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UCNX

Sudia: Better to go with the devil you know, eh?

Monette: We came associated with MoMT Records since they published and released the destructive Songs from the Hydrogen Bar, the Chemlab tribute CD. Yeah, that devil at MoMT hooked us with fish and chips and beer.

Sudia: That's it really; fish and chips and beer. Give us that, and we'll record whatever the hell you want. It was simple; we compared offers and situations, and it made the most sense to go with MoMT. And if we help them as they help us? Hell, all the better.

You've joked that AIM is like a third member of the group, given that the two of you live a bit of a distance from each other. What is the working process like for you two? Do you ever meet in the studio or is it all done virtually over the Internet?

Monette: The working process is usually us sending the tracks, loops, and vocals through AIM most of the time.

Sudia: We work together sometimes, but it always ends up with swapping the track back and forth on AIM or e-mail to edit or add things before finalizing it.

Monette: Everything is mostly done in our homes.

Sudia: I think it's because we're both really copasetic and admire each other's work, so we don't have to breathe down each other's necks at all.

Monette: But if one of us is in town, we hop over and do a freestyle track or lay out some fast ideas and loops for tracks down the line.

About finalizing it, how do you get to that point? Because you work independently, how do you know to find a 'done' point that you both can agree on?

Sudia: It just sort of happens. There comes that point where we both go, 'OK, this feels done.' Like I said, it's really copasetic and mutual. At that point, I'll usually do the vocals and send it one last time for John's approval and then it's off rendering.

Monette: Then we usually give it a few listens over before say it's finished, to make sure everything is fused and mangled correctly into a nice grit and groove tune to make booties shake on the industrial dance floors.

Sudia: Only John is allowed to tell me I sound like shit.

Doug, you're responsible for the vocals and lyrics?

Sudia: John does backing vocals form time to time; the distorted 'nothing' in the title track is him. I have the better clean vocal, while John sounds awesome when all distorted to hell. But you know, we're trying to avoid that little cliché.

What would you say are the primary themes and subjects you explore in your lyrics on Absolute Zero, and how would you say you approach them differently than some other bands that might also touch on them in their music?

Monette: Most of the lyrics on Absolute Zero were conceived by Doug, but we'll mostly be influenced by our surroundings, music, books, art, etc.

Sudia: Definitely. Things we care about, which is what it should be.

Monette: Yeah, it could be a song about zombies, government, a TV show, comic book, a vacation, or Bob the supermarket cart pusher.

Sudia: I leave the zombie and supermarket songs to John.

Monette: Or serious material.

Sudia: Dude, what's more serious than that? If we can stop one kid from becoming a zombie in the supermarket, then it's a job worth doing!

Monette: A bikini-clad zombie girl ringing up my order.

Sudia: We should record a 'UCNX Gives Back' charity single. It'll be huge!

With the two of you working primarily virtually, what are the prospects for UCNX live shows? Have you any plans to do so? And what would a UCNX live show entail in terms of the presentation?

Monette: Presentation would have to be top notch, since both of us went to school for art and design. If we ever do live shows, it would be one-off shows here and there.

Sudia: Yeah, a tour would be hard to pull off, but never say die.

Monette: Or we could go FSOL style and do it virtually.

Sudia: Go all Aphex Twin and set up a recorder behind a huge plastic tree, and go cheer ourselves on from the bar: 'These guys kick ass!' I think maybe that's what you have to do now.

Monette: Yeah, with our full-time jobs and two locations right now, the only way would be a UCNX karaoke tour.

Being a relatively new band, and working with newer bands like Deadliner and Cyanotic, what are your thoughts on the industrial music scene and where it's going?

Monette: I really feel the industrial scene needs a injection of style and influence, so it doesn't just sound like the same stuff done by 25 bands.

Sudia: We're not going to name any names, but copycats abound.

Monette: Some bands that really strive to do that get burnt and hissed by the scene.

Sudia: We wear our influences on our sleeves, but we're not confined by them at all. Acknowledge the past, but don't live in it. You can tell who's in it for love and who's trying to be Genocide Commando 23. That being said, we do have a terror EBM side project we could always unleash to take the piss out of things; call it 'Sektor Sekt.' My girlfriend came up with that name, I better mention, lest I hear about it later.

Monette: Daniel Myer is a perfect example. Each album he does has a fresh feel to it and not something I've heard before. Like Cyanotic brings some glitch, IDM and breakcore, and incorporates it with good old coldwave.

Sudia: Chemlab meets Haujobb meets E-Craft. Imperative Reaction does that extremely well, I think, one of my top bands right now. Portion Control, Gridlock, etc.

You've made appearances on several compilations and done a large number of remixes for the likes of K-Nitrate, Cyanotic, Unter Null, :Wumpscut: and Autoclav1.1. How has the process of remixing benefited you in the construction and composition of your own music, and how do you think the songs on Absolute Zero reflect that?

Sudia: It provides inspiration, and it's always fun, which is inspiration in itself. We have some in the pipeline, ones for Deadliner and for Stiff Valentine.

Monette: Plus we're honored to be able to have a chance to remix them.

Sudia: It's always humbling.

So, with all of those remixes plus the ones you have coming up, and now with Absolute Zero released, what are UCNX's plans for the future? What's the word on a full-length album?

Monette: The sophomore outing we're hoping to have done by the end of the year, but we also have some remixes and soundtrack work to keep us busy.

Sudia: Also, I've done some guest vocals for the upcoming Deadliner full-length and for the next Audio War album. Lots of plans ahead, not to mention Typozorg, our side project. I'm just afraid Typo's going to break through the chains and get out of the basement. We can't hold it back much longer.

Soundtrack work? Tell us about that.

Sudia: You meant the Web site music, right, John?

Monette: Yeah. We'll be working on some short soundtrack pieces for a cartoon. We're pushing our music boundaries on the soundtrack work.

How so, exactly? How does working on a soundtrack differ from when you're writing for UCNX or Typozorg?

Monette: It differs because we're constructing fantasy and sports-type music with horns, harps, etc., both of which we don't usually use a lot of.

Sudia: I just added a harp-line to the fantasy track actually. Is 'harp-line' a word? Is there a Bill Leeb of harps out there somewhere? It's like the difference between starting from an idea and starting from a concept, if you know what I mean. More experimentalism. Lots more tinkering with piano, too, which I have a great appreciation for.

Is there anything you'd like to add?

Sudia: Remember, if you buy the album from MoMT, you get the free Eckstraschitt EP with a remix for Chemlab.