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The Process Void

J.: Well, I had been doing non-melodic noise-based stuff for a while, previously – basically just slabs of sound backed by a drum pattern. I was doing that sort of stuff for six years or so. Then I woke up one day in 2003 and said to myself, 'I really would like to do something more melodic, even lusher, more synth-bass oriented.' I was listening to stuff like Nitzer Ebb, Skinny Puppy and DAF at the time. I always liked bands such as Wire, Killing Joke, Severed Heads and Joy Division. The first piece I wrote was 'Retribution' in 2003, and it all just triggered off from there.

You worked with Garry Bradbury of Severed Heads for a while under the name Valley of Death before starting The Process Void; how did that collaboration come about, and how did working with him influence the way you write and record with your current project?

J.: I had known Garry for years. Originally Valley of Death was a solo project of mine, and Garry came along to produce it. Prior to his involvement, a lot of the stuff I was doing was just a huge blob of sound that was all over the place. He taught me the mixing side of things, as well as structure and arrangements.

Your website mentions a number of memorable live performances, unusually describing some of them as 'disastrous' or 'poorly received.' What are some of your favorite concert memories, both good and bad?

J.: I really enjoyed the first Process Void gig in 2004 (Lan Franchis), as the first time is always fun. Another gig I enjoyed was performing at the Mars Hill Cafe in Parramatta, which is west of Sydney. As it is a cafe as well as venue, people were eating as well as watching, so that made the atmosphere more relaxing. Another performance – I can't say it was my favorite as such – but this was Valley of Death at the Northpoint Hotel, North Sydney, where we played to a completely non-responsive audience who just did not get what we were doing. After one song, Bradbury asked the audience, 'What did you think of that?' 'Crap!' someone in the audience responded. Bradbury hit back, 'I'll give you crap, I'll rip your fuckin' head off and shit down your neck.' Then there was silence. I cracked up laughing, big time. Best way to deal with an apathetic audience, I guess. There have been plenty of shocker gigs, but I don't want to dwell too much on the negatives. One gig I regret doing is Emergenza, where a band is charged $100 to perform as part of a competition: only five minutes to set up, 25-minute set (only three or four songs for us), and it costs a punter $13 to get in. Outrageous.

Your new album, Staat des Zerfells, combines old school electro/industrial beats with gothic and darkwave flavors. What were your main influences when writing it?

J.: Oh, all sorts. There was bit of Tears for Fears, Japan and early Icehouse influences there mixed with a bit of Wire, Joy Division and other post-punk influences on top of The Process Void driving percussions. A bit of funk there. I attempted to incorporate elements that had not been previously present in Process Void music, like slap bass or fretless bass lines. A lot of organic sampled instruments were used as well as the synthetics. I like to experiment with sounds, instrumentation and arrangements rather than restrict myself to formulas. For example, 'Dead Youth' starts off with that orchestral On-u sound and next minute it becomes a driving post-punk song.

Staat des Zerfells also features quite a few guest appearances from other artists. How did those collaborations come about? How many of them were done in person vs. trading files online, and do you prefer one method to the other?

J.: Well, Kenji e-mailed me once and said he would like to collaborate with me. He sent me some recorded texts of his poetry and asked me to place them in my songs, which I did with 'Dead Youth' and 'Passing Time.' All the other guests – Brendan, Albert, Ant, Alex and Dan – I knew personally. Dan has been performing alongside me live playing synth and providing soundscapes. The others I knew throughout the music scene when seeing their respective bands perform. I wanted to bring in guest musicians as opposed to just using MIDI bass lines and so forth, so I sent them a stereo file, MIDI file and tempo via disk or YouSendIt and got them to lay down their parts. Then they would send their parts back to me on disk or the Web. None were done in person. The joys of modern technology. I prefer it that way, as it would be more stressful and time-consuming if done in the same room. At least people can do it in their own time and own comfort zone that way.

You're a member of the Crash Frequency collective. Can you tell us a little bit about what that is, for fans who might not be familiar with the Australian dark music scene?

J.: Crash Frequency is a collective of Australian dark wave and electro acts, the acts being Process Void, Ikon, Angelspit, Angel Theory, Empty, Tenth Stage and The Mercy Cage.

You've recently announced that you're putting The Process Void on hiatus. Are you still working on music? What other projects are you involved in at the moment?

J.: I am still working on music. I just finished a remixing a song for another Sydney band called Empty and I have been writing new pieces of material which is a bit more arty, melodic and less violent-sounding than The Process Void. I like to shift styles musically.