’m both the sadistic German film director and his blonde actress at once, except I’m not blonde.”

What factors go into determining which songs you do videos for? Have any songs actually started out as video ideas?

“The song comes first, then I’ll be driving somewhere and I start imagining a story. I had a really sheltered childhood- I wasn’t exposed to MTV until I went to college so I am super fascinated by music videos.”

Since you direct your own videos, I’m curious as to what, if any, impact online viewing might have on the creative side of things? (For example – people potentially viewing on small screens, while jumping around youTube, perhaps seeing but having audio low, etc)

2 ways to answer that question -

1)the only way I can function with creative freedom is by assuming that no one is going to hear the songs and no one is going to watch the videos. Then they do and I am shocked when they ask questions!

2) It allows me to use cheaper equipment- I don’t need to have everything super HD if it is mostly going to be viewed on youtube. When I started making videos, people tried to tell me I need thousands of thousands of dollars and I said NO! It’s going to be seen in a 3 inch square on youtube, it doesn’t need to look that good. That’s something I’ve told my cameramen ever since- it needs to look good enough for youtube. I really don’t have much of a budget. I have 2 kids. The most I’ve ever spent on a video shoot was, I think, like $150, and that’s only because I got all the extras to show up by promising free vodka.

Going into this, did you consider what a project named The Sexbots might get lumped in with when people search for you online? (Porn sites, youTube videos about making large breasted Sims characters, etc)

No, I’m pretty naive. If I was a little more sophisticated, I might have seen what this got us linked to, and the assumptions people would make. Honestly, it’s kind of a convoluted Bladerunner reference. They don’t use the term in the novel or the book, but the concept of a highly sexualized replicant, who doesn’t quite get it, seemed awfully relevant to me at the time. My dating life was less than zero at the time.

Could you describe how the various musical collaborations on “Don’t Stop” worked? For example, did the musicians who created beats for it present fairly complete tracks for you to pick from / work with? Or was there a lot of back and forth as songs developed?

A little of both, depending what song and who it was. “Under My Skin” was something Ceez and I did especially for Halloween. We were driving back from Eugene with hangovers and decided to do a spooky beat and just talked about the concept. Ceez and I are like long lost musical brothers- there are times where we will be chatting online and he’ll send me a track and I will email him a demo 5 minutes later. Other people, there’s more back and forth. Spit Stix and I took a little time to work out what we wanted to do as we come from very different backgrounds.

What made you want to cover “Running Up That Hill” and “Take On Me”? Have there been any songs other you’d wanted to cover, that didn’t work out?

I’m a child of the 80′s, and they are both songs from when I was growing up. I chose them because they are songs that seem happy-go-lucky until you start to pay attention to the lyrics. “Running Up That Hill” is totally chilling and heartbroken. “Take on Me” is telling someone that they don’t know it yet, but you’re going to be lovers. I was trying to re-inject the the lyrical intent into the song.

Is “Don’t Stop” self-released? If so, do you think you’d want to work with a label in the future, or do you prefer to stay completely independent?

It’s self-released. I would like to work with a label- but it has to be a situation where we are both very clear what we want from each other. I’m never going to change my artistic output to be on a label, but I do want help with the logistical side. There’s a huge amount of, basically, office work that goes into doing stuff properly. I will work hard and earn money for a label- but I would rather be shooting a video, playing a show, or writing new songs than doing 100% of the grunt work. There are only so many hours in a day and I’m learning it as I go. There are people who do this full-time and get off on it, and they would be so much better than me. I’m basically running my own label except half the time, I stop what I’m doing to give a 3 year old a bath or something.

Do you have a regular line-up of musicians & dancers for live performances, or does it vary by show?

It varies show by show. There are some recurring regulars. I’ve used circus people, belly dancers, fire artists, drag queens… once an entire modern dance company.

Are you involved in any other musical projects right now?

I do hooks for rappers. I write neoclassical soundtracks for indie films and I’m working on another solo album. I want to start playing instruments with other people in 2012. I badly miss playing with other people, it’s just scheduling is a bear.

What’s in the immediate future for you (with The Sexbots or anything else you’re working on)?

We’re going to be hitting the road hard in 2012. I also want to work with a couple more rappers and put together an entire album that’s all different rappers with me on the hooks. That’s pretty insane! Anyway, if anyone wants me to play a show in their town, or wants to work together, they should e-mail me at ilimaconsidine@gmail.com.

Of all the various projects you’ve been involved with (other than your solo work), which of them do you think have had the biggest impact on your overall career development? Which do you perhaps feel you have less personal attachment too (maybe done more for fun, or because of the people you were collaborating with, etc)?

I feel like I have taken something valuable away from everything I have done, in certain cases, perhaps I have learned what not to do rather than what to do – I certainly feel that on some occasions I have been lazy, and on others, I have tried valiantly to make something work which-through no fault of anyones-just would not work. I don’t think I took anything away of any musical merit from Pigface, but I did forge a few good friendships, so there are certainly no regrets. I worked on a record with a band from detroit called the Final Cut, my work there was atrocious, I walked away knowing that it just was not a good fit. Certain aspects of DAMAGE MANUAL & MURDER INC, I feel served me well in terms of working in a very organic environment with accomplished yet highly idiosyncratic musicians, ditto the HIGH CONFESSIONS-which was perhaps the most organic of all.

Since you’ve worked with many different projects & people over the years, is it always obvious that something is going to be a Chris Connelly solo album, as opposed to another new project? Have there been any cases of something starting as a solo effort morphing into another ‘band’?

That used to happen more in the old days, when I was working with a more incestuous pool of musicians, and when there was more of a budget! But over the years as I developed more as a writer, the process became almost exclusively one of complete solitude, only one key opens that door-but once it gets to the recording stage-sure-you meet new people as creative as you are, and things happen.

I was disappointed to see that “Concrete, Bulletproof, Invisible and Fried: My Life As a Revolting Cock” is out of print. Any chance of a reprinting? Or an ebook version?

I’m glad it sold out! I had no idea!! perhaps it will be reprinted, I’ll have to see if the publisher is still around…

Since your started out, things have changed considerably with the music industry and surrounding media. People can very easily keep up with you now through your website, facebook, etc, but how to you address the challenge of initially letting fans of your earlier work know that you’re still around and have new releases?

Well-I don’t tour-at least not now-I may in the future, and I’m not a go-getter, I do what I can, but I can’t be bothered with any damn challenges, there’s a lot out there, and I’m not about to run huffing and puffing after current trends trying desperately to assert my validity, I like what i do, and if people hear it and like it, I am more than flattered with that.

I read that “Artificial Madness” was written in one concentrated session, when you had the flu. How do you feel this affected the overall result? Other than the being sick part, had it been an approach you’d wanted to take? Do you feel any previous albums have suffered by your spending too much time writing them?

No-it’s just what i felt like doing, I don’t think it informed to music in any unique way, I had time to kill, and I happened to be in a very creative mood that day. In the past I have worked away at songs, but it has never been a struggle, the songs themselves will fall into place when they are ready, if I find I am beating an idea to death because I can’t accept that it’s anything less than worthwhile-I will eventually just throw it away and maybe pull it out another day-I can’t tell you how many songs include tiny parts re appropriated from bits I have previously discarded maybe years ago.The albums never suffer from overworking though-ask anyone who works with me, I spend as little time as I possibly can get away with on them, there is too much to write that has not been written!

In general, what do you think the makeup of your audience tends to be, in terms of people who first became aware of your through projects like Ministry and RevCo vs those who specifically discovered you as a solo artist?

Hard to tell these days, a lot of the past audience who I managed to skillfully alienate with my solo albums have started to come back, as I have started to acknowledge more of my earlier excursions into noise and violence whilst retaining some of my more current sensibilities, we all come home to roost in one form or another! I think the 2 can coexist and maybe even procreate peacefully together

I have a few Fini Tribe tracks on compilations, but have been curious to check out more. However, the only songs the digital music stores have are those 4 contained on your ‘Out-Takes, Rarities & Personal Favourites’ release. I realize that there are label/legal issues involved, but as a music fan I feel that any older release should be made available for sale, at least as a download (if there is not enough demand for actual CD/vinyl manufacturing.) Otherwise the only way to get stuff is by tracking down use copies, or resorting to piracy.  What are you thoughts on this, both as an artist and a listener?

We-THE FINI TRIBE- are basically just lazy and noncommittal- there are no legal issues, there are 6 of us, and when we communicate to try and get things moving, it never gets past the early discussion phase, but I feel very strongly about the band, and I truly love these guys like the brothers they are, but what I did with them-well, we are talking about 30 years ago..sometimes I feel it’s just supposed to be out there, obscured in the ether and shrouded in our own lazy noncommittal mystique!!

You’ve done music, poetry, non-fiction & novel writing – is there anything else you want to try your hand at creatively? Do you have plans for any more books?

No, writing is it, I like drawing, but just for my own personal enjoyment, I have always been most strongly attracted to the written word, and yes, I will write more when the time is right, just now I am too distracted with myriad musical collaborations

I’ve always felt, and I’m sure others have pointed out, that your voice can sound reminiscent of David Bowie. Do you agree with this, and if so has it impacted you at all creatively?

I am pleased with the comparison, of course I’m a huge fan, and have been since “station to station” came out in 1976, what can you say, really-I feel like I have learned from his work, his lyric writing , his use of melody and his amazing charisma, he had (i use the past tense since he has retired) something that transcended genres and made him inconceivably cool for most of his career..and sooooooooo handsome!

What’s in the immediate future for you? Any touring plans?

I am working with a man named MICHAEL ESPOSITO on putting some edgar allen poe poetry to sounds & music, I am also working with Meshell Ndegeocello (I co-wrote with her on her new album) on lyrics, and a new high confessions record, no plans to slow down, but no plans to tour.

“I’ve been getting into and listening to a lot of minimal dance music and I got really intrigued by all the sounds,” said Clarke in a press release . “I realised I needed a collaborator… so it occurred to me to talk to Martin.”

An as-yet untitled album will be out on Mute in Spring 2012, but in the meantime they have started releasing a series of EPs. The first, “Spock” is current available from Beatport  and will be getting a wider release on December 12. A 12 inch vinyl version will follow on  December 19.

Check out the Beatport page for samples, and for more info visit vinceclarkemusic.com.

Based in San Antonio, Texas, Hyperbubble is comprised of Jeff and his wife Jess. They both have art backgrounds, which are utilized in live shows, videos, packaging, and other visual aspects of the Hyperbubble experience. In the following email interview, Jeff and wife/bandmate Jess explain a bit about history, technology, and the creative process behind Hyperbubble, as well as how “Drastic Cinematic” came about.

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I see quite an extensive equipment list on your website. Is your music created entirely through hardware synths/samplers, or do you use computer-based virtual instruments as well?

JEFF: We usually sample our analog keyboards, then sequence them on a computer, but there’s no specific method, really.

JESS: Overall, we’ll use anything we can get our hands on: Microwave ovens, power drills, electronic bird feeders, lunchboxes, doorbells, toys, house pets…whatever works.

How long have you both been doing music? Have you always been working with electronic styles?

JESS: We’ve been doing music since we were tots. School band in Jr. High, followed by punk/new wave bands during high school, as well as a bit of musical theater.

JEFF: Jess still uses the Casio she had in her first band, an all-girl group called Twice A Day. My first band, The Junior Vacuums, also dabbled with keyboards and drum machines.

What was the first synth that each of you had?

JEFF: A Moog Rogue.

JESS: A Casio MT-500. It’s not really a synth, but I love it anyway. Plus, it has those sexy orange hexagonal drum pads.

JEFF: We picked up a few new toys this year. Jess bought me a Roland Gaia SH-01 and I bought her a Moog Theremin , plus my brother just gave her a Stylophone for her birthday.

JESS: So expect to hear some fresh new sounds on future Hyperbubble releases!

JEFF: The first full-on digital sampler we used, an Ensoniq EPS, previously belonged to Ministry. They recorded The Land of Rape and Honey album with it. It makes us giggle to know that the very same sampler used to make songs like “Flashback” was later used to make “Candy Apple Daydreams”.

Do you have a general approach to performing the material live, in terms of which parts are played, which are sequenced, how things are manipulated, etc? Is it always just the 2 of you, or do you add additional musicians for performances?

JEFF: Generally, we have our drums and bass lines sequenced and play the rest by hand, however Jess recently started playing Simmons drums live, as well. I also add live percussion fills on my Roland T-707. It’s always been the two of us on stage, and always will be. While it’s fun to work with other musicians in the recording studio, adding more on stage, and calling it “Hyperbubble” would ruin our concept.

With a more cinematic feel and less emphasis on vocals, “Drastic Cinematic” sounds a bit different from your previous releases. Could you describe the motivations behind it? Did you have a general concept in mind going into it, or did it just evolve out of the music you found yourselves coming up with?

JEFF: It started out as a request from the German record label, Pure Pop For Now People. They asked if we could do something for their “Black Label Series”, which is more cold and stark than the stuff we usually do. From there, we came up with the concept. We thought, “cold…stark…black….ahhhh, Film Noir!”

JESS: Also, we wanted to do something that contrasted our previous album, which was full-on bubblepop.

JEFF: In a way, it’s a Hyperbubble album turned inside-out. The music is in the forefront, the keyboards carry the melodies, and the vocals are there for effect.

JESS: It’s also far more interactive than previous albums. Each track begins with a bit of dialogue to trigger the listeners imagination. From there they can come up with their own story to go along with the music.

Have you done any actual soundtrack work? Is it something that you see Hyperbubble pursuing in the future?

JEFF: Yes to both! Along with doing music for radio commercials, our first soundtrack assignment was not for a film, but for a comic book. Antarctic Press (best known for their “Ninja High School” series) hired our previous group, Pink Filth, to record soundtrack CDs for two of their newer titles, “Shotgun Mary” and “Areala”. I also recently recorded the theme song to “Nightlife”, a show about vampire killers, under the pseudonym “Macchio Man”.

JESS: It’s funny. Tracks from Drastic Cinematic are now popping up in independent films such as “Austin to S.A.” by Hondo Aguilar, and “Slick” by artist Sabra Booth, as well as being used as the theme music for the St Louis radio show, “Juxtaposition” on KDHX, so it’s kind of a soundtrack album in reverse!

JEFF: Perrey & Kingsley style!

How do the visual/conceptual and musical side of things affect each other during the creative process? For example, when working on new music do you ever question if something fits your ‘image’?

JESS: The music and visuals are definitely concept-driven, but I can’t remember a time when one of us said, “No, that’s not Hyperbubble enough”, though we probably do it subconsciously.

JEFF: One interviewer suggested to me that we could make music with sticks and stones and it would still come out sounding like a Hyperbubble song.

JESS: Even though there’s a concept at work, what you hear on our albums is the real Jess and Jeff, because our “image” is actually just an extension of our real selves, so we figure as long as we’re honest about making our music, the concept takes care of itself. On the other hand, if we were hired to do a piece based on someone else’s concept, or make a solo recording, we may consider doing it under a different name.

Do you come up with visual ideas while working on a song, which in turn influence how the song ultimately turns out?

JEFF: Absolutely! Quite often, the album cover art is created before the music, as we like to make the music sound like the artwork looks.

JESS: To quote our own song (Synesthesia), “The sounds and the colors are one.”

What is the musical scene like in San Antonio? Do you perform much locally?

JEFF: Sure. We’ve played lots of local shows! Especially when we were starting out.

JESS: The San Antonio music scene is pretty big. The art scene is even bigger. Being musicians with art degrees, we like to straddle both. So far, half of the shows we’ve played locally have been at music venues, and the other half were at art museums and city sponsored festivals like Fiesta and Luminaria. Our most recent show was on KSYM radio, where we performed the entire Drastic Cinematic album live.

As musicians, what are your feelings on services like Spotify? (both the subscription model, and the fact that it makes is even easier to seek out / instantly hear music).

JEFF: Spotify’s got its pros and cons. But generally, anything that turns people on to new music is a good thing, providing the artists get fairly compensated for their work. At the moment our favorite Spotify blog is Jer White’s Pansentient League.

Do you agree that the Casio keyboards of today are incredibly boring compared to those that came out in the 80′s.

JEFF: Not sure. The 80′s models have effects like reverb and delay built into the sounds, so if you want the tone without the effect, you’re out of luck. Modern Casios tend to leave their sounds a bit dry, so the user can have more control, and add effects later, if they want. That said, yeah, I guess the older ones do have a bit more personality, for instance, that irresistible “Human Voice” on the SK-1.

What’s in the immediate future for Hyperbubble?

JESS: We’re currently back in the studio writing and recording new stuff with Manda Rin, from the Scottish pop group Bis, and the singer of The Powerpuff Girls cartoon theme song. I can’t think of a more perfect match.

JEFF: We’ve also just finished a track for the French label, Winter Records, created entirely from Western movie samples…Stuff like locomotives, harmonicas, and squeaky water pumps.

What are your long term goals?

JEFF: To be honest, we don’t have any long term goals. Never have. When we started the band, it was for kicks. We thought we’d just do it for a year or so, and now it’s been over a decade! Things just started to snowball, and we’ve been having too much fun to quit.

Magazine have announced a 9 date UK tour to support “No Thyself” (unfortunately no American dates have been announced…) For more info, be sure to visit the official Magazine site at :  http://www.wire-sound.com/

A free download of the new track “Captain Plastic” is currently available from the PWEI facebook page. For more info, check out the official PWEI site or their label page at Cooking Vinyl . Be sure to also check out our 1994 Pop Will Eat Itself Interview.