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Please introduce yourselves and tell us what each of you is responsible for in the band.

Martin: Seabound is Martin V. (programming) and Frank S. (lyrics, vocals, programming). Together, we make multifarious electronic music that invites you on a journey into the mind.

How long have you been making music and how has that process changed over the years?

Martin: We've started working with each other in 1995. It started out as a jam but soon we realized that the different profiles of our characters had the potential to bring together something twisted and new. As our music is purely electronic we have the advantage of working rather independently on our tracks. Once a demo has reached a certain stage, we exchange files and decide whether the track will eventually become a Seabound song and be developed further or not. I have the greater technical knowledge and passion for skillful programming. Frank often writes more intuitively and approaches his songs from the perspective of a story he wants to tell. The final editing and the tailoring of details is usually a joint venture.

Tell us about your experience and relationship with Dependent Records.

Martin: Dependent have made a name for themselves as a hatchery of electronic music with the ability to satisfy claims of listener who look for more than usual average electro. Each band on the label has its own identity but there is also something the bands share, almost like a quality seal. It sometimes reminds me of the Nettwerk label in the '80s when they were the home of Skinny Puppy, Chris & Cosey, and Severed Heads, or the Warp label in the '90s with bands like Aphex Twin or Autechre. You could listen to one of their releases and you would know that it had a quality to it, even if you wouldn't necessarily like each single band. I think part of this brand idea is due to the fact that Stefan, our manager, is a fan of electronic music himself. He knows what he likes and he has great intuition in terms of electronic music. When he signed us about a year ago, he told us that he had made the conscious decision to sign a band with complex arrangements and a musical style that takes some time to reach the listener. It would have been easier to sign a straightforward electro act, but he trusted the potential of the material.

In what capacity do you work with Eskil Simonsson of Covenant?

Martin: Eskil co-produced "Travelling," our first single on Dependent. We stayed with him for a week and recorded an edited and ammended version for both the single and the album. He also remixed and extended the title track. Eskil did another remix for a second track from the album ("Torn") which is yet to be released. We are actually very happy that we had the chance to work with him. The two remixes he did for us and his co-production are among the last projects Eskil did outside of Covenant. Now that Covenant are signed to ka2, he concetrates exclusively on his main project. Apart from that, it was an absolute delight to work with him. Eskil is both a very smart and a sensitive person who tries to understand the people he works with in order to bring out the best in their ideas instead of exchanging them for his own.

What was your approach to the new album No Sleep Demon both lyrically and musically? What inspired you?

Frank: I'm inspired by desire, sadness, contradictions, absurdity, serial killers, metaphors, addictions, tragedy... I've always had a preference for the black instead of the white and I tend to be a better writer when I'm focusing on serious, personal matters. There is a great deal of introversion in the songs, but at the same time our music turns reflections into something that has the capacity to travel and to reach people everywhere. This has been a great inspiration for me recently. I love to communicate about significant topics and I'm interested in people who share a certain openness in that respect. With Seabound we offer this invitation to focus on the substance of your existence and share it. Too many people live their life as if it was a rehearsal for something else which is a bad idea! Musically, our songs reflect the complexity and contradictive nature of our lifes. Seabound love contradictions. You will know what I mean when you listen to the album.

What bands have most influenced your music?

Frank: Personally, I'm an '80s guy and I'm still in love with classic new wave bands such as Visage. I felt enlightened when I heard Front 242 for the first time. That's when I knew what I was missing in pure synthpop bands: beats, and a certain roughness. Martin had much less exposure to classic EBM when we met which is a great advantage, I think. To a certain extent he approaches the songwriting from a perspective that is much less infused with the music that is out there.

The tracks on the album range from aggressive to somber with not only some sure-fire club hits but also great pop songs. Is there any unifying theme in No Sleep Demon?

Frank: The album title is an allusion to a time when I could hardly sleep. I spent nights awake which was wearing me out. There are certain hours during the night when the world turns into the strangest, surrealistic place. There is a subtle thread in No Sleep Demon which can be discovered when you listen carefully. Certainly, the main theme is the craving for fulfillment in the face of the ubiquitous threat of surrender and death.

The song "Avalost" is a particularly beautiful track. What is it about?

Frank: "Avalost" reflects a combination of the word "lost" and the name of the peninsula "Avalon" in Newfoundland. I consider "Avalost" to be a modern version of Edgar A. Poe's "The Raven". In this poem Poe describes how a melancholic young man who has lost the woman of his dreams is visited by a raven who utters only a single word, "Nevermore." His fatal inclination forces the narrator in Poe's poem deeper and deeper into a spiral of self-destructive questions. In "Avalost," the narrator travels to New Found Land to search for the love of his life. He fails to find her.

There are some very interesting samples in your songs, especially in the song "Exorcise." Where do they come from?

Frank: The particular sample you are hinting at is from an ancient documentary about the Manson Family. A member of the group tries to illustrate the idea that altruism always involves hedonism. It's a provocative statement that has been misunderstood occasionally.

What are some of the biggest obstacles you face as artists?

Frank: The occasional misunderstanding of samples and the fact that I would like to spend much more time being an artist. Obviously, both Martin and I have daytime jobs, so it takes a little discipline to distribute our time to our different activities. I keep a log file to collect spontaneous ideas and thoughts though.

Are there any plans to release your records in the United States or at least play some shows here?

Martin: We have been told that Metropolis, who are distributing our CD's in the United States at the moment, are interested in licensing our second album. At the moment, we are putting together material for a couple of live shows we plan to play this year. We are considering several possibilities, one of which involves a series of gigs in the United States, most certainly together with another electronic band.